Fantasy World Creations

QuoteFeel free to state any prep you might be doing the rest of the night, otherwise, we'll be moving to the next day!

---

Location: New World - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Carrie's Room
Date: Day 3 - 5 AM

Being underground, meant there were no windows, so everything was dark and pitch black, save for some night lights which were glowing crystals. The crystals themselves seemed to be intune with the day, for as morning came, the light from these crystals grew slowly once morning came around. It was around 5 AM when you finally started to stir awake.

As Carrie groggily blinks the sleep from her eyes, she finds herself irritated by another night full of unpleasant dreams, but oddly not the type she had expected. This time, it was a much less recent event that had come back to the forefront, an ambush that she and the rest of her squad had had to fight their way out of during her time overseas. Carrie distinctly hoped that the dream didn't turn out to be some sort of omen.

Unpleasant dreams or no, Carrie was now awake and needed to get ready for the day ahead. She started off, once again, by making her bed before moving on to the usual morning routine. Carrie changes things about, however, by adding back into her morning routine something that had fallen by the wayside in light of the sudden change in environment. Dropping straight from an upright position, catching herself with the palms of her hands against the floor, she begins the calisthenics that compose the daily physical training regimen of the US Marine Corps, starting with pushups. Once calisthenics are completed, Carrie sets out from her room and begins jogging through the tunnels, seeking to identify an essentially circular route suitable for use as a regular circuit. She keeps an eye out for anyone who might be engaged in a similar regimen of cardiovascular exercise, and if able to identify such an individual would join them in running whatever circuit they were presently taking advantage of. Once Carrie is satisfied that she has sufficiently exercised, she'll make her way to the dining area where food has been served previously for breakfast.

As you went around jogging, you noticed that there actually wasn't a lot of others inside the complex itself. Through this, you were able to get a good layout of the tunnels themselves. There were sections where priestesses stayed in, the eating areas, the common rooms, places where they kept weaponry, the training hall, the bathhouse, the meeting rooms of various sizes, and an array of various bedrooms too, the storehouses and kitchens, each of them were just as finely maintained as yours was.

You had past by a few exits as well which had a pair of Lamia priestess guards at them, each of them bowing their head slightly in reverence to you.

"Hero Carrie." One of them said, one who apparently didn't get the memo of calling you by your name only. "If you are jogging... Might I suggest outside in the forest? It's a dark forest, but the mates of the Lamia Priestesses live in homes up there, rather than here in these tunnels, which is our temple dedicated to you and the goddess."

QuoteI'll let this count for training for the Run feat. Specify how long you run for. If only 1 hour I'll have it at double expedited training. If 2 hours, it'll be expedited training. If 4 hours, it'll be normal training.

Quote

Rolled 1d20+9 : 19 + 9, total 28

As Carrie jogged through the tunnels, the layout of the place became clearer to her. She is also able to note the locations of the points of entry and egress, too many for her liking, but at least now they were known to her. She stopped for a moment to respond to a guard who had suggested an alternate course.

"Normally, I'd agree with you, Carrie explained, "Unfortunately there are two things going against me if I were to do so. First, and most obvious of the two, this camouflage will stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of a forest, Second, not everybody I could come across will recognize me. Being easy to spot in a secretive place where not everyone yet knows me could easily lead to an awkward situation at the very least. Besides, jogging through the tunnels has given me a better idea where everything is. Thanks for the suggestion though, and try to remember to use just my name okay?"

Carrie then resumes jogging, headed in the direction of the dining facilities before too long.

QuoteTraining
Run: 1/8

The guard nodded and then saluted as you headed back towards the dining facilities.

---

Location: New World - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Dining Room
Date: Day 3 - 6 AM

The dining rooms themselves were a short distance away from the kitchen. Altogether there were five separate dining rooms. Or at least rooms that could be designated as such as they contained large stone tables in them. Each one were sized differently. The first four ranged from a smaller ornate room that could seat 10, while the largest one contained multiple long rows of tables, and seemed a potential place to hold banquets in. The last dining room was reserved for the priestesses themselves which was much more simply decorated. There were other priestess guards posted at most of the rooms, and when you entered either the dining room or kitchens, they would have greeted you.

"Hero!" The guard saluted. Another one that didn't quite get the memo. Either Synithise had not told many other priestesses about the proper way of calling you, or the forgot, or chose not to. "We have food prepared already that we can bring straight to your quarters. Matriarch Synithise gets up around this time of day."

As Carrie made her way toward the dining facilities for breakfast, she notices something that strikes her as being extremely unusual. A large number of the rooms that she passes are guarded. Rooms with tables in them. In Carrie's mind, two and two are somehow adding together to make five, and it becomes very clear to her very quickly that something isn't right with this picture. It also occurs to Carrie that this is now the second time that one of the guards has called her hero despite having told Synithise why that wasn't the best idea.

As the guard in question informs Carrie that food had already been prepared that could be brought straight to her quarters, Carrie immediately finds herself suspicious that the guard would suggest a less convenient course of action than simply joining the priestesses in the mess hall. As it had many times before on patrol, Carrie's gut began to react to the circumstances and the environment in which she found herself, and it was telling her that something was about to horribly, horribly sideways. The mention of Synithise sends the color fleeing from her face, and Carrie quickly responds.

