A crowd surge down the canal-side, engulfing Zoey in a human wave. Amidst shouting, and singing, and tangled arms, and boisterous behaviour she is blown away, ending up--well, heaven knows where.
2 clues
Agnes draws
Canal-side [Innocent Reveler, 2 clues] -> Streets of Venice [Masked Carnival-Goer] -> Rialto Bridge [Masked Carnival-Goer] -> Venetian Garden [Carnevale Sentinel, Masked Carnival-Goer] -> Bridge of Sighs [Zoey, 2 clues, Masked Carnival-Goer] -> San Marco Basilica [Abbess, Masked Carnival-Goer] -> Flooded Square [1 clue] -> Academia Bridge [Agnes, Acrid Miasma] -> back round to Canal-side
Zoey is suddenly gone, and Agnes looks around desperately for her, unable to find any trace. "Zoey!" she calls. "Zoey, where did you go?!" Noticing a rippling in the water, she peers over the bridge's rail. Could she have fallen off of it?
Suddenly, a huge tentacle shoots out from beneath the surface and wraps itself around Agnes's waist, dragging into the railing with a brutal impact! It is everything she can do to keep from flipping over the rail and into the canal to her doom. Reacting quickly, she swipes at the tentacle with her axe, and it retracts.
OOC,Agility test against Chaos in the Water (3 stat vs. 4):
[dice]0[/dice]
3 -1 = 2 vs. 4. Failure! [b]Agnes[/b] takes 1 damage.
OOC: My plan: Investigate, flip the Masked Carnival-Goer, then... Zoey can use the Abbess to move to the Basilica as well. Does it matter who goes first?
OOC,No, I don't think it matters. You can go first if you like. Note that you still have a clue, so you may want to flip before you investigate. That way, if it turns out to be an enemy, you have more actions left to fight before it makes a second attack.
OOC,Plus you'd lose another 2 when he attacked on his own turn, driving you insane. Your idea is a good one. It's a shame I can't be there to help. One swipe of the axe, and I could finish him. If your first attempt to evade fails, at least you can try again with your remaining action. If you succeed on your first try, you may want to move to the next location and leave him there for me to finish if I eventually get there. If you succeed on your second attempt you could use your other Shortcut to escape.
Agility 2 vs. 2 Chaos token [dice]0[/dice] (tentacles), automatic failure.
Action 3: Evade Salvatore Neri.
Agility 2 vs. 2 Chaos token [dice]1[/dice] (-2), fail.
The terrifying pink flames surrounded his face--his mask--no, what was happening? Zoey ran to and fro franticly, trying to flee from the Master of Illusions.
He shouted: "I am Salvatore Neri! Fear me, woman," and laughed, "for I shall drive you insane!"
"Oh Agnes! I need you!" cried Zoey, "Where are you? Help me!"
"Zoey, where are you?!" cries Agnes, hurrying across the bridge and dropping something in her haste. There is no sign of her friend on the canal side, so Agnes searches around. She finds a hidden backpack full of supplies, as well as a treasure trove of information...but no trace of Zoey.
OOC,Action 1: Move to Canal-side. Lose my remaining resource.
Reaction: Add 1 clue to Canal-side.
Action 2: Activate Emergency Cache. Gain 3 resources.
Action 3: Investgiate. Intellect test (2 stat vs. 2 shroud):
[dice]0[/dice]
2 -4 = 0. Failure by 2, since the shroud is 2 and the minimum possible result is 0.
Spend 2 resources to play "Look what I found!" 2 clues gained.
Salvatore Neri attacks Zoey causing 2 sanity loss, split between her and Guard Dog who deals 1 damage.
Zoey knelt, trembling and alone. The Master of Illusions placed his hand upon her head as if to bestow a benediction, but in reality to suck on her soul. Titan leaped at Salvatore and wrestled with his arm; his nefarious exploit was interrupted. The dog lost all control of its senses, running in circles, before bounding away howling.
OOC,Ouch! I think I can beat him, though. With my axe, I can do 2 damage if I pump both resources into it and am lucky enough. Then I can get another resource from Forbidden Knowledge, causing yet another point of damage when I take the horror. That and Unexpected Courage can get me another attack at +2 overall. If I only hit the Poleman once, I'll get to do a fourth point of damage when the Poleman attacks me due to me gaining horror during the Mythos Phase.
