Tainted Princess

[VintageBass]

The holstaur reaches up to scratch behind an ear, sitting peacefully while scratching at nothing while waiting to feel some wolf fur on her fingers. What she wasn't expecting was for Nighteyes to come up and lick her, shocking her just a bit but she let the wolf continue... before getting even more uncomfortable finding the wolf resting her head on her crotch. Kassy looks down in a little embarrassment, slightly confused as to why the wolf is resting there of all places, but she sees this as a perfect opportunity to scratch the wolf on the head... and that she did. The shock washes away and is replaced with the smile as Kassy pets her new friend and listens in on what is being said.

Hearing that Priea has been working on the path that Kassy takes on being a good citizen, the holstaur looks over at the cleric and smiles. "That' sounds like a good idea," she replied, but a blush appeared on her cheeks, "although I hope that you don't follow what I did with the mysterious stranger. Let's just hope that's a one time thing and we can work to stop him from spreading his influence to others..." Her cheeks are burning and her chest feels heavy. She feels ashamed for having taken up on the man's offer and regrets going through, but she does want to fix the trouble that has been done. She does want to be a good influence on people, not be shown as this harlot that goes after anyone who compliments her and spends the night out in the woods...

As the elf rejoins the table, Kassy thought about how she encountered her group. "Well I was out away from the farm, after the man took me away for the night, and here these girls coming along looking for him. Seeing that the guy we're looking for was heading towards my home, I thought I lend my service and spend the time traveling back. I can't remember how far I traveled out when I met up with that man, it was certainly further out than I was expecting..." That stopped when a man stepped up and mentioned Mr. Hillsdale, which brought a frown onto the holstaur's face.

"Oh what is it now? Is he trying to get my farm again? I told him no and I refuse to budge out." Kassy gives a firm huff. She doesn't like that someone is taking up good pieces of land from hard workers, even forcing them out because they refused to pay or can't afford it. "As for who he is, I have no idea, but the man's a bully. He kicks people out who don't pay and none of us like it. We tried all that we could, but it hasn't gone well and I don't really like to resort to fighting him directly. I'm lucky enough to stay afloat even with my duties, and if I were to head out to find this stranger, I'm not going to let that man take my farm from me." All of this is getting her pumped up, moreso than the goblins that were hanging around and scaring the people around. "I doubt he's going to apologize and I take it he's not going to let go of me saying 'no' to his face."

Feeling the passion of her town burning inside of her, Kassy pushes herself away from the table and got up, preparing herself for this "apology." "Right, I'm ready to go. It's probably better to get him out before I leave. Daisy, Dixie, can I trust you two to care of my farm while I'm away? I don't know when I'll be back and I would like some good friends and neighbors to care for my crops while I'm gone."

[Lorielle]

Aria nods toward the barkeep thanking him for the information. Though she does order a glass of wine for herself before heading back to the table where the entire group is.It looks like we have a lead. Aria says with a smile. "Some beast men have had claims of a mysterious figure to the north of here about a days travel. I was told to ask for an Esmerelda when we get there. Though the bar keep also heard a rumor that our marks will spread across our bodies when Lucien tries to...have his way with us a second and third time. So we can also just wait for him but losing to him will be disastrous."

Once she is done the knight chugs her glass of wine and looks to the rest of the group to see what to do

[MASigma]

Priea didn’t really see what the wolf was doing under the table to Kassy, just glad it was leaving her alone for the moment. Priea smiled as Kassy praised her efforts, only to frown at the mention of the monster she had met,”… I didn’t give into him… but then he…”, Priea paused, shivering as she recalled how he had brutally forced himself onto her… she’d been nothing but a toy he could make to do as he wanted, her strength nothing to his own as he kept her from even casting a single spell as he’d had his way with her. Priea hugged herself, forcing the memories aside as she just nodded, hating the part of her that felt arousal as she recalled all those sensations. Priea continued to listen as Kassy explained how she met up with the others in her group… only to frown as they were interrupted with the knew about Hillsdale.

