Absolution Beyond Cloudburst

Absolution Beyond Cloudburst
Discussion in 'DM Challenges' started by Ashifili, May 14, 2018.
  1. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    [​IMG]
    Absolution Beyond Cloudburst

    At a distance, it was a truly magnificent craft, sails spreading out from the top like the wings of a gull, while the mahogany planks were polished to the point that the rising light of daybreak reflected off it. In the magenta and azure of dawn, the airship was beautiful, something worth taking a picture of, the sort of vessel one would expect to have come out of a fairy tale picture book. A brass coated propeller in the front to provide acceleration. A rudder in the back to provide handling. Warm, magical lights to illuminate the interior. Ropes and hooks everywhere to attach yourself to on deck.

    This was going to be great. This was going to be fun!

    Then reality sank in, as they got closer to the magnificent vessel. For, while the few curious onlookers present got bigger as the adventurers approached, the vessel itself did not increase in size all that much. Indeed, by the time the crew of six got up close and personal with the airship, they realized just how small it was. Far from a airship, it was closer to that of an airboat, the length and girth of perhaps of a mobile home. For two or three individuals, this would be perfect, but for six? And for an expedition up beyond the clouds?

    This may be a little bit rough.

    While they wallowed in disappointment, a brunette with a thick, leather apron and freckled cheeks walked out from behind the airboat.

    “Hey there! Sorry bout the ship, buds, but well, we don’t really have many of these bad bois to spare to begin with. This is the Minerva, designed to house a crew of Faerin, and well…”


    The young man scratched his chin, a bemused, yet apologetic smile on his face.

    “…I see that none of you are Faerin. Sucks, but I guess you’ll just have to roll with the punches, eh? Ah, name’s Darius Jacks, by the way. Did some finetuning for the Minerva to prepare for your flight. You should have enough fuel to get up and then get back down, but there’s a Mana Conversion Engine install as well, if you really need it. Oh, but of course, if one of you folks are an Aeromancer, that’s unnecessary as well. Just blow some wind magic in the sails and voila, everything will be fine descent-wise.”


    He wiped his greasy hand on the apron, before offering a handshake to anyone who would take it.

    “Really though, you should be able to get the hang of the Minerva pretty easily. Just don’t cross the sails, keep an eye on the wind-compass, and you’ll be flying high in no time! The weather’s great for flying, there’s a nice updraft northeast to give you that sweet, sweet altitude boost, and hey! If you make it out intact, I’ll treat you guys to something nice. Just visit the Jacks & Hammer in western Stokbon, by the s-”


    Mid sentence, a flock of birds flew by, depositing a localized shower of birdshit upon the craniums of both Lady N and Haru. Darius blinked.

    “…”


    He looked at the seagulls, gracefully gliding towards the morning sun.

    “…”


    And he shrugged.

    “Well, that just happened. Not gonna hold you guys up any longer, so good luck and have fun!”


    The blacksmith’s shoulders only shook very slightly as he turned around, walking off, leaving the six to sort out their own problems. Who would be their captain? Who would pilot the airboat? Who would manage the rudder? Who would be on look out?

    Who knew?

    Who cared?

    After all, there was a more pressing concern at the moment.

    Who was going to deal with the birdshit that was already crusting over on top the heads of the Spirit Mage and the Tinkerer?

    On the horizon, the full form of the sun rose up, burning the sky into a beautifully clear azure, as birdsong filled the air. A spring wind carressed the skin of the airship crew, as the first step of their journey began.

    OOC
    @Iván Carl @Seigi @Corvella @Lady N @Portia Ahrens @Haru
    • Maximum 500 words, minimum 100 words. Any more or any less will mean that I smite you AND your post will be ignored. Brevity is the spirit of wit, after all.
    • I will be updating every day at 4PM PST. Sometimes, cycle updates will occur earlier, depending on how quickly players post. Due to the predicted length of this challenge, I may not be available at all times.
    • If you have pressing concerns (and not just meme questions), go ping me on #ask_a_dm. Seriously, you nerds.
    • If you wanna talk shop and verbally dunk on your newb party members in /all chat, go here and let loose!
    • If you need to roll dice because you plan on doing something drastic (or just action-y), go here and say a prayer!
    • Remember, this is a semi-freeform challenge. I will provide you actions, but I am also willing to let you do other stupid things, if I don't find them super stupid. So eyyyy, good luck!
    HTML:
    [bg] [HP=100]100[/HP] [EN=100]100[/EN] [/bg]
    [hr]x[/hr]
    -XX EN for action
    -XX HP from source
    [hr]x[/hr]
    Post here. Blah blah blah.
    
