On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:08:37 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44088:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 03:09:24 GMT, Neonsparks said in post id 44076:

 

WIS rolled a 2 - sill safe from nightmares
STR rolled a 9! that's x10 damage for the hit!

Boho backs off from the coughing umbrum to double-check her surroundings. The others appeared to be holding them off, but were more umbrum coming? She didn't need the answer, she could already hear more of them coming. Too many for a group of random civilians and infected volunteers to manage. She looked to the heart itself and thought, if there's any way to fix this mess it had to be the heart that could do it. after all, it was the most powerful artifact left intact in equestrian right? That's what stories had always said. 
she turned her attention away from the umbrum and made a run for the heart herself. Hoping perhaps she could tap into the magic inside of it to repel the invasion. Even for just a little while. 

The Umbrum takes a large enough hit while coughing, that the moment it hits the ground, it groans and flops unconscious. This one is down, but there are still two more that are a threat to the crystal, and more on the way! The sounds of their approach are getting louder and louder... Any moment now, reinforcements will get there.

Boho has an easy enough time getting to the crystal, but... she can't seem to link to it in any way. It pulses with life, and she can feel it, but something seems to be cutting off any attempt at a connection. Perhaps she is just not strong enough, or perhaps she has not attained a level of magic that would allow her to pull off such a feat.

While connected to the Crystal Heart... Boho starts to feel odd. a small bit of crystal growth starts to creep up through a small section of her body.

(Boho has gained the Crystal Infection! Where and how much is up to the player! It could be minimal, or it could be a bit more advanced, it's up to you!)

boho let go of it, gasping a little from the effort. but also because she could feel the crystal creep across her horns. she shook her head a few times but it was no use. the crystal coated her topmost horn and part of her face. she turned back to face the fight. standing closest to the heart at this point she knew she was in for a fight. 
boho bloom stands ready to defend the heart if any umbrum get to close!

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 04:40:13 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44065:

On Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:07:54 GMT, Creature said in post id 44055:

Wildfire misses, the umbrum dodging easily. She snorts, cursing under her breath "Celestia!" At least this one was locked on to her, and they easily outnumbered the three... Her ear flicks, hearing a nearby umbram bellow. That doesn't seem like a retreat call. 
(7 wis roll, she remains fully coherant!)
She sweeps up her fallen vine with telepathy and aims to bind the umbran in front of her up once again. 

The smirk is back on the Umbrum's face when it manages to side step the ball of fire, its eyes fixed on Wildfire.

Persistence is futile. We shall be free. We are many, eternal, ravaging like fear, persistent like hunger. You will tire... and we... do not.

The words ring through Wildfire's skull, but perhaps the fact the Umbrum is so intent on her means that it misses the way the vines are moving in the vicinity!
Roll INT to see if Wildfire manages to carry out the plan! 1-7, the vines reach the Umbrum, but all it does is destabilize it, rather than grab it, and breaks the connection with Wildfire fully, its eyes lowering down to the vines. 8-14 The vines manage to distract him fully, tying him for enough time to perhaps get a sneaky attack in!! 15-17 The Umbrum is fully inmobilized on the floor!

     Wildfire sweeps up the vines quietly, trying to push the Umbrum;s thoughts away. While it doesn't take notice of the vines, something else does. A small rat scampers up the pony's leg and nestles against her ear, reassuring her against the Umbrum's despairing words. Wild makes quick use of her vines, immobilizing the Umbrum and officially taking it out of the fight. She surveys the rest of the chamber, ponies around her fighting valiently despite the dreary mood. "One down!" Wild calls out loudly, to reassure her compainions and perhaphs draw attention of any free Umbrums to her. (How many are in the chamber now and what are they doing?)

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 19:57:25 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44087:

On Wed, 12 Jul 2023 22:27:06 GMT, Bakinaage said in post id 44069:

On Wed, 12 Jul 2023 05:47:02 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44014:

 

The fear is palpable, and poor Mixtus is so stressed he will need to roll a WIS to see if he trips over his own feet! 4 or higher to pass, if he doesn't, he trips, and though he doesn't take any damage, it'll set him back on his goal to catch the others!

