Book 2, Act I: Songbird

[ManWithDoor]

Bala unleashes another flurry of blows upon the creature, but this time it is prepared for them. While he sometimes manages to land a touch on the beast, nothing hits firm and square to cause damage.

OOC

Bala attacks Manticore (flanking, flurry of blows): 12, Miss. 11, Miss.

Emilia pushes their advantage, seeing the Manticore falter in its attack. Perhaps it was bad luck, or perhaps they are doing enough damage that the blood loss is getting to the beast. Regardless, her guisarme plunges into its back, tearing through hide and muscle, exposing the organs underneath! It is seriously wounded, perhaps fatally, but is still putting up a tough fight.

OOC

Emilia attacks Manticore (flanking): 22, Hit for 11 damage.

Emilia: 13/39
Bala: 20/31
Manticore HP: -55

Mercutio ...

[Zorbeltuss]

Mercutio lets off another scream, it does something, though hardly as much as he would have wished. But the path of the mage is not one he had walked, if it ever were open to him.

OOC

cast ear-piercing scream for 2D6 sonic damage and 1rnd daze (fortitude DC 15 for half damage and negate daze, so likely not too fantastic).

[ManWithDoor]

Mercutio screams out a repeated evocation, scraping more hide off the beast.

OOC

Fort Save = 26, Success. 3 Damage.

The Iron Lash of Meratt refuses to back down, but is so pained and exhausted that it only manages to lame itself in its attempt to attack.

OOC

Even worse luck for the enemy. Out of 5 attacks, the best was a 15 (still a miss), and it had a confirmed Crit Fail. Lol. Rolled that he lamed himself, going down to half movement speed even if it tried to run.

Without letting up, the trio manage to land the final blows to cause the beast to fully collapse and bleed out.

OOC

Did a total of 58 damage, leaving it at 11 HP. Quickly rolled and both melee fighters hit, plus the option of doing another spell. Saving some time, it's totally dead! Congrats on fighting above your weight class!

The cow-dressed man is nursing a clawed arm and is frozen in terror. Even with the Manticore slain, he seems almost as scared of you Nobles as he was of a bloodthirsty monster.

[RorytheRomulan]

Emilia gulps saliva and stills her breathing. She shoves the blade of her weapon into one of the wounds she made in the manticore. "By the Last of the First," she mutters, satisfied that it is dead. Turning to the party's quarry, she asks, "What do you know of this beast? How long has it prowled the forest?"

ooc

Thanks!

[Zorbeltuss]

"This skin shall have pride of place in front of my mantelpiece!" Mercutio goes straight back into into character as the noble, although his companions probably can tell he's only acting out the part. Did their estate even have such a thing? No matter, a Manticore made for a good trophy to impress other people with, which was the whole point. Or something.

They'd need to commandeer some servants from the palace for the task, he can't skin the beast, nor does he have a spell for it.

[ManWithDoor]

The cow-man turns to Emilia, answering her as fast as he can. "These are the Brashen Deeps, and the beast has been here for months. We have begged for help in driving him out, but with no help the farmers have been trying to sate it with sheep and pigs. It hasn't killed any people since ... at least until I ran into its den."

Mercutio knows that there must be tanneries around that could preserve the hide of the beast, and given what he has seen of the Palace, there must be craftsmen nearby that specialize in mounting the head of impressive deer and the like. A manticore wouldn't exactly be on their resume, but someone might be up for the challenge.

[Bohemond]

"What is your name, friend?" Bala asks the man dressed as a cow. "You need to see to your wounds." The Vudrani couldn't care less about the beast, other than to make sure it is dead, as well as the knowledge that its demise may bring some ease to farmers. "Tell me, what did you do to end up being cast into the woods to be hunted like this?"

[ManWithDoor]

"My name is Moffis, sir." He isn't sure what to make of the foreign monk, but he isn't dressed like a normal nobleman, so the peasant doesn't freeze up as much as he does looking at Mercutio and Emilia. "I'm a dairy farmer. Was arrested and put in the stocks for selling the count sour butter. But I didn't know it was sour! That happens sometimes, nobody's fault really." He tears up again, not from the winding of the wounds, but from panic. "Please don't send me back to the stocks! My family must be hurting from me being away so long. I'm just trying to get back to them."

[Zorbeltuss]

"We slew the Iron Beast, nobody's going to remember, or care, if we're too tired to give chase to some poor sod who ran away from the battle" Mercutio decides, small defiances gives pleasure, though he would half suspect Bartleby to be enough of a monster to have professional hunters on the perimeter just in case some of the nobles proved inept.

[RorytheRomulan]

Emilia cleans her weapon. "If you want to let him go, I'll never say I saw our dairy cow. What a trifle. I grew up on a ranch. Sometimes a fool walks too close behind a horse's rear and gets worse than curdled milk for his trouble. Bala, I don't suppose you have some passing skill at healing, do you?"