Rifts Adventure IC

[Purr]

Snowfall remains silent, waiting his turn as he looks up to the human Crazy Techno-Wizard and his trusted friend, Eron.

 

[WlfSamurai]

"Wait," Daggon interjects. "I have to say, Terra. All of your. The honor is mine. I figured I was going to die trying to kill this thing on my own. But, I don't really have a choice. Something must be done. It must die. The fact that you all would help is..." He hesitates, trying to find the right words. Finally, he just settles on something simpler. "Just, thank you. I look forward to battling alongside you. Now, carry on. What're we up against here, Eron?"

 

[Sherwood]

Eron's attempt to psychically locate the monster is only somewhat successful, giving you a sense of it being off to your west some distance.

 

[Silanon]

"Glad to help, always; especially your kind. Always happy when our paths cross, really - means I'm where I'm needed, most of the time." The Crazy stops his sniffing and seeking, only to stare westwards for a moment, pondering. "Well, first thing of note is pretty simple - the thing's over there, for a start." He points out the general direction - westwards - with Shining Mirror in hand, its shiny glory pointing the path. "No idea how close, or far, I'm afraid. Saw the other one, of course, but this one's different enough to be... well, different. Can't track it the same way I tracked him, back then. Not yet, at least. Unfortunate." He shrugs. "Shouldn't be hard to spot it once we're closer, though. The things are massive - and no lightweights, either. Lots of muscles, pretty tough. Not much brains, though, in general. Not much need for brilliant plans if nothing's gonna stop you anyway, I guess."

"They feed on magic. Swallow mages alive. Use them to create their eggs - those are no good. Means more of 'em, so more feasting, more destruction - you get the general idea. Could turn the continent into a wasteland devoid of magic, I reckon, given time." He points out the slimier of the dead. "See those? Probably not enough magic in those. Spit them right back out, I'd guess. Not that it helped them all that much... probably means it's a female, this one. Males don't do this thing, I don't think. Or maybe they do, wouldn't really know. Didn't ask, last time, was too busy not dying."

"So - tactics... don't think they know any, really. They act on instincts, unless the Coalition found some sort of control. They don't learn much, they don't care about their odds - they mostly believe nothing can really stop them. And they're right with that, where they come from, at least. Here, we have knights, and sometimes get lucky. And maybe have a brilliant plan, if we can come up with one." He eyes the others. "Think that's mostly what comes to mind. That, and the bloody fight itself, and that one... well, it relied on Sir Cooley, and having enough knights at hand. We have a knight, so that's good, but it's not like back then. Can't fight the same way, or we'll be screwed."

 

[Psychie]

Terra frowns, deep in thought. She then turns to Snowfall, "If I recall correctly, you can fly freakishly fast, right? If you stay at a high enough altitude to avoid getting snagged by the Aishwarra, can you zip out west and take a look for it and signal its location to us while we follow along behind you in the Badger? We can then regroup and hit it from as far out as we can to keep it from slurping us up like a bit of spaghetti. I wonder if there is some way we can use its fear of fire against it."

 

[Purr]

"Yep," Snowfall yips.

Snowfall takes a few moments to plan and then he tries to set his plan into motion.

He transforms himself into a young man in his early 30s. He activates Energized Blazing Comet tattoo for the flight speed it provides as well as the force field. Then he heads to the Badger and puts on his Glitter Boy 7 suit which should be quite light given his supernatural strength. "Let's finally see what this thing can do."

He then flies up following the trail of devastation left behind by the big monster.

"I'll tell you what I see," he radios to the group.

 

[Psychie]

Terra looks over at Daggon and says, "You are welcome to ride with us if you want. Your hover cycle can easily fit on the Badger's observation platform no problem. As for the rest of us, lets move out. I want to be in a position to pounce on this thing once Snowfall spots the Aishwarra and hammer it into the dirt, then we will come back and help deal with the dead here." She turns on her heel and heads for their Badger with a purposeful stride.

 

[Sherwood]

While the rest of the party begins to head for the Badger, Snowfall is racing along in the sky on his way on the trail of the Aishwarra. For the initial part of your hunt, the large clawed footprints are easy enough to follow, but soon the tracks reach a rocky area and they fade out, making it much harder to track its passage. But Snowfall has one important advantage over the Aishwarra. You can fly at high Mach speed, letting you cover much more ground than the earthbound monster you are hunting.

