The Beast that Rattled the Stars | Page 2

Cycle 2
Battle Conditions

Zone 3 Berserk Seigi [350/350]
Zone 1 Lightless N [74/250]
Zone 8 Blackened Briar [400/400]
Zone 2 Ashen Sean [300/300]
​

Damage:
@Megan Tritor @Comet @Blake Elgis @Magdalyn , as well as her tiger, receive 30 damage.

@Megan Tritor receives 30 damage and is afflicted by the Status Effect [Chained]. They can only attack Blackened Briar, and must advance to the most direct path towards them. In this case, she must advance to either Zone 5 or Zone 6.

@Blake Elgis receives 40 damage. Due to Lightless N's [Grievances], this damage is applied to their Max HP as well.

@Alric Stalwart receives 30 damage and is [Burning]. Until this is cleansed, every time he acts, 10 HP is lost.

Zone 1, 8 Short, dead grass, soaked in blood and rain. It squelches beneath your feet as you walk over it, but is of no concern.

Zone 2 Tall walls of flame seal this Zone off from others. All Ranged attacks receive a -20 penalty if targetting an individual in this zone, except Pyromancy and Arcanamancy. 20 HP damage is inflicted onto individuals entering or leaving this Zone.

Zone 3 Nothing remains of the toppled canopy except for a few larger branches. They're somewhat cumbersome to move around, but it's of no concern.

Zone 4, 10 Signs of a brutal fight linger, jagged, broken spikes and shrapnel filling the cracked earth, still sharp enough to cut. When entering or ending a turn in this Zone, receive 10 damage.

Zone 5 A great, crimson spire diagonally crosses the expanse of the chasm. It is safe enough to travel if you're willingly walking upon it, but if an individual is displaced onto this zone, they must roll a d100 + 5 for every tier of Aeromancy, Acrobat, or Mobility. If they get a result that is 50 or higher, they are safe. If not...

Zone 6 A forest of thin, black stakes have suspended bodies above. All ranged attacks made within this Zone, as well as all ranged attacks targetting those in this Zone, receive a -10 penalty, unless it is an Arcanamancy attack.

Zone 7 Only the base of the great spire remains, small, jagged spikes scattered over the ground. When entering or ending a turn in this Zone, take 5 HP damage.

Zone 9, 12 The land is exceptionally ravaged here, thick mounds of earth mixing with fissures and cracks. Combined with the heavy rain turning everything into a quagmire of sludge, this is exceptionally difficult to move through. Leaving this Zone takes 2 Movements instead of 1.

Zone 11 - 1 The bottom of the ruined tower. Shielded by a sanguine light that must be physically or magically destroyed before entering.

Zone 11 - 2 The top of the ruined tower. Ranged attacks targetting those in this zone receive a -20 penalty, unless it is a Geomancy or an Aeromancy attack.

Hidden: Supplementary Information

Movement Every turn, you may move to one Zone adjacent (diagonal movement is allowed) to your current one for free. If your Mobility is Adept, you may move two Zones instead of one. You may also spend your action for this round and move to another Zone after your free movement. Ending your turn on certain Zones may trigger events.

Range Ranged and Magical attacks can reach any zone, but may have reduced damage due to terrain. Melee attacks can only target those within the same Zone as the attacker. If you have the Tinker Mastery, you can switch freely between Ranged and Melee attacks, but you only gain Bonus Damage in Melee.

Bonus Damage Melee attacks gain Bonus Damage if they have Berserk, Tinker or Heroic Might. Ranged attacks gain Bonus Damage if they have Hunting. Magic attacks gain Bonus damage from Summoning Magic. In the DPS spreadsheet, apply the relevant Mastery with the highest tier only.

Actions

Everyone is allowed to perform one of these actions per cycle. RP-wise, you can do a number of things, but the system only counts the action you pick from the spreadsheets.

• Tank - Protect allies, disrupt enemies, and mitigate zonal damage.
• DPS - Damage, damage, and more damage.
• Support - Heal, buff, and dispel conditions from allies.

Hidden: Beast Taming

If you are a Beast Tamer, your Beast has its own HP and actions. The modifier for their rolls is +5 for every tier of rarity. Refer to the Equipment section of the Wiki for information on Rarity. For example, a Basic pet will have +5, while a Great pet will have +20.

Their maximum HP is 50 + modifier.
They can Attack, dealing d20 + modifier damage in Melee combat.
They can Protect one person in the same zone as themselves.
They cannot be buffed, and can only be healed by their Tamer.
They can only move one Zone away from their Tamer.

