[Q1] Dragons Peak Burns

And in an instant, it seemed everything had gone wrong.  The lyrium wasn't reacting the way lyrium should, and suddenly Lana had been stabbed and when she said something was wrong Elanna knew that it was serious.  In her efforts to get away from the now moving lyrium she accidentally bumped the pillar. 

Jumping back as soon as she'd made contact, and thankful the consequences hadn't been worse, she noticed that it looked an awful lot like a foot.  And now that she was thinking about it, the other pillar was shaped an awful lot like one too...

And they were starting to tremble.  Oh, fuck.

She looked back over to Anders and Lana when he addressed her and she ran over to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving further toward the way they'd come.  [color=#17b529]"Wait, we can't, look!"[/color]  She pointed at the floor.  It was completely covered with red lyrium for as far as she could see, blocking the way back.  Unless someone could fly all the way back without touching the ground there was no safe way to navigate it that she could see.

Dirt and stone began to fall from above as the pillars - legs - continued to shake and start to move.  Enough so that she could start to see a glimmer of light from above.  She'd be tempted to start climbing the giant thing if there wasn't red lyrium coating it.  Though the lyrium did seem to be reacting to magic most and she didn't have any...

[color=#17b529]"Anders, do you think you can help me get up there?"[/color] she said, pointing to the light far above them.  [color=#17b529]"If I get high enough, I might be able to get out and drop a couple ropes for you, have Fred pull you out."[/color]  Maybe she'd get lucky and there'd be a way to scale the wall, but if she had to try to climb the moving giant, well, so be it.  She'd wrap her hands to avoid direct contact and hope for the best.

TLDR
-Stops Anders from trying to go back through the lyrium
-Notices that the pillars are legs and a hole is starting to form up where the head would be
-Asks Anders if he has some way of giving her a boost so she can start climbing out

And just because the day couldn’t get any better, it got worse.  The ground beneath their feet began shaking again, quaking.  Which, naturally, made the red goop begin shaking too, quaking. Curling, frothing, making shapes that blood really shouldn’t have been able to to.  Well, it was good that it wasn’t blood now, was it?  Was it bad that he really really wished it was blood?

Oh the good old days.

But the shaking was… sporadic.  Sometimes he was staggered, and sometimes it was like moving with a rocky, gentle breeze.  Alastair patted at the strange woman’s hand again, not really sure what he was supposed to be doing with her.  Or not… doing?  Wait.  No.  He definitely knew what he wasn’t supposed to be doing.  With her, and with that unknown red stuff.  It didn’t escape him that he and Bryon were in agreement over not touching strange red goop.  He should’ve been glad.  He wasn’t.

Look out!! he shouted again as the rock crumbled like broken chalk where the thickest of the red substance appeared to be, one moment furiously bubbling, the next… oozing in on itself, bubbling downward, with rather disturbing wet suction noises.  Oh, no, no, that was an awful set of sounds.  He definitely did not like.  But the red goop was rapidly going away… hopefully not where Elanna and the other two Wardens were.

Alastair tentatively took a step forward, testing his footing before bringing the rest of his weight onto his lead foot.  He really didn’t want to fall back down the mountain the hard way.  But, as he looked around, things really didn’t seem all that bad, considering… Nothing else seemed to cave in or collapse.  Oddly enough.  The mountain had split further apart, but he would’ve thought that would’ve happened with more screaming and yelling.  From them.

There was a hole though… a rather large one…

Exchanging various looks with the others near him, he gently removed the odd lady’s hands from his arm, and slowly eased forward. It was dark, but it wasn’t the dark that had him leaping away with a startled yelp.  No, it was the pools of red that did it.  Pools of red that moved, and blinked.  Pools of red… with shield-sized black circles in each one. He tripped backwards over someone’s wayward leg and went sprawling.  Then, he covered his face with his hands.

tl;dr
- the red goop is even more active, suddenly
- the mountain is shaking 
- there's a hole that the red goop is falling into that makes gross sounds
- he hopes the goop doesn't fall on Elanna, Lana, and Anders
- he peeks at the hole
- he does not like what he sees, trips backwards on someone's leg, goes into 'nope' mode

The ground shook and the red liquid moved in ways no liquid really should. Truthfully, Byron was at a loss about it all, because now they'd touched the stuff and it'd gone mad and the mountain, volcano...whatever it was they were investigating now because Maker knew it wasn't what they had been told. Not when the goop moved away from them and acted almost alive? That was perhaps the easiest way for Byron to consider it and he tried to shove it to the back of his mind at what that might mean for them to worry about the present.

