Zepher

OoC: Haha I don’t know! Boomingham isn’t going to throw the smoke bomb because in character he wouldn’t and also he doesn’t have one, so it’s really up to anyone with a smoke bomb! I don’t think we need to conference it - do whatever your character would do!

I just did .

“We’re burning the apple no matter what at this point,” Boomingham grimaces. He didn’t like the answers, but he’d asked... “It’s not just a pride thing, either. We’ve already burned through some inventory. If we ditch now she may be even tougher next time around and we’ll be less prepared. I’m just trying to make calculations. One time in the Orcish War my troop got detached from the main force.” This he aims just a little at his sole fellow veteran of the war, the lady tossing daggers at him from across a flower patch. “We were stuck on the far side of a mountain, up in the High Kingdoms, with limited rations. We knew the supplytrain was on the other side of the mountain. So we had a question. Did we hike up the mountain, or loop around? Up the mountain was tougher, but if we looped around we may end up all starving. No good answers.” Boomingham digs out his Apple of Danab and uses it. Battle Order Boomingham Eric Petaldan Torald Everan The Demon Germ Elphaba Skuld OoC: I think we need to Tiger Balm her to have a shot. Without her lucky or Nimble or encouraged we’d have a chance, but again, I’m not petitioning because I really have no idea how good of a shot. I’m going to use the apple and just let everyone do what they think their character would do.

OoC: what do others think? I think we have a shot if we tiger balm her and restart the battle (essentially) on our end but it’ll still be tough. People who are KO’d let me know Boomingham obviously wants to fight her but I’m flexible.

Agreed - the ships are absolutely stunning but it's the presentation that really puts it over the edge for me! I've always been a fan of those who build nice little borders for their MOCs, but then using them to add a kinetic feel to the build (aka the ships literally bursting "out of the scene") is inventive and very fun. Great build.

“Pretty good answer, yeah,” groans Boomingham as the kid goes down hard. Fire blazes in his eyes and he turns to Eric. “What do you think? Rendez-vous with the others empty handed? Or with a captured Founder? If we’re going to win this fight we’re going to have to slow her down.” Boomingham eyes the Tiger Balm in Eric’s bag as he fishes for the apple in his own. “You know which way I want to go. Thoughts?” He keeps his eyes locked on his fellow Vindicator, aware he’s the most likely to agree with a hare-brained charge, almost willfully ignoring Torald and Ezeran afraid they’d urge caution, worried they might be right.

“No point being shy, boy, she’ll get you with her knives just as bad back there.”

“We’ve got these handy dandy apples if things take a serious turn for the worst. Just a question how much effort and resource we want to expend on this lady when she’s got some friends we’ll have to take down later.” Boomingham glances at Lady Luck. “What was your deal again? Trying to capture us, or kill?”

“My concern is that once things start to go south, they’re likely to go south fast. The longer we fight her the bigger the hill we have to climb grows. Still, press the advantage while we can.” Boomingham glances at Petaldan as he drags his shield out of his pack and holds it in front of him. “I think you and I are going to get roughed up a bit. You ready for that?” Boomingham and Elphaba repeat their attacks. Battle Order: Boomingham Petaldan Eric Torald Ezeran Elphaba Skuld

OoC: Since my hits landed she should have a bit less health. Round 1 she should have been poisoned by 10 and bleeding by 10. Added to fragile, she should have lost 40 health that round. This round I hit again, adding another 20 total bleeding/poison damage. Again with fragile, she should have taken 80 damage at the end of the round. So she should be down 120 health, but with immunity to both bleeding and poison. Boomingham watches with trepidation as Lady Luck's eyes grow focused again. "Alright, folks, decision time. We cutting and running, or bringing this lady down? You know which way I'm leaning, but..." his eyes stray from Eric to the younger members of the party and the one already unconscious body.

OoC: Khrone and Alf if you see this before the round starts have Eric and Skuld attack - we should press this advantage.