    
    [tracker][d]Action here and target[/d]
    [score]Your roll + Modifiers = Total[/score]
    Tracker / Roll
    Target: 000 / 000 HP
    [/tracker]
     
  2. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    Cycle 1: The Minerva

    Minerva’s HP: 500/500

    The ship before, the Minerva, is a smol, cute ship that looks majestic and grand from a distance. Regardless of how small it is though, every ship needs a crew, and every crew has people doing different things. In this cycle, coordinate amongst yourselves in the communications channel and figure out what roles you would like to take from the following. Note that it is perfectly possible to have multiple players in a single role.
    • Captain Encourage your allies and make the big important decisions on where the ship flies. Perfect for inspiring individuals who aren’t afraid to make noise.
    • Helmsman – Man the wheel, the sails, and the rudder in order to pilot the ship where the Captain wants you to go. An individual with MP invested in Riding will be beneficial here.
    • Engineer Ensure that the airship is flying well, and patch up the ship when it isn’t flying well. This is the best role for a Tinkerer, but more hands always makes lighter work.
    • Lookout Stand at the front of the ship, and use your keen eyes to spot irregularities within the air currents. This is a good time to be someone who can post early, so you can actually warn your allies of upcoming dangers.
    • Armsmaster Cross your arms in an intimidating fashion and scowl at others as you walk around in full armor, ready to attack or defend against the evil, evil birds that lurk in the skies. If you have nothing but combat abilities, then this is a good time for muscle nerds like you.
    • Medic You’re like the engineer, except you do humans instead of boats. Soothe whatever injuries that may occur. Ignore the babies who complain about splinters in their thumbs. Having a support mastery is appreciated, but not necessary.
    • Propellerman Spin the propeller at very fast speeds in whatever manner you can. A Helmsman may guide the ship, but the propellerman makes sure that it goes fast. If you are a very strong lad with very big biceps, this is the job for you!
    • Crew You wash the decks. You wash the toilets. You wash the cabins. You wash and you wash and you wash and you wash and is this all the value you have as a human being?
    Do note, however, that it is possible to take actions for a role you are not assigned to. You will not be able to apply any beneficial modifiers to those actions though, so choose wisely.

    Actions

    As always, there are special actions one can take, depending on whether or not the situation demands it, or whether or not they have an Awakened mastery.

    Strenuous Effort [Everyone] 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 Support actions.

    Remove Birdshit [Everyone] Do your best to remove the shit on the heads of Lady N and Haru, whether with swords, sorcery, or your bare hands. Roll a d100, with no modifiers attached UNLESS it’s Hydromancy. This task is a cumulative DC of 100 per person.
    Heroic Aura
    Stalwart Passive. No matter what maledictions are poured upon you, a hero will not falter. Excluding Beginner, each tier of Heroic Aura grants you a stack of Stalwart at the beginning of combat. Each stack automatically dispels a magical debuff, before being consumed.

    Rouse Free action, costing 10 EN. Establish your Heroic Aura, the radiant banner that empowers all your allies. Grant either a +10 damage buff that stacks over other buffs, a +10 HP Shield, or immunity to a single debuff for the next cycle to everyone in your party.

    Warcry Action, costing 20 EN. Can only be used once every three cycles. Unleash a devastating roar, stunning all minions on the battlefield and performing a Disruptive Attack upon all those in the same Zone as you. Use Heroic Might as the modifier. If the resulting score is high enough, enemies in the same Zone will be knocked back one space as well.

    Limit Break[Seigi Only] ???

    Chronomancy
    Time Accel Passive. Human might may be limited to one’s muscles, but with the ability to manipulate time, even physical constraints can be overridden. Excluding Beginner, each tier of Chronomancy grants you a stack of Accel at the beginning of combat. Each stack can be consumed during your turn to double the movement speed of either yourself, or your ally. If you choose to, you can consume 3 stacks of Accel instead in order to grant one extra action to yourself or your ally.

    Rewind Action, costing 20 EN and 20 max EN. Grasp the fabric of time and pull it back, returning yourself to your original physical state. Set your HP, status, and physical location to what it was in the start of the previous cycle, essentially negating everything that has occurred to your character in the current cycle. This ability can be applied to objects as well.

    Terminate Action, costing 30 EN and 30 max EN. Can only be used once every three cycles. Dive into the depths of your time manipulation abilities, locking an enemy or ally in time. If this is used on an ally, they are immune to all enemy attacks for the next round. If this is used on an enemy, they are unable to act during the next cycle, and are immune to all damage from players. If this is used on an unwilling target, a d100, modified by Chronomancy, must be rolled to clear a hidden DC.

    Limit Break [Ivan Only] ???
     
    • 181 HP

      MAX 181 HP

    • 146 EN

      MAX 156 EN



    -10 EN for Rouse

    Was Seigi supposed to be disappointed? Was she disappointed? DID SHE LOOK DISAPPOINTED? FUCK. NO. The second she realized what she had truly signed up, the orange-hair got just that much more hyper. They were flying into the sky! They were flying into the sky! They were about to fly into the goddamn sky!

    Eh...plane travel was a thing in the real world, yes, but traveling on a plane included being surrounded by iron, smelly passengers, and noisy kids. Well, Seigi's parents were rich enough for a private jet and all but it still didn't change the fact that it usually included being inside a metal cage.

    But now? A flying ship. Like, a sea ship. But in the sky! Even if it wasn't their size, still awesome! The entire way towards the Minerva, as it was called, the hero-girl grinned from one ear to the other. Even as the smoll boat didn't increase in size.

    "Hehehehe~~" Was her only response as she was happily humming. "Hehehe~~ Seigi Ling Ling, Hero of Justice!" Was her actual second response as she shook the blacksmith's hand. Right, as fun as this was, they weren't going on a camping trip. No, they'd do something way more awesome. "SKYYYYY WHAAALLLEEEE~~" The girl cried out like a lunatic.