Hidden: Special Actions

Liberate [Alric Only] - Roll a melee attack using Spirit Magic. If the result is 120 or above, the target is instantly destroyed, their souls freed from the eldritch chains that drove them to madness.

Quench [Megan Only] - Roll a d100 + 5 per tier of Hydromancy, as you use your magic to quench the great walls of flame surrounding Zone 2. The DC you must meet is 100.

Break [Velka and Blake Only] - Roll a d100 + 5 per tier of Heroic Might or Martial arts, as you use your uncommon physical strength to break the Blackened Chains. The DC you must meet, culminatively, is 120. You may Recklessly do this, using 2d100 instead, in exchange for taking double damage the following turn.

Hidden: Feats

Feats are special actions that can be performed at the cost of one's HP. These are to signal truly desperate times, and outside of Strenuous Effort, can only be used once per Challenge.

Important: Do not formulate combat strategies around these and force people to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the party. Usage of Feats should be a personal choice.

Strenuous Effort By permanently sacrificing HP (reduce both your current HP value and your maximum HP value), you can gain a bonus modifier to your roll equal to the amount of HP spent, up to a maximum of 50. This modifier can not be applied to Buff rolls.

Soul Filled Strike This is the climax, the final clash. Offer up your heart in exchange for godly strength and ensure that your nemesis falls. Roll a d100. If your result is 90 or below, you die. If your result is 91 or above, your HP is set to 1. Your next attack is (100 + modifiers + buffs) x 2.

Bravery's Gift You swore to yourself once that you will never see a friend fall, and now, it's time to fulfill that promise, even at the cost of your own. This Feat can be used retroactively. Usage of Second Wind is sealed. In place of a maximum of five others, take two times the damage they would have taken during this turn.

The Last Prayer If there is Divinity that watches upon, then with your earthly desires, pull them down from their lofty throne and force a miracle out of them. Heal all allies with the Single Heal action in your spreadsheet. At the end of this turn, you die.

Death caused directly by the usage of a Feat can not be overturned with a Ressurection spell.

 

The Beast that Rattled the Stars

Blades of wind made ribbons of her flesh, while fangs, both feline and ferrous, piled on top, tearing chunks of flesh. Blood splattered across the ravaged land, entrails sagging out of her stomach, death’s chime calling once again for the girl half-consumed by an inky blackness.

But her gaze was not directed there.

She tracked the graceful arc of an arrow instead, as it slipped through the wall of fire and into the ribcage of the Lightless Sylph, piercing the heart moments before the amethyst eyed doll could surge forward into the fray once more. Black blood leaked from the corner of her lips, eyes widening in the first display of emotion since this lethal dance had begun, before slowly, that light dimmed. The monochromatic girl’s legs shattered beneath her and she collapsed, a puppet with strings cut.

The Berserker watched. Watched as red vapors rose from the mutilated body. Watched as the first crack of lightning lit up the drenched corpse in vivid detail. Watched and watched and remembered. The fury that first consumed her. The root of the madness. The meaning of power.

Scarlet stakes stretched towards the skies, as their bodies were torn asunder.

The corruption fully consumed her, and even thunder couldn’t overpower her fury as she launched herself towards @Comet , a hand reaching out and grasping her skull. Slamming the archer into the crimson spire, the madness consumed girl cared not for the splintering and cracking of the bridge. Fangs bared, she lunged down at the archer, teeth tearing into her throat.

Vengeance tasted of iron, and was absolutely delicious.

And, as if echoing the rage of his companion, the flaming brand of the Ashen Swordsman intensified as well. Spurred on by @Alric Stalwart ’s challenge and already empowered so greatly, the swordsage set a grim expression upon his features as the walls of flame twisted and turned, funneling themselves into the sword until a blade of incandescent fire rose up like a tower.

Extinction in a single strike.

It may be an exaggeration, but, despite the constant downpour, nothing could stop the wildfire that spawned in the wake of a single, horizontal blow. A red, crescent wave consumed almost all of the six adventurers, setting all aflame. Stakes from previous fights were shattered. Branches were turned to charcoal. The makeshift bridge shattered even further, nearing its breaking point. And, amidst the devastation, the heterochromatic eyes of the swordsman only burned with further fervor, leveling his longsword in the direction of the healer that had challenged him so.

But all that fury, all that fire, paled in comparison to the sound of a door opening. Paled in comparison to the monster that emerged from the depths of the tower, that barrier of blood parting around it as it arrived.

