The Wizard's Request

Stairc -Dan Felder wrote:The roaring collumns of flame scorched their manes, the worst of them mercifully avoided by the two ponies. Banana’s shield turned some of the fire away, its flames merely singing her, while the not-quite-fast-enough Red Cross had her mane briefly lit on fire before rolling it out.

[6 Damage to Banana, 9 to Red Cross]

The explosions of fire set the room ablaze, the exotic carpet puffing into flame as the tower itself began to shake. Books and trinkets tumbled from the shelves, crashing down to the study’s floor.

It seemed the fire gems weren’t the only thing the Mage’s magic had been supporting.

"For the love of Luna's left hoof!" swore Banana. "We need to get out of here, now!" She sprang towards the door, attempting to open said door with ponykinesis as she ran. [Not sure if that requires a check]

The Warrior of Many Faces wrote:"For the love of Luna's left hoof!" swore Banana. "We need to get out of here, now!" She sprang towards the door, attempting to open said door with ponykinesis as she ran. [Not sure if that requires a check]

The door splintered open, the frame blackened with fire, snapping out to the hallway beyond.

Immediately taking after Banana, Cross remarked "Agreed. Let's get the heck out of here!"

As the two ponies charge out into the hallway the fire spreads viciously, burning the crumbling tower behind them. Chunks fall from the shattering shelves, fire and smoke scorching the two mare and stallion.

[Take 4 damage from the fire and debris as you rush through to the hallway].

Past the suits of armor, the tapestries, the glass cases of artifacts – at the opposite end of the hallway lies the marble staircase.

As she ran down the hallway, Banana couldn't help but wish that she could stop and see the chaos the tower was dissolving into. There was no doubt it would be glorious. Sadly, if she stayed, she'd probably end up dead, which would end her mission to serve Discord. So she had to settle for glances of the burning, crumbling tower as she retraced her path.

"There're the stairs!" she cried as she spotted the staircase. She sped up in an attempt to get to the stairs faster.

[If a Stunts check is required, I got an 11 (5 + 6 Stunts)

"I see them! Hurry, I have no intention of being squished like a bug!" responded Cross. He redoubled his efforts, and tried to speed up alongside Banana. [18 Stunts, 11 rol; +7 Stunts + 1 AoAT]

As they rushed by their arcane senses felt magical barriers shatter like glass, the wards crafted by the mage breaking with his death.

The suits of armor clanked into motion, drawing swords, three cutting into the pony's path while others clattered behind them.

[Roll Initiative!

Oh heck, I'll do it for you again to save time.

Turn order: Enchanted Armor, Red Cross, Banana Nut.

You can attempt to rush past the suits of armor on your turn with a Stunts or Acrobatics check, but you can't attack that turn if you try this]

The nearest suits of armor, the three of them, slashed in - two blades whistling for Red Cross while another charged at Banana Nut.

[3 damage then another 4 to Red Cross from the blades, 3 damage to Banana Nut]

The fires were sweeping into the hall now, choking smoke and smoldering fire clawing at them.

[2 damage from the fires to each of you]

Roars of terrible beasts kept for study in the tower - now freed - crashing from the floors below.

The tower was coming apart.

Knowing that he wouldn't survive much longer if he didn't do something about his wounds, Cross ran towards a Zebra shaman's jar that he noticed, hoping that there might be something of use within. Getting to the jar, he opened it up to see what was inside.

Videocrazy wrote:Knowing that he wouldn't survive much longer if he didn't do something about his wounds, Cross ran towards a Zebra shaman's jar that he noticed, hoping that there might be something of use within. Getting to the jar, he opened it up to see what was inside.

Red Cross found a tuft of meadowbalm... A light remedy more for curing small blisters than charred wounds. However, it was all they had.

[Using the meadowbalm will regain you 1d6 hp]

In his haste, Cross tried to apply the Meadowbalm as swiftly as possible... and COMPLETELY mishandled them. [Nat 1 on Acrobatics check to use it immediately.]

The jar shatters, slicing into Red Cross' fore-legs.

[Take 1 damage]

Banana growled, sounding more like a tiger than a pony. "We don't have time for this! Red, the window!" She then attempted to weave through the armor towards Red Cross and the window. Assuming she succeeded, she then grabbed both the tapestry of the window and Red Cross and jumped out the window, using the tapestry to slow her fall.

[20 on Acrobatics to dodge past the armor; assuming that succeeds, 25 on the Acrobatics check necessary to grab both Red Cross and the tapestry and... 13 on the check to slow the fall. Doesn't matter if it's Stunts or Acrobatics, I have 6 in both.]

The Warrior of Many Faces wrote:Banana growled, sounding more like a tiger than a pony. "We don't have time for this! Red, the window!" She then attempted to weave through the armor towards Red Cross and the window. Assuming she succeeded, she then grabbed both the tapestry of the window and Red Cross and jumped out the window, using the tapestry to slow her fall.

[20 on Acrobatics to dodge past the armor; assuming that succeeds, 25 on the Acrobatics check necessary to grab both Red Cross and the tapestry and... 13 on the check to slow the fall. Doesn't matter if it's Stunts or Acrobatics, I have 6 in both.]

The armor suits' weapons ripped through the air, gleaming blades slicing at the pony... But all they did was slice a tuft off her mane as she grabbed her friend and crashed through the window with the tapestry.

However, her grip slipped on the cloth as she plummeted out the window - barely jerking the fall to the half-way point before crashing down.

