Re: The Sunless Realms (Pony Souls IC Thread)

[Senshuken]

Interrupt!

Kabra'za twists his hoof as he bends his curse, refusing to let it be rejected again.

Actions:

Status:

[Dusk Raven]

Hope growls, letting out her most feral sound yet. She suddenly rears up on her hind claws and slams them back into the ground, before charging straight at the corrupted Cockatrice. She does take her eyes off the target, letting her anger protect her from being petrified and accepting its weakening effects in exchange for a guaranteed hit on her target. She puts her top-claws in front of her face just before she slams into the Cockatrice, the impact hopefully sending it off-balance...

Talent Change:

Actions:

Status:

[Espresso]

The Coackatrice shrieks, stumbling backwards in a daze. It seems its weight is enough to counterbalance the worst of Hope's body-check, but still it seems to be dazed and caught off guard. Furious, it whirls about and trains its gaze on the changeling abomination, its misshapen cyclopean eye staring deep into Hope's. The changeling feels her limbs locking up as her carapace is gradually replaced by stone.

As it does, it finally seems to shake off Kabra'za's curse, the flaking its stony skin slowing to a stop.

---

Cockatrice is Dazed instead of Stunned! Because of Daze, it can only take one action! It petrifies Hope (save ends).

It's Umber's turn!

Initiative Order
Ghreham
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice (Current conditions: None)
Kabra'za
Haskur
Timberwolf
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice
Hope Nexus
Umber

[Faege]

The spectral sword, hit by the petrifying gaze, simply disintegrates under the cursed vision, dissipating into scraps of souls which Ghreham directs towards Haskur, seeing as he's the one absorbing most of the damage.

Vitalizing Soul:

[AleneShazam]

Umber mutters another prayer under her breath, directing fiery sparks between Ghreham and the Hollow, who rushes up and delivers another few cuts into the Cockatrice's legs, capitalizing on it letting its guard down.

Combat Wombat:

[Faege]

Ghreham simply pulls another spectral blade from out of his chest, nodding quickly in gratitude at Umber for healing some of the vitality he'd lost from the monster's petrifying gaze.

Despite being slowed by the curse of the Cockatrice, the daggers continue to hack away all around the Cockatrice, while the newly-made sword swings down and cuts it across the cheek.

Ghreham:

Swarm of Knives:

Spectral Sword:

[Espresso]

The Cockatrice hisses and screeches, and in a disgustingly morbid act, begins to shed its scales all over its body, the stone flakes dropping off with sickly pops, dripping with black ichor and oozing thick viscous blood. At first it's not clear what this is, but then the blood starts to run off, and a terrible sight graces the group:

All over the Cockatrice's body are unblinking bloodshot eyes, their slitted pupils darting around unnervingly, in an almost comically jittery manner.

The wave of petrification that afflicts everyone, however, is anything but comical.

---

Everyone is Petrified (save ends). If someone is already petrified, they immediately trigger the life loss effect on their petrification, and increase X by 1 as though they've failed their petrified save.

It's Kabra'za's turn.

Initiative Order
Ghreham
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice (Current conditions: None)
Kabra'za
Haskur
Timberwolf
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice
Hope Nexus
Umber

[Senshuken]

As the curse wave was unleashed, Kabra'za groaned to himself as he closed his eyes, focusing on countering the curse placed upon him rather then attempting to cause harm to the bloody bird that had cast it in the first place. His two totems likewise did the same, attempting to purge themselves of the corruption rather then spread their own breed of it.

Rolls:

Shadow Archers:

Status:

[A1C Bronymous]

Haskur shudders, the curse shaking him more than the creatures blows. He had felt this before, the first time he died, and the cold that eats away at him from inside causes him to pause. He steadies a shield, closing his eyes and headbutts it hard, trying to clear his senses, and his body of the petrification, to no avail.

