Never trust a Death Master
Lore Gaming Stories - Event from Hell
The Storyteller begins my tale with "You are walking on a dirt road that leads to the nearest village. Because your tired of sleeping in the wilds, you want a bed and hot food. You have been living on who knows what kind of meat jerky and dried hard stale biscuits. Your wineskin been empty for a past week so your rather antsy about everything. On the slight curve on the road up ahead you notice pair of acrobats entertaining a group of travelers.
As you come closer to the two acrobats and drummer, the thing that catches your attention is the outfits they are wearing. Brightly color heavy outfits that cover their arms and legs. It's made up of patches of bright yellows, oranges and reds fabrics with pattern of stripes and dots that are randomly sown together. When you get about twenty feet of the acrobats, they immediate approach and start entertaining you. After all you are the only person armed to the teeth with weapons. Maybe they are hoping to get some coins from you, since it's obvious you have plenty to spare.
The old lady start banging on a small hand drum in a slow beat for the two young girls to perform too. One girl wears mostly reds and crisscross strips for accent. The other girl mostly yellows and has more dots than strips. They start cartwheeling, jumping, leaping at dazzling speed. Their timing is perfect, each time the old hag bangs her drums the two cuties are in mid air as they trade places. The peasants are clapping and oohing and aahing which is starting get on your nerves.
You think 'why cant they just shut up and stop that infernal clapping. Cant they just shut the hell up and watch peacefully?' while clenching your fists. Of course you have developed a headache now, all knowledge tests are now at plus one difficulty until you can get some sleep. This has made you even more antsy. After awhile your eyes starts randomly focusing on the strangest littlest things. This in turn has started to make you a little angry. Because your eyes should be on these dancing cuties, but instead your looking some stinking bugs that somehow attracted your attention."
"BAM!" shouts and slapping his palms at the same time, the Storyteller hammers out "you just been ambushed by the old hag and two cuties. The two cuties pulled out long knives that were hidden inside their thick pants. The old hag pull off the headpiece on her walking staff to uncover a spear. They rush you while you were staring at some stinking bugs." The Storyteller has this wicked grin, and the only thing that come to mind is 'gotcha!' "They successfully ambushed you and they each gain an automatic hit on you. Would you like to spend one of your precious actions on this ambush? It's against the rules, but hey I'll let slide tonight" then grins at me.
It's obvious he wants me to spend, but then they get free hacks on me later. I reply "temping, but no, it's a successful ambush and as a man I should just take it." He gives me a simple smile, let's hope he falls for it and cuts me a little more slack.
"Since this is a planned event for you, all the initial rolls have been made so I can immediately start your story tonight. You feel three sharp pointy objects stab into your chest, given a slight twist as they get pulled out in a flash to make you gasp in more pain. As you focus on your assailants you see a right handed Red Cutie pulling out her knife standing to the left of you has two successes to damage. The Old Hag also pulls out her spear is your middle opponent has one crit and two successes. While a left handed Yellow Cutie shows a happy face staring at your blood on her knife. Like a newbie who manage her first hit, this crazy girl delivers two crits and one success. Resolve the damage" he states with relish.
Shit, if I spent a action point to act during the ambush, I might have dodge or parry that last attack. If I don't get any crits I'll be down three health permanently for the rest of the session, and we just got started. I need to use my healing potions wisely! I'm going to be ambushed again. I know it, he's that cruel. If I run out of healing potions and get ambushed again I'm screwed. "Ok, lets get some dice rolling" But I'm starting to get a little pissed.
But I cant quit, he tailored this event so I can get the merit I want. My resentment fades to a bit of excitement. If it's this tough what the hell is the end boss gonna be like? I grab my dice and make a roll, the Storyteller is close enough to see the result too and chuckles. I see I rolled a damn crit on a roll I didn't need too. The Storyteller says "your light armor negates the remaining damage, I hope the hag can cause some damage." I just glare at him while rounded up my dice before giving a quick shake and toss and don't even bother to see what I rolled. He just smiles and replies "you take the critical damage and soak the rest." I gather up the dice again and let him deal with the results. "Nice you got a crit and soaked the rest. So you take two critical healths from the ambush and down to Bruised status, no penalties next round."