    Taking a sip of her Envenomed Spirit she turned to the rest of the group. Some, she recognized. Others, she didn't. "Hello everybody! The name's Seigi Ling Ling! Sunset Sage of Seven Strikes and Hero of Justice! My motto? GUTS AND EFFORT. Let's get along swimmingly!" So, they were like a crew, right? A crew needed... roles!

    Meaningless...

    Ignoring the edgy headache inducing voice inside her head, it was all too obvious what Seigi would be. "Thanks for choosing the JUST-ICE Skyline! Today, I'll be your Captain! " As if that stood to debate, harumph! "And you can actually call me... Captain 'The Fist' Ling! Yup. And my first order of business...."

    Suddenly, a rousing aura surrounded her body as she pointed her finger towards the bird-pooped victim. "CLEANSE HIM!"

    Rouse +10 'damage buff' for removing bird shit for everybody!
    Tracker
     
    • 105 HP

      MAX 105 HP

    • 126 EN

      MAX 126 EN



    +100 shit from birds
    -69 shit from the negative amount I give

    Ah, the ocean. If there was one place that Haru had ever wished to have went to see in his real life before he had started withering away, this would be the place. The water and rain calmed his soul in a way that nothing alive ever could.

    It was there he stood, on a little boat in the water that he was much too tall for. Haru was here to sniff out the winds of yet another rumor- this time that of a giant, flying whale.

    Why the heck would he not want to go find that? He would have come if he had heart the prospect of a flying boat alone, but this?
    He was going to find that whale, and depending on it's size he would eother climb it or wrestle it. Such was the art of doing cool things.

    And what a team to do it with. Two members of the Witch Ops, the plucky little Superhero and that one girl who's body he had used that one night.
    -Wait, that came out wrong. Let's rephrase that! Ivan, Corvella, Seigi and Portia. There, much better!

    These were the four who had signed up with him, apparently. He was overjoyed to see such reliable faces! Immediately he strides over to them, waving in greetings as he calls put to them, "Yo! How's it-"

    Apparently another greeting had come to interrupt his, this one the form an a veritable artillery shell of bird shit crowning the back of his new hood that he had finally taken to wearing just today.

    After a moment of deliberation, Haru turns back and walks to the edge of the ship, leaning over it backwards for a moment. A whisper escapes his lips and a wave of seawater crashes from below to strike the gunk off of his robe. It wasn't perfect, but that would have to do. At least it wasn't obvious anymore.

    He walks back and continues as if nothing had happened.
    "...Going? Thank you, Seigi. It's good to see you all. Ha ha ha ha." The usually lax smile on his face was currently sharp enough to open letters with. Haru hopes that to be the only unfortunate occurrence today.

    Cleaning myself off (Hydromancy)
    54 + 5 + 10= 69
    Tracker / Roll
    Tarshit 031 / 100 HP
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2018
    • 154 HP

      MAX 154 HP

    • 136 EN

      MAX 136 EN




    ''You know,'' she started after what seemed to the pair like an eternity in comfortable silence, ''when you said you'd planned on gathering supplies before we came all the way here, I was expecting we would buy potions, newer weapons and the like. You know, the normal stuff, but never did I think you actually meant visiting every damn tavern and ask if they had curry.'' She turned to the illusionist walking right beside her, @Iván Carl, giving his hand a squeeze as the two came close to the vessel that'd see them to their destination.

    Even when the airship proved unworthy of much admiration once they stood right in front of it, with the group that would accompany them making their introductions, her face remained the same, ever settled on a seemingly eternal tranquility that wouldn't easily fade. Though somewhat restored to her older self, the woman still looked slightly discouraged wherever she went, be it any regular adventure or the daily stroll through the Astorean streets in which she did nothing but to aid in the restoration efforts. Long had she been left without a proper fight, waiting for a unique opportunity to arise so she could regain some of her motivation. Now, she could only hope that this expedition would help her.

    Portia let go of her partner's hand once both Haru and the girl named Seigi had introduced themselves, clasping both of her hands in front of herself to offer the both of them a slight bow of her head. The silver-haired male she recognized, but the rest of the players standing there, she did not. Secretly hoping they would introduce themselves in due time, she gave her name and that of her companion. ''My name's Portia and this is my... My...'' She motioned to Iván and felt the words get caught in her throat, unable to continue her sentence when she didn't even know what word to use, chewing on her bottom lip as the possibilities swarmed her mind. ''...Iván. We're glad to accompany you.'' Now that was certainly embarrassing, great job.

    Nodding to Seigi's suggestion about helping their teammate with cleaning his clothes, she turned and saw he'd done a great job by himself, but there was more that could be done about his little problem. Holding out a hand in Haru's direction, a faint smile found its way onto her pale features, offering some reassurance to the male before she started conjuring the spell. Summoning some ice and melting it should've been an easy task, something she could properly work with after all the training she'd endured with her newest mastery. Instead, pulsing from her fingers was a strange, bright light she did not recognize in time, the runestone floating at her side reacting in a wild manner she never saw before. Instead of the ice she'd hoped for, a small orb came to her fingertips and quickly left them, hitting the same area she was aiming to clean with her Hydromancy.

    ''Oops...''

