GURPS Jade Regent: Partying in Fake Mongolia

We re basically recovering and shopping. We kicked the local ruler’s elite troops collective asses in games of skill. Horseback riding, archery, and wrestling. Cadmus takes no share of treasure this time, giving his mates a leg up in buying cool stuff. Nate said I can hold it “on account” next time. Since we each net out about $82,500 “retail,” this will turn into some neat stuff later on. For that which we decided to sell, that means each of my fellow compatriots can spend about $27,000 in cash, and we kept a bunch of cool gear worth $100,000 as well.

After we are out and about for the day, we have a fairly uneventful dinner with Taidashar (?), and the chauvinist leader invites us to tell a story to match what we’d just heard. We tell our own tale – actually the NPCs tell it, because most of us just kill stuff for a living – and we are gifted with a masterwork “horsehead fiddle” for our honesty. It’s not literal, thankfully.

Cadmus, Thumvar, and Shiba stay up late. We fast forward a bit, and do a bit more performing, as Staver and Shiba do a nifty skit on hot coals swinging glowing swords at each other. We’re gifted with four potions of Dragon Breath, which is pretty cool.

Before the feast on the fourth night, a messenger shows up at Ameiko’s personal quarters, and requests her presence with the prince. Staver, stuck like glue to Ameiko, tags along. They wind up in the prince’s quarters, and he’s impressively attired in his most precious silks, looking like a playa. The prince proposes to Ameiko, she brushes him off extremely politely, his gentle smile falters. Staver doesn’t kill him, and his smile falters because of that.

This meal is on us. We’re all hopeless, but once again, NPC to the rescue as we remember that Ameiko is, in fact, an Inkeeper. She supervises Thumvar and Shiba, who supervise the actual cooks. It goes off pretty well. Absolutely no horse urine was used in the preparation of the food. Again, we’re given a fine Scimitar, with another +10 CF due to being ornate. So something like $8500.

After all that gifting, we decide we need to give him something, preferably unique. Something commemorative of our journey. We gift the prince with the skull of an ice dragon – at the Feast of the Dragon, a great coincidence – which pleases him greatly.

So, we’re all invited, now to wander out on the town. We decide that it’s the time for the GM and/or the prince to try and murderate us. We head out, and since the GM is looking for a map, we know to sharpen our weapons.There are hundreds of people drunkenly wandering through the streets setting off firecrackers.

Perfect setup for an ambush. About 16 NINJA discard a dragon-head costume and attack! Shiba’s first. They’re carrying katana-like swords. Shiba nails one, and Staver seems to nail two more since they were all lined up conveniently. Cadmus invokes his new “always on” Righteous Fury giving him ST 19, DX 19, and HT 15. Nice.

Things get busy really fast, as these guys surround us . . . but they do trigger Thumvar’s wait, and he hits one for 17 (2) cut, which does horrible things to him.

Shiba fast-draws a sword from Staver’s belt, tosses it in the air, and shouts “The Sensei defends the Student!” Naturally the sword starts fighting, proving once again that Imbuements are awesome.

Staver backs off to surround Ameiko, and horror of horrors, has to do Move and Attack as a Heroic Archer. Staver kills one, and Thumvar attacks. Cadmus uses, for the first time, Pharasma’s Necrosis. It nails his target for 10 (5) to the vitals.
Then nastiness happens as all the ninjas move. Ameiko’s Wait is triggered, preventing her from taking an attack to the rear. She makes a solid attempt at a hit, but her foe dodges. This still prevents her from being hit from behind, so net win.

Ameiko is then forced to spend a destiny point to avoid being murderated . .. and Staver fails a Will roll to control a new, uncontrollable new ability. She has a SoD towards Ameiko, so there you go. Staver busts out into a burning attack, Terror, and an Extra Attack.

Live is about to get interesting. Ameiko is the only one of us looking at Staver, but nearly all the ninjas are. Ameiko has apparently seen this sort of thing before. There are thirteen targets, and five bolt and run like hell. She also sets e00000000000000veryone in her hex and adjacent on fire for 1d+3 incendiary burning damage. Twice, I think, for extra attack. Lots of people try and dodge and drop, most fail, including Ameiko, who is unhappy.

A ninja swings at Cadmus, who ripostes and parries. Thumvar parries an attack using a Knight point, and Shiba also parries with Annihilating Weapon. He takes a big chunk out of the other guy’s sword.

A Minkai peasant woman charges at the empty space behind us, and all of a sudden . . . more ninja!

Shiba controls his dancing weapon, which nearly hits but his foe dodges. He also attacks normally, and kills a guy. Staver runs around some guys, and his freakin aura sets them on fire as a drive-by. They’re on fire, unhappy, and burning alive. This is part of a move and attack, so then Staver actually shoots twice and does a brawling attack as well.

Cadmus, Reaper of Souls, Messenger of Death, invokes Holy Glory. Staver has to roll Terror, which fails. He’s stunned and acquires a new perk. Our Mysterious Stranger, who alerted us to ninjas, crit fails and suffers many seconds of ecstasy, exhausting herself with orgasmic fury. All 11 ninjas make their rolls to resist. Yeesh. Friendly Fire Fail.

Shiba thwacks another one. Staver’s new thing is to run by bad guys and set them on fire, so he runs into the midst of a bunch of guys, shooting on the way. She does 7, 4, and 8 incendiary burning just by running by a few foes, shoots two more with her usual double arrow Dual-Weapon Attack, and then claws someone with her Extra Attack. Two dead, and three more attacked with fire; two Dodge and Drop away, another burns.

Thumvar makes flying smushies out of another foe.

We go back and forth for a bit, and they allow me a shot. Critical success on a neck chop, 21 (2) cut damage.

Cadmus and others dispatch all but one of the fleeing ninjas (for interrogation), while our mysterious stranger introduces herself an Miyaro. She is from the South with some allies who are essentially camped inside the “haunted” forest. She’s heard of our great power, and wants our help to deal with the situation. If we’re lookign to go into Minkai, we’d have an escort.

We get hit over the head with a clue bat, and decide to actually follow the adventure.

The prince blames the Jade Regent, he’s so uncool. They want us dead, Prince doesn’t like it – he gives us a tooled, high quality riding saddle and a combat-trained horse as a “get the hell out of here” parting gift.

We end there.