By the way, there's still 1 clue left at Canal-side that was added when I entered.
Don Lagorio engages and attacks Zoey. She gains 1 resource then exhausts Zoey's Cross and spends 1 resource to deal 1 damage; Zoey takes 1 damage and Guard Dog takes 1 damage, it deals 1 damage in return. Don Lagorio 2/4 health.
OOC: Before I update Zoey's stats I looked at her phase 5 and noticed that I forgot Salvatore's initial attack--when I flipped the Masked Carnivale-Goer, so that's an additional 2 sanity loss! This plus the move from Bridge of Sighs would drive Zoey insane... she could sacrifice Guard Dog's sanity back at the bridge?
Agnes turns as a gondola pulls up alongside her. "Oh, good!" she says to the gondolier as she steps aboard. "I'm looking for my friend Zoey. Perhaps you've seen her?"
"Bellissima, Signorina," burbles the robed figure. It removes its hood to reveal a horrible visage that looks like a hideous fish with many teeth. With a scream of terror, Agnes swings her axe with all her might, but she isn't used to fighting on a rocking boat. The creature, however, is. With a swipe of its pole, it knocks her flat on her back and then leaps atop her, pinning her to the deck. It kisses her roughly on the lips, cutting off her screams. Then its claw-like hands begin to hike her skirt.
In desperation, Agnes channels the ancient mystical energies she remembers from a previous life, launching a bolt of pure force into the creature and pushing it off of her. Then she grabs her axe again and, with a cry of rage, chops it viciously in the groin. Impossibly, the thing remains standing and attacks her again, slamming her once more to the deck. A woman standing on the side of the canal sees it and shrieks. "Run!" calls Agnes. "Save yourself!"
OOC,Thanks! Yes, that looks like your only choice. As long as you're doing that, let the dog take both points of damage from [b]Don Lagorio[/b], as you're going to be losing it anyway. That way you have some extra health. I hope you've got an Elder Sign stashed away somewhere! :shock: At least there's only one more masked baddie hidden.
Action 1: Activate Fire Axe to fight [b]Poleman[/b], spending 2 resources as Fast Actions for +4 Combat. Combat test (2 stat +4[Fire Axe]=6 vs. 4[[b]Poleman[/b]]):
[dice]0[/dice]
6-3 =3 vs. 4, failure.
Fast Action: Exhaust Forbidden Knowledge. Take 1 horror, causing 1 damage to Poleman. Spend 1 secret to gain 1 resource.
Action 2: Activate Fire Axe to fight [b]Poleman[/b], spending 1 resource as a Fast Action for +2 Combat. Combat test (2 stat +2[Fire Axe]+2[Unexpected Courage]=6 vs. 4[[b]Poleman[/b]]):
[dice]1[/dice]
6-2=4 vs. 4, success. 2 damage dealt to [b]Poleman[/b].
Action 3: Evade [b]Poleman[/b]: Agility test (3 stat vs. 2[[b]Poleman[/b]]):
[dice]2[/dice]
3-3=0 vs. 2, failure. [b]Innocent Reveler[/b] takes 1 horror.
Okay here goes, but there is so much going on it's hard to keep track of everything. Guard Dog loses his one sanity at Bridge of Sighs and is not around to take damage or bite back at Don Lagorio at San Marco Basilica; therefore Zoey takes 2 damage (7 health and 1 sanity).
Enemy Phase 6
Don Lagorio attacks Zoey.
The thing wearing the tricorn hat and with the impossible serpent body took another bite at Zoey. She fell upon her knees before Abbess Allegria Di Biase, begging with clenched hands for succour from her Venice nightmare.
The monster is in no condition to have its way with Agnes any more with the grievous wounds she had given it...but it is still perfectly capable of killing her. It drags her kicking and screaming into the canal and underwater. It seems to have no trouble breathing, but the same is not true for Agnes. Her vain struggles grow weaker, and she knows that she will surely drown if she does not do something quickly. Terrified, she again unleashes arcane energy into the fishman, which loses its grip on her and finally expires. She surfaces, gasping for breath, and pulls herself back aboard the gondola. Waterlogged and bedraggled, she retrieves her axe.
OOC,Oh, I had thought that fight had taken place on the Bridge of Sighs. In that case, yes, there's no choice.
[b]Agnes[/b] takes 1 damage and 1 horror. As a result, [b]Poleman[/b] takes 1 damage and is defeated.