"You know what?", She begins, a thought occurring to her as she goes to respond, "Go ahead and send it to the matriarch's quarters along with her meal. If she'll be up soon, I may as well join her."

Carrie then takes several steps backward in the direction she had come from before turning around and walking briskly away and out of sight before breaking into a run toward Synithise' room. Carrie then knocks on the door and waits for a response, the seconds that pass by seeming like an eternity to her.

"Very well, hero." The guard saluted.

---

You eventually made it towards Synithise's room. You knocked on the door, but there was no response.

As the seconds dragged on with no response, Carrie's degree of concern continues to increase. All of the worst-case scenarios had begun rapidly filing through Carrie's mind, resulting in a palpable dread at what Carrie might find behind the door. While it was possible that Synithise had already left the room, it troubled Carrie that while there had been guards posted outside empty dining facilities, there were none posted up outside the door to the matriarch's quarters. Carrie was now quite certain that something was wrong, but didn't quite know what.

It was then that Carrie recalled an earlier conversation with a guard at one of the entrances. The guard's own words now came back to haunt Carrie's mind, causing her to immediately go to full military alert. In the guard's own words, "If you are jogging... Might I suggest outside in the forest? It's a dark forest, but the mates of the Lamia Priestesses live in homes up there, rather than here in these tunnels, which is our temple dedicated to you and the goddess."

Carrie realized in a flash moment of clarity that the guard had referred to the lamia priestess' mates as exactly that, rather than our mates, as they had called the temple. Carrie felt the blood in her veins run ice cold upon realizing that the guard had spoken as if they didn't count themselves among the numbers of the lamia priestesses, and she drew her sidearm, preparing to breach into the room.

Carrie knocks on the door one more time, this time practically pounding on it. She announces her presence clearly, "Synithise, it's Carrie! If you're in there open up!"

Carrie then waits and listens for any kind of sound from within her friend's quarters, standing just off to one side. She now holds her weapon in a low ready position, preparing to breach and clear. If she receives no response, or if she hears noise from within without Synithise responding, Carrie will plant a sharp kick on the door's locking mechanism and force the door open, firing on the first individual she sees with a weapon in hand that isn't Synithise.

Perception
Strength, if Carrie has to breach and clear.

When you breached into the door, you were easily able to knock it down. You made a cursory glance around the area, but you didn't find anyone in the room at all. The bed looked to have been used, without it being tidied up. There were a couple of tables and drawers in the room. Like the rest of the rooms in the tunnels, there were no windows. The same glowing crystal-like objects were protruded at various points on the wall, illuminating the room. There looked to be a bowl of half-eaten grapes on one of the tables next to the bed. However, there was no sight of Synithise of anyone else for that matter.

QuoteRoll one of the following (in preferred order) for the room: Investigate, Perception, INT

Apart from the roll above, also Perception requested.

As Carrie quickly cleared the room, she was at once both relieved not to find any resistance, yet further concerned that Synithise wasn't present. The presence of a half-eaten bowl of grapes in the room told Carrie that whoever had been in the room immediately prior had left in a hurry, having neither finished the food nor cleaned up after themselves. Carrie also distinctly recalled Synithise expressing a distaste for food not composed of animal matter. Though the Cuban sandwich the day before had made it clear that Synithise could eat plant-based foods, particularly when mixed with meat, it seemed very odd to Carrie that the only food left half eaten in Synithise' quarters was exactly that; plant-based. Just one more item in a growing list of strange that was quickly becoming a pattern.

"Shit!", came the inevitable profane expression of frustration at Synithise' absence, followed by asking herself the obvious question as she closed the door as best she could behind her, "Okay, what's the next move?"

Carrie took a few moments as she closely observed the room for further evidence of foul play at work to considere the big picture. She mentally lined up the various pieces of information she had acquired thus far and made note of a rather disturbing commonality that she saw between two items. Both the guard at the entrance and the guard at the mess hall had seemingly attempted to give Carrie a suggestion that would have taken her further away, and separated her from, the lamia priestesses. Now, with Synithise unaccounted for, it was possible that it might have happened a third time. If Synithise were to receive a seemingly reasonable suggestion like Carrie had while jogging, Carrie doubted Synithise would question it. The thought now occurred to Carrie that Synithise might not be the only possible target and that an enemy element may have somehow already discovered the existence of a hero in Darmona.

Carrie is now fully expecting the shit to hit the fan at any moment and finds herself distinctly interested in retrieving her combat gear from her own room. In fact, she decides to make it her next stop.

Perception roll 1
Perception roll 2

QuotePausing your action to head to your room for equipment until this next scene.

As Carrie looked around the room, she quickly found her gut reaction being proven completely correct. A piece of broken pottery lying on the floor all by its lonesome told Carrie that an object within the room had been broken. The white streak along the stone wall told her that an object had struck and abraded the wall. A pillow lying on the ground on the far side of the bed seemingly localized the struggle. There was one thing that gave Carrie hope, however. Despite signs of a struggle, there was no blood visible in the room.

