Last Stand

You hear The Richenback Falls before you see them. A dull roar that grows and grows until it's impossible to be heard more than a couple metres from one another. Pure mountain water flows rapidly down into an expansive series of shallow pools that carry the water to the sharp drop of the falls themselves.

Fortunately the dense forest around the pools' edge offers excellent cover. But you can already see your foe splashing through the waters heading for...something at the waterfall's edge. If you move any closer you will be started (and combat will begin).

It's time for any last minute reflections.

Ordinarily, this would have been a beautiful spot to admire. The ebb and flow of the living force of the forest was a thing even non-sensitive folks could just about feel in spaces like this.

But today, it was disturbed, and about to be moreso. Tomin pauses, resting a hand against one sheltering tree, trying to better 'see' what's going on. Surely the vessel isn't entirely helpless? Either way, she'd rather not jump in and make things worse for it, while trying to help.

"Honestly, I'd have expected a vessel for this forest to be a lot like Snowy--huge and heavy-furred but moving far more quietly than you'd expect," she says in tones meant to carry only to her companion.

"Maybe the wilderness itself is harsh enough, and the vessel strikes the balance?" Sirina asks with a shrug. It's a weirdly thoughtful idea, coming from the brash Pantoran, though she doesn't linger on it. "I'm not certain we can cut them off entirely but it may be worth a shot. That or we just start the fight here and hope they turn to face us, what do you think?" Sirina likewise keeps her voice low enough not to travel, and turns her attention back to their quarry.

Tomin nods. "Could be. Though that glade back there says it might be plenty harsh if it wants."

She examines the scene, not seeing quite the same things, but close enough. "I'd like to think the vessel knows the forest well enough not to trap itself on a waterfall and has some place to hide or escape there if we could get up there and hold them back. But you're right that I don't see that we can cut them off from here."

"If dropping a few has spooked them, hitting folks at the front of their group might spin them, particularly if they can't exactly see us."

There's a sigh. "All apologies to Master Mobok, but I can't see that stepping out and asking them to negotiate does anything but get us shot up. So I'm not even going to try that. But if winging the folks up front has them calling for a chat... I think I'd best at least try. If nothing else it delays them while the vessel does what it's going to do."

"Your Master would understand, even she said what our priority should be and right now the only way I see preventing more harm befalling the vessel is to start gunning the pack hunting it down. I agree, if we go for high-visibility shots we'll have to get their attention-- take down the people in front and they'll be following the blaster bolts back to us in an instant."

Sirina focuses solely on checking the status of her weapon then, satisfied, peers down the sight as she starts to draw a bead on the lead members of the Baron's group. "We can time our shots, really freak 'em out. I can also toss a burst out, maybe start things off by having them dash to cover. That way they hopefully aren't making any runs for wherever they think the vessel may be."

Tomin nods. "Sending them scurrying for cover seems like a good start. Anyone focused enough to stick to their target is announcing that they'd like us to shoot them." She scans along the underbrush and trees they were in, looking for a good spot to start from."

As you watch, the distant seated figure of Cyber Doc Holliday floats towards the vessel and extends something towards it. Even this far away it gives off a dull and unpleasant aura in the force. That can't be good.

It's time to finish this before the vessel gets hurt. Roll cool for initiative!

Tomin and Sirina you start at long range from all the NPCs, and in cover (providing +1 ranged defence).

Your enemies are: 2 Baron's retinue, 1 Wired Earp and 1 Baron Coburg.

Player's note: Wired Earp is adversary 1, Baron Coburg is adversary 1.

Additional note: Whatever Holliday is doing will get worse the longer he is free to do it!

NPC initiatives:

Retinue initiative vigilance

Net Successes: 2; Net Advantages: 2
Wired Earp Vigilance

Net Successes: 1; Net Advantages: 3

Baron Coburg Vigilance

Net Successes: 2; Net Advantages: 2

Tomin evidently taking her sweet time lining up a shot...

Hartless: Initiative(Cool)

Net Successes: 1; Net Advantages: 0

Sirina is very much in her element and is ready to go at a moment's notice.

---

Hartless: Initiative (Cool).

Net Successes: 3; Net Advantages: 1

Initiative:

PC Slot
NPC Slot
NPC Slot
NPC Slot
PC Slot

"Too late," Tomin hisses "I don't think they need to get any closer to mess with the vessel with whatever that thing is. Time to clear them out of the way." A moment after she's spoken, the Baron is in her sights...well 'sights'. "Taking the Baron first. Starting to think the doc there's the actual one in charge, but maybe the hired help'll be distracted with him down."

