And then the Salt Wyrm comes bursting forth from the ground in the middle of town.
Vibria recognizes it as the same creature Carmen riddles with lightning bolts a few years ago. But you now see it's chest, which you did not years before. He wears a gem stone strapped to his torso with a harness of metal of some sort. It is a blood red ruby the size of a kite-shield.
Figure out a plan, I will return tonight and see what happens 
(a small description of the wyrm for those of us that were not around at the time of the Carmen vs Wyrm engagement? Size, appearence et al? Thx 
)
((from my notes))
Salakk, Salt-Wyrm of Las Salines, is about 25-30 feet (7½-9 meters) long, plus the tail, and massive, with dusky-white scales and gleaming red eyes. It has tiny vestigial wings, no hind legs, and powerful forelimbs with deadly claws. It also has dozens of razor sharp teeth, which are twice as deadly. It's massive girth can support it, as it holds its torso upright when he so chooses (such as in combat or to be intimidating), but he most prefers lying snaked out on the ground.
Although, didn't we cart its corpse back to Andorra, skin it to make all manner of shoes, purses, and spiffy looking armor, and mount its head in the council chambers?
Well, Vibria doesn't have any spells that can reliably penetrate the dragon's magical resistance (she has 19+stress die penetration with Pilum of Fire, but that's the best she has).
So, we're going to have to be tricky and not let the wyrm breathe on us. Although...did we ever learn what the wyrm's breath weapon is?
Our best best, methinks, is to swarm it, try to entangle...oh, wait. Not enough legs. Dangit!
So...pester attack? Surround it, rush in and poke it with your swords and whatnot, hope to get in a lucky strike, maybe hit something sensitive, and duck back when it turns to you?
Vibria would love to be able to take out its eyes somehow so that it can't really target anyone that well, maybe get something unpleasant down its maw or stab it through its mouth, something appropriately heroic (and worthy of great reward).
That was the plan, though I didn't see any follow through. Ryu stated his intention, everyone got distracted with other ideas, and no one ever presented to me a plan of how this was to be done. And if anyone did it, it would have been Vulcanus, and Vulcanus is not here.
So the possibilities are...
The Salt Wyrm of Las Salines
Pretty much as Peregrine described. Except this wyrm is wearing a harness with a gem that Vibria does not recall being there before.
You should at least try before you give up. 
Loud Words, Exaggerated Gestures, throw Confidence into it, roll really good, something might work.
So Initiative. The wyrm will exhale a parching cloud of salty vapor on (1d10+2=9) Nine.
Scanning that old thread and activities that followed, Vulcanus never got around to making shoes or taxiderming the head. There are other loose ends we should sort out also. The storm sheep, Lux the Phoenix, and other things.
So the SG is being a little shiesty. But the way I am being shiesty will give you a clue.
Vulcanus did chop the corpse up and have the parts shipped home. It was not wearing the jeweled harness then. But he never got around to doing anything with the parts, other that taking vis from the bones. The bits were stashed in the cave under the basement under the catacombs under the basement. Presuming you survive, if you go to investigate later, you will discover that there is nothing but salt.
[i]Now I know what "shiesty" means. "Backstabbing bickering asshole" according to the urban dictionary.
So salt wyrm returns. Anyone has a PeTe spell to destroy the chains on that jewel?
Marko will correct me, but in my experience as a kitchen kamikaze charring pans and spoiling food, I have found that salt interacts BAD with fire. I was thinking about fouling the breath by BURNING it down. However, before I attempt anything suicidal with Arnau, I will have him casting a Flash of the Scarlet Flames (CrIg15) at the drake. No penetration required, so I might be able to pull it out. A blinded opponent is way less effective after all. Casting for Arnau is 19 + Aura (I guess this will be negative) + D10.
Group total (+9) directed towards defence. The grogs use the Vibria Company profile and are wearing light leather armor (+3 soak) so have a total soak of +6.[/i]
Looking at the drake rear up to breath Arnau shouts SHIELDS UP! He trusts the warriors to follow up the indication and protect their charges from the breath. He rises up his trusty Tail of the Phoenix (shield) and dropping Talladora looks up and makes a gesture signaling the sun and then, with a sharp move, the drake's face. A series of sparks seem to come down from the Royal Star and make a BANG in front of the drake's face as the jet of murderous salt emerges from the mouth of the drake...