Carrie then heard the telltale sounds of approaching guards and found herself hoping very much that these weren't the same guards she had just left near the mess hall. Whether they were or not, Carrie was going to come face to face with them upon exiting the room so the young hero decided to take a chance. She holsters her sidearm, but neither buckles it back in nor removes her hand from it, leaving it available for sudden use should the need arise. Carrie steps out into the hallway, turning in the direction of the sound of approaching guards and shouts, "There's evidence of a struggle in the matriarch's quarters! Lock down the temple! Nobody leaves until further notice! Search the temple from one end to the other until we either find the matriarch or confirm that she's missing!"

The manner in which the guards respond will tell Carrie very clearly whether or not she will be able to work with the approaching group, or if she'll have to alter her course of action. Her words would also tie the hands of any potential enemy agents should the group be a mix of both friend and foe, lest the enemy reveal themselves. Carrie then issues one more instruction.

"If we can't find the matriarch, the highest ranked individuals in the temple should convene back here."

Carrie then watches and waits, prepared to answer any questions, and to point out the evidence of foul play present in the room, as well as the odd lack of guards prior to the arrival of this group should they respond as one would expect.

The two lamia that you saw stopped their movement when they had noticed you come out of the room. They glanced at each other for a brief moment and turned back towards you. You called out for instructions, but the two lamia didn't immediately start reacting at all. Eventually one of the guards bowed their heads.

"Hero, apart from you , I'll be getting the highest ranked individual in our temple here." The lamia said calmly. Bowing her head one more time, she turned to leave. The other guard stayed however, but continued to stand still at attention much like the rest of the lamia guards you had seen thus far. She stayed at a respectful distance away, but didn't move closer to you, or the now open door to Matriarch's room.

Sense motive to evalute the guard's behavior. (Stopping in their tracks when they see Carrie exit the room, the glance toward each other, the long pause before the one responds, and the general calm demeanor in the face of what would seem to be shocking news.)

As the guards responded in a wholly suspicious manner, their complete lack of concern for the fact that Synithise was missing told Carrie two things. First, the guards that had approached were definitely hostiles. Second, the guard that had left was definitely not going to be bringing Carrie backup, but was likely to be stepping up whatever plan was in place to abduct Carrie herself as well. The gut reaction that had initially sent Carrie running for Synithise' room was now all but absolutely confirmed. As Carrie's certainty that Synithise had been betrayed by her own people grew, so too did her fury. Synithise had offered Carrie the emotional support that she needed to stay sane after an unprecedented trauma, she had in effect become Carrie's rock in this new world, and these gutless traitors had taken her away. The thought of never seeing Synithise flashed suddenly through Carrie's mind, and something inside the young hero snapped. As Carrie watched the back of the departing guard disappear around a corner out of the corner of her eye, her expression lost all semblance of empathy and compassion. As Carrie's gaze turns to the remaining guard, it becomes an accusatory, murderous glare.

"You should have gone with her.", Carrie states coldly as she advances and unsheathes her Ka-bar fighting knife, a psychotic grin breaking out across her otherwise emotionless face, accompanied by a slight chuckle that persisted among her words, "The moment you realized you had been made, you should have run as far away from me as you could. Now you get to tell me who you're working for, how many of you there are, and where you're taking Synithise. If I believe you, I'll make this quick. If not, you'll die screaming."

QuoteBurning two hero points to take 20 on intimidate. Total: 27

QuoteGoing to be attempting to follow the PF rules for Intimidate more closely this time around, rather than the way I used to do it! As reference Skills: Intimidate (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/intimidate). I'll consider this a moot point since you used a Heroic Action Point, so I'll assume all these are all nat 20s. But normally I would have requested:

-Intimidate Check for Demoralize Opponent
-Intimidate Check Influence Opponent's Attitude

Influencing opponent's attitude would have taken a full minute, so I'll assume some slight back and forth happened. You can feel free to describe it more if you'd like.

The moment you wanted to intimidate the guard and threatened her. A notification appeared in your view.

The guard immediately tensed up, she was about to draw her own weapon, but immediately thought better of it the moment you had pulled out your knife with the strange almost psychotic look on your face.

"H-hero please..." The guard started, her face pale. "A-all will be explained...!" You continued the pressure however, not letting up, and eventually the guard had raised her hands, groveling at your feet.

"Please, please don't kill me!" She said. "We were following orders! We follow the martial arm of the priestesses, our leader, Matriarch Synithise's sister, Matriarch Misophe. Along with the 100 priestesses in the tunnels, there are 20 of us... She along with many of the other priestesses..." She bit her lip as she quivered at your feet. "... have been escorted out the tunnels."

As Carrie listened to the guard spill the beans, the tension she had been feeling began to ease slightly, but only slightly. Even if this did turn out to be a sibling disagreement, the possibility still remained for outright treachery. Carrie had become cautiously optimistic. Still, it troubled Carrie that one of the gods of this world had apparently decided to support her so readily. Since arriving in this world, Carrie hadn't really had much time to consider the presence of the gods, much less reach out to them. Nor, really, was it high on Carrie's list of priorities given the reason she wound up in the new world in the first place. Still, someone had seen fit to lend weight to the flames of Carrie's fury upon realizing that Synithise was missing. The young hero made a mental note to take a moment for her benefactor's sake when she next had the opportunity. For the moment though, she had more pressing matters to deal with.

