TonyC/SolarsVsLionSystemSideSetUp

TonyC/SolarsVsLionSystemSideSetUp So you're curious which charms are being used, how many motes are being pumped into what, and just exactly what is going on? Well, the combatants get two turns of set-up time, and here's how they used it. We assume that both sides start 50 yards from each other and that the Solars enter together as a small group.

A group of five entered the courtyard. Catching the eye immediately is the young lady dragging a coffin with a rope. It seems far too heavy for her small frame and from the marks it made on the ground, it is not empty, yet pull it she does. Once she reaches the center, she stops. "The stars say that I'm fated to die today. I've even for that eventuality. But..." and with that she jumps behind the coffin and kicks it upward. As it flies up, she jumps after it, draws a daiklave from its scabbard on her back, and made three quick slashes before sheathing it back. The coffin breaks in mid-air and its contents, a dozen greatswords, rain down the courtyard. She lands amongst the pieces of wood and naked steel and smiles prettily, "Ooops. Looks like it broke. I guess I'll have to postpone that fate."

Invincible Sword Princess starts her turn by using Increasing Strength Exercise and commits 15m to increase her Strength by 5. With a strength of 10, dragging a wooden coffin full of greatsword is trivial. She uses her movement for both turns to move closer to Lion and then commits 20m+2w to Blade of The Battle Maiden, increasing her Dex+MA by another 10 dice. Since this is Reflexive, she then sets up a stunt by describing kicking the coffin up the air, something trivial for someone with a Str of 10 and then destroying the coffin with her daiklave, also trivial for someone with a total attack pool of 27 and damage pool of 21L. The purpose of the stunt is to seed the battlefield with a dozen greatswords, which Princess intends to use as props for her combo. At this point Princess has Str 10 and a MA pool of 20 (23 with specialties, more with the daiklave) with 35m+2w committed.

Behind her, a handsome young man rolls his eyes. "She's been talking to Righteous Preacher again," Stone Monkey mutters. "This kind of theatrics is soooo him." He twirls the staff that he's been carrying on his shoulder and smashes it on the ground. Made of solid orichalcum instead of the usual alloy, the staff's increased weight causes it to leave a small crater where it strikes the ground. Yet the man lifts it like it was made from bamboo. He raises his voice and addresses First And Forsaken Lion, "We meet again, old friend. Looks like today is going to be fun."

This is Stone Monkey. His set up is simple. First turn, commit 15m to ISE, raising Strength by 5. Then use Perfection of Earth Body to double his base Strength (also 5), ending up with a Strength of 15. Perfection of Earth Body also gives him other bennies, raising his soak to 10B/10L and some other stuff. Total 25m+1w committed.

Student To The Sun And Stars looks the part of an Immaculate, a man with shaven head and monkish robe, and somehow his aura is not that of an Immaculate monk. He nods slightly to indicate respect for his opponent and starts performing a series of kata to open his chakra points. He ends it with a series of five strikes on himself to reroute the flow of his essence and drops into a martial arts stance.

Student starts by using Soul Fire Shaper Form to raise his Essence to 10. He then uses his second turn to use Chosen of Endings Sidereal Ways and chooses MA as the ability that gets autosuccesses equal to his Essence. So right now all MA actions get an extra 10 successes plus whatever he actually rolled. Unfortunately, this only lasts 5 turns, counting this one. So far he has 25m+1hl committed.

Meanwhile, red and orange light races through the sky as Burning Mandala ignores the minor distractions and concentrates on shaping a spell. A vague shape starts to form before him as his hands grabs the strands of light and sound and add them to the cloud of energy before him.

Burning Mandala is casting Summon Animal Avatar for 40 motes. If his circlemates manages to keep Lion occupied for two more turns, he intends to summon, oh, I don't know, the Tyrant Lizard avatar or a Mammoth avatar. I figure either is a solid reinforcement, making the fight 6 to 1 instead of 5 to 1. Lion probably won't let him finish it, but it's worth a try and this will force Lion to spread his attacks around. Note that both Stone Monkey and Student stay close to Mandala. They're supposed to protect him that way.

The last of the five though, did not exactly enter the arena. Rather, she made a slow circuit over the arena, climbing on air as if it's a solid stone stairway. Each step she takes brings her that much higher up the air. Looking down, she draws her bow and takes aim, a terrible goddess in shining battle-armor.

Five Realms Diplomat has a Stone of Air Walking and is using it to hopefully go up high enough that Lion can't reach her. Probably foolish hope, but like casting a spell, worth a try. She also have Terrifying Apparition of Glory going, costing her

10m+1w committed. Her two turns of movement (one regular move, one full move) gives her 48 yards, but since she can't go directly up, only half of those count as upward movement.

Across the courtyard, the earth grew cold as the First and Forsaken Lion strode out onto the field, looking around with a calculating eye. His armour almost seemed to absorb the light, and he smiled grimly as he looked at his opponents. Settling backwards into a Form that he used but rarely, he drew only his small dagger, a wonderous artifact of soulsteel and orichalcum, but a weak one nonetheless. Varan's Ruin, he left Elsewhere, to summon when the time was right. Darkness gathered around him as he took on a horrific, deadly mien, and the onlookers gasped in fear. Finally, he reached within himself, unleashing the anger and hatred that he kept inside. A mask of rage and cruelty, he waited for the battle to start.

Lion: Eye of the Tempest, Lower Soul Ascendant, and Heart-Stopping Mien.
Personal Essence 35/35 (47 committed), Peripheral 194/194 (34 committed), Willpower 7/10.
Persistant Effects: 10 perfect parries, Varan's Ruin Elsewhere - FrivYeti

Comments

Lion uses CMoS Form, so he can't possibly use Varan's Ruin. Yet he uses a persistent parry, so he needs a weapon of some sort. So he must be wielding Perfect Talon Dagger right now. Well, at least I don't have to worry about having my soul sucked dry. :) - TonyC

Sorry, should have said. That's correct - Varan's Ruin is Elsewhere at the moment. - FrivYeti