Hearing Kassy’s complaints about the man made Priea upset, the guy sounded like the worst sort of person, following Kassy’s lead as she stood up with a grin, hoping for a chance to bust some heads if this went the way she assumed it would,” Might as well deal with this guy then”, she noted, lightly wondering if Kassy would oppose to them sticking together on the search for their shared enemy.

[MelissaB]

Looking at Kassy and Priea she shrugs a moment before whistling sharply, Nighteyes quick on her feet to join at her heel. "Come on girl, lets see, might get you some tastier meat by the end of this." She comments with a shake of her head as she eyes the others, glancing at Aria she smirks. "Probably put the wine down possible trouble waiting for us outside. a Hillsdale?" She states wondering if the name meant anymore more to her before waiting a moment before heading outside to see what this man wanted from her new companions that shared a similar fate to her own. Her hands clenching as she flexes her fingers preparing herself for trouble though hoping against it.

[cryosabre]

Shayde's expression darkened as her quarry suddenly left with her amulet still very much in his possesion, the fact she had now failed twice at liberating it from his being pissing Shayde off more than anything else, "for fuck sake, I will have that damn thing..." she muttered under her breath before turning to Arrenhan with a shrug, "Yea everything's fine, just a little bit of a mix-up is all! Anyway...the name's Shayde! what about you?" holding her hand out as she offers to shake it before noticing that her other companions all seemed to be heading outside for some reason, "Huh, something going on out there do you think?" She asked Arrenhan before following along curiously though making sure to keep her hands on her daggers, her intuition once again flaring up and telling her danger lay ahead as she readied herself to repel any attacks and follow up with her own. In the rare event that her intuition was wrong, Shayde was still eager to see what was going on outside though if she found it boring she would certainly be heading up towards the mans room, her desire to own that damn amulet almost taking over her entire body as she shouts after the others, "Hey! wait up, we're coming too!"

[FragranceofMtDew]

Despite the somewhat somber mood that only grows with each girls story, Sharya can't help but feel somewhat excited as Kassy offers to by everyone's drinks. "Ooooh, really? Thanks so much! I'll be sure to return the favor some time!" She says with a wink and a giggle before heading up to the bar. "I'll have a pint of your finest!" She proudly declares, slamming the coins she had received from Kassy onto the bar and taking her mug. She had always wanted to say that. Without even returning to her seat, Sharya takes her first big gulp of ale and practically chokes on it as it was much more bitter than she was expecting. "A-ahhhh, th-that hits the spot!" She stammers out between coughs, not wanting anyone to think her strange.

Despite her initial distaste for the ale, Sharya continues to drink it, although in smaller quantities, as she rejoins the others at the table. It would be rude not to finish something that someone else had paid for after all. Once she makes it back, she overhears Kassy talking about her troubles with some Hillsdale person and everyone heads outside to confront him apparently. "Oh, does someone else need a good butt kicking?" Sharya asks as she follows them out. She still has half her pint left, but she opts to bring it with her since she can just chug it real quick if a fight breaks out anyway.

[Mark3000]

Before you head out, Dixie gives you a quick warning. "Watch out. Hillsdale is a little off recently. He was always egotistical but now he's more ... violent".

As your group head you see that the pub has been surrounded by a group of seven mercenaries. At the back you see Mr. Hillsdale looking on intently. "Oh I didn't know you came back. I'll make this clear. I own this town now. I've given you every chance to sell me your land. On top of that, I'll not stand by and be threatened in my town." He then turns back as he sits on a bench close by and claps his hand twice. "Get to work boys" He commands. "Sure thing boss!" Says one of the mercenaries. You get a better look at how they're arranged. Two are in front of you at striking distance carrying straight swords. Another mercenary to each side at the same distance, one with an axe, another with a Greatsword. Behind them (Rearguard Distance) you see another mercenary in front of you and to each side.

