[LP] The Way of the Tiger. (Complete)

Avarice · Post by **Avarice** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 9:14 am

Holding a shuriken doesnt make standing like a doofus in the open a smarter idea.

These could just as well be allies, so waiting on the aggresive actions is a more prudent choice.

Give the scepter and hide

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:50 am

Pass the scepter and hide.

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:16 pm

OK, changing my vote to hide, but keep the sceptre.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:49 pm

It isn't clear from the text that "ready a shuriken" means standing out completely in the open, and it's still waiting on the aggressive actions.

Which is to say, changing vote to ready a shuriken and keep the sceptre.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 3:57 pm

Keep & hide it is.

You and Glaivas wait until your pursuers are running out before stepping forward to attack, but you halt mid-stride in shock.

You are amazed to see a human warrior before you, his armor rent, his white cloak dirty and tattered, his left arm ending in a stump soaked in a bloody bandage. He has a fanatical gleam in his eyes, but it changes to warmth at the sight of you. It is your friend Dore le Jeune of Dragonhold, who entered the Rift with Glaivas. In his wake is Taflwr, the Priest of Illustra who fell with you onto the Black Widow's web, wearing chainmail and green robes bearing the symbol of a white cross.

'Well met, Avenger,' Dore saulutes you with his sword. I have driven deeper and deeper into this festering wound of a place to find Glaivas, but I see my work is already done!'

You briefly recount your tale, including your destination of Fortuna's cave, and then ask Taflwr how he came to be here.

'I was captured by Dark Elves,' Taflwr sighs, 'and when they took me to this tier, Dore came upon them and cut me free. I cast an augur to lead us to Glaivas. We were heading for the seventh tier when it revealed that you suddenly appeared on this level.'

Both you and Glaivas benefit from the skilled ministrations of Taflwr and the holy touch of Dore. You may restore up to 10 lost Endurance, and also are cured of plague if you have it. If you retain an injury to your face, hands, or leg caused by the Black Widow, it is healed also, negating all penalties you suffered from this.

If you are carrying the Heart of Illustra, you give it to an astounded Taflwr since it waps looted from the cathedral of his goddess (remove it from your Character Sheet). You may restore 1 point of lost Inner Force as you do this, for the gods smile upon you.

Glaivas commiserates with his friend Dore over the loss of his left hand. ' The Toreans say that no one leaves the Rift untainted, my friend. At least we are both alive.'

'I cut it myself when it was struck by the poison of a Son of Nil,' Dore says forlornly. 'Can you imagine me now in the Seven Heavens without a left hand? This pit of filth contaminates everything.'

Dore asks if you still carry the Blood of Nil. If you do not, he reaches into his tunic and tosses a tiny glass ointment jar to you. Restore the Blood of Nil to your Character Sheet. 'A carrion trophy of the fight,' he says, 'which better fits your skills.'

You rest just in the tunnel and share in Dore's ration of stale bread, taking a moment's respite to gather yourselves. You commiserate with Taflwr over the loss of Vespers.

'He is gone,' Taflwr says, 'but Thybault and Eris may still live. I could cast an augur to seek them just as I did for Glaivas. They may not have been your close friends, Avenger, but no one should be left behind.'

'If we go back, we risk losing everything,' Glaivas says. 'The Black Widow will have alerted all her forces to attempt to stop us. It may be hard enough as it is to reach the cave of Fortuna.'

Dore stares at the bloody stump of his left hand morosely. 'We are so deeply buried in this tomb, I no longer hear the call of Rocheval. I would slay the evil at the rotten heart of this place if I had but the strength, but it seems all men must face their limits. Still, I hate to see goodly men suffer. The choice is yours, Avenger.'

(If Glaivas has the Sceptre, the general mood seems to be with him and you are left with little choice but to seek escape.)

• Side with Taflwr and seek out Thybault and Eris?
• Side with Glaivas and focus on escape?

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 4:18 pm

Side with Taflwr. We need to go all heroic Avenger, plus when a book makes a decision for you, it's generally the wrong one.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 4:30 pm

Yeah, look for Thybault and Eris.