---

Combat:

[Espresso]

The Timberwolf howls in panic for a moment as the curse washes over it, but it appears Kabra'za's treatment worked, as the stone doesn't seem to set in. Taking the chance, it leaps up to the Cockatrice and claws at it, rupturing many of its newly exposed eyeballs and tearing bloody rips in its now unprotected hide.

"HUP!" There's suddenly a shout, and the party can spot Eclipse lifting up with her hooves the heavy tree-trunk that was crushing a few of the survivors, casting it aside as though it weighs nothing and dragging the survivors away from the fight. Meanwhile Gaunt seems to be desperately patching one of the survivors up, whose entire lower body was badly mauled and crushed.

The Cockatrice screeches, now seemingly on its last legs, lets out another wave of curse, its countless eyes straining so hard they begin to cry tears of viscous black blood, splattering the floor and causing the grass underfoot to turn to a tangle of stone. It crows, and then it begins to take flight, sprinting towards the least sturdy looking member of the party - Kabra'za - and trying to barrel past him into the safety of the woods.

---

Everyone is Petrified again (save ends). If someone is already petrified, they immediately trigger the life loss effect on their petrification, and increase X by 1 as though they've failed their petrified save.

Kabra'za must make an acrobatics check to avoid being trampled to death by the Cockatrice as it attempts to flee the scene!

Initiative Order
Ghreham
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice (Current conditions: None)
Kabra'za
Haskur
Timberwolf
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice
Hope Nexus
Umber

[Senshuken]

Feeling his flesh turn to stone, Kabra'za watched as the monster turned to attempt to flee... by running him down. With a pained gasp, the zebra attempted to get out of harms way before it was too late.

Dice Rolls:

Status:

[Espresso]

Kabra'za, turning to stone as he is, is kicked aside like a pebble, tumbling over and over until he comes to a stop in a rigid, dizzying pile at the base of a tree.

---

Kabra'za takes 14 damage and is stunned until the end of his next turn.

It's Hope's turn!

Initiative Order
Ghreham
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice (Current conditions: None)
Kabra'za
Haskur
Timberwolf
Dark-Cursed Cockatrice
Hope Nexus
Umber

[Dusk Raven]

"Just what we needed, a harder exoskeleton!" Hope snarked as she was hit by the second petrification wave. Even though her carapace was already rigid and didn't suffer much flaking from trying to flex while being turned to stone, her insides were not quite as lucky. She was about to freeze up to make the process easier, when she spotted Kabra'za being bowled over by the fleeing Cockatrice. She scowled, her tone of voice unchanged as she activated her innate pyromancy, to use some of her own flame to kindle another's. "You owe me one!" Dividing her attention between halting her own ossification and healing another was difficult... but somehow, the stone started receeding as her chitin returned to its normal color and consistency.

Actions:

Status:

[AleneShazam]

"Its will is broken!" Umber calls out. Understanding her perfectly, the Hollow leaps forward in pursuit of the Cockatrice, driving its blade into its leg in an attempt to halt its escape.

Combat Wombat:

[Espresso]

The Hollow slams its heavy blade against the Cockatrice's leg, and its knee buckles in the wrong direction snapping in half. It gives a mournful wail, and topples down, smashing into the ground, its pustule-like eyes rupturing on impact and spurting thick black blood everywhere. It struggles to rise up for a moment, claws raking across the ground, before letting out a final, keening cry and falling still.

Slowly the petrification abates, leaving the party in the forest clearing with the body of the cursed monstrosity. The giant timberwolf whines, starting to move about and collect together the broken remains of its comrades. Meanwhile, Gaunt Eclipse and the Shadow manage to drag the last of the survivors out into the open. There are only four remaining of the other search party, out of a group of roughly nine. The shattered stone littered around the clearing make it obvious what happened to the others - it seems once the curse fully sets in, even the death of the cockatrice does not reverse it.

Gaunt then flies up to the group, his bow out cautiously. "Is... is it done, then? It's dead?"

"Looks like it..."

[AleneShazam]

Umber bows her head solemnly, mourning the passing of another life, seemingly unconcerned with the status of the curse.