Mixtus rolled a 4! As he scrambled fearfully to what he hoped was safety, he misstepped slightly and kicked his own hoof. He recovered, thankfully, and managed to keep running uninterrupted. It was clear by now that everyone was headed toward the location of the Crystal Heart, and this realization slowed him down slightly. Why would they want to run closer to the very thing the ghost monsters were after!? He understood that the chamber seemed pretty defendable, but what good was that if it was also the target of every single skull creature? It felt a bit like certain doom to him, and he glanced nervously around for better options.

Instead he saw Umbrum. Lots of them, in all directions, many of which were closer than he would like. In light of this fact, he decided not to change his course after all. Perhaps the ponies surrounding the Heart had some kind of plan. Why would they be here, fighting horrible monsters, if they didn't know what they were doing?

From somewhere to his right, an Umbrum changes course and turns to look at Mixtus fleeing. It zeroes in on the pony as he scrambles, open its mouth and snarls before charging.

Roll a DEX to see if Mixtus manages to evade the Umbrum charging him! 1-7 he is charged by the Umbrum and hit for 10 HP points! He must aditionally roll a WIS save to see if he is stuck in nightmares! 8-13 he manages to evade the charge fully, no WIS save needed. 14-15, not only does he evade the charge, but the umbrum skids and falls on the ground, granting Mixtus a chance for a free hit!

Mixtus rolls a 2 for DEX, and is hit before he can even react. On top of this, his WIS roll is a 1, and now he's nightmaring it up once again!

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 06:08:56 GMT, Daffu said in post id 44074:

On Wed, 12 Jul 2023 23:48:11 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44073:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 03:16:59 GMT, Daffu said in post id 44064:

 

Darkness Take You

After a struggle, Abbadon breaks free from the nightmare, wings spreading, pupils on the eyes there pinpricking to focus on a nearby Umbrum. Rather than fight them one on one, he flies into the air, and using the mental calmness he has gained, beats his wings and zooms around, attempting to keep the Umbrum's attention on him. He may not be strong... but if the Warped are distracted, then perhaps those strong can do something to take them down!

He opens his mouth and lets out a loud neigh, hoping that and his zooming around will be a worthwhile distraction.

He also rolls a 1, and breaks free from all illusions. For now.

Roll a CHA Stat Check to see if his antics can draw enough attention! 1-3 They all ignore him, 4-7 one is distracted until hit, 8+ two are distracted until hit. It seems he doesn't quite have the skill to get ALL of their attention...

Abbadon rolls a 7!

He notices at least one of the Umbrum have its on him and he grins to himself, happy to have managed offer a good opening for anyone on the ground. He hopes his dashing about has managed to catch the attention of someone other than the Umbrum so it can be taken advantage of. For the time being though, he decides to try and swoop down to one of the Umbrum not watching him and attempt to smack him with a hoof on his way away. Hopefully that'll get their attention!

He also rolls a 10 and avoids getting stuck in nightmares again.

Roll a DEX Stat check to see if his hit lands! 1-2 he miscalculates and crashes into their whole body, 3-5 he misses, 6+ he hits! If he crashes, roll a STR Stat Check for damage for the umbrum and a CON Stat Check for Abbadon, both taking damage = roll x 10. If he hits with his hoof, roll a STR Stat check for damage for the warped infected, damage = roll x 1.

Hevel was late- but there were just so many notes to take, with the current chaos, and it wasn't until well into the attack that the strange boy even realized that.... Well, Brave was likely caught up in it all.... He wasn't sure what pushed him to creep out to find the mare, but creep out he did, eventually finding himself in the nexus- it seemed important, the monument of a fallen ruler, and he'd thought he'd find her there when he had missed her in the chaos... But there was no Brave Storm to be found, just more violence.