[Okay, 2d10 damage... That would be 11 damage for both of you as you crash down into the shrubs below]

Banana was weak, but still conscious after the fall. Groaning in pain, she struggled to her hooves and checked on Red Cross.

Unconscious. Darn it all, as if this wasn't a bad enough situation!

That much established, she looked around quickly to see if there were any guards coming or falling tower stuff to worry about.

[22 on Perception; rolled a 12 + 10 Perception]

The tower cracked, crumbling, chunks of stone raining down with terrible thunder.

[Another 4 damage to both, if you fail a stunts, acrobatics or it's witchcraft check to dodge/shunt it aside]

"Hey, what's that?! It's them lot, they murdered Wizard Calcifer!"

Furious, armed guards charged both the ponies huddling on the ground.

[They're far away and the tower's crumbling. You have a good chance fleeing, especially if you can distract them somehow, even carrying your fallen friend. Stunts or Acrobatics check required, or else an It's Witchcraft check to make a magical distraction or flare one of the tower's crumbling defenses in-between you two. Alternatively, you could surrender without a fight to the furious guards... Or anything else you might think up. Provided you survive the falling chunks of stone, of course]

Stairc -Dan Felder wrote:The tower cracked, crumbling, chunks of stone raining down with terrible thunder.

[Another 4 damage to both, if you fail a stunts, acrobatics or it's witchcraft check to dodge/shunt it aside]

"Hey, what's that?! It's them lot, they murdered Wizard Calcifer!"

Furious, armed guards charged both the ponies huddling on the ground.

[They're far away and the tower's crumbling. You have a good chance fleeing, especially if you can distract them somehow, even carrying your fallen friend. Stunts or Acrobatics check required, or else an It's Witchcraft check to make a magical distraction or flare one of the tower's crumbling defenses in-between you two. Alternatively, you could surrender without a fight to the furious guards... Or anything else you might think up. Provided you survive the falling chunks of stone, of course]

Banana's horn glowed with a dark light as she attempted to shunt the stones away from the duo with magic. [27 on It's Witchcraft; 18 + 9 Arcana]. As she did, she said calmly "We surrender. Just get us out of here before this tower kills us all."

[You succeed]

A scraggly-maned guard yanked the two out from the tower - shackles clasping around them. "Murderers."

It was the last word they heard before being cracked over their heads with an iron-shoed hoof.

When they awoke it was night outside their grimey stone-wrought cell - the two of them chained on opposite sides of the small, dirty room. Their cell was solid on four sides, no bars here, an iron door locked tight. Clearly a high security cell for those prisoners most worthy of contempt. Hunger gnawed at their stomachs and thirst prickled their throats.

But, they were alive.

For now.

Banana awoke first, muttering something about "Officer, the elephant's license plate was 1756873."

Banana took a quick look around. She obviously had no desire to stick around here, so she focused on looking for some sort of way to escape. [21; 11 + 10 Perception]

((OOC: Here's a nice song for this, I think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQSZhXAUZRc))

Cross roused from his enforced state of unconsciousness, muttering to himself: "Ugh... where am I? Last thing I remember was... oh. Right. Banana grabbed me and jumped out a window."

Not noticing that Banana had awoken as well, Cross immediately started diagnosing his own injuries, though he probably should have waited until he was a little more alert [21 on Heal check, rolled a 3, +5 for cutie mark, +5 for Freaky Knowledge, +1 for Applejack of All Trades].

"Yeah, I did," Banana replied, having heard him as he awoke. "I'd apologize, except that I'm not."

Jerking his head up at the sound of Banana's voice, Cross replied "Apology? Why would I want an apology? A short fall is preferable to being sliced, burned, and/or crushed under rubble. That being said, we need to have a talk, and I'm sure you can guess what about."

"I can think of a few possibilities, actually," Banana replied, deadpan. "It could be about escaping, theorizing what Calcipher's game was, my loyalty to Discord, how dingy and boring this prison is, or pondering how they plan to execute us. Take your pick."

"Well, then, let's narrow down the choices, shall we? I have no interest in escaping, we already know what Calcifer was after, the state of our accommodations isn't something I'd ever NEED to talk about, and I have at least some faith that we'll be able to explain that Calcifer was COMPLETELY off his rocker" recited Cross. Thinking for a few seconds, he continued, "...actually, if I were a betting stallion, which I'm not, I'd give good odds that whatever prophecy he was referring to was misinterpreted. Anyways, yes, I am referring to your loyalty to Discord."

Banana rolled her eyes. "What's your point? Most of you lot worship Celestia and Luna, your advocates of harmony." She spat the word like a curse. "Never changing, always the same. Not for me. Change is necessary, and Discord is the advocate of change."

Getting on the metaphorical soapbox, Cross started to give something of a rant. "I don't actually have a problem with chaos, at least conceptually. Just as too much harmony results in a collective, with no individuality or free thought, and too much of order results in a subservient life, with life unable to deviate even the slightest from a certain routine, too much chaos results in complete pandemonium, where everypony and everything is so mutable, everything breaks down. Our own bodies are a set of organs working in conjecture, after all. No, there must at least some mixture of both, albeit not necessarily a balance. The world as it stands currently does favor harmony, though. No, the part that irks me is that you serve Discord, specifically. You may not believe me, but I love a good prank, as long as it's not actually harmful. But Discord... well, following his recapture by the Elements of Harmony, every major hospital, and most minor ones, were filled to capacity with ponies with deep psychological trauma. I heard of one filly who obliterated her doll collection after having been turned into one, and another who couldn't be around the family dog, or any dog for that matter, without breaking into a crumpled mess."