Initiative:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Kassandra: 2 - 1 = 1
Priea: 11 + 2 = 13
Shayde: 6 + 5 = 11
Sharya: 8 + 4 = 12
Aria: 10 + 1 + 3 = 14
Kailyne: 2 + 4 = 6
Arrenhan: 9

Mercenaries 1-9 : (19, 10, 8, 4, 17, 20, 17)

Enemy side goes First

Enemy Combat Round

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Mercenary 1 (Straight Sword) Attacks Kassandra
Hit Roll: 3 + 2 = 5, Miss!

Mercenary 2 (Straight Sword) Attacks Priea
Hit Roll: 15 + 2 = 17 Hit! Damage: 4 (4 + 2 (Str) - 2 Defense)

Mercenary 3 (Axe) Attacks Shayde
Hit Roll: 12 + 2 + 2 (Side Attack)= 16 Miss!

Mercenary 4 (Greatsword) Attacks Aria
Hit Roll: 9 + 2 + 2 (Side Attack)= 13 Hit! Damage: 3 (8 + 2 (Str) - 7 Defense)

Mercenary 5 (Short Bow) Attacks Kailyne
Hit Roll: 15 + 2 = 17 Hit! Damage: 2 (4 + 2 (Dex) - 4 Defense)

Mercenary 6 (Pistol) Attacks Sharya
Hit Roll: 9 + 2 = 11 Miss!

Mercenary 7 (Musket) Attacks Nighteyes
Hit Roll: 15 + 2 = 17 Hit! Damage: 6 (6 + 2 (Dex) - 2 (Defense))

Attacks seem to come in from every direction. The swordsmen assault the group, managing to graze Aria and Priea. Meanwhile, the archer and musketeer try to gun down Kailyne and her pet. Before you can begin your counter attack:

???? uses Crippling Shot (Arm) on Aria
Hit Roll: Natural 20, Damage: 6 (9 + 4 (Dex) - 7 (Defense))
Damage done by Aria reduced by 2.

You hear a boom. Without warning you see a bullet hole through the gauntlet covering Aria's upper arm as a searing pain runs through her body. Mr Hillsdale smiles as you feel the grip on your sword weaken. It seemed like there was one more mercenary hidden somewhere.

Character Stats

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Kassandra: HP: 16/16 OP: 6/6
Priea: HP: 7/11 OP: 7/7
Shayde: HP: 10/10 OP: 5/5
Sharya: HP: 9/9 OP: 6/6
Aria: HP: 7/16 OP: 6/6
Kailyne: HP: 9/11 OP: 6/6
Nighteyes: HP: 6/12
Arrenhan: HP: 11/11 OP: 8/8

[Lorielle]

"Gods. SHIT!!" Aria cried out as she took a musket ball to the arm, thankfully her gauntlet was there to soak most of the impact, but it still hurt like a bitch and she most likely has a broken, cracked, or a really badly bruised arm. The pain makes itself most evident when she tries to lift her great sword, but Aria winces audibly and tries to fight back the tears.

"I'll kill... All of you!"Aria screams out as she uses all her strength to lift her greatsword with one hand and slice into the mercenary in front of her.

(not sure how to make an attack roll)

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

10ap-8ap great sword attack=2ap left ever.

[FragranceofMtDew]

Yup, Sharya had definitely just walked into a fight based on the rough looking group now surrounding the pub.. While the old man, presumably Hillsdale, was monologuing, Sharya gulped down the rest of her drink. She had just finished chugging when the first bullet came whizzing past her face. She quickly set the mug down and cast an angry glare out at the one who fired at her. Her first instinct was to return fire with a flame spear, but then she noticed that her new friends hadn't fared so well after the first attack.

