Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine

Sam proved to be quite excited as Irine asked him to finish her tour, and after bidding goodbye to Peter (who added a wink to his goodbye to her) she was given a full tour of the village. Many people glared, others ignored her, but some seemed friendly enough. Though she watched out for her, Irine never saw anyone else that wasn't human, and thus didn't get to meet the stranger before Sam's father, Daniel, appeared and told her that she'd be manning the wall tonight, and to report to the front gates before sundown, before taking Samuel back home. She was left to her own devices for a few hours, and then the sun began to set over the village. She'd been allowed to retrieve her weapons and eat at Jenn's, but now it was time to go to the wall and report for duty.

When she arrived, the battlements were covered in men with guns and spears. Though some glared at her as before, Irine was allowed up, and the man who'd watched the gate when she had arrived greeted her with a grimace and said; "Hello ma'am... I hope you're ready to see battle, because they've been getting worse every night this week. You'll be over the gate, with me, so keep on guard and watch the trees."

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

With a wave and a good bye to Peter, Irine allowed Sam to continue their their trip through the town. Sam was quick to show her many of the places he mentioned from before, a few of the locales belong to some of Sam's family. Seemed the boy had all the family one could ever want, but he neglected to speak of or even mention a mother. The harpy chose not to push the issue. All the while, she received the same reactions from earlier: Some looked at her with scorn, other ignored her and others greeted her kindly. Despite her constant vigilance, the harpy saw no sight of the stranger Daniel mentioned. No one who looked out of the ordinary. Must be hiding from the eyes of the town.

Sundown came all too soon and Daniel arrived to inform the harpy of her shift on the wall and when she needed to report, before taking Sam home for the evening. She was sad to see the child go, but she knew her work tonight would be to make sure no more harm came to him or anyone in the town. Left to her own devices, the priestess returned to Miss Jenna's home. Her weapons had been brought there along with her the previous night and they remained with her back pack. She read one of her many books in what little free time she had and was able to enjoy a nice meal for a change. Sadly the time had finally come to take her place on the wall. She retrieved her rifles, a breach loader and a bolt action, both Badarian in origin and made her way to the wall.

She was greeted at battlements with some glares or cautious glances but was at least given permission to enter, no doubt thanks to Daniel. She was greeted by the man who would be her partner for the evening, and she recognized the man from her first night in town. The man who saved her from the beast that nearly killed her. He seemed to greet her with a similar glare as the others, which surprised her given his previous actions. He gave her instructions for the evening, which to her would seem simple enough. Thankfully for her, she would have little issue seeing in the dark, something that had saved her life many times in the past. "You have no reason to worry, sir. I've been tested in combat before. Hopefully we can take down the beasts before they reach the wall. The less damage they do to it, the better." She gripped the breach loader in her hands and made sure the bolt action was properly slung over her shoulder. Both weapons were aged from years of use, but had proven reliable many times before. They served her teacher well and they would serve her well too. All she could do now was wait.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: ???

"We can hope," the man said grimly, and then glanced about. "Watch carefully, stranger. It's our families on the line if you screw up!" he stated, and then left her to her watch over the gate. She wasn't alone, not really, but she noted that the guards were spread somewhat thin across the village's narrow wall. Help would take time to get to her if she got into trouble.

The harpy didn't have long to wait, unfortunately, before her mettle was tested. Glowing red eyes appeared in the underbrush, just beyond the reach of the light cast by the torches that the other guards carried, and a moment later three beasts suddenly darted out of the darkness and came bounding silently towards the gate. The wolves were silent streaks of black in the darkness, and even though she heard shouts from the men nearest her, Irine was the first in position to respond to the approaching monsters, who were already well within reach of her rifle.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

“You have my word, sir. No harm will come to anyone. The suffering ends tonight.” She made her promise with a rather confident tone in her voice. She meant every word she said. She'd never forgive herself if she allowed another soul to be harmed. Another innocent life wasted. These beasts had to pay and pay now. Her grip on her breach loader tightened as her shift started. She made a quick prayer to whatever god she thought would listen as she surveyed the wall. The men were spread far too thin. You didn't need to be an expert strategist in order to understand the defense had too many gaps. It would take time for any man to reach one of his companions. This worried the Harpy greatly.