It takes you about thirty five minutes of zipping back and forth over the suspected trail of the monster before you spot something that stands out to your eyes. A large hole that has recently been dug into the side of a small hill can be seen, roughly a hundred feet across that disappears into the earth. Huge piles of loose earth have been tossed out of the freshly excavated tunnel, showing that the opening was dug into the hillside as opposed to having this opening dug from the inside out, and you can see claw marks and more tracks in the loose earth, showing you that you have probably found the hiding place of the Aishwarra.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Daggon nods at Terra. "Definitely. Appreciate the ride. I'll get my 'cycle. And, hey, glad I ran into you and yours, Terra." Daggon walks back to his hover cycle and engages the engine. He rides it to the Badger and into the observation platform. Tying it down, he signals to Terra that he's all set.

 

[Purr]

While the rest of the party begins to head for the Badger, Snowfall is racing along in the sky on his way on the trail of the Aishwarra. For the initial part of your hunt, the large clawed footprints are easy enough to follow, but soon the tracks reach a rocky area and they fade out, making it much harder to track its passage. But Snowfall has one important advantage over the Aishwarra. You can fly at high Mach speed, letting you cover much more ground than the earthbound monster you are hunting.

It takes you about thirty five minutes of zipping back and forth over the suspected trail of the monster before you spot something that stands out to your eyes. A large hole that has recently been dug into the side of a small hill can be seen, roughly a hundred feet across that disappears into the earth. Huge piles of loose earth have been tossed out of the freshly excavated tunnel, showing that the opening was dug into the hillside as opposed to having this opening dug from the inside out, and you can see claw marks and more tracks in the loose earth, showing you that you have probably found the hiding place of the Aishwarra.

Snowfall relays all of this back to the group. "Found a hidey-hole and I betcha he's in it!"

 

[Psychie]

Terra gives a grim smile as she replies. "Copy that, Snowfall. We are on the move, and will be at your position in [insert ETA here]. Hang tight and watch to see if our target decides to make a move." She looks over at the others in the Badger and says, "Snowfall has spotted a hidey-hole that the thing has probably ducked into. Everyone, get ready for a nasty scrap."

OOC Sherwood , is the PPE of the Automation a valid target for the Aishwarra to try and digest? If not, we may be able to use it to set off a fire in the cave and scare the monster out into the open so we don't have to get right in its face to engage it.

 

[Sherwood]

It shouldn't be able to be digested, since it is not organic. But it can still be attacked and damaged/destroyed by the Aishwarra if it is spotted.

 

[Sherwood]

and will be at your position in [insert ETA here].

At the Badger's best speed in this terrain, you will be there in just about ten minutes.

 

[Sherwood]

After the short drive, the Badger pulls up and comes to a stop, roughly 2,000 feet from where the freshly dug tunnel is that Snowfall spotted. The driver kicks on the intercom and says, "Ok, ladies and gentlemen. Please return your tray tables and seats to the fully upright position and get ready to unleash an ass-whoopin! Seriously, I can see the opening of the tunnel with the zoom camera, so I thought it would be a good idea to stop and let everyone make plans before just racing in blindly. What is the plan?"

 

[WlfSamurai]

Daggon scratches his head and shrugs. "I mean, I could run in there and then..." He sighs. "And then super-speed it out. Lure it out, essentially. As soon as you guys see it, you open up. Thoughts?"

 

[Psychie]

Terra thinks for a moment, then says, "We know that this thing is afraid of fire. We just need some way to get a fire down in the hole and scare it out, then pound the living daylights out of it." Looking out into space, she says, "I wonder, what kind of pyrotechnics do we have access to? If we have any plasma weapons, like grenades or missiles, we could fire them into the tunnel past the Aishwarra, flushing it out into the open. I would rather not risk a person going in there unless it is absolutely needed, and we can then use my Automation to go into the hole using stealth to set off some explosions and send it running."