    Tried to help Haru but failed miserably.
    1 + 25 + 10 = 36
    Tracker / Roll
    Target: -05 / 100 HP
    20 damage has been done to @Haru
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2018
    • 124 HP

      MAX 124 HP

    • 157 EN

      MAX 157 EN




    "I know," he sighed, not sure what else to do, only to find himself smiling when she squeezed his hand as they stopped in the presence of the strange craft that would either be the method by which they'd reach their destination or simply be their flying caskets. Either way, it was going to be an interesting trip. "But how else was I supposed to scout the competition? The Curry House needs to be the best in all of Terrasphere."

    The vessel was not as impressive as Iván had imagined it to be. It looked well enough, from afar, but the closer they got to it, all his expectations of grandeur, illusions of magnificence, vanished into thin air. He looked around them, realizing quickly that it was most definitely smaller than what should have been ideal. How were all of them going to fit in there? It was bad enough that they'd be traveling in the air, flying, risking their very lives with something none of them, mostly anyway, have ever experienced before.

    Of course, Iván has had the privilege of experiencing flight, somewhat, having the ability to summon a magical familiar that bore a great resemblance to the Ant Queen from his first Aristocracy mission, a mission that he shared with @Portia Ahrens, and with his aeromancy, he has simulated the limits his magic can take him. It wasn't a perfect flight, per se, it never was, but at least he's experienced it, something like it. Somewhat.

    He listened intently to what Darius Jacks had said, taking a mental note to remember his name for future reference, and even went as far as to shake his hand with a smile on his mask-less face. He has never been to Jacks & Hammer in western Stokbon before, but he decided he would visit the place after their journey. If he came back in one piece.

    Iván winced at the unfortunate event that greeted @Haru and someone else. Before he could waste more time staring at those disgusting things, his attention was unceremoniously grabbed by @Seigi who reminded him of both a squirrel and his mother mentor, the great Alphabet Chocolate. She was just as loud and as perky as her. He couldn't help but smile at the resemblance.

    "Hello," Iván deadpanned, supporting Portia's introduction of them. What else could he do? Besides, he's actually known Haru for quite some time, though for all intents and purposes, he was going to call him Brad. It's an inside joke thing. Between Iván and...Iván. Wincing again, this time as Portia made matters worse for Guide, he softly, carefully, placed a hand on her head, "That's... Uhm... Good job, darling."

    Hmm, Iván found himself staring back at the ship, the boat, before staring at everyone else around them. None of them looks like they could pilot this thing... Then again, neither do I.


     
    • 112 HP

      MAX 112 HP

    • 104 EN

      MAX 104 EN



    + a real shitty day amirite


    How someone could get lost out in an open, grassy field with maybe a dozen people present was a mystery, but somehow, Yukisa had managed just that. Truly, he had a talent for accomplishing feats without understanding what on Terrasphere was going on… but only if the impact was negative.

    Regardless of whether it was sheer stupidity or the unexpected lack of size of what he had been told was a “flying ship so great it could rival even the Titanic”, the boy was now late. And if the early bird gets the worm, the late human gets the bird shit.

    Yuki had been hoping that his arrival would be welcomed by the warm smiles of his future companions. Instead, he found himself in the scene of a horrible birdemic. One player was covered in crap, a second was shouting almost incoherently, and another- actually, was that Portia?- was trying to clean him off, only to cleanly remove his hair along with it.

    “Um… uh... Hell-” he began greeting the party, but before he could finish his sentence, he, too, fell victim to the shit shower.

    A particularly slow and unbelievably fat seagull thrashed overhead, far behind its flock, and decided to drop a big, too-precise-to-be-a-coincidence load upon the white head of the male.

    He blinked a few times, standing in place with his mouth still hanging slightly open as his brain tried to comprehend what just happened.

    As he came to the realization that he had just been poopified, he acted surprisingly quickly for someone as slow as himself. The air around him began to gain momentum, until a stream akin to that of a hairdryer began to blow. It was surprisingly successful, causing most of the excrement in his hair to fly out… but unfortunately, that also meant poop particles were flying everywhere, and he stopped upon noticing this.

    “I…” Yukisa mumbled, trying to find the right words for this situation. “... Can you please help me clean this off?” he added in slight defeat, looking towards his allies with a nervous smile.

    BLOW THE SHIT AWAY!
    73
    Tracker / Roll
    Shit show: 27 / 100 HP
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2018
    • 113 HP

      MAX 113 HP

    • 100 EN

      MAX 100 EN



    It's a flying ship, it's really a flying ship! Not long ago, Corvella went on an adventure on the high seas with the crew of Grubby Skipper (that ended on a rather bittersweet note, but relieving nonetheless), but sea ship and sky ship is certainly different! She never had the chance to explore the skies more on this fantasy game, except that one part where they got picked up by hot air balloon after a fight with Azog. But yeah, you know, balloon sucks. Ships got more of that adventure vibe.

    That's why she was very enthusiastic with this sky expedition. As she got closer to the Minerva, it was revealed that she ship's way too small for her expectation. Heck, even the Grubby Skipper is bigger than this ship. But flying ship is a flying ship, and nobody's going to object. "Thanks, Darius." The knight-without-her-armor shook his hand and waved as he left her with the other adventurers who will be taking over the ship. Quickly looking around, she noticed that there are only six people including herself. Will they manage to even bring the ship above the ground with this number?