She wouldn't have long to wait however, as the birds-womans keen eyes caught sight of a large, amount of glowing red eyes. They're here. She saw the red eyes dart away before they made a charge at the gate. Wasting no time, she perked her ears up to hear the shouts from the men nearby. Well that made finding the buggers a little easier. Without delay the priestess, rifle in hand, moved closer to assist the man with the trio of wolves at his position. She didn't get too close, but enough that she could get a better shot with her rifle.

Spoiler

Combat Action:
Moved 15 feet closer to section of wall being attacked and take aim at a set of red eyes.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine

Rolls

Spoiler

Irine (presumably) shoots a wolf!
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 4 + 1 + 8 = 19 damage.

The other soldier shoots a different wolf.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 6 + 5 + 8 = 19 damage. Lawlz.

The main who'd shouted raised his rifle and fired as Irine drew near, striking one of the charging wolves in the shoulder. The beast continued on despite its pained yelp and the sudden rush of blood that spurted out from its wound, and though the harpy spotted two more men coming towards their position it would take them a moment to reach their position. Raising and firing her own rifle, Irine took aim and fired at another of the approaching beasts to identical effects, and now the one in the middle was rushing ahead of its comrades. Irine could see the muscles in the canine's legs tensing, preparing for a leap, and she knew that animals like that could jump high enough to reach the top of the wall if they really wanted to.

The man beside her was turning his rifle at it, but at that speed it was unlikely that he'd be able to manage a killing shot. Bringing the beast down might keep them off the wall a little bit longer, but then they'd have to deal with its two wounded brethren quickly or they'd been dealing with even more of them.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

The priest said nothing as her shot hit its mark, as the only thoughts in her head right now were of repelling the first wave of wolves . Killing them may very well stave off a much larger attack. But she could not hesitate for even a moment, as her eyes caught sight of an unwounded wolf, ready to hurl itself at the wall or even clean over it. She wouldn't allow even one to cross the threshold. But there was the matter of the other two wolves. Wounded they may be, they were still dangerous. Not sure if she had that sort of authority, she yelled at the approaching men. " Take out the wolves flanking the middle one! They're wounded. I'll take aim at the middle one.

She would only pray that they at least heard her. If not, they'd be up to their necks in wolves. But she wasted enough time thinking. Whispering a quiet prayer to herself, she took aim at the middle wolf and opened fire.

(Actions: Turn to middle wolf and shoot)

(Ooc: Tass, I'll update my sheet when I get home from work and I have more tike to focus)

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 4/6 shots

Rolls

Spoiler

Irine shoots the lead wolf!
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 2 + 7 + 5 + 8 = 22 damage.

The other soldier shoots a different wolf.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 11 + 9 + 8 = 28 damage. Ded.

The not-dead lead wolf jumps up and tries to bite Irine.
Attack: Miss.

Another guy shoots the other charging wolf before it can join its comrade on top of the wall.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 5 + 2 + 8 = 15 damage.

Another guy hits yon wolf with an axe.
Attack: Miss.

The man standing beside her took aim and fired at one of the rear wolves, hitting the one that he'd shot before and killing it instantly with a round that hit it in the snout and passed through most of its skull. That left two, and Irine took aim at the uninjured one that was rushing toward her and fired at the same time, and though she saw crimson erupt from its hide the beast just kept on coming. Its tensed muscles spring, and the beast vaulted into the air with a fierce growling bark, coming right toward her. Only the barrier of the top of the well gave Irine the opportunity to escape, as the wolf had to land on it and give another quick leap at her, thus allowing the harpy priestess to pull herself out of the way just in time to avoid its snapping jaws. The man beside her gave a gasp of surprise and reeled back as the black-furred beast landed between them, and Irine heard another shot ring out just as a man suddenly stepped past her and swung a handaxe at the wolf's head. The agile beast deftly pulled itself out of the way as he buried the weapon into the wood from which the wall was made, and unless the harpy did something quickly he'd likely find his end by way of wolf fangs tearing at his throat!

