[X] Write-in: Ask Chloe if any of spells she knows is capable of conjuring fire or a source of the light to use against the Shade if so work with the others to keep the Shade off Chloe while she casts it, if not hit until it dies with your pointy stick
 
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We've made a good first impression! Let's keep it going.

[X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay near Chloe and keep alert for other Shades.

Teamwork!
 
[X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay near Chloe and keep alert for other Shades.
 
[X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay nearChloe and keep alert for other Shades
 
[X] Advance on the Shade with your spear, then use your illusions to look like a tree and trees to look like you as you fight
 
[X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay near Chloe and keep alert for other Shades.
 
[X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay near Chloe and keep alert for other Shades.
 
Chloe's Compendium: Shades

The Echoes

Shades

Shades are among the most common, and thankfully least threatening, of the creatures one can find in a Dark saturated area. Their true origin is subject to debate, some saying they are but a "natural" phenomenon where ambient Darkness gathers and forms a creature, while other ascribe them to the action of some malevolent deity.

They can appear as pretty much any creature, though composed only of shadow, and invariably twisted so only their most dangerous and bestial traits remain, while any peaceful or, and this is a oversimplification, any traits that could be described as "good" are nowhere to be seen.

Individually, they are not much of a threat, as they move entirely by instinct and don't seem to have any higher cognitive functions. Although they can hunt as some sort of disorganised pack, this is as far as they can cooperate.

While they aren't the most dangerous of Dark creatures, their attacks still can be dangerous. As they are only loosely physical - being after all an amalgam of Dark and shadows - their claws, fangs or whatever other means their chosen form uses to attack can sometimes ignore all armor or defense unless magical. They can also inflict wounds under the skin, making the unwary adventurer die of unseen wounds. Finally, once again, their wounds, as they are inflicted by a creature that is quite literally formed of pure evil, have a tendency to fester quite fast. As such, no matter how easy the fight looked, it is important to carefully check for wounds, visible or not, once at camp.

As creatures mostly made of shadows, their weaknesses are as one would expect. Any fire or Light magic can easily dispatch them. Even non magical light can weaken them and a well placed hit with a torch can bring them low, as they are surprisingly inflammable. Physical attacks are a gamble, as one hit can banish such a creature or simply pass through them without harming them. Magical or enchanted weapons don't have such an issue, and always wound them.

Finally, remember one thing: their weakness is only true when they are few and a light source is available. In pure darkness, they are literally invisible and their power is greatly increased. As such, always keep a light source if you have to venture in the night or pray to whichever god is yours and run as fast as you can to one.
 
[X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay near Chloe and keep alert for other Shades.
 
Inserted tally

Well, it seems pretty one sided so I guess I'll lock that soonish. Probably monday given I have something tomorrow.
Adhoc vote count started by Renu on Aug 5, 2017 at 8:41 PM, finished with 21 posts and 10 votes.

  • [X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay near Chloe and keep alert for other Shades.
    [X] Write-in: Hit it with a torch
    [x]Write-in: Scramble up a nearby tree and toss your spear, and any loose branches, down at it.
    [X] Brave Sir Liarra ran away.
    [X] Advance on the Shade with your spear, then use your illusions to look like a tree and trees to look like you as you fight
 
Can we beat it? Crisis in the woods!
[X] Advance on the Shade with Melkorka and try to take it down. If it's too strong, keep it off your friends while Chloe casts any spell that might help, preferably a fire or light one. Lucilia should stay near Chloe and keep alert for other Shades.

-------------------------

Lirra swallowed with difficulty, and was trying to get her shaking under control when Chloe's telepathic package appeared inside her mind, filling her with information about their foe. Maybe it was the fact that the unknown was suddenly known, or that her brain was trying to organize the sudden new information and was thus too occupied to have her panic, but she was suddenly filled with purpose and, before she could think, started giving orders to the rest of her party.

"Come with me, Melkorka, let's hold it while Chloe finds a usefull spell," she said, bringing her spear to bear as she took a hesitant step. "Lucilia, stay with Chloe in case there are other."

Lucilia armed her pistol with a click and nodded.

"O-Ok, I'll do that," she acknowledged, breathing fast.

The Shade bent its legs, preparing to charge, a hideous sneer on its malformed fangs filled mouth. Before she could think about the horrible, terrible things its claws could do to her unarmored body, Lirra's own legs shot her forward, an awkward warcry on her lips and doing a not any less awkward swing of her spear.

The swing missed as the creature jumped to the side, leaving a trail of shadows in its wake until it landed on the side of a tree, leaving deep gouges in the bark before it launched itself towards Melkorka who finished pulling out a shield from her bag. She raised it just in time and the creature's claws burst in a mass of shadows as it hit, before reforming and raking against it. The Svartalf had been quick in moving the shield between her foe and her body, but the same couldn't be said of her footwork, and the repeated hits of the monster on her shield, made her fall to the ground.

