The time is 1912, just two years before the outbreak of World War One. The place is the German Fatherland of '€˜Mythic'€™ Europa. Players comprise a hodgepodge group of valiant young adventurers that are assembled together during a series of unfortunate events that thrust them into an elaborate '€œSteampunk'€ setting which ultimately pits them in an epic struggle between the forces of Science & Sorcery. Utilizing the essential '€˜Core'€™ elements of the Risus RPG Rules System (modified of course by several '€˜House Rules'€™) '€œThe Great War'€ is designed to tell the epic tale of an adventure filled and heavily altered Europe during the onset of World War I. An epic tale that is told from the eyes of the German peoples and takes players through the Great War itself.
Run by the Commander in Chief Eanwulf
Filled with a vengeful desire to avenge his comrade's death, Count Von Zorn splashes in the cavern stream wildly as he tries to keep himself afloat. A frenzied mass of tiny, minnow-like cave stingers begins to swarm around the Count's body as he flails about. The tiny toxic fishes' stings seem to fuel the Count's wrathful desire even further and he soon finds himself trying desperately to climb and claw his way out of the water and unto the opposing bank.
Before long, the Count successfully manages to haul himself out from the pool and slowly starts to stand to his feet. The Count's now somewhat wearied appearance still remains angry and grim and he seems all but oblivious to the pain caused by the tiny fish; his neck, face, arms, and hands now blistered and glistening red and swollen from the fishes' attack.
Back across the river chasm, Lord Twyl quickly casts a spell that soon illuminates the shadowed region opposite him. Before long, magical faerie fire wraps and clings itself tightly around the outline of a wooden door, previously hidden within the darkness. Spotting the door, both Count Von Zorn and Sir Jonathan's tiny-winged pixie companion Jack, hurry over to examine it.
It would appear that your adversary has spent his time cleverly wedging something underneath the door and it is now quite stuck! This isn't to say that it can NOT be opened, just that it will most likely have to be battered down or magically opened, etc. Feel free to use your brains people!
Once finished with his spell, Lord Twyl and the others try their best to devise a way to cross the river chasm and rejoin their companions.
My apologies for the delay in posting yet again, I was really hoping that Trogdor and Wayloss might have posted their thoughts and actions before continuing myself. No worries either way, however!
The bottom rope of the monkey bridge has been cut and it is now more difficult to traverse (+5 to their previous base TN's). You can apparently enter the water (and get stung), try to leap across (TN 15) the chasm, or simply try to cross the bridge as is (roughly TN 15 at a casual pace).
Then again, you could easily utilize Sir Jonathan's magical abilities and perhaps try to '˜mend' the rope, etc. Sheese the possibilities are endless. Just let me know what you try!
His methodical examination complete, Von Zorn reaches into his pocket and pulls out a snuff box. The fine white powder within takes a moment to travel from box to hand to nostril.
Barely a moment passes before Von Zorn screams a rage that belies his age and bearing and shoulders himself against the door with uncanny strength!
Cocaine FTW! Can the Chemist cliche open this door or give a bonus to hot-headed nobleman?
"Jack," Sir Jon says with a shake of his head. "Could you grab the other end of the rope and hold it in place while I mend it? I've no desire for a swim today." Then, once the bridge is repaired, he crosses and takes a look at the door, feeling along the edges as if divining something from the wood, stone and earth that form it.
Yea, mend it with magic if possible. But hey, mending a simple broken item seems very appropriate for this sort of magic. And I'm using my follower too!
After that, try and get a feel using Faerie magic as to how firmly the door is shut, and where the strongest part of the barrier is (i.e., where the wedge might be).
Lord Twyl follows along behind Sir Jon, whispering a few words here and there to reinforce the bridge where it looks like the rope may be fraying. He does what is necessary after Jonathan's initial mending, intending to leave this bridge in a better condition from when they found it. When they reach the door, he just stands off to the side, letting the others fuss with it.
Heeding his master's call, Jack flutters back hurriedly to the chasm; whereupon his arrival the tiny pixie then hovers over the stream and does his best to lift the severed rope aloft. Once the rope is successfully lifted into the air and held securely in place, both Lord Twyl and Sir Jonathan do their best to enchant it.
[Sir Jonathan's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Cliche Check, TN 5, 3d12 + 3 = 13, Success!]
Tis but a simple task to use your magic to mend the rope.
Whistling a simple mending song, you improve the rope beyond its ordinary strength and give it a temporary +1 bonus when resisting being broken or cut.
Uttering nothing more than a simple phrase, Sir Jonathan soon manages to repair the severed rope with but a single spell. Likewise, Lord Twyl reinforces the newly mended rope with his own personal form of faerie-magic. Once the rope bridge has been properly restored to normal, the heroes soon find themselves attempting to cross it. The monkey bridge bounces, swings and sways as the heroes travel across it. Passage over the bridge is slow and tedious, though fortunately without incident.