"The Flame accepts all who pass through it. May your soul be made pure by cleansing fire."

The Hollow, meanwhile, comes back to Umber and helps her up onto his back.

Umber then looks up, glancing over the survivors and addressing Gaunt Quiver, "I will tend to the wounded survivors."

Heal:

[Faege]

Ghreham breathes in, dispelling his weapons and nodding in satisfaction as he feels the souls return to him. "I don't know if I can fashion a weapon from this thing's soul but... it'll be put to good use. Rest in peace, demon chicken."

Holding his claw out in a traditional gesture of respect, he bows his head for a moment before stepping up to the corpse and inspecting it for anything of interest.

Perception:

[A1C Bronymous]

Haskur lets his shields fall to the dirt, stretching his arms out before shouldering them again. He pays no courtesy to the slain foe, simply walking past the others. "Perhaps I have found the safety I set out for in this place- if this monster is measured as fierce and deadly, my bones rest. Iron is strong here." His voice rattles out with its echo, shuddering slightly as the curse leaves him. "I do not die." He repeats, this time more quietly. "Do we move on? This sojourn is short-lived."

[Senshuken]

Kabra'za groaned deeply as he lay on the ground, somewhat unhappy that he was able to feel pain (even if privately the fact that he could feel pain was a good thing). Almost being turned to stone, being run over by an overgrown chicken with eyeballs and being turned back to flesh and blood was not a fun day.

Muttering darkly under his breath, he forced himself back to his hooves before removing his hat and reaching inside of it, removing a few leaves before chewing on them in order to help numb the pain and heal his injuries.

Abilities:

[Dusk Raven]

Hope Nexus looked at the battlefield sadly - at the remains of the beast, the wreckage of the timber wolves, and at the fallen scouts. Then, she looked to the wounded scouts being attended to, and scuttled over to assist. Her priority was to those who still remained. Hope was of no use to the dead, after all.

Heal Check:

[Espresso]

Gaunt glances over to Haskur. "I would appreciate it if you gave us the chance to collect our wounded, first."

Between Eclipse, Hope and Umber, the condition of few survivors of the other scouting expedition are stabilized. Many suffer broken bones from being trapped under the fallen tree, but none are in immediate danger. The dead are left there - they'll either resurrect at the bonfire if they're undead, or rot away if they're the rare few unafflicted out there. Either way, they're not a concern.

Grim, one of the survivors, coughs and thanks the healers. "I was sure we'd be done for," He rasps, still breathing quite heavily. "I owe you all my thanks. I don't think these old bones could survive another resurrection."

Kabra'za manages to bring himself back up to a more comfortable state, though he still aches all over.

As Ghreham inspects the corpse, he has some trouble because of its razor-sharp feathers getting in the way. However he eventually manages to find one particular abnormality - a black metallic spike-like object that's been embedded into the nape of the cockatrice. Horrid black veins seem to spread from where it was lodged, and when it's carefully extracted, a viscous black fluid leaks from the wound. The metal spike is slightly flattened, almost like the blade of a dagger, tapering to a point from a slightly wider base which looks like it's been broken off from something else.

[A1C Bronymous]

Haskur shrugs silently, still waiting.

[Faege]

"Oh? What's this, I wonder?" Ghreham leans closer to the spike, suspending it in mid-air. "Now, how did a beauty like you become lodged in the back of such a beast? This old bird yearns for answers..."

He hums as he turns the spike around in the air, admiring the metalwork. "You're an orphan from a greater body, no doubt, but just what are you?"

Ghreham turns to Kabra'za. "Oi, Stripes! Take a look at this - it looks creepy enough to be your profane juju. "

Arcana:

[AleneShazam]

Umber prays for the fallen before turning to look at the new discovery intently.

History:

[Senshuken]

"Just because something is dark and creepy looking does not automatically mean that I know what they are." Kabra'za answered with a huff before walking over to take a look at the discovery himself.

Dice Rolls:

[Sponsored content]