    Wasting no time, she quickly introduced herself to the others. Some of which she already acquainted with, seen few times, or straight up a stranger. After greeting her fellow Witch Operatives Haru and Iván, and introduced herself to Seigi who had only known her behind the black armor of the dark lord with breathing apparatus and also Yukisa and Portia. She noticed the latter's weird introduction and quickly whispered to Iván, while sporting a wide grin."Your girlfriend?"

    And soon after, a misfortune for two of the adventurers occurred. It seems a flock of birds decided that this was the right place to do their bombing run, and both Haru and Yukisa was the victim. Yep, total crap, literally. Seigi, quickly appointing herself as the captain of the ship and ordered them to clean those two off first. Corvella herself wouldn't want to be in the same ship if they decided to board with these things still sticking on them. Luckily, the girl with Iván was quick to the rescue and used hydromancy, which obviously was more effective for cleaning. If only she didn't almost killed Haru, of course.

    Corvella went to grab some unused leather to help wipe the crap out of Yukisa. "Here, let me help." It was not easy, but few sheets were enough to safely separate him from the birdpoops without them flying everywhere. "There, it should be enough!" The smell would still stick around for a while, though, but it will be too rude to tell him that.

    Cleaning Yukisa's shite
    58 + 10 = 68
    Tracker/ Roll
     
  3. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    [​IMG]
    Absolution Beyond Cloudburst

    Though there were unfortunate incidents such as the BRRRRRRRT of Portia blasting off a good chunk of Haru’s hair, the bird-shit cleaning nevertheless served as a wonderful way for the hastily made crew to bond together. After a few more hypothetical minutes of assigning tasks and deciding who does what, the Justice Crew was fully assembled, six adventurers locking themselves into roles that will no doubt determine the success or failure of their initial flight.

    The sun had risen fully now, and up above, the white belly of the massive sky whale was almost reminiscent of a small cloud by itself, flying westward at a slight angle. Its circular path had been traced over the kingdoms of Falderen and Astorea with few irregularities, and if the Justice Crew could ascend quickly enough, it shouldn’t be difficult at all to catch up. It may be fast for its size, but they had Yukisa, the Aeromancer who could artificially generate enough wind to easily accelerate them to breakneck speeds. As Seigi settled into her seat and Ivan started up the ignition of the magitech engine with the press of a button, vespers of arcane energy burst from the woodwork in the ship’s hull. For a moment, there was a sense of weightlessness that encompassed them all, raising the Justice crew up by a few centimeters, before the ship rose up to meet them.

    Now, a pale blue glow washed over the entire airboat, from the bottom of the hull to the tips of its sails. At a safe distance, a few of the onlookers gasped at the display of a landbound ship rising up above the grass as if lighter than a feather. For a moment, the airboat thrummed like an instrument, its engine warming up gradually from the continuous arcane fuel.

    Then, a spring breeze caught upon its canvas, pushing it forward. Slowly at first, but picking up speed, going faster and faster before it launched itself off the ground and into the crystal blue ocean below. The crew, still trying to orientate themselves, could only brace for impact, but the great splash they had anticipated never occurred. Hovering just a few centimeters above the choppy waves, the Minerva glided gracefully over the waters, the sea spray bursting from both sides. It was as if it was skating, sliding over all terrain without any resistance as the wind blew behind it, propelling it farther away.

    For a moment, the experience was simply fun.

    For a moment, the experience was simply something that none of them could ever have experienced before, not even in real life.

    Then, they realized their folly. No matter how fun it was to fly at sea level, if the Justice Crew wanted to get to the flying whale, they had to rise much, much higher than that.

    And how did they do t-

    Mid thought, an ugly, fat fish leapt out of the waves, jamming its scaly, fishy hide right down Half Hair Haru’s mouth with enough force that the recently named Medic of the crew was knocked on his ass. What a truly great day for the Spirit Mage. Maybe he should make a fishing pole out of his soul next.

    OOC
    @Iván Carl @Seigi @Corvella @Yukisa @Portia Ahrens @Haru
    • Maximum 500 words, minimum 100 words. Any more or any less will mean that I smite you AND your post will be ignored. Brevity is the spirit of wit, after all.
    • I will be updating every day at 4PM PST. Sometimes, cycle updates will occur earlier, depending on how quickly players post. Due to the predicted length of this challenge, I may not be available at all times.
    • If you have pressing concerns (and not just meme questions), go ping me on #ask_a_dm. Seriously, you nerds.
    • If you wanna talk shop and verbally dunk on your newb party members in /all chat, go here and let loose!
    • If you need to roll dice because you plan on doing something drastic (or just action-y), go here and say a prayer!
    • Remember, this is a semi-freeform challenge. I will provide you actions, but I am also willing to let you do other stupid things, if I don't find them super stupid. So eyyyy, good luck!
    HTML:
    [bg] [HP=100]100[/HP] [EN=100]100[/EN] [/bg]
    [hr]x[/hr]
    -XX EN for action
    -XX HP from source
    [hr]x[/hr]
    Post here. Blah blah blah.
    
    
    [tracker][d]Action here and target[/d]
    [score]Your roll + Modifiers = Total[/score]
    Tracker / Roll
    Target: 000 / 000 HP
    [/tracker]
     
  4. Ashifili

    Ashifili

    Staff Member Game Master
    Cycle 2: To the Skyland

    Minerva’s HP: 500/500
    Progress: 0/400

    With some weird telepathic communication ability, the Justice Crew has assembled with the following roster.
    • Captain [Seigi Ling Ling]
    • Helmsman [Ivan Carl]
    • Lookout [Corvella]
    • Armsmaster [Portia Ahrens]
    • Medic [Haru]
    • Propellerman [Yukisa]
    Do note, however, that it is possible to take actions for a role you are not assigned to. You will not be able to apply any beneficial modifiers to those actions though, so choose wisely.