Like falling rocks, an ever increasing hole as the mountain split further and well, whatever was causing that.

Alistair yelled and Byron, without any real thought, shoved the man he'd grabbed to stop bottling the goop up to the side to keep him safe, and once that had settled down enough to think he watched Alistair look around the group before approaching the hole and then about faint at whatever he saw. Which only caused him to put a hand on his axe and pull it off and around from his back, the heft comforting in his hands as he moved in front of the fallen man, shielding him and anyone who moved to help him stand up to peer down into the hole himself, curious and also willing, as always, to take the blow if it came down to it.

And what he saw had his mouth gaping, hands clenching on his weapon tighter as if ready to swing at the red eyes that had startled the other man. Sense made him not rush towards it but he couldn't help raising his axe in a defensive stance. "Anyone have thoughts on a red eyed giant that lives in mountains?"

tl;dr
- contemplates on if the goop is alive or not
- shoves Deyran out of the way of the rocks, or tries to
- pulls his axe out as he approaches the hole to look down into it after Alistair does
- Is definitely down and ready to fight the thing with red eyes, also is standing in front of Alistair and anyone who picks him up to keep them safe if the thing attacks

Franziska frowned when the man whose arm she'd grabbed staggered, and then he approached the hole... and didn't like what he saw, as he quickly found a fetal position on the ground nearby. She peered into the hole, glancing across it towards her husband.

Gimme that, she held her hand out for the battleaxe. Poke it in the eye! She was teasing, and it showed in the way she rolled her eyes at her husband's reaction to her banter. I'm kiddin'. But maybe we need to... start thinking about where to move the people down there.

She came around the hole in the ground once more, and sidled up next to Byron. Maybe one of us needs to go back? She raised her eyebrows at him, concerned that he might fight her on it. Or not see where she was coming from.

tldr;;
- jokes about poking the giant in the eyeball
- suggests to byron that one of them leaves the quest to return to the kingdom...

He had snatched a flask from Deyran and took a sample for Octavia when no one was looking. Some of it got on his fingers. Shhh. He did it while everyone was walking towards the big hole.

Now, Aulus stared down at the red eyes with his own concussed, haggard red eyes, his fingertips stinging. As the woman began to snip at the other man, his attention turned to them and he saw Octavia and himself transposed over their forms. Octavia was telling him to go back to town after he had come all the way up here and stared into the eyes of an evil mountain god. He saw himself just standing there defensively but with a sense of emptiness. His agency, robbed, he watched from outside his body. She took his axe like it was nothing.

Go all the way back to town.

A headache struck him with sharp pain. The journey here, alone, after falling down half a cliff, had already been a nightmare.

Poke it in the eye.

Investigate the earthquakes.

Buy me a new horse to match my dress.

Do your job.

You can't even kill me.

WHY DO YOU DO NOTHING ABOUT HER? he shouted at the other Aulus (Byron). WHY DO YOU DO NOTHING BUT WHATEVER SHE ASKS? Aulus roared. WHY ARE YOU NOTHING BUT HER LITTLE ERRAND BOY? The veins in his neck buldged, the throbbing of his heart visible. His eyes were as red as whatever was in the mountains. He pulled out two daggers, and threw them at the burning eyes below. ARE YOU HAPPY WOMAN he screamed at Octavia (Fran).

- Aulus loses his shit, and sees fran as octavia and byron as himself.
- He yells at them.
- He throws two daggers at the big red eyes.

High upon the jagged slopes of the breaking mountain, Deyran crouched down near the edge of the red viscous pond. The peak trembled incessantly, making containment of the substance a near-impossible task. His focus was unwavering, enveloping him in a silence that drowned out all else. Just as his hand reached out to capture the elusive liquid, a force pushed him back. It took him a moment to register the intrusion, and even longer to discern its source. Deyran raises an eyebrow at Byron,You could've simply asked me to move, you know, he complained as he rose to his feet, brushing off the dust and dirt from his clothes. 

[color=#666666]-Anyone have thoughts on a red eyed giant that lives in mountains?[/color]

The irony of his situation wasn't lost on him. Here he was, on an exhilarating adventure that could only be described as- different, yet he couldn't help but wonder if he would have been better off lounging in the comfort of his estate. But his insatiable curiosity, ever eager for new experiences, drove him onward. Walking towards the newly formed gap in the mountain's surface. Yep, that's definitely an eye, he confirmed with a seriousness that bordered on absurdity.