Antoni will... Make a Brave roll:
Brave +1 + 1d10=9 = 10. Oh.
Putting his shield on his left arm, and drawing his sword (to whom he's attached the blue handkerchief), the large grog puts himself between Vibria and danger.
Get to safety, maga! The Lion of Andorra will protect you while you work your magics!
Hearing Arnau's voice, and recognizing a leader of men, he'll raise his shield
Actually, it does. You're directly creating magical light. Being magical, it must penetrate.
(Note that otherwise, this would make this spell incredibly effective, as it would neither have a roll to aim nor to penetrate, making it the only spell to ignore the rule penetrate-or-hit rule)
Flash is magical, while species generated by it are not... Never have been... this is precisely the beauty of this spell. Not the largest or meanest combat spell out there. But useful as a temporary distraction.
That is a rather brutal definition for shiesty. I mean more like a weasel or a trickster or a prevaricator. My use of urban slang :mrgreen: is inttended to put a friendly and humorous connotation to it (emoticons can only go so far).
I play with fire professionally as a cook, and I have never experiences this salt phenomenon you speak of. As for the Flash, you are both right. A light source created with magic is magical, and so is the light emanating from it. Just as the heat emanating from a fireball. However, fires started by said fireball are not magic. Heat of the searing forge is magical, but the heat of the heated item is not. As for the Flash, in either case it is still a valid distraction. But I am missing an Initiative roll.
If Xavi needs a die roller, I nominate Fixer
The Groups Initiative is based on the Vanguard. If Arnau does something aside from the group, such as casting a spell, he does not contribute to Attack but he does contribute to Defense. Unless you Fast Cast. And as part of group, you share the same Initiative roll (as modified for your own actions).
Might I suggest a different tactic? Defense does no good against vapor. That will be a Soak roll. Press the Attack and try to kill the thing quickly. It spent its action on the vapor cloud. It can roll Defense, but not another Attack. Switch to Defense next round.
Good point. Phat lewt doesn't go to the quitters.
Oh. New initiative. Vibria is Qik 1 + die roll of 2 = 3. Craptacular.
If the salt cloud comes toward her, her Defense roll would be, I think, Qik 1 + Brawl(?) 5 + (die roll of 1, followed by a die roll of 7) 14 = 20. Smashing!
She then tries a Pilum of Fire, with Loud Booming Gestures. CT is 39 + Words/Gestures 2 + die roll of 2 = 43 + Aura. Spell level is 20, so that gives her a Penetration of 23 + Aura + Penetration 0 = 23. She's willing to spend a Confidence Point if it helps.
Damage is 15 + die roll of 7 = 22. Ditto on the Confidence Point, if it makes a difference.
She takes a deep, rumbling breath, blows a stream of fire into her hand that coalesces into a fiery javelin, which she hurls at the wyrm.
[i]Not my definition of Shiesty. Talk with urban dictionary :mrgreen: The salt thing was something regarding BAD cooking (to start, I am not using fire but vitro, that according to a lot of people I know that likes to cook is not what I should be using in the first place. I have observed that salt seems to burn when it touches the vitro. As a consequence I had this idea about burning down the breath but I am ditching it.
OK changing gear and going for the offensive then. I am using invisible castle, even though I cannot register there. Pity 
Initiative: 1d10+3=12 -1 for Load = 11
Attack roll (Group bonus +9 dedicated to offence): 1d10+13+9=30 (Nice ). 3 attacks at this total.
I decided before that Arnau would attack with his men and trust damage to act as a distraction.
Damage: +8 (longswords)
Soak (for when we are hit by the cloud): +6 for the grogs (mail cuirass), +10 for Arnau as long as you are counting armor for the breath. If not, it is +3 for the grogs +1 for Arnau since he is only wearing his hauberk. [/i]
Looking at the lizard rear up its neck Arnau yells. "Shields up! Go for the throat! Jordi left, Berenguer right! Go go GO!"