[Sir Jonathan's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Cliche Check, TN 10, 3d12 = 13, Success!]
As the group rejoins their companion, they can hear the Count make several rather-peculiar snorting sounds before he turns to face them; a wild-eyed, maniacal look upon his face. Confused by the Count's actions, the group is just about to examine the door when the Count suddenly roars aloud.
'œRRRAGGGHH! I have had ENOUGH of this assassin's bullshit! Everyone, STAND BACK!'
[Count Von Zorn's Eager & Aspiring Chemist Cliche Check, DC 10, 3d6 = 14, Success!]
You're lucky - not only did you have the proper item on you, but it didn't get soaked during your plunge into the river! One dose of cocaine will work just like a single 'œdouble-pump' '€" granting your character 2 extra cliche dice in order to batter down the door, fight in combat, etc. Please note that you will wind up LOSING 1 cliche die somewhere down the line due to the fatigue of coming down, etc. Also note that you are still currently suffering from a -3 penalty due to your existing cave stinger injuries.
The Count proceeds to slam his body violently against the jammed door repeatedly time and time again. The deafening sounds of his body's impact can be heard echoing throughout the cavern as his companions stare mindlessly in awe.
TN 20 to break down the door.
[Count Von Zorn's Renowned Pompous Duelist Cliche Check, DC 20, 6d6-3 = 24, Success!]
Damn! You go boy!
'œCount Von Zorn,' exclaims Alfonse, 'œPlease stand aside and allow us to help you before you hurt yourself!' The Count ignores his companion's warning and simply replies by slamming himself yet again against the door. Somewhat perturbed, Alfonse continues, 'œCount Von Zorn, I must insist that you STOP! The door is stuck fast and there is no way that it will ever op-'
A thunderous crashing sound is suddenly heard as the wooden door bursts and splinters open; revealing a darkened hallway beyond.
Count Von Zorn's efforts have proven to not have been in vain and he begins to chuckle softly as he staggers to catch his breath. The good Count's chuckle then rises eerily into a sinisterly gloating form of laughter as he points a single finger forward into the darkness and utters, 'œAssassin!'
Sure enough, the mysterious robed-figure can be seen crouched in front of a large iron trunk at the end of the hallway. He appears to be trying to pick the lock on the trunk as you enter. Please check the map and post your actions. And yes, I know that it's a narrow corridor, but if you use your heads, you can all still attack him!
Knowing the slipperyness of this assassin, Lord Twyl merely laughs and starts singing a song, one intended to enwrap the mind of this being into a fugue, the type of stupor that fae are known to cause.
We dance and fly, we blink and die
In this land of Tir na Nog
We laugh and cry, we don't care why
In this land of mist and fog
Come join us in our land
Come dance in our merry band
We can offer you pleasures untold
If only you give us your mind and soul
His pupils dilated unnaturally, his reflexes and strength bolstered by science, the aristocrat, veteran of a hundred duels, bolts toward the assassin, a low profile that will explode into a brutal lunge at the final moment. At last, Von Zorn shall have his revenge!
Stuck towards the rear of the group, Sir Jon can only barely see what's going on inside the corridor. But what is clear is that the assassin is trying to open a chest or cabinet on the far side of the corridor. And that was something he could help with - or more to the point interfere with.
He mutters a few words in a language unfamiliar to anyone but Lord Tyr, wishing ill luck on the assassin and his attempts to open the chest.
Using Faerie Magic to try and jinx his lock picking attempt. That seems like jsut the sort of mischievous thing that faerie magic ought to be good at.
Alfonse adjusts his hat and with his luger drawn he realizes he can do little from the back of the group.
"Could we capture the man? I would like to have a conversation with him." The words are spoken in a conversational manner but the "suit" and his odd way of speaking might indicate that Alfonse, might just be able to crack the man.
sounding important....waiting for the people in front of me to take care of business
Sorry for yet another long post, but I wanted your first combat to be a juicy one! Who knows, I might even help to '˜set the tone' of what Risus was designed to be: a game designed for more '˜colorful' roleplay.
The dark-robed figure struggles fervently in his attempt to open the large iron trunk, and for a moment even appears to be quite oblivious to the presence of those behind him. It doesn't take one long however, to duly note that the assassin's body language belies his ignorance and that he merely wishes to flee the corridor as soon as possible. Sensing the assassin's eagerness to leave, Sir Jonathan quickly draws upon his fey teachings and begins to chant aloud.
'œAna versel'¦Lia irthir'¦Ahel Vanes!'
A faerie jinx, in my opinion, is an attempt to affect one's '˜Luck' '€" and this being said, will be a two-step process. The first step is to see if you were actually successful in casting your jinx, with the next step seeing if your target resists it.