"Chosen of a god. Huh.", Carrie mused aloud at the notification she had just received, "Just what the hell did you lot do to irritate a god? You didn't escort Synithise and her followers out into the waiting arms of a third party did you? Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, tell me you people aren't actually that fucking stupid!

Carrie's expression isn't quite as unsettling anymore now that she has a grasp on the situation at hand to some degree. It does convey a great deal of frustration and irritation though, not to mention disgust at the behavior displayed by Synithise's sister and her followers. It also contains just a bit of irritation at Synithise herself, given that she hadn't seen fit to mention a sister that may or may not throw her out of the temple the next day.

Regardless of what Carrie was feeling at the moment, he next move would depend entirely on what the guard in front of her said next. Carrie watches the guard closely, looking for signs of deceit.

Sense Motive

QuoteLike with Intimidate, going to try to be following Sense Motive rules closer than what I usually do. So DC 20 generally for 'hunches', you can feel free to roll Sense Motive if you suspect the target is lying.

"A god...? You mean the goddess? I don't know the plans of Matriarche Misophe, the... escorting of the other priestesses happened earlier this morning... None of them really put up a fight, except Synithise, but Matriarche Misophe was able to subdue her..."

The guard's answer did little to relieve Carrie's fear that Synithise and her followers may currently be in the hands of the enemy. At the very least, Carrie believed that the plans of her matriarch were indeed unknown to this priestess. Still, the possibility remained that Synithise could be in danger, and that left Carrie extremely displeased.

"I'm going to go confirm whether or not Synithise is safe and well.", Carrie informs the guard prostrate before her, "If she is, and you lot had better hope that she is, I'll return to the entrance where I'll meet with Matriarch Misophe. I'll give her an opportunity to explain herself, and to attempt to justify this......utter bullshit."

Carrie's expression as she utters the last two words is one of complete exasperation, disbelief, and disgust.

"If on the other hand, I don't find Synithise safe and well, I will consider Matriarch Misophe and her faction to be my enemies. Regardless of which turns out to be true, it would be wise to inform your matriarch that she has most definitely started off her relationship with the hero in exceptionally poor fashion."

Carrie then holsters her knife and begins jogging down the hallway toward her room, a wave of seething anger toward the martial arm's matriarch roiling just beneath the surface. If this was truly just a sibling dispute, Carrie couldn't even begin to fathom what could have so thoroughly estranged the two sisters from one another that Synithise didn't even bother to mention Misophe, and Misophe would be willing to forcibly evict her own sister from their shared home, the temple to the very goddess that they both serve. Supposedly, anyway. Carrie was sure Synithise was a faithful servant of her goddess. She wasn't so sure about Misophe.

As Carrie approaches her room, she slows and peeks around a corner into the hallway her room is attached to, hoping to determine whether or not her room was now being guarded without being spotted if it was.

if necessary, stealth:

As you peaked towards your room, you saw two lamia guards at your door. They weren't there earlier this morning. Though, the two of them kept a watch in the area. Luckily had ducked your head behind cover again quickly, with the guards not reacting, you knew they hadn't yet seen you. They were both about 45 ft. away. You heard a bit of their conversation.

"Athertise, we probably have the worst posting..." One of the guards told the other.

"Well, there's only 20 of us... I'm just glad we weren't ordered to you know... harm the others." She shivered.

"Well, you're the lucky one who gets to report back if the hero happens to appear." The first one rolled her eyes.

"Of course they would.", Carrie thought to herself as she confirmed the presence of guards posted outside her room, "Now, how do I get them away from there?"

With the limited resources that Carrie currently had at her disposal, she realizes that she would need to rely on one of her blessings to get her through this time. She hatches a plan to get past the guards, and whispers the word "Program.", while looking at a door some distance further down the hallway past her, "Condition: now Statement: open Condition: once opened statement: close Condition: once closed Statement: open Save."

Carrie then kneels low to limit the chances of being spotted out of the corner of a guard's eye as they pass, as they no doubt would to investigate the sudden racket caused by the programming loop Carrie had just created. If both guards went to investigate the disturbance,  Carrie would immediately sneak past in order to access her room. If only one steps away to investigate, Carrie would need to think of additional measures to distract them from their posting. Carrie didn't expect it would take much though, given how they were already griping about it only minutes after arriving on post.

QuoteAnother stealth if necessary

Rolled 1d20+13 : 14 + 13, total 27

You felt yourself become slightly tired. But as expected, the door farther away started to open suddenly, then just as suddenly, close itself, slamming shut. A moment after that, it opened again. It repeated this process over and over.

"Go check it out." The first guard ordered. The second guard drew her own weapon, a spear, and made her way towards it.

QuoteRequesting initiative roll, and we'll do this scene in initiative order.

[include u=2]Carrie MP Used: 2[/include]

QuoteJust an FYI. The character sheets don't actually have a field to track initiative.

Initiative roll:

QuoteI haven't had a chance to add it in back yet, along with some other stuff from the Pathfinder sheet.

Initiative Order: Carrie -> Guard 1 -> Guard 2

Carrie to take their turn.