A few of them had taken hits, but Aria seemed to get the worst of it. "O-oh gosh! Don't worry, I'll help you out!" She said, channeling her energy and sending it to Aria to help heal her wounds. Once that's done she draws her sword and ignites it, preparing to enter the fray.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

10 AP - 6 AP Holy Regeneration on Aria - 4 AP Endowment (flame) = 0 AP remaining

[MASigma]

Priea cursed as she was grazed by the quick attack, having attempted to avoid it when she was struck... just their luck to run into a group that actually could give all of them trouble like this... oh she was going to beat that old man black and blue for this when it was over! With a vicious glare at her attacker, she fueled her anger into Compressing her spell, compacting it and thus making it all the more effective given how close her target was to her," Alright Asshat, here comes the Heat!", She declared with an almost vicious grin," Fiiiiiiire BOLT!", She let loose, though there was no need she just enjoyed calling out the name of her spells, letting loose the focused bolt of fire magic at her attacker, the spell empowered due to her use of Compression.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

10 AP - 1 AP Compression on Fire Bolt Spell - 7 AP for Fire Bolt Spell

[VintageBass]

If she's willing to bet on why, it's probably from the many rejections that Kassy gave him about selling her land that now he is willing to resort to violence to get it. It's not something she wants, but if this is the case, then this is going to be one of the few times she's backing down on her "no violence" clause. She hates that people are getting thrown out because someone is buying their homes, and she'll be damned if she ever does fall for the man and give her home away like that. All those years working on the land, helping others out now going to be thrown out because someone with money wants to buy her property? Like hell she's going to let him get away with that!

Of course there is now a brawl ensuing outside of the tavern. The others are getting hurt, there was a gunshot, and Kassy missed a shot from one of the mercenaries. Her concerns over the one got shot rise up, but right now isn't the best time to heal her up. She wish she could, but she hasn't learned anything of the sort. Instead, she is going to make a beeline towards the bastard orchestrating this whole fight, and she is going to burst her way through any mercenary that stands in her way. This is a perfect chance to tank her way through and get right up to the man, seeing that he is just sitting there on his ass watching over the fight, defenseless besides that mysterious gunner, and Kassy is far too angry to deal with these grunts.

Raising her shovel up, Kassy moves forward towards her attacker and performs a heavy swing down on the man's head. "Out of my way," she grunted. "I got some business to discuss with Mr. Hillsdale."

[MelissaB]

Kailyne sees the men as she steps outside before gasping as an arrow lodges itself in her, Panting she grits her teeth and pulls it out only to let out a scream as Nighteyes is hit. "I will fucking kill you for that!" She yells at them before she rushes over to her and looks at her wound before pulling out a minor first aid kit to tend to her animal companion. "Hold still girl!" She cries in fear of losing her(field medic skill -4 ap) before grabbing her bow and firing an arrow at the one that shot Nighteyes, Nighteyes herself rushing up to pounce and maul him (maul skill)

Nights = 2 AP
Kailyne = -2 AP

[cryosabre]

"Whoa, so who exactly are all these guys - Nope!" Shayde suddenly squeaked as she quickly ducked under a swing from an axe to her side while her hands were instinctively already working to once again ready her weapons for combat as she deftly pulled a poison vial from a pocket and quickly splashed it across the blades of her daggers, "Alright, so exactly who the fuck are you?" the catgirl hissed as she dropped the empty vial and took a reverse grip of both her daggers before lunging towards the one who had attacked her, slashing once with both of her daggers in an attempt to wound and poison him before doing a quick turn and attempting to strike the man with a second, more brutal attack as she tried to used the jagged edge of her daggers to open a deep wound on her attacker in the hopes that the poison and bleeding would put a quick end to the asshole who had wrongly thought himself quick enough to land a hit on Shayde and allow her to help the others.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

10AP - 2AP (Venom Vial) - 5AP (normal attack) - 7AP(Jagged Dagger)= -4AP Next round

[Mark3000]

Player Combat Roll

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Aria Hit Roll (D20 + Str (For greatswords) + Skills): Natural 1
Merc (Greatsword) CounterAttack roll: Natural 1
Aria Double Counter Roll: 10 +4 + 2(Skills)= 16, Hit! Damage: 6 + 4 - 2 = 8

Sharya Uses Holy Regeneration on Aria
Sharya Uses Endowment: Fire (+1 Damage)

Priea Uses Compression (Range Reduced to Striking Distance, Power up by 1.5)
Priea Uses Fire Bolt (Straight Sword 2), Spellcasting Roll (D20+int): 13 + 4 = 17, Hit! Damage: 6