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

(Boy do I feel stupid for leaving this sitting for so long. Hopefully I can get this back on track)

Seems they were slowly but surely chipping away at the ravenous beasts approaching them. One of the wall guards was thankfully able to kill one of the wolves, leaving the front two. Her own efforts to stop the lead did little more then agitate the beast as it jumped into the air, aiming to make her it's next meal. Gods willing, she was spared and was able to escape the beasts attack. More gunfire filled the air as the man nearby tried to take a swing at the nearby wolf. The wolf proved too swift and was able to avoid the mans swing. The beast was looking to take a bite out of the guardsman. Wasting no time, the priestess took aim and fired at the beast. At the very least, killing this one would allow them to focus on the final one.

(Action: Fire at the wolf right in front of her. How badly could this go?)

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 68/81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots, Armor at 24/30 TP

Rolls

Spoiler

Irine shoots the wolf.
Attack: Hit despite the penalty to attack from being in close range.
Damage: 11 + 11 + 8 = 30 damage.

The last wolf leaps at Irine.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 4 + 11 - 5 = 13 damage. Her armor is at 24/30 TP.

Axe guy tries to hit this wolf.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 1 + 1 + 4 + 5 - 4 + 15 = 22 damage.

Irine gains 4 exp.

The second shot that the harpy put into the wolf did it. It seemed to sense the threat coming from her direction just before she fired, and so the bullet caught it in the center of mass just as spun around to face her. Though its wounds were fatal, the snarling beast managed a step in her direction before it flopped over, its growls turning into a low whine. Before she could put the beast properly out of its misery, however, Irine heard a growl from beside her just before something large and furry and sporting fairly sharp teeth and claws slammed into her from the side. The last of the wolves tore at Irine briefly, but it didn't have quite the element of surprise that they'd had at the gate and thus weren't able to inflict nearly as catastrophic harm on her. Her back took a few scratches, and then it was on its feet and whirling in all directions, faced with attacks on all sides. It was the man with the hand axe that finished it, wrenching the weapon from the wood and then bringing it down on the beast's neck. He didn't have quite the strength to decapitate it, but he did manage to split its spine, causing it to drop without a sound beyond the dull thump.

A brief moment of stunned silence followed before the dying wolf gave another feeble whine, breaking the spell of tension on the humans around her. The man with the axe offered his fallen comrade a hand up, and he gripped it and was wrenched to his feet, the adrenaline of fear still obviously in his system judging by how he retained the frightened expression. A third human approached, the one who'd been running around the wall, and surveyed the scene for an instant before saying; "Are you lot alright?" Heinrich and the other guard both nodded somberly, and then the former glanced down at the only beast that wasn't fully dead yet and said; "Fine... Might want to finish that one though." He glanced at Irine questioningly, giving the harpy the option to do the deed herself, it having been her kill after all. Seeing her wounds, he quickly amended; "Are you alright miss?"

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Her shot thankfully hitting home, a part of Irine couldn't help but feel upset doing all this. Under any other circumstances, the wolves wouldn't be nearly this aggressive or hostile. The twisted curse was turning them into something hideous and terrible and making them do such terrible things to these people. But her thoughts on the subject would not last long as the final beast made a leap at her, attacking the priestess in a fashion much like when she arrived. Thankfully, she was spared a similar amount of pain and torment. The wolf, however, was surrounded by the defenders and one man was finally able to bring his weapon down on the beasts head, severely crippling it.

The priestess relaxed her stance however, as the battle finally wore to a conclusion. One man helped up another, and a third man approached the situation, no doubt looking to survey the damage. Irine was still a tad shaken by the attack, the fear of reliving what she felt last night enough to scare her momentarily. But she was shaken out of her haze by the questions directed squarely at her. "I'm...I'm OK. Just some extra cuts on my back to go with the ones I already have. I would suggest someone putting that thing down, and I'd rather it not be me." She said rather clearly so that none would try and goad her into it. "Is that it? Do more usually show up or are we clear or the evening?"