Carrie will wait until the guard approaching the door to investigate has passed her position, then will select the guard's armor and whisper, "Program condition: now statement: animate statement: restrain wearer statement: drag wearer statement: set direction to current direction of travel save"

Carrie's intent was to turn the guard's mail into an animated object of sorts, which would then turn against them, restraining them and dragging them further away from their partner. It was Carrie's hope that the one guard's distress would bring the other guard to them in order to assist, occupying them both for a significant while so that Carrie could access her room freely.

QuoteConfirm the programming is something like the below. You do not yet have the Multiple Statements extension, so it'll be three separate conditional statements. Also state how much MP you plan to use for each statement. Eg, 1 MP for animate. 2 MP for RestrainUser. 3 MP for drag, etc. Generally more MP is stronger. The system I'll base it off of will be similar to the Spell System.

[include u=2]Carrie MP Used: 6[/include]

QuoteIt looks like what I'm after, but given I'm not a programmer I can't actually confirm that? Basically, Carrie is trying to make the guard's armor suddenly an animated object that will then grapple and drag them down the hall past the looped doorway. As for MP, I can't even begin to guess because I can't make heads or tails of the spell system.

QuoteGoing with what you mentioned in Discord with being able to give input to it after programming.

When you attempted to write out the program, when you tried setting a statement to move it in a direction that you specify, it highlighted that area red, and a notification appeared:

QuoteComputer Use skill check requested. The roll will determine what your character knows about the error, along with potential fixes, and solutions, high enough rolls will just have a working solution depending on what your character currently knows about their ability.

The second guard finally reached the door. With her spear out she carefully attempted to prod the door while it was in mid-swing, though the door slammed it back.

"It's some sort of magic."

"Keep your eyes open!" The first guard, tense, withdrew her own spear as well but stayed in place.

[include u=2]Carrie MP Used: 3[/include]

Quote

Rolled 1d20+9 : 3 + 9, total 12

QuoteIf you spend another round looking through the various Conditions and Statements available, then I'll keep letting you roll another Computer Use.

As Carrie realized that specifying a direction hadn't worked, but that a statement with an action and a target had, she comes up with an immediate solution, and removes the last condition/statement pair from the program, then edits the drag statement to add a target, whispering, "Drag to hall's end." before attempting once more to save the program. Carrie really didn't care which end of the hallway the guard wound up at, all that she cared about was causing the one guard enough distress at being dragged that their partner would be concerned enough to go chasing after them, perhaps thinking that an unseen foe was grappling with them.

QuoteIf this is where the MP choice matters, I'm going to select high MP. Carrie needs this situation dealt with ASAP, so she's willing to burn resources on it.

The moment you hit 『Save』 on the program. You felt yourself become tired. It was the same sensation as previous attempts whenever you would make use of the ability.

"W-what-" The guard said, a moment later she found herself falling to the ground, as her armor started to force her arms and legs to tighten. She tried to resist, but it was futile as she started getting dragged.

QuoteCarrie 45 ft. away from Carrie's room
Guard 2 60 ft. away from Carrie's room (105 ft. away from you)
Guard 1 15 ft. away from Carrie's room (60 ft. away from you)

[include u=2]Carrie MP Used: 17[/include]

As the program Carrie put together took effect, and both of the guards became distracted by the sudden bedlam, she chooses the moment of greatest confusion and tunnel vision on the new event and makes a quick, and hopefully, quiet dash for the door to her quarters, whispering the passcode "1776" as she approaches so that she need not open the door by hand in order to enter. Upon arrival, Carrie will attempt to swing the door shut behind her as quietly as possible as she passes through, hoping to give the illusion that the door had never opened at all. If all goes well, Carrie will take a moment to catch her breath having realized that her programming blessing apparently has the potential to really suck the wind out of her.

Stealth during a double move

Location: New World - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Outside your room
Date: Day 3 - 6:10 AM

You made your way silently towards the door. Neither of the guards noticed your passing. However, there came a problem once you did reach the door. When you spoke "1776", the door did not open. It remained shut. As you recall, you placed that programming during the late evening of your first day.

QuoteWe can say there's a stack of some crates next to your door that you can use for cover/stealth attempt. Roll Stealth or risk being seen.

Stealth

As the guards were jostled even farther away, you hid behind the crates.

"H-help me with this! The armor's just.... the armor's trying to... just help!" The first guard said. You heard the other guard going back to their companion, and she had attempted to help free her, but they weren't having much luck.

QuoteCarrie 0 ft. away from Carrie's room
Guard 2 30 ft. away from Carrie's room
Guard 1 30 ft. away from Carrie's room

As Carrie reached the door to her room, she was suddenly surprised to find that the door didn't open as expected, and quickly ducked in behind some nearby crates in order to avoid being seen by the distracted guards. She was certain that she had met the conditions to cause her program to unlock and open the door, which could only mean that the program had stopped working. While Carrie didn't know precisely when the program had stopped working, she was able to determine that the duration of an individual program was less than 48 hours. Carrie elected then to simply produce the key from her pocket and proceeded to attempt entry into her room undetected.

Stealth
Once inside, Carrie would immediately collect her gear, slipping into her body armor and pack, then throwing on her helmet. Carrie didn't take the time to fasten them properly for the moment, save for the quick buckling of her helmet so that it wouldn't fall off, knowing that with the distractions she had just created, getting in and out quickly would be essential. Carrie did take a moment to perform some quick programming however.

