Chiharu looks amazed when the thug drops his bow. For a moment she hoped he had changed his mind and recalled the value of obeying a samurai. Unfortunately, as the bandit approaches, it seems clear to him that this is not the case. The man is still looking for the Imperial.
The shugenja draws her scrolls reading her prayer out loud in an harmonic voice, almost singing to the air as she calls for the kami.
(I target the bandit with Tempest of Air. I'm also calling a raise to make his TN against Knockdown higher)
Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 3:35 pm
Increasingly frustrated as the bandit ignored him, Tsuyoshi at least had the benefit of having gotten his bow away from him- the man hardly seemed a threat at all, until he produced the knife, while still running ever in the direction of Chiharu and the Imperial. Still easily outpacing the man but unable to catch him in the prongs of his weapon while he was focused on running and evading it so entirely, Tsuyoshi made his dash beside the other two- turning to face the man as he slid himself in front of Chiharu protectively, whom was already sliding herself in front of Miya-sama protectively, whom was in front of the horse...
Well, not protectively, but soothingly anyway.
The important part was that now at least he'd have to go through Tsuyoshi if he planned on getting after the others... unless he just decided to run back for his bow now.
[Switching to defense.] [Moving 45 feet as minor and free action, adjacent to party. Guarding Chiharu as a minor action.]
"Nnh..." was the first thing she had to say about all that, entirely unsure where the ground had come from. Her body ached all over, and it took quite a few moments for her head to put together what had just happened. Though the moment she remembered the arrow, she gasped and sprung up to her feet. "Rakurai!"
Thankful her faithful companion hadn't sprinted yet, she darted to his side and cooed soothingly. "Easy there, boy, eaasy. I'll make it all better, I promise. I always do."
[Awareness/Horsemanship 4k3 to calm Rakurai enough for treatment vs. TN 20 Roll: 8, 6, 4, 6 = 20]
Chiharu, you call upon the spirits of air to aid you in the protection of the imperial! Summoning forth a localized wind tunnel, you buffet the bandit, taking his feet out from under him as he falls face-first to the road. He takes the impact pretty hard, and seemed fairly hurt by it.
Tsuyoshi, you rush to move to get into an intercept position if the bandit were to try again, your weapon ready.
Ayame, your attention is on your loyal steed, and you're able to keep Rakurai calm, at least for now.
The bandit, his lower face masked by a yellow bandana, breathed hard as he tried to regain his senses after his fall. His eyes momentarily lock on Tsuyoshi's, but then divert back to the women behind him. Quickly pushing himself up, he would draw a dagger from his waist and rush forward, trying to push past Tsuyoshi once more, rushing forward 35'.
Chiharu stores her scroll thanking the kami for their aid. She keeps her ground before the Imperial, still guarding her.
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:54 am
((Seems I accidentally edited my last post instead of quoting it to use the formatting for the new one. So... quoting it down here until I figure out how to recover my previous post.))
Psychofish
Increasingly frustrated as the bandit ignored him, Tsuyoshi at least had the benefit of having gotten his bow away from him- the man hardly seemed a threat at all, until he produced the knife, while still running ever in the direction of Chiharu and the Imperial. Still easily outpacing the man but unable to catch him in the prongs of his weapon while he was focused on running and evading it so entirely, Tsuyoshi made his dash beside the other two- turning to face the man as he slid himself in front of Chiharu protectively, whom was already sliding herself in front of Miya-sama protectively, whom was in front of the horse...
Well, not protectively, but soothingly anyway.
The important part was that now at least he'd have to go through Tsuyoshi if he planned on getting after the others... unless he just decided to run back for his bow now.
[Switching to defense.] [Moving 45 feet as minor and free action, adjacent to party. Guarding Chiharu as a minor action.]
Chiharu would return her scroll and take up position to be a shield for Ayame, while Tsuyoshi rushed to do the same for the shugenja, taking up position near the others.
The bandit would shield his head with his arms, trying to force his way through the two Crane rather than lunge at either, trying to close with Ayame (and not Rakurai). It takes his whole action to get to her, though the grip on his knife only tightens.
It appears he's about to strike!
(Everyone's clustered near each other now, so consider anyone with melee range of anyone else.)
Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 12:12 pm
Chiharu barely moves. A brief surprise takes her eyes as Tsuyoshi assumes a denfesive posture next to her, his behaviour as a warrior and yojimbo inspires her to cooperate as she can. Chiharu then draws another scroll.