Kassandra Move to Merc(Straight Sword 1) No AP cost used
Kassandra Attacks Merc (Straight Sword 1): Hit Roll: 7 + 4 + 1= 12 Hit!
Damage: 6 + 4 -2 = 8

Kailyne Uses Field Medic
Kailyne Attacks Merc (Musket): Hit Roll: 3 + 4 + 3(Skills) = 10 Hit!
Damage: 6 + 4 - 2 = 8
Nighteyes Mauls Merc (Musket): Hit Roll 10 +1 = 11 Hit!
Damage: 5 - 2 = 3 , Merc (Musket) is Defeated

Shayde Uses Venom Vial
Shayde Attacks Merc (Axe): Hit Roll: 3 + 4 = 7 Miss!
Shayde Uses Jagged Dagger Vs Merc (Axe): 4 + 4 = 8 Miss!

Aria arm is hurting her so badly that she misses the mercenary allowing him to counter. He in turn swings wide and allows Aria to land her attack. Sharya uses her magic to fills Aria with holy energy (+2 hp) as she enchants her sword with a fiery glow. Priea compresses one of her fire bolts into a small white hot arrow she shots at one of the mercenaries holding straight sword which explodes against their chest. Kassandra plows into the front row to smack the mercenary with the straight sword. Kailyne and Nighteyes manage to work in tandem to take out the musket wielding mercenary as Kailyne strikes him in the side as Nighteyes finishes the job. Finally, Shayde tries to attack the axe wielding merc but he seems to see through all her attacks.

Enemy Combat Rolls

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Mercenary 1 (Straight Sword) Attacks Kassandra
Hit Roll: 14 + 2 = 16, Hit! Damage: No Damage [6 - 6 (Defense) - 2 (Hono(u)rable combat + Band of Brothers)]

Mercenary 2 (Straight Sword) Attacks Priea
Hit Roll: 8 + 2 = 10 Miss!

Mercenary 3 (Axe) Attacks Shayde
Hit Roll: 14 + 2= 16 Miss!

Mercenary 4 (Greatsword) Attacks Aria
Hit Roll: 8 + 2 = 11 Hit! Damage: 2 (8 + 2 (Str) - 7 [Defense] - 1 [Hono(u)rable combat])

Mercenary 5 (Short Bow) Attacks Kailyne
Hit Roll: Natural 20 Damage: 10 (12 + 2 (Dex) - 4 Defense) Kailyne is Defeated

Mercenary 6 (Pistol) Attacks Sharya
Hit Roll: 7 + 2 = 9 Miss!

Sniper ??? uses Hawkeye
Sniper ??? Attacks Kassandra: Hit Roll: 17 (Critical Roll due to Hawkeye)
Damage: 14 [18 + 4 - 6 (Defense) - 2 (Hono(u)rable combat + Band of Brothers)]

The mercenaries don't far as well when they try to strike back. Seeing Kassandra charge at him, Hillsdale scowls. "Miserable sow! I'll put you in your place. Julia!" With that you hear another bang from the mysterious sniper. This time the bullet whizzes towards Kassandra's heart. It connects through a gap where her armor connects. The wound is deep and by shear luck it misses her vital organs and she doesn't pass out. Kailyne is not so lucky as an arrow pierces her armor and runs through her. The wound is grievous and the pain unbearable as she falls unconscious.

Player Stats

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Kassandra: HP: 2/16 OP: 6/6 AP Next Turn: 10
Priea: HP: 7/11 OP: 7/7 AP Next Turn: 10
Shayde: HP: 10/10 OP: 5/5 AP Next Turn: 6
Sharya: HP: 9/9 OP: 6/6 AP Next Turn: 10
Aria: HP: 7/16 OP: 6/6 AP Next Turn: 10
Kailyne: HP: 0/11 OP: 6/6 Defeated
Nighteyes: HP: 11/12 AP Next Turn: 10
Arrenhan: HP: 11/11 OP: 8/8 AP Next Turn: 10