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 68/81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots, Armor at 24/30 TP

The man didn't even hesitate after Irine's statement, taking his axe to the dying wolf's head and ending its suffering in short order. In the meantime, Heinrich moved behind Irine and said; "Lemme have a look, make sure you're not going to bleed out on us." He stepped up behind her unless Irine objected for some reason, and after a few moments of pawing painfully at her wounds declared; "You should be fine, just some scratches. Good thing too, we're definitely not done yet. We'll usually get a few rushes per night, but there are always a ton of feints. It's exhausting." Stepping away to give the harpy her personal space, he gently asked; "Are you alright with staying up here a while longer?"

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

"Go right ahead. I'd be glad if I could prevent these injuries entirely, but for now, I'll just have to deal with them. Do what you can." She said without hesitation as she allowed the man to examine her already injured back. Gods above, if she had to deal with more injuries to her wings, they might never heal. But with the mans good news came a further disappointment. The creatures looked like they'd harass them all night if they had the opportunity. "I have no issue handling a few more waves. I'm use to long nights traveling between towns and going without sleep. It's part of my mission and I accept it." She checked her rifle for how many shots she used, reloading any that were missing with the handful of extra rounds she had.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 68/81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 3/6 shots, Armor at 24/30 TP

Rolls

Spoiler

Perception: ???

"Alright then," the guardsman replied, and then smirked briefly and added; "I'm Heinrich by the way! Alexei Heinrich! I was the one over the gate when you arrived in town. You seem to have pretty bad luck.... Next time, I'd recommend trying to dodge!"

Heinrich continued on his patrol without any more small talk unless Irine said something that needed an in depth response on his part, leaving her to watch over the wall. The next few hours or so passed relatively peacefully, with only a few random sightings from the other people on the walls. Irine was told that the shifts lasted four hours, and she'd gone two so far, meaning that she was halfway through the shift she'd volunteered for. It was about then, however, that Irine heard a woman screaming somewhere in the village. A number of soldiers turned, having obviously heard the same, and some started rushing off of the walls, likely going to investigate. No one was telling her not to go explicitly, but the walls were already being undermanned, and whether or not Irine wanted to go investigate as well was up to her.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

"Thank you for earlier then. I owe you my life. But you needn't worry about me anymore. They caught me unaware last time. They won't be so lucky this time." the priestess was confident she'd be able to hold her own for the rest of the evening. The night seemed to pass relatively slowly with the harpy keeping her silent vigil. She knew the guards had their work and so did she. But the scream broke the silent and she knew she could not afford to delay. With a couple guards already moving she wasn't sure how useful her help would be but she couldn't ignore it in the event it was a serious threat. Her rifle at the ready, she would follow the men to the sound of the voice.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 6/6 shots, Armor at 24/30 TP

Following more than half of the guards off of the wall, Irine soon came upon the same scene that they did, though she was not the first to arrive.

A cougar had managed to sneak past the wall. True to the feral nature of the beasts assaulting Helgasdale, the creature had found a victim, a woman that looked to be somewhere in her thirties. It currently had her by the throat, which was coated in blood as she gasped and gurgled for breath that would not come, and was letting out a low growl as the men around pointed rifles at it. The woman partially obscured its view, and every step closer that they took had it clamping its jaws harder upon the throat of the woman. Just then, gunfire erupted from the wall, along with a series of shouts calling for help.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

It seemed someone enjoyed watching the winged priestess in her struggle and encountering the ever growing list of harsh brutalities the world had to offer. Hard enough to see the results of suffering, but to see it first hand was something else entirely. The sight of the cougar savagely attack this woman was enough to make Irine sick to her stomach. But worst of all, she couldn't do anything so help, with each attempt to approach only dooming the woman more. But fate only continued to punish the naive priestess as she heard the screams coming from the wall and gunfire. Every ounce of her told her to help the woman, but if the wall fell, the entire town was doomed.

