<strong>The Wilds of Dra Sirdu: an (not quite) unseen menace</strong><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Read before fighting</div><div class="spoiler_body">I will elaborate a little bit more in the OOC thread, but in short:<br/><ul class="bbc_list"><li>Because Reliyian's roll ties the stated challenge (with the +1 from Eshalu also being awake), a <em>Taken Off Guard</em> boost will apply to the first ambusher to invoke it. They didn't actively roll in the creation of this aspect because they're relying very heavily on the darkness to conceal them. (And also because the named antagonist leading them has a high enough Stealth that, after the invoke, the challenge would be pretty unfair. It's noticeably easier to pick up on a group than a single, stealthy individual, after all.)</li><li>The <em>Heavy Undergrowth</em> and <em>Narrowly-Spaced Trees</em> aspects from the last combat still apply here, and could be used against the attackers.</li><li>The <em>Unnatural Night</em> aspect can't be used against the attackers, perhaps unsurprisingly. Aside from being sufficiently night-adapted, they aren't effected by the island's miasma in the same fashion.</li><li>Reliyian was rolling against an Invoke (and thus gets the fate point spent against her). Lazerette, Aeryn, and Erianthe all get fate points for being unable to contribute (due to being asleep).</li><li>Because of the above, the action order for the first turn will be as follows: Named antagonist (due to relatively high Notice) --&gt; Eshalu and Reliyian --&gt; other ambushers --&gt; Sleepers I felt that denying denying a turn was too harsh for a single fate point, so it's just going to slow down your actions for the first round. Afterwards, it will revert to Named antagonist --&gt; PCs --&gt; other ambushers.</li><li>Handling lots of sword fodder is a chore! While there are eleven nameless attackers, they will be grouping into mobs (one group of two and three groups of three). While in mobs, they get +1 to all relevant rolls per mob member (not unlike normal Teamwork rolls), but they also stack their stress boxes. When enough stress is dealt to take out one member (two, in this instance), the mob decreases in strength appropriately.</li><li>Despite being asleep at the beginning of the fight, Aeryn and Lazerette take no particular penalties. Attack, Defend, or Create Advantage as normal. Also, feel free to post your actions, just know that they will resolve a little bit later on this first turn.</li></ul></div></div><br/>Despite Eshalu's keen vigilance and Reliyian's (admittedly quasi-unconscious) assistance thereof, the night seemed intent on getting the better of them. Indeed, were it not for a last-minute rustle of foliage from within the tiny bubble of visibility and sound, the impending attack would have gone entirely concealed by the island's strange night. As it was, the elven sentry was granted to a split-second in which she might react to the creature lunging at her.<br/><br/>Even in the darkness, its features were blatantly reptilian. A long, fanged mouth opened in what looked for all the world like it ought to be a war cry, despite the lack of sound accompanying it. It swung a large, curved, jagged-edged blade at her with one clawed hand, slashing with the other and even attempting a vicious bite at the elf-woman's arm. The staggeringly quick trio of attacks were followed immediately by a backswing of the sword aimed at her midsection before the creature finally leapt away again.<br/><br/>As it circled, Eshalu (and anyone else woken by the sudden flurry of activity) had a brief chance to inspect the lizard-thing. It walked on two legs, with two large, clawed feet supporting its weight. Despite clearly being deadly serious in its intentions, it wasn't actually that tall: at absolute most, it matched the besieged elf in height. It was, however, incredibly solidly built. Its lack of clothing (aside from a cloth covering wrapped tightly around its head, neck, and shoulders and a small loincloth of the same material) revealed the hard, layered, heavily scarred muscle of its chest, abdomen, and limbs. Due to the gloom, its coloration, if any, was impossible to determine, however.<br/><br/>The sword that it wielded matched rather oddly against its size, particularly given the obvious ease with which the lizardfolk manipulated it. The curve slightly shortened its absolute length from hilt to tip, but even so it was around a meter long. Even in the greasy darkness of the Dra Sirdu night, it glimmered unnervingly, as though mocking the very individual it had just attacked.<br/><br/>While the single creature stood in the middle of their camp, clearly doing its best to draw attention to itself, several more closed silently in from the surrounding forest from all sides. While still fairly menacing looking, these all wielded much cruder weapons than their apparent champion's sword: mostly wood-hafted metal spears, with the occasional long knife showing among their number.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">The first strike</div><div class="spoiler_body">The lizardfolk champion is attacking with a Fighting of 3, the free (from its recent creation) invoke of <em>Taken Off Guard</em>, and the following roll: At 2013-03-21 23:41:37, L. Leader (uid: 13420) rolls: 4d3a-8 Result: 1 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=45082). So that's a total of six stress coming your way, Eshalu. Fate points can, of course, always be spent on defensive rolls, if you're feeling worried.</div></div>