—Please, Doji-sama, allow the Water Kami to help.
Her prayer to the water kami is quiet and calm. The shugenja calls the water to bring blessings upon Tsuyoshi, allowing him some energy to shape destiny for a brief moment.
(I cast Reversal of Fortunes on Tsuyoshi. - For the duration of this spell, the target may immediately re-roll any one roll per round. This must be done immediately after the first roll is completed, and the target may keep either result.)
Finally, the bandit came to him- he seemed particularly dead set on going after Miya-cha-sama, and Tsuyoshi had no idea why, but he was putting a stop to it and bringing this filth down.
With an envigorated cry as the kami move about and empowered him, he leveled his polearm, spinning the staff and thrusting the spiked prongs to grab a hold of the man and hold him away from the other two.
[Switching to attack stance.] [Sasumata Grapple: 5k3 vs ATN - Armor bonus: 22 to initiate grapple (via Reversal of Fortunes]
With ease, and/or perhaps the blessing of the kami, Tsuyoshi is able to entangle the man's garb with the end of his polearm, using the weapon to position the man in such a way that he couldn't harm anyone.
He would growl loudly in frustration, and attempt to break free, still trying to advance despite his precarious situation.
His attempt to take control of the grapple on his initiative: 11
The tiny Imperial's eyes widened in horror as the bandit barged right through her protectors and went straight for her. The idea that anyone would want to hurt her of all people was... inconceivable. Nor did she have time to think it over as she raised her arms up defensively, ready for the strike that would never come before her diligent yojimbo came in and took the fiend down into a grapple with that ever so handy pole.
On the edge of relief as the immediate danger passed came a wave of fury, her inner Lion coming out from the indignation of it all. More than anything, however, the retribution that needed to be addressed first an foremost was a resounding, "You hurt my horse!" leaving her viciously lashing out with a kick right to the man's middle.
[Switching Full Attack stance Agility/Juijutsu 4k3 (untrained), 1 raise for Gut Shot, vs. TN ?? Roll: 3, 8, 1, 1 - 5 = 7 Damage 1k1 Roll: 5]
Ayame, you kick the bandit and show him what for! You make an attested assertion about his efficiency at equine assault while you're at it.
The bandit struggles against the barbs of the sasumata, but is unable to break free. He slashes at the air in front of him as best as he is able (which is a bit awkward), trying to wound Ayame, though she remained out of reach of his attacks. Besides that, he is not able to accomplish anything.
Next round! Tsuyoshi, make sure you do a Strength roll at the start of your next turn, as well as a second Strength roll for the bandit's next turn if applicable. The bandit's Strength roll to steal control of the grapple on your turn is 5 after wound penalties.
Rain Yupa Captain
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Rain Yupa Captain
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Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 3:03 pm
Concerned about the slashing dagger, Chiharu would back off a step away from the bandit, but otherwise maintain a defensive stance. She'd try to remain in arm's reach of Ayame.
((Rolling 12, first six for my turn's grapple (plus one for explosions) and last six for the bandit's turn.))
Even captured and detained, Tsuyoshi stared aghast at the bandit so determinedly attacking the Imperial. He'd rushed her in the first place as well, and now the man could only clench his jaw in shame that, even in the wake of war, the Crane would have such an oversight as to allow this sort of monster to roam about, much less in sight of an important guest.
"Miya-cha-sama, is this the one?"
Matching his strength against the bandits he focused on wearing him down and holding him safely beyond knife's reach of any of the samurai, thrashing him about and twisting the sasumata to keep the spikes caught on clothing, when they weren't digging into flesh, and tire the man out until he could drop him off his feet, and ready for the Imperial's summary judgement.
[Sasumata Grapple: 5k3 vs 5: 24 to maintain control of grapple.] [Sasumata damage: 12] [Grapple Control for Bandit's turn: 14]
"That's the one. See that he's interrogated. I would know what this is all about." she declared with a mix of emotions across her face and in her voice. Emotions she pushed aside for the moment, instead bringing her full attention to her horse, pulling her med kit from her pack upon Rakurai's saddle, carefully removing the arrow while humming soothing words to the near-panicked mount, and finally cleaning and dressing the wound. "There's a good boy. We've done this before. You're okay."
[Switching Defense stance Intelligence/Medicine 5k4 vs. TN Iforget to remove the arrow and provide first aid to Rakurai Roll: X, X, X, X, X = 19]
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