(Matriarch) I Spy

[Xander]

Belle's Imago forms and she finds herself able to warp space around the edge of her knife's blade. Fortunate, given things were about to get dicey.

Witch recognizes this fight isn't built to her skill set, and chooses to jump on a more investigative avenue of exploration. She scrutinizes the creature, attempting to discern it's origin. At first it was like staring into a hole so deep the bottom was lost in the darkness. Forcing herself to look deeper, she finds herself almost falling into the creature's hollow aura. It's not native to the material plain. Nothing could feel so hollow on this plane of existence. It's something Other. Like if Nothing was ripped into the world and forced to become Something. She can both feel the wrongness in front of her and look completely past it as if what she had just dissected was so alien it couldn't really be here in the first place.

Phoenyx takes another swing, and while years of martial training benefited her in the past this this thing was surprisingly spry. Moira likewise attempts to stab the creature but finds it just slightly to spry to hit.

The creature for it's part is clearly scared. Eyes that seem disturbingly human after watching them for a few seconds flick about and look for an opportunity. It's swift facsimile of breathe continues it's uneven huffing as the barbvein lashes out a Moira once again.

The teeth pierce deep this time, and Moira collapses half in the dumpster and half hanging out the back.

8L to Moira before defense

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2023-02-20 19:01:55		Thing rolls 10 to attack (Power+Finesse) (10 Again, WillPower)		8, 7, 2, 7, 10, 8, 10, 2, 10, 8, 6, 8, 8		8 successes

Unless I'm doing the math wrong, Moira loses consciousness with that attack.

Everyone still awake please give me a perception check. On a success they notice the foliage around the dumpster is turning brown and dying. Branches are shedding leaves and crumbling, and one makes a loud thud as it hits the ground. People are peaking out from behind the blinds now, and people are starting to stop at the ends of the alley where it meets the street.

As a friendly reminder, I said the foot traffic in the opening post was low but not nothing. I was being generous letting a few rounds go by without adding to paradox rolls but moving forward any vulgar spell will incur the bonus for sleeper witnesses. Likewise, if you want to contain paradox as backlash, you need to say so ahead of time. Historically, we put (Paradox as backlash) in the action line of the dice roller before we rolled paradox when we wanted to contain it. If you don't do so moving forward, I'll be treating it as an unmitigated and uncontained paradox.
Belle - If you rolled it you have to include it. Last round's instant action was casting ranged blow, I believe this round will be drawing the weapon, and next round will be attacking with it. The roll code for your attack was 93710. Pisces can't afford for you to waste a good roll :P.

Thing 19, Witch 14, Belle 12, Phoenyx 11, Moira 8

[Phoenyx]

People seemed frozen. It as often the way with combat reflexes. When they were honed, you were moving faster than those around you... especially when you had a magical edge.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-24 03:49:07	Phoenyx rolls 5 to Perception - wits 2 + Comp 3 (10 Again)	10, 6, 1, 4, 2, 8	2 successes

The life around was withering. This creature was doing something.

Blood was flying everywhere and the Arrow felt Moira go down rather than see it.

No.....

Rapidly she snapped out a flurry of High Speech, spinning the spell that would hopefully keep the Acanthus in the fight. That part was on her now.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-24 03:40:38	Phoenyx rolls 1 to Paradox - Base 2 + 1 (Vulgars in scene) -1 (Magical tool) -1 (Level 3 spell) (10 Again)	5	failure

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-24 03:45:22	Phoenyx rolls 10 to Healing Heart - Gnosis 4 + Life 4 + 2HS (10 Again)	10, 7, 7, 2, 1, 9, 7, 8, 10, 1, 2, 4	4 successes

"Get her back!" she snapped at the others, pulling Moira's prone form out of the dumpster

Hopefully she could keep the focus of..... whatever this was.

[Witch]

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-24 06:37:05	Witch rolls 6 to Perception (Wits+Comp) (10 Again)	1, 8, 2, 4, 6, 9	2 successes

Staring at it, she wasn't surprised by what she saw. Well, they were already working to killdestroy it. She noted the fast forward death that was pooling out from the Nothingness. An effect, but she didn't have time to think on it further.

There was movement at the corner of her eye tempting her to turn and look. But she knew what it would be and didn't want to. Meanwhile bigger movement that she also didn't want to see but couldn't look away from was Moira dropping.

She heard Phoenyx but she was already casting. She would move in once she tried to give her fighting companions an edge.

Animate Shadows

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-24 06:42:14	Witch rolls 5 to Animate Shadows (Arcana + Gnosis) (10 Again)	5, 7, 1, 4, 2	failure

Nothing happened. No edge granted. And Moira still lay there. Grass kept dying. Sleepers accumulated.

She could taste her anger.

[Belle]

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-24 22:20:06	Belle rolls 4 to Perceive Anomaly Effects (Wits + Comp) (10 Again)	5, 10, 5, 5, 8	2 successes

Belle’s knife is out and in hand as chaos erupts and the world sags and wilts around her. Witch is…Doing something. Phoenyx is being a goddam raid boss pulling the bleeding Moira out of reach and Belle recognizes the alien tongue of High Speech cutting through the air and giving life to magic.

She should feel panicked here. Her mind tells her that this the odds are fading. But Belle’s gut tells her that nothing is impossible; that this creature whatever it is has made a grave mistake in messing with Belle and her pals. She steps just off to the side of Phoenyx and, in a spontaneous moment of rage, hisses at the abomination in an enraged display. That’s right, fucker! Four of us and one of you. And I’m about to hit you. HARD!