If seen from a distance, perhaps it would have made for a funny sight. With the stature of a small child that could not be hidden by the bulky, twisted armor that it wore, there was nothing imposing about the ‘goblin’s’ build. Even its helmet was uncharacteristically oversized, a scarlet horn half its height stretching out proudly, while the eye slit was jagged like the jaws of a beast. And its great spear was triple its own height, the wicked blade showing signs of rust as it towered above.

There should truly, truly be something to laugh about here.

But the dread that emanated from its presence overwhelmed all.

For an instant, the battlefield was still, even the rain pausing in the presence of the Skull Faced, the Revenant of Shulgana, the Earth-Ravager, the Beast that Rattled the Stars.

And then, the red vapors that rose from the body of the Lightless drifted towards him, scarlet fumes wrapping around the Champion like a lover’s embrace, the brilliant light spilling from the eye slits of the skull helm.

“Shulgana est Garim.”​

Such a soft voice. Such a commanding voice.

Another bolt of lightning flashed across the weeping heavens.

Only now did the battle truly begin.

Only now would the worth of the adventurers truly be tested.

…

And while they were all distracted, the Blackened Felis cheekily backhanded Velka, sticking a tongue out at the Faerin.

OOC

@Magdalyn @Alric Stalwart @Comet @Velka @Blake Elgis @Megan Tritor

• Minimum of 100 words and maximum of 500 words. Posts with less or more will be ignored.
  
• 1 post per character per cycle, with DM posts resetting the cycle at 4PM PST, daily.
• All dice must be rolled in this thread.
• If you want to do some extra communication between party members, do so here.
• This is the last cycle for @Megan Tritor 's buff.
• Are the depths of your strength truly that shallow?

Hidden: Post Template

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Cycle 3
Battle Conditions

Zone 3 Berserk Seigi [102/350]
Zone 8 Blackened Briar [282/400]
Zone 2 Ashen Sean [300/300]
Zone 8 The Skull Faced Goblin [???/???]
​

Skull Faced Goblin
[Blood Veil] Obtained from Lightless N's death, a crimson shroud surrounds the Skull Faced Goblin, requiring an attack of 50 or more to shatter before one can damage him. Extra damage from the barrier breaking attack does not carry over to the Goblin's HP.

[Lightless] Obtained from Lightless N's death, the Blood Spear of the Skull Faced reduces maximum HP when attacking the enemy.

[Hidden Vigor] The Skull Faced's HP is hidden. When attacking, count up your damage, as you would from a culminative DC.

Damage:
@Alric Stalwart receives 30 HP damage.

@Megan Tritor @Comet and Magdalyn's tiger receive 20 HP damage and are now [Burning]. Until this is cleansed, every time they act, 10 HP is lost.

@Magdalyn @Blake Elgis receive 20x2 HP damage, due to Reckless, and are now [Burning]. Until this is cleansed, every time they acts, 10 HP is lost.

@Comet receives 30 HP damage and is [Grappled], unable to move for this turn.

@Velka receives 20 HP damage.

Zone 1, 8 Short, dead grass, soaked in blood and rain. It squelches beneath your feet as you walk over it, but is of no concern.

Zone 2, 3, 6 Nothing but fiery devastation remains after the pyromantic destruction released from the Ashen Swordsman's swing. Entering or ending your turn in these fields inflicts the [Burning] status on you.

Zone 4, 10 Signs of a brutal fight linger, jagged, broken spikes and shrapnel filling the cracked earth, still sharp enough to cut. When entering or ending a turn in this Zone, receive 10 damage.

Zone 5 A great, crimson spire diagonally crosses the expanse of the chasm, heavily damaged and on the brink of splitting in half. It is safe enough to travel if you're willingly walking upon it, but if an individual is displaced onto this zone, they must roll a d100 + 5 for every tier of Aeromancy, Acrobat, or Mobility. If they get a result that is 50 or higher, they are safe.

Zone 7 Only the base of the great spire remains, small, jagged spikes scattered over the ground. When entering or ending a turn in this Zone, take 5 HP damage.

Zone 9, 12 The land is exceptionally ravaged here, thick mounds of earth mixing with fissures and cracks. Combined with the heavy rain turning everything into a quagmire of sludge, this is exceptionally difficult to move through. Leaving this Zone takes 2 Movements instead of 1.

Zone 11 - 1 The bottom of the ruined tower. Shielded by a sanguine light that must be physically or magically destroyed before entering.

Zone 11 - 2 The top of the ruined tower. Ranged attacks targetting those in this zone receive a -20 penalty, unless it is a Geomancy or an Aeromancy attack.

Hidden: Supplementary Information

Movement Every turn, you may move to one Zone adjacent (diagonal movement is allowed) to your current one for free. If your Mobility is Adept, you may move two Zones instead of one. You may also spend your action for this round and move to another Zone after your free movement. Ending your turn on certain Zones may trigger events.