[color=#666666]-Poke it in the eye!
[/color]
He replied with a quick set of nods his demeanor suggesting a mix of amusement and genuine interest. Oh-ho yes, please do! He chuckled lightly for a while until the warrior guy started to lose it.

Deyran raises a finger at Aulus, Please- tell me he is talking to a spirit...

Well... well... well.

It'd seem that things are... falling apart, quite literally, wouldn't you say? But it could be worse—it could be a volcano... Imagine, lava rushing towards Denerim. The screams! The glorious, glorious smog that would black out the sky...

Mmm. But alas, you've been spared from that—

But don't worry. This is far, far worse. A natural disaster is one thing... this, though? Just call this Divine Intervention.

Good luck.

FOR THE UPPER GROUP:
Not only have you found this thing's head, but there's an arm slowly working its way out of the earth in front of you. [color=#419dc1]Byron [/color]grabs [color=#fbb8ec]Franziska's[/color] arm, yanking her backwards. A heavy fog settled over the mountain, concealing the group from the creature's red gaze. The sound of wolves snarling and encircling the group can be heard... and when the fog fades away, [color=#e86e04]Alistair [/color]is gone. Whatever had come, giving them a moment of respite, is gone with the ex-King of Ferelden. It's as if he were never there.

And  [color=#419dc1]Byron [/color]and[color=#fbb8ec] Franziska[/color]  find themselves blocked by a barrier, being swept backwards.

It seems someone's looking out for you... or are they just wanting a good show?

[color=#f012be]Aulus [/color]and [color=#c19e00]Deyran[/color]also find themselves pushed backwards by an invisible force. And before the giant has pulled himself out of the mountain, further cracking the large mound of earth in two, the entire upper-level group finds themselves surrounded by a barrier, protected from the first of what will be many blows to come from the creature. The giant has managed to pull itself further out of the hole, both arms are free—and its red eyes are fixated on the above-ground group.

The barrier protecting you has disappeared.

FOR THE LOWER GROUP:
The giant has pulled itself further out of the hole at the top. Where there were once pillars, now there are two large holes, the creatures feet are free and it can stomp freely, at will. This doesn't bode too well for you... unfortunately.

Bet avoid those feet! But oh, let's not forget Anders, holding Lana... Whatever cruel magic is at play affecting Lana, begins to affect him as well. The same black veins blossom across his arms, and warts begin to pop up across his skin. But for the moment... nothing terrible seems to be happening to his magic.

The same magic that helped the others above, is soon lifting the underground party right past the giant. They get a glimpse of its lyrium-red eyes, eyes full of... hate? It's hard to decipher, because upon closer inspection, the eyes are made of gemstones. Probably lyrium like everything else underground.

The entire group is tossed just behind the above-ground group.

THE END IS NIGH:
We're going to do 3 more rounds. All of these rounds will be COMBAT rounds. Please use the [color=#e8c500]!combat [/color]roll to determine with each post, if you hit the Titan or not. It will tell you if you PASS or FAIL, and that will determine how you write your post. A pass should make a definitive hit, might I suggest aiming for the same appendage as everyone else? We need [color=#e8c500]13/21 !combat rolls to be PASSES[/color] for the group to fell the Titan without help.

In the event that we do not get the amount of PASSES needed, a Titan-killer will enter the thread, to end it and ensure all party members get home safely. (There's a reason Safia's no longer in the thread).

POST ORDER:

• NPC (IVY/ZEZE)
  
• BYRON (DRAKE)
  
• AULUS (ZEZE)
  
• FRANZISKA (IVY)
  
• DEYRAN (NIGHTCLOAK)
  
• ANDERS (STITCHY)
  
• ELANNA (AILYN)
  
• LANA (TAIE) 
  

TLDR;;

• Alistair has disappeared from the thread under mysterious circumstances.
  
• Mysterious magic has brought the underground folx (Anders, Elanna and Lana) aboveground.
  
• Mysterious magic has also protected the aboveground group (Byron, Aulus, Fran, Deyran) from direct hits from the Titan.
  
• The Titan is rising out of the mountain.
  
• COMBAT ROUNDS. Please use !combat and write your posts accordingly.
  
• We need 13/21 PASS !combat rolls for the group to down the creature without help.
  
• This is ROUND ONE of THREE.
  