Selecting her uniform, armor, helmet, and pack in turn, Carrie performs the following for each item, at a whisper.

"Program, Condition:Now, Statement: Apply Woodland Pattern, save."

Carrie's intent is to apply the correct camouflage pattern to her gear for the environment she would be entering upon leaving the tunnels so that if an enemy was present in the area, they would have that little bit of added difficulty in spotting her that camouflage provides.

Thankfully, neither of the two guards noticed you unlocking the door, but you eventually managed to slip in without the guards noticing at all. They were already distracted by attempting to pull the armor off the guard. You heard the guards continue attempting to help remove the armor, but they weren't making much progress. Their voices and noise they were making was getting farther and farther away, they were loud about it however, so you knew they were still struggling.

QuoteRound 1: Move: Unlock door, Move: Move into room to pack
Round 2: Move: Pick up Tactical Vest
Round 3: Fullround: Quickly don Tactical Vest
Round 4: Move: Put on helmet, Move: Grab pack
Round 5: Move: Program Helmet, Move: Program Uniform
Round 6: Move: Program Tactical Vest, Move: Program Pack

Will be treating this as Hastily Donned Armor for your Tactical Vest, with a 1 Armor AC penalty, and a 1 Armor Check penalty as well. You'll need to spend another 9 rounds to don in properly.

The moment you finished the programming, the guards were still busy trying to free themselves.

[include u=2]Carrie MP Used: 24[/include]

Upon completing programming, Carrie picks up her M-4 and chambers a round. She hopes that using the weapon wouldn't become necessary, but if the enemy was waiting outside the tunnels, it would be better to be ready than not. Carrie then takes a moment to listen at the door for any newly arriving complications before any attempt to retrace her steps back to the hallway she had come from before entering her room.

perception

If Carrie hears nothing new, she'll make the same attempt to quietly bolt past the distracted guards. If she does hear new arrivals, she'll wait until they pass first.

Stealth

You spend another few more rounds getting the rest of your gear. You hear the guards still struggling, and nothing new about the situation, so you opened the door and bolted out, hoping for them not to notice. However, it was at that moment, that one of the guards noticed.

"H-hey!" The guard, Athertise, that wasn't tied up called out.

QuoteI'm still keeping track of initiative order, until you're clear of the encounter, we'll keep it up:

Initiative Order: Carrie -> Guard 1 -> Guard 2

Carrie to take their turn.

"Well, so much for staying quiet.", Carrie thought to herself as she heard the telltale surprise in the voice of the guard challenging her presence. Carrie doesn't even turn to look at the source of the voice. She simply drops all pretense of moving quietly and begins sprinting straight for the nearest exit. With those occupying this territory now aware of her approximate location, Carrie's only concern is leaving as quickly as possible. She desperately hoped that she would be able to beat the opposition to the exit and avoid coming into conflict. As little as she trusted the people occupying the tunnels now, she still wasn't at all comfortable with the idea of opening fire on people Synithise likely knows.

Her thoughts also drifted to Synithise as well, further concerned about her situation. While she knew there was a solid chance her friend was safe and sound somewhere out in the wilderness, Carrie was also keenly aware that Misophe was a completely unknown quantity to her, save for one action which did not currently speak well for the reptilian woman. Pre-emptively, Carrie unbuttons one of the pouches on her vest which contains a smoke grenade. Knowing well that the tunnel entrances were highly likely to be guarded, she prepares to create her own concealment in order to escape.

"W-wait!" The guard called out again, deciding to leave behind their companion who was still struggling. The guard started to run her way towards you, closing the gap by 90 ft. through the hallway. There was an intersection further south that you could potentially lose the guard at however.

QuoteThe guard is 60 ft. away from you.

Carrie doesn't stop, but this time she does respond albeit without looking toward the guard tailing her. Still, the sound of the voice calling upon her to wait had originated uncomfortably close, eliciting a shout from Carrie.

"Do not approach me!", Carrie answers concisely while setting the selector switch to burst fire. Carrie's voice carries a clear tone of warning, the harsh verbal rebuke bearing a cold, procedural quality that would tell any trained listener that should the instruction not be followed, a violent response would likely follow.

Carrie then quickly locks her eyes onto a point on the floor ahead in the center of the intersection and utters the words, "Program. Condition, following my traversal, statement, become dust cloud, save."

Carrie then enters the intersection and attempts to juke her pursuer into believing that she is turning one way before the dust cloud fills the corridor, but instead turn in the complete opposite direction once line of sight is obscured.

Carrie makes a mental note that the Lamia have a significantly higher land speed than the average human in the process of attempting to ditch the guard.

Quote

Rolled 1d20+2 : 18 + 2, total 20

Stealth trying to ditch pursuit. Hoping the dust cloud helps some.

You began to move away from the guard, and as you passed the intersection, it exploded behind you. The tiles that you targeted were completely obliterated, being replaced instead with a thick cloud of dust in the air. You managed to not be sighted as you moved through, though you weren't sure if you had successfully mislead the Lamia or not. Either way, you continued your escape, losing the Lamia behind you.