 

[WlfSamurai]

"Okay, yeah," Daggon says, nodding. "That makes sense. I like that better. What kind of weapons do you have that can do something like that?"

 

[Purr]

Terra thinks for a moment, then says, "We know that this thing is afraid of fire. We just need some way to get a fire down in the hole and scare it out, then pound the living daylights out of it." Looking out into space, she says, "I wonder, what kind of pyrotechnics do we have access to? If we have any plasma weapons, like grenades or missiles, we could fire them into the tunnel past the Aishwarra, flushing it out into the open. I would rather not risk a person going in there unless it is absolutely needed, and we can then use my Automation to go into the hole using stealth to set off some explosions and send it running."

Snowfall replies via radio as he keeps an eye on the hole from above. "That plan assumes the fire doesn't drive it deeper into the underground and to further safety, doesn't it? Most fearful creatures flee." The Fox-spirit thinks a moment. "By Inari's paws, I believe food, not fire, poses less of a threat and is more likely to bring it out to us where we can make it play our game."

 

[Psychie]

Terra responds with, "Well then, it is a good thing we have plenty of bait. I can move in and try to lure it out, and then kick my tattoos on to flight mode to get me up in the air and away from the Aishwarra's reach while we all hammer on it until it is extremely dead." She hefts her rifle and heads for the exit hatch of the Badger with her Infiltrator in tow. "C'mon, everyone. We're not getting paid by the hour here."

 

[Sherwood]

A quick check of your inventory does not show any hidden stash of incendiary grenades or missiles. No one thought to purchase any prior to leaving Dweomer, so what you have on your character sheets is what you have.

Terra and her Automation slip out of the Badger and take a look around, seeing no sign of the Aishwarra other than the large gaping hole dug into the side of the hill ahead of you. It is about 2,000 feet out from where you are right now.

What does everyone do to prepare for the fight?

 

[Psychie]

Terra takes a moment to turn on her personal defenses and readies her flight tattoo, keeping her Force Cannon in hand and ready for action. The Infiltrator is currently packing her Nova Rifle, since it does more damage to its target than the Lightning Staff does.

Spoiler

Activating Invulnerability for 40 PPE, and Flight for 20 PPE

Hit Points: 53
SDC: 165
PPE: 145 +2d4 per level
Power Matrix: 80 PPE / 20
PPE Battery: 50
PPE Battery: 50

Personal MDC: 600
Infiltrator Automation
*Main Body: 220

Bonus Points: 9

Number of Attacks: 7
Strike: +12
Parry: +10
Dodge: +10
Roll: +10
Initiative: +5
Perception: +5, +1 vs Vampires and the Undead
Horror Factor: +5 to Save, +2 vs dragons
Critical Strike on a natural 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Damage: +3
Death Blow on a natural 19-20

When Piloting Automations
Number of Attacks: 10 / 5 / 1
Strike: +5 (+7 with Sword)
Parry: +6 (+8 with Sword)
Dodge: +2
Roll: +2
Initiative: +6
Damage: +2
Critical Strike on a 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Death Blow on a natural 19-20

 

[WlfSamurai]

Daggon takes a moment to center himself, closing his eyes and breathing. He activates two tattoos. First, the heart encircled by chains. It would grant him further protection. Then, the heart with tiny wings for ground speed. With all his new companions in the air, someone needed to stay ground-side and keep this thing's attention.

A faint, visible light blue magic aura encircles Daggon for protection and he can feel his muscles thicken and elasticize.

"Ready," he says to the team. "Let's do this."

 

[Purr]

Snowfall the Kitsune
The Foxiest Messenger of Inari!​

Spoiler: Combat Bonuses

Perception +8
Initiative +6 (+10 when using W.P. Quick Draw)
Attacks per Round: 6
Strike +16
Damage +17
Parry +15
Dodge +20 (+23 in Fox form)
Roll +18
Maintain Balance +10
Save vs. Magic +12
Save vs. Pain +15
Horror Factor Saving Throws +6

Damage by Weapon Type
See Character Sheet (click on the link above in his name).

Snowfall pauses and activates his Energized Sustain tattoo and his Blind Warrior Woman amulet and Lightning Rod (for Immunity to Energy) in the hopes it will protect his armor.