Boomingham swears an oath of Retribution against Lady Luck and continues his attack. Elphaba repeats her attack. "Keep it up," he says as he stares at the Demon Germ. "She's blind for the moment, at least." Same Battle Order OoC: Yeah, looks like a tough battle actually but we should keep up the attack for at least this round - she's blind and sealed. If we have to run after this we can, but there's no point wasting the advantage and hopefully she'll be weakened if we take her on again down the line.

Noting the young Paladin’s concern Boomingham grins and slaps him on the shoulder. “What’s got you worried? She’s only an original Veteran who should be dead. What’s there to be scared of?” OoC: I guess I usually travel with higher level parties - are we genuinely nervous about the battle? Open to suggestions! I won’t cry if we don’t get a chance to fight her right now.

"We'll have a better chance negotiating with her once we prove we're worth our mettle. The plan is to hit her hard and fast - I imagine she's got more than one trick up her sleeve, so the faster we take her, the better. Those who might poison her, blind her, what have you should try to hit her after the others to further disorient her (and so the negative effects are less likely to transfer)." Boomingham attacks Lady Luck from the front row with Scupperer and directs Elphaba to attack from the back row. "What do you think, Witch? any idea why the dead are walking again? She is supposed to be dead, right?" BATTLE ORDER Torald Demon Germ Ezeran Petaldan Eric Boomingham Elphaba Skuld

Boomingham sighs and draws his swords. "Look, lady, I'm assuming you're one of our original founders... what, did whatever magic bring you back not restore your hair color? Seems a little unfair." He cocks his head to the side. "Though I guess you probably ended up dying old, huh? So this image we have of you as young, strong... bit outdated by the time you kicked the bucket? Anyway, point is, I actually fought alongside you before, whether or not you know it - bit of a veteran of the Orcish Wars myself. I'm not opposed to hearing you folks out, but way I see it having survived a raid on an Orcish King some two hundred sixty years ago doesn't exactly make you an expert in governing Eubric today. What makes you think you know what's right for the city all of a sudden? You think it didn't have a bit of crime when you founded it? Remember, I'm an old boy, I remember the Orcish War and I can tell you its not as if all your and mine compatriots had pearly clean records."

Boomingham covers his nose with his handkerchief and blows a raspberry at the sneezing Germ. Approaching the Gazebo he clears his throat and waves merrily. "Bit of a strange season to grow all these flowers."

Boomingham follows Torald to the gazebo, grumbling about how he ought to be in front.

“I’m all for following the root, the issue is they seem to be everywhere. How the Hel do we follow them?”

“We have to move,” grumbles Boomingham. “Torald, do you think something turned that dog or it was in disguise? Should we follow it, or try to follow these vines?” OoC: Sorry I haven’t been super responsive, WBD, but I really don’t know what we’re supposed to be doing here.

“Hm...” Boomingham squints at the map, dread growing in his stomach. “Don’t have the faintest where we should be going. But this...” he taps the Hinckwell Villa in the bottom corner of the map. “Didn’t someone say the Hinckwells left? Might be a good place to hide something.”

Boomingham glances at the vines that Germ exposed. “Well clearly we have something invasive here. Just need to figure out when it’s sprouted above ground. Do we think we should head deeper into the Gardens?”

Boomingham glances over at Germ. “What’ve you got there?” He walks over, signalling for Ezeran and Elpheba to join him. “This is sort of your bag. This look magic?”

With not much else to go on, Boomingham leads the party towards the Hanging Gardens. "Keep an eye on that compass," he tells the Demon Germ, "and let me know if it seems to think we've overshot anything."

OoC: Apologies, figured the bolded text was what we were going to get out of her but youre right, showing it too wont hurt. Boomingham produces the boquet and passes it to the witch, allowing her to examine it.

Boomingham scratches his cheek, trying to recall the layout of the damn city and if there were any greenhouses. "What about the Hanging Gardens?" he asks. "That's comparatively Northwest too."