[Xander]

Phoenyx begins casting her spell, but high speech isn't something that can be rushed. She carefully intones her voice in alignment with the supernal realms, and her imago begins to take shape in her mind. As she does the creature lashes out once more at the First Talon. This time though, Phoenyx is diligently chanting and unable to defend herself.

The teeth cut deep this time.

What's more, as she finished chanting and cast her spell she felt the paradox slip in and taint her will. Her connection to her watchtower felt simultaneously distant and intense as her will twists to the whims of the Abyss. Her skin begins to burn and itch beyond the lethargy her body already experienced from the anomaly. As it begins to feel like her body might just melt away with her still standing there she manages to focus herself, focusing on her connection to her watchtower. Through her discipline and concentration she was able to retain control of her spell. The wounds she had just gained mend and her body is once more made whole. The anomoly's effects still weighed on her body, making her movements feel like she was moving completely underwater, but she wasn't a stray act of will away from death anymore.

  1 suxx forgotten paradox, Phoenyx is the target, retains control, and heals the 4L she takes this turn

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2023-02-26 21:15:46		Paradox rolls 1 to 1-5=P 6-10=M		3		failure
2023-02-26 21:13:09		Phoenyx rolls 6 to Havoc wisdom (10 Again)		9, 8, 5, 1, 6, 1		2 successes
2023-02-26 21:09:56		Thing rolls 10 to attack (Power+Finesse) (10 Again, WillPower)		9, 7, 9, 10, 6, 3, 9, 1, 6, 7, 4		4 successes
2023-02-26 21:08:19		Phoenyx rolls 2 to forgotten paradox dice (Sleeper witnesses) (10 Again)		7, 9		1 success

Phoenyx - Few things, first off you need to note the mana for an improvised casting of a nonruling spell. Second remember the penalty for sleeper witnesses. If I have to roll it, it will automatically be let loose instead of contained as backlash. Finally, High Speech is an instant action to use and Phoenyx loses her defense in the round she does so. Only armor would have applied against the creature's attack, so the full 4 lethal got through if I did my math right. However since the havoc was controlled and rolled to target her, the healing spell meant for Moira targets Phoenyx instead and heals her 4 lethal for a net 0 damage for the turn.

Everyone else, Phoenyx's high speech was the action for her last turn and her life spell is her action for this turn. Meaning at Belle and Witch's initiative Phoenyx is down 4L. She clearly heals it, but your characters won't technically know that when you narrate them on their turns.

Thing 19, Witch 14, Belle 12, Phoenyx 11, Moira 8

[Moira]

Placeholder to move the marble. Still unconscious!

[Witch]

Witch swallowed hard, raging at herself now would not help.

And clearly her magic would not either.

Not now. Focus!

Stepping forward she fought the forces that dragged at her body, fingers curling around Moira.

She tried telling herself that Moira wasn't that heavy. Seriously. Look at her. But the whole mind-over-matter was not working to dispel the effects and it was with effort that Witch pulled the unconscious woman back and away from the entity.

[Belle]

The thing lashes out and…

Phoenyx!

5 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-02-13 21:59:03	Belle rolls 6 to Ranged Blow: Knife (Str + Weaponry + Specialization: Knives - Anomaly + WP) (10 Again, WillPower)	10, 8, 5, 9, 9, 9, 2	5 successes

Belle doesn’t bother with a cry or a scream. She just tightens her lips and swings her blade in a low, twisting arc. She’s knowhere near striking distance with this thing, but Space laughs at the distance and bids her strike pierce both flesh and reality. The cheerful Warlock is now a steely, vicious face of determination.

Per Xander , using initial roll from prior post due to action economy. Attack should ignore Defense but not Armor, unless I’m mistaken.

[Xander]

Witch moves up, and despite the fatigue and weakness from the anomaly manages to pull Moira's very clearly bleeding person from the dumpster. Belle looks through the door and sees her opening, slicing in her arc. Sure enough a fresh wound appears on the creature. This one cut deeper, and a thick black ichor begins to ooze out of the creature as it wheezes in pain.

The thing continues it's attacks, lunging it's bloodied fangs at Phoenyx once more.

Thing 19 (4L), Witch 14, Belle 12, Phoenyx 11, Moira 8
Moira please update your minisheet with the attack that knocked Moira unconscious.

  3 successes before Phoenyx's defense

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2023-03-08 20:59:55		Thing rolls 10 to attack (Power+Finesse) (10 Again, WillPower)		8, 2, 10, 7, 6, 3, 5, 2, 9, 7, 1		3 successes

[Witch]

She could tell you that the knee bone was connected to the thigh bone and which vertebrae fit where.

But this wasn't bones. This was veins and arteries and flesh.

Phoenyx's voice in her head about learning life. Who knew the lesson would be taught to her in turn so quickly?

She couldn't fix Moira. Attention was growing. She came to help damnit!

Well. Maybe she didn't have a direct attack but at least she could try again. And maybe do early damage control?

"It's rabid!" she called out. Or rather back. Not to her fellow mages but to the potential growing attention outside the alley. Hopefully it would push them back. No one liked shots in the stomach after all.

And then for the help...

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-03-09 05:26:36	Witch rolls 5 to Animate Shadows (Arcana + Gnosis) (10 Again)	1, 1, 6, 6, 8	1 success

Animate Shadows

It wasn't strong, but the spell worked. Darkness from the inside back of the dumpster rolled forward over, aiming to cover the Nothingness's eye. Who knew if it was even a functioning eye? But if it was, maybe those attacks would be a little less damaging if it couldn't see where to strike.

Belle