After gathering his thought he continues "ready to start the first exchange?" I nod, he goes with "good, as you stumble back from the three stabs, you look for your opponents while drawing your sword. You are most definitely surprised by the acrobats subtle charm attack. The vibrant outfits spinning all about and that drumbeat that seem to match your own heartbeat, that got to be a charm attack. Classic hypnotist color and pattern tricks supported by a charm spell. Nasty, you definitely got your ass handed to you this time. Initiative is simple, your too slow, they all beat you. I hope your enjoying your story so far" His grin reminds of a dog about to pounce on a favorite treat their master is about to toss...
(This is Chapter Two)
"You walked couple hundred yards down the road leaving the peasants gaping at you. Unfortunately the two healing potions you drank both failed to crit so your still at Bruised status. That battle really forced you to put in a great amount of effort. That Old Hag was an expert spear user and her tricky charm spells cause you a great deal pain. While the two acrobats kept dodging your attacks, flanking and slashing at your side. Their coordination was just a bit too scary, you only won because the two acrobats were young and didn't have high attributes.
After a while you spot two young female monks wearing religious robes and hats walking on the road towards you. Their walking staves have the classic hollow iron rings on the top so when they plant the staff on the ground they make a mellow chime with each step. The large brim conical hats have a bunch of tassel hanging all round the brim to obscure their young faces. You seen these monks all over the place, and a few of them are in the guild you belong too.
As the distance close, you notice they are quite young. They are probably new to their class and patrolling roads is a common quest for newbies. When they get about 20 feet you realize they are well endowed for young monks. So you have this 'kind of well sorta try not looking at them' kind of attitude. Your attempt to keep your pervy thoughts away from the well endowed girls of the cloth by glancing away every now and then. When Bam! You get ambush by the two girls of the cloth the moment you glance away.
They take off their hats and throw them like a frisbee at you. Then they reach in to the slit of their skirts and pull out long knives and charge you. The hats have a sharp iron edge to them. Please make a sixth sense test to see if you get ambushed, you need two successes to act or else feel how sharp those hats can be. Nice Jugs has two successes to hit while Big Jugs has one crit and one success to hit. If you fail act in the this ambush you need add an automatic hit for for both tests." he just grins at me, as if to say try to survive this one. Fortunately I succeeded my sixth sense test and avoided the ambush and begun the first exchange.
Arrgh, this reminds me when we used to play a game where he was the dungeon master. We used to called him Death Master instead because he would try kill one of us every session. With that thought I shudder a bit and wonder if I can even make it to the boss with this attempt? His voice breaks my thoughts with "resolve the damage please. I grab some dice and roll them for his pleasure, he grunts "you take one level of normal damage, next roll." Damn I thought, seeing the botch I just rolled, I grab again and toss. "It's really not your day," he says "you take another critical health so your now at Injured status and lose one action next round. Hmmm, let's see how the story should go," while looking at the ceiling. "Alright, being surprised by a pair of flying hats, you can't act fast enough before one slices your left side while the other hit's you squarely on the chest and sticks there. You glance down at you chest to realize there a spikes along the brim too and one happened to embed itself in your flesh. You stumble back and nearly trip from a rut in the road forcing you take a plus one difficulty to defend on the next exchange. You quickly yank the offending hat off and draw your sword. Time for the second exchange, do you have any question before we start?"
(This is Chapter Three)
"Walking down the road again, it been a few minutes since you left Nice and Big Jugs. Those girls certainly knew how make use of their assets to bring a man down. Your bad luck still follows you since you fail to crit again with another two healing potions. At least you healed all the normal damage so you now at Hurt status. Your fight with the Jug sisters was all about flashing knives and dancing jugs that constant distracted you during the fight. The fight lasted longer than it should, perhaps you subconsciously let to fight go on so you could see their jugs bounce so enticingly? Either that, your beginning to enjoy pain and you want to avoid that route, becoming a berserk killing machine isn't your style.