Before the Shade could take advantage of their position, Lirra charged again, waving her spear in a large sweep to catch the creature. The haft made contact, however, instead of sending the creature reeling, it simply passed through, as its muscular torso reverted to a writhing mass of shadow, and the spear's tip finished its course against Melkorka's shield in a resounding clang.

"Careful, girl! Only the blade's enchanted, use the pointy end!" the Svartalf shouted before raising a short gleaming hammer and, passing under her shield and Lirra's spear, swung it at the Shade, getting a few toes for her efforts.

The Shade jumped back, hissing as an oily dark blood flowed from its wound and evaporated in a foul smelling smoke shortly after hitting the ground.

"Mage, where's our spells? Found something yet!?" she shouted next, getting back on her feet in a slow, methodical move.

Chloe was frantically pouring through several scrolls when she slightly nodded, after a scroll slipped from her fingers as she was surprised by the call.

"She said she's got something that could help, but it doesn't sound like something that'd simply win this fight!" answered Lucilia, who was the one standing closest to the mage.

Chloe started muttering an incantation, geometric shapes slowly forming through the air around her. Meanwhile, Lirra and Melkorka rejoined the fight against the shade, trying to press their advantage after the Svartalf's hit. The changeling was still the fastest and she got close enough to attack first, this time heeding Melkorka's advice and going for stabbing attacks. The smaller areas her attacks aimed meant the creature could avoid it easily enough, but they were also more dangerous and the Shade, having already lost a good part of its foot, was too wary to be able to try much.

As she bought time, Melkorka advanced to attack it from another direction, moving with heavy, mechanical steps to get around the monster. With Chloe's spell being prepared, it looked like the fight would be won soon.

Lucilia only had an instant to shout and push Chloe away, the spell array fizzling out of existence as the slight girl was disturbed. A shot resounded through the woods as the bard fired her gun, but the bullet flew wide and nowhere near the second shade who had jumped from a thick bush. The monster's claws glimmered as they were covered in blood as an unfamiliar voice screamed in pain. Everything seemed to stop for an instant, until the silence was broken again.

"Chloe!" Lucilia screamed in panic. "N-no! I didn't mean to-"

"Cover them!"

Melkorka's voice seemed distant to Lirra's ears as she watched in horror as the mage fell to the ground, hands holding her side quickly turning crimson as blood pooled around her.

"Lirra! Move!"

Lirra finally reacted and threw herself at the monster who hurt Chloe, sending them both tumbling to the ground. A rock jutting out of the earth stabbed itself in the creature's back, stopping it from getting back on its feet as the changeling rolled back to hers. Gripping her spear with both hand, point down, Lirra once again threw herself at the enemy, foregoing all thoughts of defense for the simple goal of killing it. Screaming, she stabbed it again and again, her hits haphazard and hitting the ground next to the monster as often as the Shade itself, but quantity had a quality of its own, and her sleeves were soon covered in foul blood.

The Shade tried one last desperate swipe, but its claws were stopped by one of Lirra's horns and managed only to spread some blood - red blood, Chloe's blood - on her hood, though the speed of the hit launching a few drops on the changeling's cheek.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the tip of Lirra's spear hit only the ground as the monster's corpse dissipated in the same dark smoke its blood did.

Panting, she looked around to see Melkorka still fighting her enemy, while Lucilia kneeled over Chloe.


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[] Help Chloe
[] Help Melkorka
[] Write-in (can actually be all the things for once, but precise the order and how much time you spend on it/what you do/whatever)

This update was brought to you by Dices. Dices, because fate decided your tears are delicious. This was a message from our sponsor.
 
[X] Help Melkorka

I don't think we'd be of great help in healing Chloe, so lets ensure she's the only one hurt ! (tho, after all, we're here to bury people, so...)
 
I seem to have overestimated Lirras combat abilities. Really kid? Going after the magic hate monster with the blunt end? Still, she makes up the difference with ferocity when the chips are down.

[X] Help Melkorka

I don't think the gravedigger should attempt medical aid unless there's literally no other choice, even less so when there's still fighting to be done.
 
I seem to have overestimated Lirras combat abilities. Really kid? Going after the magic hate monster with the blunt end? Still, she makes up the difference with ferocity when the chips are down.

[X] Help Melkorka

I don't think the gravedigger should attempt medical aid unless there's literally no other choice, even less so when there's still fighting to be done.
She actually swiped and hit with the haft instead of the tip; she's bad, not stupid.
 
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