Carrie glances back quickly, noticing that her pursuer was no longer there and feels a momentary bit of relief that the situation hadn't come down to a confrontation. She quickly continues onward toward the nearest exit at speed, prioritizing distance from her last known location over staying quiet. It was beginning to get irritating to have to run again so soon after completing her morning PT, and Carrie's mood continued to deteriorate as her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't yet had breakfast. Regardless, Carrie's priority remained to leave the tunnels and to locate Synithise. Carrie does, however, make a point of stopping briefly to check the corners at every intersection to make sure the coast is clear before crossing.

Stealth

While you were escaping and passed by a couple of doors, it was at that moment that one of them opened, revealing one of the temple guards. She blinked a few times as she realized you were passing by, and immediately she called out for you to stop.

"Halt hero!" The guard commanded, still at the entrance to the room.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!", Carrie mutters under her breath with a thick Irish accent as she continues to sprint down the corridors toward the exit, "I really don't have time for this shit!" Having been spotted a second time has left the young hero rather irritated.

Obviously, Carrie completely ignores the new guard and continues on her way, once again eschewing stealth for pure speed. She does, however, keep an ear out for pursuit. Carrie hopes that she won't need to burn any more of her mana in order to ditch someone again, given the way she is slowly tiring from repeated use of her program blessing but is prepared to repeat the performance if necessary.

It's quickly becoming very clear to Carrie that for some reason, Misophe's faction really doesn't want Carrie to leave the tunnels. Her imagination finds its way to unpleasant places, and her mood darkens considerably.

The guard starts to begin chase, however, due to the fact that she was wearing some armor, she was weighed down slower than you. However, due to forgoing stealth altogether, it wouldn't take much for other guards to hear or even catch sight of the chase. You knew there were plenty of rooms and doors however through the complex.

QuoteInitiative requested

View the roll20 map at: https://app.roll20.net/join/3988538/rxP3dQ

initiative

QuoteCarrie to take turn.

Grid map (link (https://app.roll20.net/join/3988538/rxP3dQ)):
(https://i.gyazo.com/75881ef2c6828ea11477e1f4e5cf6acb.png)

As Carrie hears the sounds of pursuit behind her, she notices that this time her pursuer isn't gaining ground and that she hears the sound of mail shifting as well. While it has become clear to Carrie that the Lamia were faster than she is with all things being equal, Carrie made a mental note again, this time making a point of recognizing that the mail armor the guards wore was more restrictive than was her own body armor.

Regardless, Carrie continued her sprint toward the exit, rounding the corner with her rifle held low in order to avoid having it appear around the corner before she herself did and provide anyone that might be there with advance notice of her presence. She would continue down the hall toward the nearest exit as quickly as she could, hoping that most of the guards not on duty were either in the mess hall at the moment, or asleep. Carrie was betting on the mess hall, given she had so little time ago seen the room completely full. Still, Carrie wasted no time in this section. The last thing she needed was to find herself surrounded.

You started heading southwards, heading towards where you knew the exit up to the surface to be. There were two guards stationed there that you were able to see.

QuoteCarrie to move another 15 ft. or end turn.

Grid Map: See screenshot sent 7/13/19
Log:

Spoiler

Round 1
Carrie double moves southwards 45 ft. 15 ft. of movement left.

[close]

Carrie continues toward the exit, shouting at the guard in her path, "Get out of my way!"

The young hero has become thoroughly fed up with people trying to catch or stop her and has zero intention of letting one or two individuals halt her forward progress.

Once you shouted for the guard to get out of your way, the guard bit her lip, as if trying to decide what to do, but eventually decided to step to the side as you rushed out. The other guard beside her widened her eyes, but the first guard gave her a look and she quieted. Soon enough you were free from them, heading up the stairs to the surface.

---

Location: New World - Thura Forest
Date: Day 3 - 6:15 AM

There was light up ahead, and when you finally reached it, you found yourself in a darkly wooded forest, with plenty of forest life. The general atmosphere of the forest though was rather dark and gloomy. The trees were old and tall, and most of it covered the sky, only letting some sunlight in. There were plenty of mosses and fungus though, along with a healthy helping of other plant life. It wasn't quite chilly, but it gave you the feeling of a autumn temperature, though not many of the trees showed their expected orange or browning leaves. There was a light fog that settled in as well. If there was an outsider, and they knew that both dullahan and large bat-like people lived in these forests, it would have been quite an unsettling feeling.

Towards the east looked like a couple of homes and encampments. Though you noticed there were some armed Lamia there as well. At the same time, you also noticed a few human males simply going about their own business. Towards the north you saw another outcropping of rocks, which you recognized was the northern exit of the Lamia Priestess tunnels. Apart from that, there was a rough road that stretched from east to west.

As Carrie emerged from the tunnels, she was immediately thankful for the less than stark change in lighting, being very much in need of clear vision to see what was around her as she exited. Carrie didn't immediately bolt away from the tunnel entrance though, instead slowing down to quietly circle around behind it and take cover among the foliage. Carrie then stops and watches the tunnel mouth, interested in seeing what potential pursuers were going to do when they exited. She also took the opportunity to begin properly fastening her armor as she waited and watched.

