Anathema: an Exalted game IC

Red Cape didn't even look up at the man. "Indeed it would... What kind of trouble, pray tell, would be most unfortunate? A slit throat, poisoned food... Preferably something that wouldn't lead to me being caught. Also, please note that poisons cost twice as much as my knife." His slight southern accent showed through in his words.

"Knife will do fine. There are enough suspects around here that you won't have to worry about traceability much. He's a man with enemies, I'm sure you understand." The man wasn't looking particularly in Red Cape's direction, instead watching the door.

((Resolving Silver's attack in the interest of time))

The member 'AlaskanWyvern' has done the following action : Dices roll

'Ten-faced die' : 9, 5, 6, 4, 6, 1, 4, 7, 7, 8, 2

The guard swings for Mouse and lands a blow on his jaw. Mouse goes down like a sack of bricks.
Dusk hits with one extra success. (3L damage after soak), for a final 2L damage. The guard is now bleeding from a shoulder wound and barely on his feet.

The guard takes another 1B as one of the other prisoners punches him in the face. The guard is now unconscious.

Combat ends.

Silver arrives about ten seconds later.

Dusk wiped the man's blood off of his new sword and put it in its sheath. He looked at mouse lying on the ground and frowned trying to think what to do. "Grab some tools o' th' trade boys. We don' wanna have t' fight outta here barehanded."

It was then that a man ran into the room. Dusk Fang automatically drew his sword. "Here's another un kiddos."

Silver, on reflex immediately pulled his weapon out. A bad move, surely, but he'd done it. He wasn't aiming it, he just had it in his hand, ready to backpedal and fire at a moment's notice. "Woah there, I'm not here to cause harm. I'll escort myself out, guards." He didn't waste time looking around, he'd just jumped to the conclusion that armed people were guards, here.

"It'll be the other way around actually boy." Dusk Fang said pointing his chopping sword at the unconcious guard. "We'll be escortin' ourselves outta here, and ain't no guards gonna be gettin in our way." He looked at the others, ready to charge at this man if need be.

That's what it clicked for Joyous Silver. These were escapee's... these were the people whose cells were open. "So those were your cells? Good, good, any idea where the... is this place run by a warden? Well, whoever, any idea where I might find the keys to everyone else's cells?" He was trying his hardest to sound sincere, because he was, but he doubted this man would believe him, conversation was not exactly his strong point... nor this man's, by the likely hood of it.

Dusk Fang was taken aback. "You're na' one o' th' guards then? Well, who th' 'ell are ya?" He thought for a second and realized that this small man had come to rescue them. He laughed deeply, his lungs grating a bit as they were being used in a way they were unaccustomed to be used. "Th' key does na' work friend. Best be gettin' out while ya can!"

With that, Dusk Fang pointed to Mouse, "Someun grab th' boy!" He yelled and then began to walk towards the exit, chopping sword ready in hand.

"I'm... I guess it doesn't matter then." said Joyous Silver, keeping himself behind the large man, content to stay behind what would undoubtedly be a nice human shield. Especially considering his own rather... frail, body. "I don't know which way we should go to leave though... I'm sure all exits are guarded... You sure you don't want to... dress up like the guards?" He was trying to find a way to speed up their exit from this place, in more of a safe manner.

Disguising themselves as the guards might work, in theory; they wouldn't fool anyone at particularly close range, but they could steal armor and whatnot if they were willing to go looking for trouble.

The other prisoners first went to the weapons locker, letting the guy with the sword handle the the guy with the flamepiece. Having armed themselves, two of them picked up Mouse by his shoulders and ankles and followed Dusk.

Dusk Fang thought for a second and shook his head. "Naw, Best be leavin' while we can. Don' be wantin tah be wastin our time when we can just leave now." He waved his hand to the others to come on and began walking out towards the exit. He would leave whether the man with the flamepiece came or not.

Joyous Silver followed after Dusk Fang anyway. The plan might have worked, but... then agian... he didn't expect such people trapped in this place to be willing to listen to him. Now then, the matter of escaping... that would be significently harder than getting in, surely. Especially... if the match ended and someone noticed all those who were missing. High alert would be disasterous.

((Both of you give me Dex+Stealth.))

There were a few ways out: the way Silver had come, the main route through the arena, and a locked and guarded side door.

((I found the personal die roller, so we shouldn't need to keep using the patches one, which will decrease space, but I can see why you might want to.))