Dr_Noface · Post by **Dr_Noface** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 4:57 pm

REDEEM them

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 7:39 pm

We unlocked a blue option by not trusting Glaivas with the sceptre. Take it.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 12:16 pm

Omegonthesane wrote:We unlocked a blue option by not trusting Glaivas with the sceptre. Take it.

This. I'm inclined to believe that the choice we might have been forced into is likely to be the bad one.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 9:36 pm

Taflwr smiles at you and your companions, who ready themselves with grim determination. Then Taflwr closes his eyes and whispers a fervent prayer, casting his augur.

'I cannot hear the words of Illustra this deep,' he murmurs, 'yet her power stretches far. I believe I know the way.'

You set off back into the honeycomb of tunnels, with Glaivas giving a last melancholy glare at the gatecastle as he leaves.

(Avenger did not join Thybault in pursuit of Cassandra.)

You follow Taflwr's lead through the myriad of tunnels, Dore's sword lighting the way, descending deeper into the bowels of Orb. Your tension increases with every step back towards the seventh tier, but you are committed to your task.

You come across Eris and Thybault in one cavern, fighting for their lives against the red-robed Dark Elves, the personal bodyguard of the Black Widow. Eris' foot has been stuck to the ground by some sort of webbing net thrown by the guards. You charge in alongside Dore, Glaivas, and Taflwr. You must woin this fight quickly before more forces arrive.

A group of three guards run over towards you. The nearest pulls out bolas to ensnare you whilst the other two wield scimitars.

• Launch a Leaping Tiger kick at the nearest, then a Whirlpool throw to send the last two into each other?
• Slide into a Dragon's Tail throw against the nearest, trying to send him into his fellows?
• Use Kwon's Flail to slam the nearest Dark Elf into his companions?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 9:51 pm

Kwon's Flail.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:16 pm

Blue option is blue.

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Sat Jun 04, 2016 7:27 am

Use our newly repaired legs to Flail em.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Jun 04, 2016 8:04 am

Flail!

Dr_Noface · Post by **Dr_Noface** » Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:16 pm

flail flail flail

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 9:58 am

By the way, was KF (redux) a good move against Amin, or was it a double dose of "ha ha I spit on Kwon's signature move"?

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 2:58 pm

Sorry about the long delay, unreliable Shetland wi-fi ate two previous attempts, then it was all go until I got home. Things should be back to normal now.

By the way, was KF (redux) a good move against Amin, or was it a double dose of "ha ha I spit on Kwon's signature move"?

It's good as long as you don't open with it (or open with it after Acrobaticsing). The first time it's an autohit, after that it's Defense 6, and Amin kicks for 1d+2 at your Defense 8.

You whirl on the ball of your left foot, lashing round with your right heel at the bolas-wielding Dark Elf. His Defense against your ove is 6 (unless you have already tried this once, in which case it is 7). If you are successful, you do not manage to send him into his companions, and instead slam his head clean off. It stops the other two in their tracks, wiping blood to clear their vision until they are hacked down by Doré.

Otherwise, your Defense against becoming entangled in the bolas is 8 and you may not block. If you fail, you take 2 Dice damage from blows whilst you free yourself. If you still live:

• Whirlpool throw?
• Dragon's Tail throw?
or try Kwon's Flail again at the top of this paragraph.

Well, on the first try our newly-restored leg decapi-kicks the poor fool with a 6+1, gore-ifying his buddies to death. Back in black!

(Glaivas does not have the Paladin's Sword.)

Your companions are winning, but Glaivas has proven to be of little use without any weapon. You are sliced in the shoulder by a scimitar as you rush to help and fell the last of the Dark Elves closing in on him. Lose 4 Endurance. If you still live, Glaivas collects his opponents weapon and gives it a swing or two in an appraising fashion (note on your Character Sheet that Glaivas now has a Scimitar).

Your group waste no time in falling back the way you came, Thybault freeing Eris from the webbing around his foot and helping him onwards. You and Taflwr lead the way, but turn when you hear skittering along the tunnel behind. Dozens of yellow striped spiders the size of dogs ascend the tunnel after you – some across the ceiling. Glaivas and Doré fight a rearguard action to protect the group, ichor splattering over them with every strike.