Carrie also decided to go out on a limb and see if any of Eveleen's memories might be helpful in getting her bearings. Specifically, Carrie begins attempting to recall where the nearby road leads in either direction, hoping that the knowledge in question might be something Eveleen had imparted to her the previous evening. Carrie's first priority was figuring out her current situation in order to work out where Synithise and her group might have headed after leaving the tunnels, assuming they moved on under their own power.

As Carrie knelt and watched, the eerie atmosphere finally had a chance to strike her. While the area was full of life and therefore the sounds appropriate to a forest of its type, the place looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Likely one of the reasons it was chosen as a refuge for the tribes who made Thura Forest their home. Carrie then began wondering if the chill in the air she was feeling was entirely natural, considering the possibility that it might be an aura similar to that given off by the dullahan, or Carrie herself currently. Whatever the case might be, Carrie made certain to be particularly alert. She was on unfamiliar ground among the natives who inhabited it, and she hadn't spotted any obvious guards at the exterior of either of the two entrances within her sight. Carrie was fully expecting there to be some manner of ambush waiting for her not far off.

Stealth: (Modify for camouflage as appropriate)

Knowledge (Local or geography): (Max dc 10 untrained)

You spend another minute donning your armor properly. It was around that time, that a few of the Lamia guards appeared on the surface. Four of them exactly, and it was the 5th one that came out that caught your attention the most, as she was dressed differently than the rest. Much like Synithise, she didn't wear very much at all, but given how you've seen Lamia thus far, it seemed as if that was a normal thing to them.

QuoteState how far you are hiding, assume there is enough rocks, bushes, and other foliage/trees, to hide.

QuoteCarrie is using whatever the nearest viable concealment is in the opposite direction from the tunnel entrance she just left. She essentially circled around to observe the tunnel entrance from the six o'clock position of anyone exiting. Can't really give you an exact distance though without a map, so I'll be deferring to your judgment here.

As Carrie began to recall which path leads where, the young hero was struck by an intense sense of Deja Vous, an extremely strange experienced when juxtaposed against the knowledge that the memories Carrie was recalling weren't her own. In feeling the sense that she had been in this place before, despite knowing that she hadn't, Carrie began to scratch the tip of the iceberg that was Eveleen's meaning when describing the process and difficulty of keeping track of one's own memories separate from those of others. Carrie had memories associated with one other individual's life. Just imagining having to sift through many lifetimes at once gave her pause at a conceptual level.

Carrie didn't have long to ponder the details though, as several figures emerged from the tunnels in front of her. Carrie brings her M-4 to a low ready position, preparing to respond quickly if the need arose. She simply maintains her current position and observes, however, noting the one individual whose attire set her apart from the rest of the group.

'Misophe, I presume.', Carrie thought to herself with not insignificant irritation, noting the similarly skimpy attire to Synithise, 'Well, the ball's in your court. What's your play?'

Carrie's interest in simply watching and waiting for the moment was an attempt to discern a sense of the individual with whom she was dealing, whether this obvious leadership figure turned out to be Synithise's sister or not. The next moves made by this individual could potentially tell Carrie a great deal about the competence, personality, and motives of her current, though hopefully only temporary, opposition. She sincerely hoped that they weren't pursuing her in order to keep her from discovering something........detrimental to a working relationship.

QuotePlacing you at 120 ft. away

"How could you just let her get away!" The Lamia yelled into the fact of one of the guards, the one you recognized who stepped to the side when you went through.

The guard responded something then, but you were a bit to too far to hear.

QuoteYou can roll Perception to hear non-shouting conversations.

They are also actively looking for you and using Perception as a move action, so roll Stealth again per post til the scene is done. You'll gain bonuses due to your distance away, along with your camo, but roll normally.

Perception:

Stealth:
Perception:
As Carrie listens to the conversation, she notes three things. First, she notices that Misophe is, in fact, the individual that had followed the guards out into the woods, and that she doesn't appear to be taking any responsibility for Carrie's sudden departure. Indeed, she seems to be blaming her subordinates for her own failure. Carrie's gaze hardens upon seeing this sort of behavior, becoming instantly appraised of the reason Synithise was her peoples' leader and the reason that more than half of those who had populated the tunnels had chosen, or had to be forced, to leave with her. Misophe's leadership skills were amateur-hour, but as evidenced by the second thing that Carrie noticed, Misophe was clearly a skilled manipulator. By choosing to limit the information that the other tribes of Thura Forest received, she had tipped her hand, allowing Carrie to see clearly that she was a dishonest individual. The third thing that Carrie noticed, however, was the most important. The individual who had stood aside and allowed Carrie to pass earlier knew how long it was going to take for those who had gone with Synithise and the others to return. This told Carrie that she knew the location of the drop off point. The fact that it was a drop off point concerned Carrie greatly though. She knew that generally, one doesn't drop a person or group of people off somewhere without expecting them to be picked up at some point.

Carrie decides at that point upon a course of action and moves from cover to cover to position herself so that she will be able to quietly make contact with the guard who had allowed her passage once they depart in order to contact the bat-folk or dullahan as instructed. All the while, Carrie continues to watch those present for any gaps in their search that she may potentially pass through unnoticed and to listen for any further conversations that may prove helpful.