The member 'Mr_ji' has done the following action : Dices roll

'Ten-faced die' : 5, 3, 2, 1

((I'd still prefer to keep dice rolls public.

What we have here is a botch: Mr. Ji has rolled no success and a single one. If he'd rolled two, he'd have gotten a double botch. This being a stealth roll, his botch has invalidated any successes on Midnight's roll.))

The party failed to notice a guard approaching through a perpendicular corridor. Instead of attacking, he turned around and notified the owner. The party saw nothing until they reached the door.

A dozen armed men definitely wasn't the normal guard...

There was no going back. Dusk Fang would not surrender himself to be used as entertainment while he fought for his life. He set himself and raised his sword. Be it a dozen guards or fifty, he would fight to the death to gain his freedom. Death was the only other option whether he gave up or not. The others might not agree, but he knew what was in store for him if he went back to his cage.

((Dusk Fang initiates combat! Initiative rolls, please.))

Joyous Silver was a fairly certian it was a bad move, but he was without a choice in the matter by this point, as he drew his flamepiece.

This dice is not existing.

The harbor:
The vigils stationed on either side of the harbor give a shout as a bizarre-looking ship enters port. Its shapes are flowing, organic, and alien, like no ship anyone on the island had ever seen. It doesn't sail into port so much as it gracefully floats in like some macabre dancer. The boat is made of a substance that resembles iron, but isn't quite; something about it gives you goosebumps, even at this distance.

But none of this is the cause for alarm. The real problem is the two flags the ship proudly flies: The top, of Skullstone Archipelago. The bottom, of Moray Darktide. The whole island seems to stop, unsure of what to do.

A lone pirate ship, identifiable as Adamant Horizon's, had left the dock shortly before Darktide's ship entered the harbor. Horizon draws up alongside as Darktide patiently stops in the middle of the harbor. Horizon and Darktide (or at least someone you presume to be Darktide, judging by the iconic skull epaulets on what looks like a buff jacket) each come up on deck and exchange words. Horizon's gesticulating does not bode well. Best case scenario, he's talking smack. Worst case, he's-

Nope. Definitely worst case. An archer takes a poorly-aimed shot at Darktide, which misses and wounds his lieutenant instead. In response, a large ballista-like device on Darktide's deck turns and fires a bolt of green light into Horizon's ship. The blast snaps the small pirate ship in half, then sucks the two halves into the nexus where the shot landed. The middle third of the ship is now reduced to splinters and fragments of raw meat. Darktide begins shouting orders, and the ballista fires on the town.

The Pit
((One guard wins initiative, then Dusk, then Silver, then everyone else.))

The guard in front rushes Dusk, sword in hand, mighty yell in his throat. He charges, he leaps... the door behind him erupts in a flash of green light, vaporizing it, a chunk of the wall, and most of the guards. The guard in the air is unable to alter his course before the blast sucks him back in and breaks every bone in his body.

((Dex+Athletics to avoid the blast, please. Stunting and/or spending a willpower is recommended.))

The harbor again

The second the ballista fired, the town went into a frenzy. They were cut off from their boats - anything trying to get out was blocked by Darktide's ship. The ballista was charging for another shot, and ghosts poured off the ship and began racing for shore.

The harlot bolted, as did the men in the shadows. Concealment and whatever else they had in mind was a rather moot point when compared to the imminent annihilation of the island.

((Spending a will power so I'm going to roll one less die than I should, correct? Any stunt dice I get, please roll for yourself to save time.))

Joyous Silver was already twitching and tensing his muscled to sprint as the man burst forward, and as he lept, Joyous silver was already about to sprint back the way they'd come. His urgency was only increased as the explosion hit and he was forced to act, less this trip be the end of his life. He wasted no time, trying to push through any man who was foolish enough to get into his way.

Stark had been attempting to tell the lady to leave him be when the strange ship had appeared in the harbor, grabbing everyone's attention it seemed. He looked at the thing with a mix of curiosity and fear, fear of something unknown like this. He could only describe its nightmare-ish appearance as inhuman and otherworldly. Time seem to stop for him, mere moments before the small pirate ship was suddenly blasted apart by some strange green bolt, which seemed to have had an adverse effect on the people since they quickly ran off from what he saw.

"Sweet mother of..." He continued watching, dropping his bags to the ground. It took about a second or two, about the time he noticed something coming out of the nightmare ship, that he took the flight himself, running away from the port and deeper into the nasty den of the island. It must surely be safer in there...

((Spending a willpower doesn't remove a die. So, you get two more dice. And two successes.))