While happily reminiscing on those beautiful jugs, you come upon a gentle stream that come to the right side of the road. You notice three hand woven baskets stack with freshly cleaned foot long white root vegetables. Behind the the baskets are three young peasant girls washing dirt covered roots diligently by the steam. They wear those loose wrap around peasant robes that boys love to see them wear. As you get about thirty feet you can hear them humming softly a local work tune. When you get about twenty feet they finish washing their respective root and stand up and pick up their baskets and start walking towards you while still humming. The closest cute girl give you a friendly smile and give a deep bow in greetings which you automatic bow deep in return. All you could think at the moment is the chasm between her breasts as you watch the ground. You were able to even see the tips of her nipples as they hang down, those loose robes can never adequately hide them when they bow.
Then Bam! You get ambush by the three girls who start tossing the freshly washed roots at you while your still looking at the dirt road. The girls have hidden knives in the roots and aim for your legs. Cutie Knife root has three successes to hit, Lovely Knife throws for one crit and one success, while Sweetie Knife tries to put a root in you with two successes. First resolve the ambush test, if you fail remember to add one automatic hit per attack." The look on his face tells him he is enjoying the story, and that's not good for me.
(This is Chapter Four)
"After dealing with the sexy knives triplets, you continue along the road. You suffer from four levels of critical damage because you manage a crit on your last healing potion that brought you up from wounded status to Injured. Your exhausted from all the fighting and your migraine is off the charts. The village should be about an hour away, right now you just want to sleep. Plus your mouth taste like shit from all the foul tasting healing potions. Only way to quickly remove the taste is to drown it in alcohol. You squeeze the empty wineskin in frustration, and pass by a small roadside shrine. Travelers have left tiny cups fill with wine as sacrifice for safe traveling. You can't help but stare at those cups, just to get rid of that damn foul taste, your thinking of stooping so low as to drink sacrificial wine!
You take half a step towards the shrine before stopping yourself. You think to yourself 'how can I possibly drink sacrificial wine!' But your nose betray you, the cup on the far right has really good fortified wine. Your eyes focus on the wine in that cup and lick your lips then Bam! You got ambushed, a heavy net falls on you and with a quick yank on the tether cause the net to contract around your ankles and with a sudden pull you fall on your ass as your legs are pulled from under you. You head bumped the shrine a little as you fell, you slowly watch that cup of good wine wobble like for eternity before tipping over and splashing the rock right in front of your eyes. You were staring at that wine in that cup so intently, a few drops splash into your eyes jarring you awake. Sudden pain shoots all around your body as sharp spines that were scatter about the constricting net biting into your face, arms, legs and back.
You glance though the netting to see the classic black tight fitting fishnet attire of a female ninja with a very good looking rack by your standards. She got you cold, the constricting netting makes it difficulty to move your hands. Gritting your teeth as the spines dig into you, you manage to reach a hidden knife and begin sawing at the net at your back. The Ninja Girl is pulling the rope with each step to maintain the tension and to help aggravating the spines already in you. Just when she reaches for her sword on her back, you finally cut enough of the net to push through as you stand up. Both of you draw your blades at the same time and go into a battle stance eyeing each other warily. You suffer one level of normal damage due to having been stuck so long in that constricting biting net made from hell. This now put you at wounded status, you lose two actions next round leaving you with one left.
You just feel terrible, your migraine is throbbing, and the dozen or so spines have torn bleeding gashes every where. The Ninja Girl cocks her head to one side and purrs 'you don't look so good, are you sure you want to play with me?' How your feeling right now you want to say no, but you need to see just how domineering she can be, so you reluctantly put out 'as a man I just got take it as I am,' and painfully draw your sword for the last time." The grinning Storyteller is just too scary.
Suffix it to say, I didn't even survive the first round. The Storyteller said he'll give me a chance with a personal event tailored just for me for that merit. Now I know the Storyteller never gave me a chance at all to begin with. He catches my attention with "thank you for sharing your tragic story with me tonight, I most thoroughly enjoyed it" then Storyteller starts packing his things away. But notice that smirk of his from the time I used to call him death master.