He'd almost left, already turning to slink back from whence he came, when a flash of white and gold caught his eye- a stallion charging one of the corrupted Hevel had briefly studied, before his realizations spurred him into search. He didn't know the older stallion- but he did know he had seen that one hovering around Brave Storm, and it wouldn't have been a stretch to assume they'd have some sort of relationship- she'd be sad, probably, if something happened to him.

Hooves were moving before he realized he'd decided to help- charging forward on a whim, without a plan, to tackle the Umbrum threat with Gold Standard.

(Rolled a 1, safe from the nightmares! For now...)

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:26:41 GMT, Velnyx said in post id 44091:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 23:20:15 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44090:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 11:53:33 GMT, Velnyx said in post id 44083:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:17:17 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44067:

 

Even though the Umbrum does not manage to ensnare Rime, it does not look at all deterred for some reason. It advances menacingly, mouth open wide, as if screaming silently, albeit no sound comes through.

It notices the changeling charging and narrows its eyes as it figures out what to do.

Dex roll 1-5, you miss the Umbrum as it sidesteps you! 6-10 you hit the Umbrum, but it was bracing against you! It takes x1 damage. 11-14 You hit if with all your strength, and it takes full damage heads on (x10 damage)

Remember to roll nightmare again, having come in full contact with the Umbrum!

Rime rolls a 1 - the Umbrum sidesteps him easily, causing him to hiss and scrape his hooves on the floor to slow himself to turn back around for another go!

He rolls a wisdom - having come into close quarters with the creature again.. And rolls a 6 - he isn't snared in a nightmare.

The Umbrum sidesteps the charge with ease, veering to the left as Rime passes by, and instantly aims to retaliate at the brazen changeling with a bite of its own. No words pass between them, but a rolling hatred exudes the Umbrum in near waves.

Roll a DEX! 1-7 the Umbrum hits for 10 Hp! 8-12, Rime evades, 13-14 not only does Rime evade, but he gets a free hit in as the Umbrum losses its balance and stumbles!

If the Umbrum hits, roll a WIS for nightmares, otherwise there is no need (as the stumble will allow her a free hit!)

Rime roars as he charges the Umbrum, he goes to duck to the side (roll: 4), but he trips over his own hooves as the Umbrum's bite connects (roll: 5) and he is now trapped in another nightmare!

The Umbrum chuckles to itself, having drawn a bit of blood, it licks its lips and de starts to move in for another hit!

Respond with a nightmare prompt, no need to roll to evade the next hit; if you get freed from nightmares, you will automatically evade, though how you do so is up to you! But do roll another wisdom to check for nightmares - if you're still stuck in nightmares... things will get interesting, and you won't evade the hit either!

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:27:11 GMT, Xaotl said in post id 44092:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:13:14 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44089:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 11:50:48 GMT, Xaotl said in post id 44082:

 Gold Standard was really really sure he shouldn't be in the middle of all this. He wasn't a knight, a caster... he wasn't really anythng this side of band management... but he'd maybe been spending just a little too much time around Brave, and had put just enough distance between himself and the terrifying struggle with the Bug Bear to be feeling unwisely unable to stuff himself into a small space and hide. 

 Besides he was sort of... large... for most good hiding spaces. And he'd heard the chaos. And the call.  

It really was chaos when he burst onto the scene, breaking through a crowd of ponies heading the opposite way, and it took moments he wasn't sure they had to try and scan the scene and see where he could do anything. His eyes landed on Abbadon, picked out what he was trying to do, and charged that direction, determined to damn well sit on at least one of the Corrupt if he had to, at least until someone competent could help out.

Abaddon's zipping around had one Umbrum entirely enthralled with him. Its eyes followed the flying pegasus, and it did not pick up on Gold Standard's approach at all; a detriment to itself for sure. 

But still! This means Gold gets a free hit off, no DEX or Nightmare WIS save required!

How would Gold like to attack?