    Actions

    As always, there are special actions one can take, depending on whether or not the situation demands it, or whether or not they have an Awakened mastery.

    Strenuous Effort [Everyone] 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 Support actions.

    Helping Hand [Everyone] Extra help is always appreciated, even if it's by untrained hands. Roll for any other action, but without modifiers or buffs, in order to help out with the task of getting places.

    Captain's Orders [Seigi Only] With great power comes great responsibility, for a crew is not a democracy but a dictatorship. When the Lookout vocalizes what they see in the distance, it is the captain's duty to tell everyone else what to do. If they follow the captain's orders, the rest of the crew gains a +20 modifier to all rolls. If they disobey the captain's orders, the rest of the crew gains a -20 modifier to all rolls.

    Helmsman's Duty [Ivan Carl Only] Read the wind, roll up your sleeves, and get down and dirty with the wheel and sails of the ship. Roll a d100 + 5 per tier of Riding mastery, as well as any relevant buffs, and add the final score to the Progress DC.

    Crow's Nest [Corvella Only] Narrow your eyes against the sun's glare and determine what lies ahead in the vastness of the skies. Roll a d100, as well as any relevant buffs. The score will be divided by 30, rounding up, and the resulting value will be the number of paths in the sky that the DM will alert you of.

    Taskmaster [Portia Only] Scowl menacingly at others and make them work harder. Select a single individual. Reduce their HP by 10 and give them a +60 buff to their next action.

    Not Just A Bully [Portia Only] Show your manly side and risk your own body in order to shield your crew or your ship. Take all damage that would be dealt to others onto yourself for the next round.

    Propellerman is a Fake Job [Yukisa Only] Spin the propellor really fast and make the ship go even faster. Roll a d100 + 5 per tier of Aeromancy, as well as any relevant buffs. Divide the final score by half and add to the Progress DC.

    Heals on Sails [Haru Only] Perform a normal Heal action. Yup. That's it. You went to medical school for this?

    Heroic Aura
    Stalwart Passive. No matter what maledictions are poured upon you, a hero will not falter. Excluding Beginner, each tier of Heroic Aura grants you a stack of Stalwart at the beginning of combat. Each stack automatically dispels a magical debuff, before being consumed.

    Rouse Free action, costing 10 EN. Establish your Heroic Aura, the radiant banner that empowers all your allies. Grant either a +10 damage buff that stacks over other buffs, a +10 HP Shield, or immunity to a single debuff for the next cycle to everyone in your party.

    Warcry Action, costing 20 EN. Can only be used once every three cycles. Unleash a devastating roar, stunning all minions on the battlefield and performing a Disruptive Attack upon all those in the same Zone as you. Use Heroic Might as the modifier. If the resulting score is high enough, enemies in the same Zone will be knocked back one space as well.

    Limit Break[Seigi Only] ???

    Chronomancy
    Time Accel Passive. Human might may be limited to one’s muscles, but with the ability to manipulate time, even physical constraints can be overridden. Excluding Beginner, each tier of Chronomancy grants you a stack of Accel at the beginning of combat. Each stack can be consumed during your turn to double the movement speed of either yourself, or your ally. If you choose to, you can consume 3 stacks of Accel instead in order to grant one extra action to yourself or your ally.

    Rewind Action, costing 20 EN and 20 max EN. Grasp the fabric of time and pull it back, returning yourself to your original physical state. Set your HP, status, and physical location to what it was in the start of the previous cycle, essentially negating everything that has occurred to your character in the current cycle. This ability can be applied to objects as well.

    Terminate Action, costing 30 EN and 30 max EN. Can only be used once every three cycles. Dive into the depths of your time manipulation abilities, locking an enemy or ally in time. If this is used on an ally, they are immune to all enemy attacks for the next round. If this is used on an enemy, they are unable to act during the next cycle, and are immune to all damage from players. If this is used on an unwilling target, a d100, modified by Chronomancy, must be rolled to clear a hidden DC.

    Limit Break [Ivan Only] ???
     
    • 154 HP

      MAX 154 HP

    • 136 EN

      MAX 136 EN




    Using the [Taskmaster] action.


    Portia blinked a couple of times in quick succession, her gaze drifting from the self-proclaimed medic's head to the tip of her fingers, where the last remnants of her arcane energy began to die, leaving nothing behind but a sense of uncertainty which she was sure she hadn't felt in quite a while. The outburst of mana, however, came as no surprise to her. Her magic had always been known because of the particular properties it possessed, how likely it was to act of its own accord and go against its master wishes, making thing explode without her wanting to more than once.

    ''I don't understand...'' Mustering enough words to form an apology to Haru, the corners of her mouth tight in silent laughter, as if all her efforts were directed into stopping her laughter from coming out rather than anything else. Only when she felt a hand being placed atop her head and offering pats of reassurance along with slightly disappointed words did she turn around, regarding her partner with a tilt of her head to a side. Iván had been a witness of her abilities many times during their personal adventures, maybe he had something to say about the matter. ''Right? It worked earlier on you.''