Snowfall the Seven-Tailed offers a prayer on high before the battle. In his native Japanese, he kneels in mid-air, head down, hands forward as he reverently intones, "Ohhh, foxiest of fox-kami, O-Inari Ōkami! Benevolent harvester! Patron of swordsmiths! Minder of merchants! Brewer of the best tea! Bringer of the finest sake! You, the deliverer of fertility, rice, worldly success, and all fortune worth having! Grant us the means to outwit and outlast this horror - the dreaded Aishwarra - that we might remove its diabolic threat from these punished lands so that the demon-thing may devour innocents no more! That farmers may grow for their families!

"Guide us to a foxy victory, or barring that, a healthy and speedy escape to fight it another day! Aid us, please, and I - your ever-faithful messenger between worlds - will produce a worthy shrine at the farm in your name so that all who see it would know who took part in bringing life instead of death to this troubled world!

Snowfall then offers his deepest Kitsune prayer. "Watashi no O-Inari-sama (my personal Inari!)!"

(Image credit: The delightful Zozark at FurAffinity.com!)

STATUS

Location: Outside the lair of the Aishwarra!
Statblock: Self-M.D.C. (240/240). Self-P.P.E. (226/300). Power Matrix (70/70 P.P.E.). Effects Active: Energized Blazing Comet (Mach 7 flight; 140/140 M.D. forcefield up; 6 hours, 15 minutes remaining). Energized Sustain (335 hours remaining). Blind Warrior Woman Talisman (2/3 uses remaining, 100/100 M.D., 10 minutes remaining).

 

[Silanon]

Preparations. The moment before the storm. The time where brave people focus, and speak their prayers. Eron is certainly no exception. One hand grabs an old, leathery pouch that always angles from a simple cord around his neck. There's no need to open it, of course. He knows what's inside, after all. Just knowing - is enough. A lucky find, that pouch. Destiny, maybe. The third truth. He takes a deep breath. Stores it away underneath the protective plates of his armor. Nothing seems to has changed, from the outside. But the world has changed. It's slower, now. It's details stand out more. Or maybe that's just what he believes - same thing, for those with implants like the ones in his skull. Those turn beliefs into reality, to some degree. And empower a simple swordsman to meet an abomination like this one with the illusion of confidence.

His eyes muster both swords, now one in each hand. One's covered in flowing acid - the other in fire. Might be awkward, that one. If the creature reacts to it. Might also allow for a trick or two. Only one way to find out. "Done", he says - strolls over to the left, a bit, to not stand right next to the cyberknight. If the maw's large enough to swallow people, it's not a good plan to fight too closely together. "Survived him, not long ago. So let's survive this thing, now, and be done with it."


Activating enhanced perception and reflexes.

 

[Psychie]

With everyone signalling that they are ready for the fight, Terra sets off at an easy flight speed, slow enough that the Automation can keep up with her as it runs along the ground below her. When she gets within four hundred feet of the cave opening, she gently sets down on the soil to continue advancing on foot, with the Infiltrator roughly two hundred feet to her left, keeping her weapon at the ready. Before advancing any further, she waits for both Eron and Daggon were in position, with Snowfall sticking to his aerial position above. "Ready everyone? I'm about to try and flush our prey."

Spoiler

Hit Points: 53
SDC: 165
PPE: 145 +2d4 per level
Power Matrix: 80 PPE / 20
PPE Battery: 50
PPE Battery: 50

Personal MDC: 600
Infiltrator Automation
*Main Body: 220

Bonus Points: 9

Number of Attacks: 7
Strike: +12
Parry: +10
Dodge: +10
Roll: +10
Initiative: +5
Perception: +5, +1 vs Vampires and the Undead
Horror Factor: +5 to Save, +2 vs dragons
Critical Strike on a natural 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Damage: +3
Death Blow on a natural 19-20

When Piloting Automations
Number of Attacks: 10 / 5 / 1
Strike: +5 (+7 with Sword)
Parry: +6 (+8 with Sword)
Dodge: +2
Roll: +2
Initiative: +6
Damage: +2
Critical Strike on a 19-20
Critical Strike from behind
Death Blow on a natural 19-20