The 3 grogs move forward and, as the lizard takes air in for his breath, attack its neck with their longswords. The weapons cut the wyrm's flesh and draw what stands for its blood. Arnau grins. Arcane connection. He prays that their attack has distracted and enraged the beast enough for it to attack instead of breathing on them. He hates drake breath. it is always smelly.
Okay Marko, time for you to have some fun...
Selim intended to quickly jump/dodge to the side and make his way around to the back of the salt wyrm...but the dice decided differently...
Initiative: BOTCH
Botch Dice (I rolled three): Botch, Botch, 6
Dodge (if it even matters): 2 (Dex) + 3 (Brawl [dodging]) +3 = 8
Soak: +1
Things are not looking good for Selim...
Double botch on 3D. Oh my
Yep, I'm already thinking of a new companion character to make
Species are not brightness. See this bit by Mark Shirley.
See also Phantasmal Fire, which must use an Ignem requisite to produce light (or else, you don't see the fire in darkness). BTW, Flash of the scarlet flame is only CrIg "create light", there's no species involved.
Finally, see Mien of Helios, in MoH, which is, IIRC, a personnal range Flash of the scarlet flame, and lists explicitly that it is resisted.
So...
1d10=1 Woot!
1d10=10
That's a 20!
Well, antoni doesn't know this. He thinks the Drake will breathe fire or something, and the Lion of Andorra is bravely ready to lay his body before Vibria, protecting the maga from harm at his own expense.
Fortunately, Arnau and the Flame Brothers have seized Initiative. Attack total of 30 versus a defense of Doge 9 and a stress die equals 1d10+9=15.
Attack Advantage of 15 plus Damage of 8 equals 23, versus Soak of 15 equals 8, which equals four Medium Wounds. I think there are at least three Flame Brothers fighting alongside Arnau, so that multiplies the number of wounds by four. Am I correct as to the number of combatants?
Then the wyrm exhales a salt clud that dehydrates all that it contacts, inflicting +15 damage. With a stress die, this equals 1d10+15=19.
This requires a Soak Roll. Armor offers no protection, but a Verditius Item of Quality with a Protection bonus would, since this is a roll.
And it ain't gonna kill anyone unless they botch.
Antoni, Javier, and Roger are back over by Vibria, they get to join the fight next round.
Vibria unleashes a Pilium of Fire. If she spends a point of Confidence it will Penetrate, for this is not the wyrm you think it is, for it only has a Resistance of 25. Presuming you do spend the confidence, damage is 15 versus soak 15, each adding a stress die, so I guess it comes down to a roll off 
Wyrmy rolls a 1d10=6. Your turn
Selim just stands there looking dumbfounded. He has seen many things and been many strange places. But this has gotta take the cake. Yet these soldiers fearlessly hack away at this monster and draw blood, the hawt maga is throwing fire at it, more soldiers rush in to join the fray. Javier and Roger ignite flaming swords. Antoni announces that he is the Lion of Andorra and leads the charge.
Alla be praised, Who Are these people?!?
Oh, yeah, then there is Maurice. A frickin' firedrake that Vibria rode in on.
Turning to his cousin, he speaks. This wyrm is clearly outmatched. You may loose two or three men at the most taking it down. I can tell it is not the same wyrm as Salaak. This one is slightly smaller. Might be an offspring claiming his parent's territory.
I suspected as much. I was on my way to see you when you ran into me outside your castle. Some of my treasure horde, the coins you gave me as my share of this horde, they crumbles into salt. There is an ancient ritual, grandfather know it, called Reclamation. Basically, treasure stolen from your horde is summoned back into your presence, replaced by burning coals. Salty here must be using a variant, and since he is obviously not Salaak, the only way the ritual would work for him is if he was a legitimate heir and Salaak was well and truly dead.
I think we can negotiate with him and force him to stand down.
[size=85]Then we kill him back-stab style and steal the treasure back[/size].
Xavi already rolled Initiative. So that is Antoni's Initiative
I already said Antoni is leading the charge and gets to act next round, but with an Initiative of 20+ he will be the very first to act that round!
the order is...
Antoni 20
Arnau and the Flame Brothers 11
Javier and Roger 1d10+2=10
Wyrmy 9
Vibria 2
Selim ??