    As the time to finally set out to their destination came and everyone assumed their respective positions, she found herself wanting for something to do other than supervise the rest while they worked. Offering words of encouragement surely wasn't her greatest trait, and there weren't any threats that needed to be taken care of. Not now, at the very least. Standing against the railing on the main deck, she thrust her hand out towards the sea, calling some of the water to her hands so she could entertain herself with it.

    When this method of entertainment proved to be lacking, the brawler decided to indulge her own curiosity and visit the place where the vessel was being commanded from, finding her way to her destination with enough ease. To her, all the buttons, symbols, warnings and letters came as a puzzle worse to decipher than what was written all over her runestone, a puzzle that made her wonder how was it possible for Iván to understand any of it, if he did at all.

    ''Whatever it is you're doing... Keep it up!'' An open palm struck his back once, twice, and even thrice with more strength than she actually cared to admit, having never learned how to restrain herself with her hits. It would've been a normal hit as any would give to an ally as a signal of their approval, only that this time she'd forgotten to make the claws of her crystallized gauntlets retreat, causing them to sink into Iván's flesh everytime her hand hit his back. A playful gesture on her end that only brought laughter, but one he certainly wouldn't find pleasant, if not slightly discomforting.

    Smacking some inspiration into @Iván Carl
    +60 Modifier granted to his next action.
    Tracker
     
    • 113 HP

      MAX 113 HP

    • 100 EN

      MAX 100 EN



    Crow's Nest [Corvella Only]

    Corvella made her way to the crow's nest, which isn't the nicest place to be when the ship's taking off. But there's no doubt that it has the best view, especially when you can feel the air blowing on you and the sound of water splashing left and right. She took the chance to climb up and spread her arms like she's literally flying with 'My heart will go on' playing in the background. She had always wanted to try this, but in normal cruise, the security would have her detained for dangerously titanic-ing.

    She quickly realized that they have to pull off the sea level and rise up, because that flying whale ain't going to lower itself. No problem, she have sailed before, so concept on wind and air is already in her head. Using her palm to feel the differences of the airflow in the air, wind intake and other bullshit I made up she determined ways to pick up Minerva into the higher sky. Corvella was going to jump down to report to captain Seigi before glancing at the flying whale above, examining for a while before realizing something.

    "Captain, reporting in." She went into where @Seigi was sitting to advise and consult on the air paths. "We need to take off much higher to be able to reach the flying whale. I determined two air paths possible. The northeast updraft, the one Darius mentioned, will take us higher quite fast. There's one potentially even faster, right on the edges of the cliff." She pointed towards the approximate direction of the draft. "But it's very risky, and through my observation going through it will damage our ship, unless we have an ace pilot."

    "Oh, another one." She almost forgot to report her latest finding. "I'm quite sure that the flying whale we're after has a metallic sheen, mostly on the white parts. Additionally, there's many smaller parts on it. It is safe to say that we can also approach it slowly and carefully without using updrafts. What do you say, Captain Seigi?" There's no point in going slow, but they can never be too careful.


    Look out for air paths
    76
    Tracker/ (Roll) Absolution Beyond Cloudburst
     
    • 181 HP

      MAX 181 HP

    • 136 EN

      MAX 156 EN



    -10 EN for Rouse

    Well, well, it looked like the crew, HER crew, was totally okay with Seigi's reign of JUSTICE! In fact, they did an awesome great job and keeping some people clean. Very clean. "GOOD." The orange hair said satisfied before sitting down in the most comfortable chair on the ship. Considering it was made for a Faerin thou, the oversized captain's seat was more like a normal seat for her. Good thing she wasn't too tall of a person either.

    Overall, it looked like this was quite a colorful bunch. Which was also good! It meant it wouldn't get boring at all. Pointing her finger into the Sky, Seigi roared. "FULL SPEED AHEAD. LET'S PIERCE THE HEAVENS!" Just to move... forward!

    "Nani!?" She gasped in surprise. For the split-moment that the floating felt weird and awesome either way, it was now that Seigi was actually disappointed. They were supposed to FLY, not FLOAT.

    Disappointing.

    "Nononono. This is not how we do things. Not at all." Seigi shook her head. Did the crew already disappoint her!? Did Seigi disappoint the crew!? They had to go up! UP! Like, upwards up!

    But then again, the thing functioned more like a plane, huh? Going forward and stuff while slowly getting altitude. FINE THEN.

    It was Corvella, then, who made herself super useful and told Seigi about the different paths they could take! There was the boring and slow one, the middle and nice one, and the fast and suicidal one that needed an Ace Pilot. "Corvella." Seigi nodded to herself.

    If Seigi was the same girl like at the beginning of Terrasphere, her choice would have been easy, but now, not anymore. She was also responsible for the life of everybody. "Corvella, Corvella..." Seigi nodded to herself as she kept thinking. "Corvella... Corvy!" That rolled easier off the tongue. "Corvy! Thanks for that insight, keep an eye out."

    Under normal circumstances, Seigi would have given everybody a chance to prove themselves, but right now, they could take it slow. So why risk damaging the Minerva?

    Though too slow was lame, too! This decision was set rather easily.