Gold is pretty sure he doesn't have the training to pull off a precision maneuver so he's put his head down and shoulder slam it from as close a range as he can get before it notices him. If he can knock it down, so much the better! Finesse is for ponies who have training, this is pure brawl. 

Gold gets a free hit in, and the one Umbrum actually goes down rather easily; it must've taken previous damage before this, but it flops over and it stops moving for the time being. The host seems fine, but it's been knocked unconcious. Gold can now decide what to do and how to advance from here!

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:00:18 GMT, Neonsparks said in post id 44095:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:08:37 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44088:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 03:09:24 GMT, Neonsparks said in post id 44076:

 

WIS rolled a 2 - sill safe from nightmares
STR rolled a 9! that's x10 damage for the hit!

Boho backs off from the coughing umbrum to double-check her surroundings. The others appeared to be holding them off, but were more umbrum coming? She didn't need the answer, she could already hear more of them coming. Too many for a group of random civilians and infected volunteers to manage. She looked to the heart itself and thought, if there's any way to fix this mess it had to be the heart that could do it. after all, it was the most powerful artifact left intact in equestrian right? That's what stories had always said. 
she turned her attention away from the umbrum and made a run for the heart herself. Hoping perhaps she could tap into the magic inside of it to repel the invasion. Even for just a little while. 

The Umbrum takes a large enough hit while coughing, that the moment it hits the ground, it groans and flops unconscious. This one is down, but there are still two more that are a threat to the crystal, and more on the way! The sounds of their approach are getting louder and louder... Any moment now, reinforcements will get there.

Boho has an easy enough time getting to the crystal, but... she can't seem to link to it in any way. It pulses with life, and she can feel it, but something seems to be cutting off any attempt at a connection. Perhaps she is just not strong enough, or perhaps she has not attained a level of magic that would allow her to pull off such a feat.

While connected to the Crystal Heart... Boho starts to feel odd. a small bit of crystal growth starts to creep up through a small section of her body.

(Boho has gained the Crystal Infection! Where and how much is up to the player! It could be minimal, or it could be a bit more advanced, it's up to you!)

boho let go of it, gasping a little from the effort. but also because she could feel the crystal creep across her horns. she shook her head a few times but it was no use. the crystal coated her topmost horn and part of her face. she turned back to face the fight. standing closest to the heart at this point she knew she was in for a fight. 
boho bloom stands ready to defend the heart if any umbrum get to close!

The noise reaches a cacaphony, and soon enough, two more Umbrum burst through; these two have taken over rather large ponies, and seem free from the fight, having taken little damage. One of the two turns, takes one look at Boho, and charges her inmediately.

No need to roll for nightmares, as no contact has ben made yet... but roll CON to see if her new affliction makes it so she stumbles, and gets hit by the umbrum (at which point you would have to roll WIS). 1-4, she stumbles, the crystal groth is distracting, or hurts her somehow, grows further, whatever you want, and she takes a full hit from the Umbrum worth 15 HP! You will need a WIS roll! 5-10 She stumbles but recovers enough to get out of the way of the charge, no WIS needed! 11-12 she not only manages to get out of the way, but her footwork is so elegant, the Umbrum itself stumbles; how that goes will be up to Boho; will she try to hit it back (and roll WIS), get away, etc?

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:01:10 GMT, Creature said in post id 44096:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 04:40:13 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44065:

On Wed, 12 Jul 2023 16:07:54 GMT, Creature said in post id 44055:

Wildfire misses, the umbrum dodging easily. She snorts, cursing under her breath "Celestia!" At least this one was locked on to her, and they easily outnumbered the three... Her ear flicks, hearing a nearby umbram bellow. That doesn't seem like a retreat call. 
(7 wis roll, she remains fully coherant!)
She sweeps up her fallen vine with telepathy and aims to bind the umbran in front of her up once again. 

The smirk is back on the Umbrum's face when it manages to side step the ball of fire, its eyes fixed on Wildfire.