• Anders is... affected by the lyrium while holding Lana... but all that's happened so far, is he's become really warty.
  

One moment one of the other men was screaming at him and Franziska, something about being her errand boy? Something odd, something Byron couldn't place or understand. He didn't even know the other man, and he had to agree with the one who he'd had hold off and pulled away earlier, that he hoped he was screaming at some spirit.

But like always, his attention was drawn to Franziska and her comments about him and his axe, about how one of them should leave. How one of them should probably go down and move the people at the base of the mountain and that was more of his concern than someone losing his mind. He tried to ignore that a moment to focus on his wife as he leaned down, eyes still glued on the hole and the giant there. You say that as if you want to run. Or worried about me? Worried I'll do something dumb again?

His track record as of late in battle wasn't good after all, he could understand. He could also understand that, perhaps, having both him and his queen in a potentially dangerous situation was perhaps the dumbest thing he'd done in a while, alongside Elanna and a handful of the others he knew present that perhaps made the group a bigger target than needed. But he was a Wulff and doing dumb things in the name of his country and people was in his blood.

Any expectation of a response however, was gone as the fog rolled in and a barrier appeared before him and Fran. Swept backwards from the hole, he didn't notice who all else was there or appeared on their own or disappeared. His eyes instead were glued to the giant thing emerging from the ground, arms appearing and eyes of red gems locked on them. As he attempted to step in front of Fran, he couldn't help but take a swing at the thing, but his adrenaline was high as was his attempt to keep Fran and the others safe, causing his axe to miss it's mark with a snarl from him, causing him to square up at the front of the group for another blow.

tl;dr
- Really confused at Aulus's rants and ravings but doesn't take it to heart too much with GIANT
- Comments to Fran about one of them possibly leaving, a little irked but not mad
- Takes a swing and misses his mark (Combat roll: Miss)
- Gets in front of the crowd to play protector, best he can

Up out of the ground arose an otherworldly creature Aulus could only rationalize as his attachment to her. All along, it had been unseen, an ugly, heavy, mouth-breathing, creature that could drag him deeper into its flames. He stood beside the illusion of himself, feeling protective of it, himself, for the first time in a long time. His eyes crackled and the veins in his neck throbbed with his pulse. He roared as if to shed whatever was building inside him. Then, he yanked his sword out, and swung hitting the arm it used as it tried to drag itself out of its hole.

GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM! I'LL BURY YOU, ABOMINATION!

tldr
- aulus hits the titan in the arm with his sword while its trying to drag itself out of the hole.

Franziska scowled at her husband, murmuring in response, It's your kingdom and we've got everyone important, here, in danger. She was worried something would happen to him; but not willing to admit that.

She leaned around her husband, slicing her palm open with the blade of his axe. Droplets of blood formed into balls, dozens and dozens of tiny little balls, right into the Titans face. The droplets cut through the creatures right side of its face, blinding it on the right.

A blind spot.

tldr;;
- Cuts her hand and creates bullets from her blood; sends a flurry of blood bullets into the Titan's body. (Combat Roll: Success)

As the barrier dissipates, Deyran surveys the scene with a sense of urgency. The giant has freed itself further and is now fixating on the group. The unexpected appearance of the enormous creature has thrown him off his usual game of shadows and subterfuge. But before he can make his move, a flurry of blood bullets streaks through the air towards the colossal beast's body, launched by an unseen attacker. Reacting with instinctive agility, Deyran dodges and weaves through the deadly projectiles, his movements fluid and precise.

With calculated speed, the ward darts closer to the colossal beast's body, leaping when near enough to execute a 360° horizontal slash across the creature's form. The aftermath finds him almost skating above the ground, reminiscent of a figure gliding over a frozen river in winter. Yet, he maintains perfect balance.

Listen closely, everyone, Deyran announces, his voice projecting with a commanding presence. Split the body from its legs! he cried out suggesting- no, commanding everyone to strike at the same spot. A directive born of desperation and strategy, demanding synchronized action to confront the unexpected threat head-on.


TLDR;

• Gets in the way of Franziska's blood bullets, but manages to dodge them
  
• 360° horizontal slash across the creature's body (Combat Roll: Success)
  
• Uses Tactician - Commanding Presence (All allies receive a buff to attack and stamina)
  

He could feel whatever was effecting Lana seep into his skin but he did his best to ignore it. Getting her out of there was the main focus and no sooner did he take a step than some strange magic ended up casting them back to the surface. Anders gently let Lana down but kept a protective arm around her, looking out in front of them at the giant.