    "BOYFRIEND PERSON, uh, IVAN?!" His girlfriend introduced him as Ivan, right? So it had to be Ivan. "We're going for the updraft to the northeast." Wait, no, that sounded wrong... .

    Standing up from her seat that was somehow placed on the deck(?), Seigi walked forward before speaking with a booming voice. "ATTENTION, EVERYONE! Or would it be AHOY, EVERYONE?! This is your Captain 'The Fist' Ling speaking! Our course is pretty simple! The updraft to the northeast. SO GET TO WORK. No reason to risk this bootiful boat when there's no need to! So, enjoy the current peace and have fun, I'm sure it'll get wild soon! Also, Haru! If you're going to eat raw fish at least prepare some for everybody!"


    Rouse +10 'hp shield' for everybody! | Captain's Orders are to progress upwards with the updraft northeast.
    Tracker
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
    • 124 HP

      MAX 124 HP

    • 157 EN

      MAX 157 EN



    Taking Helmsman's Duty




    At @Corvella's question, Iván had only been able to offer her a smile and a shrug. Was @Portia Ahrens his girlfriend? He has never asked and she has never implied anything along those lines. They were friends, that much was certain. More than friends, even. Best of friends? He didn't really know what they were, if what they had even needed a name. He was just fond of her and grateful for every moment he could spend with his oldest friend, not in age but in tenure, so to speak.

    "Yeah, uhm, it's fine, it's fine," Iván swallowed air, not 100% sure it was fine, but it was @Haru... or was it Bradwynne? ...and as far as he knew him, them, either one, both, they wouldn't get mad or crazed or anything violent. They'd be fine with it. It's already happened anyway. What else could anyone do? "Brad'll be fine, Portia. He'll find, uhm, something to cover that, something, up."

    As soon as everything was said and done, precautions made, roles set in stone, Iván ushered Portia onto the airboat, and everyone, including them, settled into their respective positions, responsibilities. Iván was confident he could either pilot the ship or man the engines, having enough knowledge in flying, aerodynamics, tinkering, engines, that sort of stuff. In the end, he couldn't play both roles, not to the best of his abilities, at the same time. He needed to focus on one role, and with no one else seemingly up for it, piloting the ship, it was.

    To be precise, Iván had never flown anything like this tiny airboat before. He's read about magitech engines, though, piloting, from books and other tinkerers, ones he'd met over his time here. He was able to retain a lot of information about the most important things in flying, well, flying ships. Like which buttons to express for ignition. Yeah, that sort of stuff. He flashed their captain, @Seigi, a thumbs up, to let her know they were ready to head on out.

    "The ship has cleared dock, Captain. All hands ready for flight." Or float. It ended up mostly float.

    Iván inhaled and almost immediately exhaled. They were actually going to do it. They were going to fly towards that whale in the sky. It was an odd idea but a necessary one. Who knows what that floating whale was up to? It could be dangerous. Or at least cool. He needed to know. They needed to know, and not even physical abuse from Portia could deter his curiosity. "Uhh, yeah, I got it. Thanks." He'd get her for that. Later. After the trip.

    "Aye-Aye, Captain!" Iván acknowledged his captain's orders. The Justice Crew, huh? Not bad for a skyfaring name. Not bad at all.


    Helmsman's Duty (Upwards with the Updraft Northeast)
    2 + 20 (Riding) + 60 (Portia's Taskmaster) + 20 (Seigi's Captain's Orders) = 102
    Tracker / Roll
    Progress: 102 / 400
     
    • 105+10 HP

      MAX 105 HP

    • 126 EN

      MAX 126 EN



    Progressing the Ship.

    It was fortunate that they were getting along so quickly, as Haru just wanted to sweep this whole thing under the rug. As embarrassing as this was, he could always take the time to fix his head problem up later. Today, they had a whale to track down.

    Not that he'd be going with half a head of hair, of course. Better to go bald. He was quite fine with it. At the very least, there were a lot of ways to look cool without hair. Really, all you needed was a healthy dose of confidence to pull off just about any look or style. With this in mind, Haru had taken the time to find a quiet spot in the back of the ship to remove the rest of it. While he was back there, he had found something surprising- the crew seemed to have forgotten to fold some air brakes back into the ship. A minor problem that would only hinder them in speed alone, but he decides that while he was there he might as will fix it.

    There could be more of those up front, so he decides to walk back to the ship proper and check. He waves to the rest of the small crew as he comes into view and tries to make small-talk, "Alright everyone, sorry for taking so long. I'm back and ready to hACGHKCH-" But finds himself immediately distracted when an Atlantic Salmon found its way into his gullet much like a bug sometimes does when one goes driving on a motorcycle.

    It was not a tiny insect, though, and was a multiple pound fish. Haru unceremoniously falls on his ass. Damn, this thing was wriggling... it took a few seconds to pull back out of his mouth. There was a lot of blood dribbling down his face, partially from the inside of his mouth being cut up from the scales- but mostly because he had bitten down on reflex. He had always known that humans were capable of biting hard, but the huge gashes in the fish really drove the point home to him. Scary.

    Seigi's order snaps him out of his reverie. "...Yeah, I can cook this up. Give me a little bit, okay?" He had done a little bit to help, but right now he needed a break before he did any more. Haru goes to cook.
    Progressing the ship
    19 + 20 (Seigi's Orders) = 39
    Tracker / Roll
    Progress: 141 / 400