Range Ranged and Magical attacks can reach any zone, but may have reduced damage due to terrain. Melee attacks can only target those within the same Zone as the attacker. If you have the Tinker Mastery, you can switch freely between Ranged and Melee attacks, but you only gain Bonus Damage in Melee.

Bonus Damage Melee attacks gain Bonus Damage if they have Berserk, Tinker or Heroic Might. Ranged attacks gain Bonus Damage if they have Hunting. Magic attacks gain Bonus damage from Summoning Magic. In the DPS spreadsheet, apply the relevant Mastery with the highest tier only.

Actions

Everyone is allowed to perform one of these actions per cycle. RP-wise, you can do a number of things, but the system only counts the action you pick from the spreadsheets.

• Tank - Protect allies, disrupt enemies, and mitigate zonal damage.
• DPS - Damage, damage, and more damage.
• Support - Heal, buff, and dispel conditions from allies.

Hidden: Beast Taming

If you are a Beast Tamer, your Beast has its own HP and actions. The modifier for their rolls is +5 for every tier of rarity. Refer to the Equipment section of the Wiki for information on Rarity. For example, a Basic pet will have +5, while a Great pet will have +20.

Their maximum HP is 50 + modifier.
They can Attack, dealing d20 + modifier damage in Melee combat.
They can Protect one person in the same zone as themselves.
They cannot be buffed, and can only be healed by their Tamer.
They can only move one Zone away from their Tamer.

Hidden: Special Actions

Liberate [Alric Only] - Roll a melee attack using Spirit Magic. If the result is 120 or above, the target is instantly destroyed, their souls freed from the eldritch chains that drove them to madness.

Rainstorm [Megan Only] - Roll a d100 + 5 per tier of Hydromancy, as you wipe up the fury of the storm to quench the flames around you, negating all Burning statuses on the battle map. The DC for this is 120.

Hidden: Feats

Feats are special actions that can be performed at the cost of one's HP. These are to signal truly desperate times, and outside of Strenuous Effort, can only be used once per Challenge.

Important: Do not formulate combat strategies around these and force people to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the party. Usage of Feats should be a personal choice.

Strenuous Effort By permanently sacrificing HP (reduce both your current HP value and your maximum HP value), you can gain a bonus modifier to your roll equal to the amount of HP spent, up to a maximum of 50. This modifier can not be applied to Buff rolls.

Soul Filled Strike This is the climax, the final clash. Offer up your heart in exchange for godly strength and ensure that your nemesis falls. Roll a d100. If your result is 90 or below, you die. If your result is 91 or above, your HP is set to 1. Your next attack is (100 + modifiers + buffs) x 2.

Bravery's Gift You swore to yourself once that you will never see a friend fall, and now, it's time to fulfill that promise, even at the cost of your own. This Feat can be used retroactively. Usage of Second Wind is sealed. In place of a maximum of five others, take two times the damage they would have taken during this turn.

The Last Prayer If there is Divinity that watches upon, then with your earthly desires, pull them down from their lofty throne and force a miracle out of them. Heal all allies with the Single Heal action in your spreadsheet. At the end of this turn, you die.

Death caused directly by the usage of a Feat can not be overturned with a Ressurection spell.

 

The Beast that Rattled the Stars

The might of heroes surged into Velka’s body, untold centuries of legendary feats reincarnated in her flesh, the spirits of the dead acknowledging her uncommon resolve in the face of certain death. Godlike strength responded in kind, black-purple metal screeching as the Skull Faced Goblin’s fingers dug deep into the Faerin’s exposed skin, divinity’s wrath emerging once more. They both had endured countless trials to arrive at this point. They both had something to prove, something worth fighting for, something worth dying for.

And for a moment, an eternity, the two were deadlocked, the Heroic Might of Velka matched equally by the Deitic Might of Shulgana’s Revenant. The air around them stilled. The ground beneath them crumbled. Their muscles were tautened to iron, unyielding, unbreakable, neither wind, lightning, nor rain distracting them in this contest of strength.

For a moment, it looked to last for an eternity.

But slowly, a difference was made. A heart that burned hotter than the planet’s core. Bonds that thrummed with life even now, even past all the destruction that was sown. Compared to the heretic puppetry of her foe, Velka held the spark of genuine camaderie, the burst of power that drove her on and on!

One by one. Step by grueling step. As her heart threatened to burst. As her lungs threatened to collapse.

She pulled the Champion upon the sanguine spire.

OOC

• This is not the beginning of a new cycle.