[HQ Ignorance] Scene 112: The Great Mouth

[Lev Lafayette]

*ding* *ding* *ding* Round Three!


The Narrative
-------------

As The Fourth is overwhelmed by the sheer weight of psychotic cultists,
he grabs his bag of Blue Moon explosive rocks. Reeling with wounds, and
suffering more as the poisoned daggers dig into his flesh, he harnesses
his strength and calls out "You always were a bastard Aalmon!" he says,
perhaps accurately, before smashing the back on the ground.

A great explosion is rent, throwing the cultists asunder, some crying
out as they are thrown back and with shattered rock embedded in their
face and arms. Some have only suffered minor wounds, and dust themselves
off from the blast to look at the bloodied remains of the suicidal
trollkin.

With the explosive blast, Aalmon stands inside the giant krashtkid's
maw, hacking away from the inside in a bloody carnage and laughing,
perhaps in hysteria, perhaps in joy, perhaps at the trollkin's final
joke. Using his Star Spirit, the Courier calls upon flames to arise
within the creature's maw, burning the chaotic flesh from the inside.
The creature, slightly surprised by these actions, nevertheless bites
into its prey, wrapping its tongue around Aalmon as the the Courier
stabs blindly in the burning darkness, his fading thoughts turning to
Marianne...



The Game Mechanic Details
-------------------------

By fighting with the Rocks, The Fourth is actually engaging in a clever
attack, reducing the effectiveness of the sticky pritzam that covers him
and also avoiding a penalty from fighting on the ground. Nevertheless,
he has suffered two serious wounds in the prior round, a penalty of -20.
Because of the nature of his attack, The Fourth avoids the usual -18
penalty for fighting six opponents simultaneously. The Fourth is
deliberately destroying all his rocks, losing 1 Hero Point but gaining
+20 (the equivalent of a 'bump'). Further, the Pyrrhic Victory rules
from HQ2 certainly apply here; an additional bonuse of +20, but with
serious consequences, even on a victory. So a total bonus of +20 for The
Fourth, adding to Blue Moon Rocks 13, for a total of 13W. Not bad for a
half-dead trollkin covered in glue and lying on the ground :)

On the other side are the cultists with Venom Bite 19. So six stabby
cultists and one explosion :)

13 versus 15. Minor success to The Fourth, explosion wounds cultist,
plus Pyrrhic Victory (Dead)
10 versus 16. Minor success to The Fourth, explosion wounds cultist,
plus Pyrrhic Victory (Dead)
15 versus 9. Marginal success to The Fourth, explosion lightly wounds
cultis, plus Pyrrhic Victory (Dead)
18 versus 11. Marginal success to The Fourth, explosion lightly wounds
cultis, plus Pyrrhic Victory (Dead)
13 versus 7. Minor success to The Fourth, explosion wounds cultist, plus
Pyrrhic Victory (Dead)
16 versus 18. Marginal success to The Fourth, explosion lightly wounds
cultis, plus Pyrrhic Victory (Dead)

Aalmon is attacking the Great Maw at 17, sword augment +20, plus Mean
Spirit at +3, plus Pyrrhich Victory +20, plus Bear Suffering +3, plus 
Flaming Weapon +6 (surely better than +3 from 'Stay Still'!), Cheat
Demon +3, plus surprise action bonus of +5 and finally Love Marianne of
+3 (which I must include for a perhaps last encounter). This is a total
of 17W3! The creature itself comes with Great Bite 20W, plus a
situational bonus of +20 (you're *inside* the mouth!), plus Great
Strength +10, and grappling Tongue at +6. Very nasty indeed! That's a
total of 16W3.

19 versus 18 (terrible rolls, by both sides... At the moment it's a
marginal defeat for Aalmon, and under the Pyrrhic rules, that's certain
death. So far Aalmon has spent four Hero Points...