Enemy Stats

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Mercenary 1 (Straight Sword) HP: 4/12
Mercenary 2 (Straight Sword) HP: 6/12
Mercenary 3 (Axe) HP: 12/12
Mercenary 4 (Greatsword) HP: 4/12
Mercenary 5 (Short Bow) HP: 10/10
Mercenary 6 (Pistol) HP: 10/10
Mercenary 7 (Musket) HP: 0/10 Defeated
Sniper ??? HP: ???/??? OP ???/??? AP Next Turn: 4

[MASigma]

Smirking at her target even as she dodged his swing, Priea prepared a follow-up attack... only to hear Kassandra's cry of pain, her eyes widening in shock only to instantly aim her next spell towards the Paladin," Heal!", She called out, knowing it wasn't much but she could use and while she could take the time to compress it... it might not reach her by doing so. This of course left her with nothing else to do within the span of time it needed to cast the spell and hopefully heal Kassandra for enough to help her get by.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Heal 7 AP

[VintageBass]

Right, things are going smoothly for the most part. One of the mercenaries has gone down thanks to Nighteyes, but in return Kailyne goes down. Everyone on their side has gotten a hit in and mostly missing the rest, with the holstaur knocking the man in her way down with her shovel. This might turn out for the better... until she feels cold overcoming her. Hearing the gunshot and the pain coursing through her body, Kassy realizes that she was next in the sniper's scope, and she could feel her anger boiling. Just barely getting that Hillsdale is ordering this hidden mercenary and not doing anything but sit there makes her want to charge forth, but she's already vulnerable and is no position to go running up to lay the smackdown on the bastard in charge of this operation.

Instead, Kassy steps back into the healing hands of Priea, letting her perform her magic while the holstaur defends and acts as a Guardian to prevent anyone from getting at her healer. She looks out at Hillsdale, her anger burning, but she has to wait. She is in no position to go after him and she'll be damned to let him get away with all of this.

[MelissaB]

Kailyne smirked as he arrow bite deep and Nighteyes finished the job before letting out a cry as an arrow is sent through her body and out the other side. Gasping she clutches the shaft as she stumbles. "Nighteyes...." She whispers before before folding up into a heap and passing out over the ground on the street. Nighteyes walking over and nudging her, trying to wake her as the elven ranger bleeds onto the ground still and motionless except for the slow beating of her heart and subtle rise of her chest as she takes in air.

[FragranceofMtDew]

Another shot rang out and yet another bullet whizzed past Sharya's face. She was one of the lucky ones however, as Kassy took a big hit and Kailyne is pierced through with an arrow and falls over. She doesn't move, but she's still breathing much to Sharya's relief. It was becoming clear that trying to patch everyone up wasn't going to work. She just wouldn't be able to keep up.

With that in mind, Sharya decided it was time to get into the fray. She went after the merc currently engaged with Kassy, hoping to take some pressure off of the wounded Holstaur, delivering a quick thrust of her flaming rapier to the man's chest.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

10 AP - 6 attack on Mercenary 1 4 AP remaining

[cryosabre]

Baring her teeth in frustration as the merc somehow manages to dodge both of her attacks, Shayde roars in frustration as she rounds on him again, her vision focusing on the axe-wielding merc as everything else in the world dissolves around her, ending this assholes life her her sole objective. Feeling slightly tired from her over-exertion on her last attack, Shayde simply lunges forward to try and stab the axeman in the neck in an attempt to end his miserable little life as quickly as possible.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

6AP - (normal attack)5AP = 1AP

[Lorielle]

"Thank you, Sharya." Aria says as she gives a curt nod to the cat woman. Again focusing on her opponent the knight lands a staggering blow into the mercenary though he's quick to retaliate with his own glancing blow. Her body still wracked with pain and her heart sunk when she say the paladin take a direct hit to the chest.
Looking around Aria let out a cry to try and rally her allies. [Using Warcy]

"Standfast!! we'll slaughter every last one!" Aria screams out at the top of her lungs as she readies another attack with her great sword.

12ap-4 warcry,-8 greatsword attack.=0