She's fired almost before the last word, cursing lightly as the warmly-dressed noble swats at some winter insect at the same moment and the blast merely parts his whiskers.

******************
Maneuver to Aim
Maneuver to Mark (-2 Strain)

Hartless: The fight begins. Targeting the Baron, Adversary 1. Long Range-reduced difficulty due to rifle ability. +1B for Accurate, +1 B for Aim. Maneuver to Mark for +2 Advantage

Net Successes: -1; Net Advantages: 4

6 Advantages total

3 to drop weapon
2 to boost Sirina
1 to boost next roll

WT: 0/14
ST: 2/14
Soak: 3
Defense: 1 (+1 Ranged for cover)
Committed ⬡: 1

The baron picks up his weapon and takes cover granting him +1 ranged defence.

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The bolt whistles past the Baron's head just as he twists, the whiskers feel the full force of Tomin's might, but he does not. His heavy rifle clattering to the ground he curses and dives for cover in a shall pool, scrambling to pick up his weapon.

The baron's retinue opens fire at Tomin but misses, they pass a boost to Wired Earp!

Baron's Retinue at Tomin, Tomin has cover, long range

Net Successes: -1; Net Advantages: 2

---------------
The surviving members of the Baron's retinue panic fire towards the treeline, but other than shredding a lot of foliage they hit nothing.

Wired Earp maneuvers twice to medium range and shoots Tomin 8 damage pierce 2 and will use the advantage to pass a setback on to the next PC! He will also boost the Baron on his turn.

Wired Earp at Tomin, medium range, Tomin has cover

Net Successes: 2; Net Advantages: 2

Wired Earp boost dice

Net Successes: 0; Net Advantages: 2

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"Hostile sapients located, joyous day." Earp's monotone delivery belies the lightning speed with which the droid sprints across the pools, nimbly leaping from cover to cover, his two pistols laying dangerously accurate fire at Tomin, the last bolt managing to take her in the shoulder.

"Understand this, meatbags. I'm coming for you, and disgusting fleshy hell is coming with me."

In the distance Cyber Doc Hollidays has extended what look like long cables which are reaching for the glowing white vessel. You can now clearly see it has taken the shape of a great male Deer pawing nervously at the ground as it's trapped against the waterfall's edge.

Sirina fires at the Baron, but isn't able to land the shot now that he's dug into cover.

---

W: 4/14
S: 7/13
Soak: 3
D: 1 (+1) cover

Maneuver: Aim
Maneuver: Aim, 2 Strain
Action: shoot at Baron

D2. E: Hartless. Sirina shoots at Baron!

Net Successes: -1; Net Advantages: 1

Miss, spend advantage to reduce strain.

Round 2


Initiative:

PC Slot
NPC Slot
NPC Slot
NPC Slot
PC Slot

Tomin feels the droid's shot burn a solid line along her ribs, but barely spares it any attention.

As if the vessel can hear her through the Force, Tomin thinks "hold on...just a little longer..." as she holds her position to track the Baron into his hiding spot, firing off a beam that pierces the winter shrubbery.

With no time to find deeper cover, she applies a stimpack and hopes to avoid taking too many more shots like that.

********************
Maneuver to Aim.
Palm a stim: Incidental-Quick Draw
Maneuver to use stimpak. +5 wounds

Hartless: Targeting the Baron, Adversary 1. Long Range-reduced difficulty due to rifle ability. +1B for Accurate, +1 B for Aim. Mark active +1S for cover

Net Successes: 3; Net Advantages: 2

4 Advantages total
Spend Destiny for Deathblow

14 Damage, Pierce 2
3 Advantage to crit (+10 for Lethal Blows)
Hartless Crit roll, +10 for Lethal Blows | 1d100+10 ⇒ 98
Roll for limb. https://sakkaku.org/dnd-rolls/9257

************
WT: 2/14
ST: 4/14
Soak: 3
Defense: 1 (+1 Ranged for cover)
Committed ⬡: 1

Baron Coburg drops prone and will spend his turn trying to make sure he doesn't drown in his shallow pool
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Tomin's shot spears into Baron Coburg and with a bellowed curse his leg crumples beneath him and he splashes down into the water.