Well, he wasn’t surprised but definitely disappointed that shit seemed to hit the fan.

He whistled for Fred, pulling his staff from where it was slung over his back. He slung a small spirit blast at the creature, not really even caring if it hit as he built a force field around himself and Lana, looking to the sky.

TLDR
-He knows something is going wrong with him but is too focused on Lana to care.
-He whistles for his griffon
-Sends a spirit blast towards the giant (combat roll fail) but his main focus was a protective shield around himself and Lana.

As it turned out, Anders' assistance wasn't needed to get back aboveground where they could face the giant red lyrium titan.  Odd, but she wasn't about to turn down a gift when it presented itself, nor question it overmuch when there were more pressing concerns.

She glanced back at Anders and Lana, checking on them briefly.  Not good, but Anders was already on it.  [color=#17b529]"Go, we'll get this,"[/color] she said to them.  Fred would be there soon and they needed to retreat to deal with whatever was causing Lana's magic to go haywire.

Noticing Fran's effort to blind the creature, she started to move away from Anders and Lana, notched an arrow, and loosed it at the remaining eye.  A miss, but maybe she could draw some of the attention away from the others, give them a better chance of landing a hit.

TLDR

• Lets Anders and Lana know it's ok to retreat if they need to
  
• Starts to move away from Anders and Lana in an attempt to make it less likely for the titan to be able to hit all of them at once
  
• Tries to hit the titan's good eye with an arrow, misses
  

Lana found herself distracted, leaning in close to Anders' neck as he held her. Something about it kept her attention away from what was happening around them. Your blood smells good. The words whispered, somewhere between her and Voracity.

Only when she felt the change in temperature of cool stone under her skin did she shake off the thought. For the moment.

A slight scowl twisted her features at Elanna. I'm still capable of helping.

You sure about that? She could hear Voracity's words ringing in her head. Ignoring the demon, she summoned her magic, trying to reach out and touch the Blight of the red lyrium in the titan.

Not realizing, initially, the way in which it would backfire on her. Only recognizing she couldn't seem to connect through her magic to the Blight, couldn't control it the way she could with darkspawn.

tldr;

• Makes creepy comment @ Anders about blood
  
• Questions Elanna (u dumb bitch, listen to ur friend)
  
• Attempts to use her Blight Magic to affect the titan. Hit by a magic surge instead *see discord
  

DICE ROLLS REQUIRED: [color=#72ff84]4[/color]
DICE ROLLS SUCCEEDED: [color=#fffa1e]3[/color]
RESULT: [color=#ff4136]CRIT FAIL.[/color]

The Titan is weakened, but not enough to hit the ground. Too many of you missed your attacks... Furthermore, Aktaie rolled a d100 on this magic table; she rolled a 74 to decide how Lana's magic reacts, and then we did a curveball roll to see who was affected by the dice roll that Taie did.

[color=#2ecc40]Anders[/color] is affected by poisoning. But, we must not forget... Anders, who's been growing even more warts over the course of the last round, had a curveball of his own. Seconds tick by, and eventually...

[color=#2ecc40]Anders [/color]finds himself turned into a poison dart frog. This will last for the duration of the round; one this round is over, Anders will return to his normal, wart-covered self. (I know, everyone expected me to turn someone into a cat, buuuuut frogs are cute.)

[color=#2ecc40]Anders[/color] does not post for this round, and his fight roll is an automatic fail. It should be assumed that when he turns into a frog, Lana is dropped to the ground and Anders has narrowly hopped out of the way to avoid being smushed.

The Titan shakes the earth in an earthquake as it lashes out at the group. Everyone rolls a !d20roll to see if they get knocked down or not (roll higher than 12). Also roll for !combat.

If you are knocked down, roll !d6 to see what kind of injury your character sustains:
1 = None
2 = Sprain (limb of your choice)
3 = Break (limb of your choice)
4 = Concussion
5 = None
6 = Bruises / Scrapes

THIS ROUNDS ROLLS:
AUTO-FAIL: 1 (Anders)
NEEDED: 4

POST ORDER:
NPC (IVY/ZEZE)
AULUS (ZEZE)
FRANZISKA (IVY)
DEYRAN (NIGHTCLOAK)
ANDERS (STITCHY)
ELANNA (AILYN)
LANA (TAIE)
BYRON (DRAKE)