Casting the jinx itself is an ordinary task (TN 10) and if successful, your total result will be the TN that the Assassin must then try to overcome. Since your spell is primarily focused upon the Assassin's chance of opening the trunk, a successful jinx will increase the difficulty of unlocking it by one step (+5 TN).
You have successfully managed to increase the difficulty (TN) of unlocking the trunk by +5 for the rest of the scene. Congratulations!
No sooner than Sir Jonathan has completed his spell, than a distinct '˜snapping' sound is heard coming from in front of the assassin. The dark-robed figure curses loudly as he quickly begins to fiddle about with a small leather pouch that rests carefully upon his knee. Having been cursed with bad luck, the assassin continues to curse out loud as he sends the contents of his tool belt scattering upon the floor. Not one to waste any time, Alfonse quickly seizes the opportunity to draw forth the luger pistol that normally remains hidden underneath of his jacket and sends a single warning shot firing off into the darkness. 'œSurrender or die!' the young man exclaims as he awaits a response.
The sound of gunfire is more than enough form of encouragement to draw the full attention of the darkly robed-figure and, with cat-like reflexes he spins around to face his enemies. It is then that Lord Twyl begins to sing his song of madness!
Your action, though not damaging in description, will be considered to be a straight up cliche vs. cliche roll. If you win, you reduce the Assassin's combat effectiveness (-1 cliche die) due to him being mindlessly befuddled. If he wins, he will simply resist the enchantment.
The Assassin suffers -1 cliche die at the end of this round. Good Job!
The assassin's eyes widen as Lord Twyl's spell takes hold. No matter how hard he tries to, the robed figure can not seem to get the magical song and dance out of his head and soon finds himself tapping his foot in rhythm in it whilst humming along, 'œWe dance and fly'¦we blink and die'¦In this land of Tir na Nog'¦'
It is then that Count Von Zorn attacks!
The good Count lunges forwards down the hallway and launches himself fully at the mysterious, robed figure. The two crash into one another violently and fall backwards unto the floor. Maniacal screams and laughter echo throughout the corridor as the two men tussle about.
Since the dice have already been cast and the results tallied; I shall go ahead and cover both Count Von Zorn's and the Assassin's actions in this one section.
Being a duelist jacked up on coke, a simple cliche vs cliche roll will determine who suffers damage for the Count's attack.
The Assassin suffers -1 cliche die at the end of this round. Good Job!
Next comes the Assassin's action for the round. He is damned well going to try his best to kill the lumbering oaf currently kicking his ass! A simple cliche vs. cliche roll to see who is damaged, as Count Von Zorn is already trying to kill him.
Count Von Zorn suffers -1 cliche die at the end of this round. Remember that you will ALSO lose another die when your cocaine wears off!
The two continue to thrash about for several moments before Count Von Zorn manages to find himself straddling atop of his opponent. His mind obviously clouded by the effects of the cocaine stimulant that still courses through his veins, the good Count quickly dismisses any notions of using subtlety or grace and opts for a more '˜animalistic' approach as he begins to flail his arms about wildly, clubbing the assassin in an ape-like fashion.
The assassin tries desperately to fend off his attacker, and when the opportunity arises, quickly unsheathes a short and broad, wickedly carved blade from the scabbard strapped alongside his thigh. Upon seeing the glint of steel in his opponent's hand, Count Von Zorn quickly shifts his weight in order to roll the assassin over atop him so that he might grasp his assailant in a bear hug; all the while butting him in the face with his forehead.
Blood streams from the assassin's now broken nose as he struggles against the Count's relentlessly unloving embrace, and after tussling about the hallway for several more moments, manages to free his sword arm from the Count's unyielding grasp. In a flurry of movement, the assassin quickly begins to stab wildly at his opponent, landing several glancing blows that riddle the Count's body with numerous cuts and gashes. His mind fueled by primal rage and his body numbed by both toxin and chemical alterants, Count Von Zorn seems oblivious to his injuries as his clothing begins to darken and soak with blood.
Man, this post took a lot out of me! I hope that all of you enjoyed it. I didn't forget about Trogdor's pixie, he was just busy trying to detect something and his action will be covered during the next round. Until then, please post appropriately.
Alfonse, Jack Shadow, & Sir Jonathan are all fine, and their cliches are full!
Lord Twyl has lost a single cliche die to his Charismatic Diplomat cliche from being fireballed earlier. Luckily he isn't using it right now! Charismatic Diplomat (1/2)
Count Von Zorn has lost a single cliche die to his Renowned Pompous Duelist cliche and will lose an additional one when the cocaine wears off. Renowned Pompous Duelist (3/4 soon to be 2/4)
The Assassin has lost 3 cliche dice from his Shadowy Assassin cliche and suffered an additional die of damage previously from the fireball trap. Shadowy Assasin (1/5)