Doing her best to push her way out of the house, Irine would attempt to run back to the wall, in the hopes of assisting the defense there. If it wasn't already wiped out.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 6/6 shots, Armor at 24/30 TP

Thinking herself unable to do anything to prevent the woman's death, Irine turned and started back toward the wall, moving as fast as her legs could carry her alongside a number of the guardsmen that had also gone with her to examine the screams, leaving only three men behind. By the time she and the others arrived at the wall, it was already a pretty big mess, with no less than four wolves on the wall... And a black bear that was currently mauling a downed man. Two of the wolves were chewing on another downed man who was barely able to scream, but the other two quickly jumped down and started running off in different directions, one coming right for Irine and the other going off into the village. Two men stopped and took aim at the fleeing wolf, and five more were climbing the wall to aid the downed men, but that left Irine with one creature to deal with all on her own.

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

If Irine wasn't feeling sick before, she certainly did now. She, a woman of the cloth, just abandoned someone to die without even trying to help her. Ran away like a coward, only to find herself in a much more horrifying sight. More of those damns wolves were at the wall, two wolves were snacking on a man and a bear had decided to make an appearance and was mauling another downed guardsman. Gods above...why did you have to test her like this? She knew all people of faith had to suffer through some trial in order to prove their devoutness. But this was too much. Innocents suffering an unduly harsh punishment, simply for doing what they felt was right. Her though however would have to wait as the chaos of the scene unfolded. Some men went to stop the bear, while others went to fight the wolves. And it seemed another wolf had eyes for the winged priestess, charging right at her. A look of rage and hate crossed her face as she took aim at the approaching beast, looking to stop it in it's tracks with a well aimed shot. Hitting one of his legs, his eye or even another part of his head. She had to hit something to slow him down. Anything.

Spoiler

Fight defensively for 10 points and shoot at the approaching wolf

 

[Tassadar]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

Spoiler

Irine Courland: HP = 81, PP = 51, EP = 52, Status = Fine, Rifle at 5/6 shots, Armor at 24/30 TP, +10 Dodge, Grappled

Axeguy: Taken 30 damsge
Shotgunguys: unharmed, 1 shell each
Rifleguys: unharmed, empty
Groundguys: bear guy badly injured, wolf guy dead

Wolf 1: Grappling Irene, taken 12 damage
Wolf 2: Dead
Wolf 3: Fine
Wolf 4: Fine
Bear: Taken 76 damage

Rolls

Spoiler

Attack: Hit.
Damage: 2 + 2 + 8 = 12 damage.

Ye two dudes fire at ye fleeing wolf.
Attacks: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 1 + 9 + 8 = 21 damage, 42 total. Enough to down ye runner, if barely.

Ye dudes climbing the wall open up on the bear. Two fire with shotguns, two with rifles, and one approaches with an axe.
Attacks: Hits for all the guns, miss for the axe.
Damage (Shotguns) : 5 + 11 + 9 + 12 - 15 = 22 damage per shot, for a total of 44.
Damage (Rifles) : 6 + 8 + 1 + 8 - 7 = 16 damage per shot, for a total of 32, bringing ye bear's damage total up to 76.

The bear turns around and tries to murder the guy with the axe.
Attack: Hit.
Damage: 3 + 2 + 30 - 5 = 30 damage to dat guy. He is lucky to be alive.

Ye wolf that Irene shot jumps at her!
Attack: Hit. Irene has been grappled!

Raising her rifle and backing away, Irene fired and hit, but her shot did little more than graze the beast along the side of its face, which closed the distance between them and leaped at her. The harpy priestess was too slow to get out of the way, and thus ended up buried beneath the wolf as it slammed her down onto the ground. The men on the wall and on the ground all opened fire, but she didn't have a chance to see the results of that while guarding her face from the snapping jaws. She heard the bear roaring despite the volley of fire, as well as a pained grunt from a man, so it was likely still alive....

 

[Aust_Nailo]

Re: Heaven's a Lie (Aust Nailo)

A slight curse escaped the priestesses lips as her shot nearly missed the mark and was not quite enough to do any major damage. But it seems someone was not pleased with the priestesses words and she was punished for her insolence. Her target was quick to leap on and pin her to the ground, forcing her to scream as a result. "D...Damn beast! G...Get off me!" All she could do now was struggle and pray that she would be freed, or that someone would help her.

Actions: Try to break from grapple. Cause that's all I can really do.