Persistence is futile. We shall be free. We are many, eternal, ravaging like fear, persistent like hunger. You will tire... and we... do not.

The words ring through Wildfire's skull, but perhaps the fact the Umbrum is so intent on her means that it misses the way the vines are moving in the vicinity!
Roll INT to see if Wildfire manages to carry out the plan! 1-7, the vines reach the Umbrum, but all it does is destabilize it, rather than grab it, and breaks the connection with Wildfire fully, its eyes lowering down to the vines. 8-14 The vines manage to distract him fully, tying him for enough time to perhaps get a sneaky attack in!! 15-17 The Umbrum is fully inmobilized on the floor!

     Wildfire sweeps up the vines quietly, trying to push the Umbrum;s thoughts away. While it doesn't take notice of the vines, something else does. A small rat scampers up the pony's leg and nestles against her ear, reassuring her against the Umbrum's despairing words. Wild makes quick use of her vines, immobilizing the Umbrum and officially taking it out of the fight. She surveys the rest of the chamber, ponies around her fighting valiently despite the dreary mood. "One down!" Wild calls out loudly, to reassure her compainions and perhaphs draw attention of any free Umbrums to her. (How many are in the chamber now and what are they doing?)

The restrained Umbrum screeches from its place, turns its head to glare at Wildfire with utter malice and begins to gnaw at the vines that hold it; they won't last for too long, so Wildfire better think on her feet! Will she turn away from this Umbrum, go to another? Two more, even stronger looking Umbrum have charged in, and though the restrained one is the last one of the original three.... more may come. Two, in fact, had been taken down; this restrained one is the last one of the original three still concious!

There is the restrainted on, two unconcious, and two new ones that have just charged in - the restrained one looks like it's taken a few hits, but it's still up and going.

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 23:06:33 GMT, Bakinaage said in post id 44100:

On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 19:57:25 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44087:

On Wed, 12 Jul 2023 22:27:06 GMT, Bakinaage said in post id 44069:

On Wed, 12 Jul 2023 05:47:02 GMT, TalesFromEquestria said in post id 44014:

 

The fear is palpable, and poor Mixtus is so stressed he will need to roll a WIS to see if he trips over his own feet! 4 or higher to pass, if he doesn't, he trips, and though he doesn't take any damage, it'll set him back on his goal to catch the others!

Mixtus rolled a 4! As he scrambled fearfully to what he hoped was safety, he misstepped slightly and kicked his own hoof. He recovered, thankfully, and managed to keep running uninterrupted. It was clear by now that everyone was headed toward the location of the Crystal Heart, and this realization slowed him down slightly. Why would they want to run closer to the very thing the ghost monsters were after!? He understood that the chamber seemed pretty defendable, but what good was that if it was also the target of every single skull creature? It felt a bit like certain doom to him, and he glanced nervously around for better options.

Instead he saw Umbrum. Lots of them, in all directions, many of which were closer than he would like. In light of this fact, he decided not to change his course after all. Perhaps the ponies surrounding the Heart had some kind of plan. Why would they be here, fighting horrible monsters, if they didn't know what they were doing?

From somewhere to his right, an Umbrum changes course and turns to look at Mixtus fleeing. It zeroes in on the pony as he scrambles, open its mouth and snarls before charging.

Roll a DEX to see if Mixtus manages to evade the Umbrum charging him! 1-7 he is charged by the Umbrum and hit for 10 HP points! He must aditionally roll a WIS save to see if he is stuck in nightmares! 8-13 he manages to evade the charge fully, no WIS save needed. 14-15, not only does he evade the charge, but the umbrum skids and falls on the ground, granting Mixtus a chance for a free hit!

Mixtus rolls a 2 for DEX, and is hit before he can even react. On top of this, his WIS roll is a 1, and now he's nightmaring it up once again!

Nightmares engulfe poor Mixtus, though just before he is taken, he does see the creature that had been focused on him go down. Take heart! Post a nightmare prompt to return to the fight!