You continue upward, and all signs of pursuit fade as you traverse the dozens of honeycomb tunnels, guided by the spell on the dark Torch of Lumen, led back to the tunnel outside the gatecastle of the sixth tier where you all stop to rest a moment. Thybault thanks you profusely for returning to save him and Eris, but you hold up a hand to forestall him. You have to move on before the forces of the Black Widow catch up with you. Note that you have rescued Thybault and Eris.

You turn your attentions to getting past the gatecastle here on the sixth tier, so you can all seek escape.

'We must wait until the gates open to admit others, then launch a sudden assault through them,' Doré says, banging on his breastplate with his mailed right fist. 'We would force our way onward before any greater forces can be marshaled.'

Glaivas shakes his head. 'Throwing caution to the wind will only lead to capture. Avenger, you could steal in unnoticed, kill the sentries, and open the gate for us to sneak through. I only wish I had my bow so that I could aid you.'

'I have not descended six tiers of the Rift through timidity,' Doré retorts.

'Yet I was captured through undue boldness,' Glaivas retorts.

Taflwr clears his throat. 'I think we should use a ruse. The corpses of my Dark Elf captors are not far from here, we could pass through dressed as them.'

The disagreement grows more heated.

(Glaivas does not carry the Sceptre.)

Ultimately, everyone looks to you to adjudicate.

• Follow Doré's counsel?
• Follow Glaivas' counsel?
• Follow Taflwr's counsel?

Avenger I, Overlord of Irsmuncast-nigh-Edge, Grandmaster of the Five Winds
Modifiers: Kick +1, Throw +1, Fortune +1
Inner Force: 1/4
Endurance: 16/20
Techniques: Acrobatics, Climbing, Disable Device, Poison Needles, Kwon's Flail, ShinRen.
Shuriken: *****-*****-*****-***
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flash Powder, Flint & Tinder, Spiderfish, Blood of Nil.
Special Items: Opal Ring, Pouch with 34 Gold Pieces, Locket with Saint's Hair, Silver Shuriken, Statuette of Dama, Coronation Day Coin, Ruby Circlet, Scorpion Ring, several gems, Amulet of Nullaq, the Orb (in eye), the Sceptre.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 3:33 pm

A charge would be stupid and the paladin at the very least probably sucks at disguise. So assassinate some fools.

Dr_Noface · Post by **Dr_Noface** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 3:51 pm

Ninja should ninja, enter stealth mode

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 4:02 pm

I assume the asking about whether G has the sceptre was another "auto accept G's suggestion". In that case I want to use Avenger's free will to reject it. I'm more favourable to Dore, but could be persuaded to Tafwlyr

LEEEEEEROY JENNNKINS

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 5:37 pm

Play dress up, tell the paladin to shut his gob while our disguises are on.

angelfromanotherpin · Tue Jun 07, 2016 10:43 pm

'We will be beyond them before they know it,' Glaivas says, 'thanks to the greatest ninja on Orb. May the All-Mother watch over you, Avenger.'

You slip away along the shadows of the cavern wall without fanfare, seeking a way into the gatecastle, the wall of which is illuminated in a sickly yellow light from glowing crystals across it. You spring up to grab a rocky handhold and pull yourself up onto the wall. You crouch, observing a handful of green-armored insect-humanoids with ant-like heads and four arms each. They patrol the walls armed with crossbows, and one in particular approaches and will soon discover you if you do not act.

You creep behind him and slip your garrotte over his neck, pulling him down. His exoskeleton prevents slicing through his throat, so you simply crush it. You wonder how long it will be before they note the absence of the guard.

• Change into his armor and head down to open the gate?
• Sneak on to open the gate directly?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jun 08, 2016 12:26 am

We have an opportunity to combine Glaivis and Taflwr's plan, let's play dress-up.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jun 08, 2016 1:21 am

It's going to be hard to impersonate a 4-armed bug, no matter how much armor we wear. Keep stealthing.