The Footrace

The old striped cloth has been stretched out across a portion of the green. You know the tradition is that all participants must line up behind this line facing the road that leads into the forest between town and the Spiram where The Seer lives. The foot race is nearly a melee some years. There is an unspoken benefit to being first into the wood and first to return from The Spiram. It can be the deciding factor in who you may apprentice with. Announcing your desired vocations afterward is done in the order of your return. The most desirable apprenticeships are often given to the strongest showing. If your preferred mentor sees something in you that a rival lacks, the better your chances of being selected by them.

As you make your way through the forest you will need to find your egg capsule that The Seer collected from you. You cannot continue to the next step in the Rite unless you have the capsule, not to mention you will lose the possessions you placed inside of them.

The town-master raises a small brass ring with little gold bell hanging from it. He flicks the bell and the familiar deep toll rings out. This is the sign to begin. Pushing and shoving and raucous cheers erupt all around you.

:::OK, so here we go, first official challenge. This will cost you 2 Might points just to participate in the challenge as the Rite participants jockey for position 'out of the gate' as it were. The challenge is a level 3 Might or Speed task. If you choose Might you are fighting your way to the front, if you choose Speed you are avoiding direct conflict by running and dodging. Feel free to describe your actions in any way that makes sense for a foot race out of the town square and into the woods, but remember no 'lethal' descriptions, while this is potentially a violent scene, killing any of the NPCs would be incredibly bad form and everyone would see you do it.

Pha moves forward with the others half pushed along half moving through the swarming mass of teenagers. Oddly enough Pha smiled slightly since he was right, he didn’t have time to look for Yaru in the mass of people but he had been right, being able to move where you wanted to in tight quarters was proving useful not. Pha focused on moving with groups of bodies when useful and moving through around and over others went most beneficial.

(Expending 2 Might on the task to participate and applying Effort to reduce Task to Level 2, Method Speed instead of Might (-3 Speed in addition to the -2 Might))

As the group of runners passes the last building in town the road widens a bit and the pack spreads out some. Kveit is makes a move to save himself a few steps by going under a wagon that has been left parked on the side of the road. Just as he is about to make his move though someone nearby takes a cheap shot to the back of his head. Its a glancing blow, but it is enough to send him sprawling and he skids to a stop under the wagon. It takes a moment to recover his footing but then he is off again.

Pha finds himself separated from his friend Yaru, who he can see bobbing and weaving near the front. He figures he probably should have expected to get picked on here. Its nothing he isn;t used to and the anonymity of the crowd and excitement of the day will let people pretend they didn't know what was happening. They will be lying to themselves, but that's nothing new.

Galen can be seen powering through to the front. He's just behind Carrick when suddenly a flash of light causes the whole crowd to flinch and miss a step. Carrick seems unaffected even though the burst of light appeared centered on him. He is breaking away from the pack some. The trees loom overhead as the youth's begin to disappear into the trees. The cheers from the town seem to fade away as the shade of the trees envelopes you.

The peace and tranquility of the forest is broken by the sounds of pounding feet on the hard packed trail and the whoops of elation as runners achieve their small victories. You see several Rite participants breaking from the trail. At first it seems strange, then you remember the need to find your capsule. Likely they are going to find their secret spots in the wood. The places they go to find solitude form the town and the trappings of civilization. These places are common hiding places for The Seer. How the Seer knows where these places are is a mystery, but The Seer is The Seer for a reason. Of course the capsules could just as easily be laying in the middle of the road ahead. Each person has to decide where to look for themselves.

:::Ok, great first round. Blackstork still need to post. @njohn858 - I accept your idea for how to use your small advantage. You have an opening. As long as Carrick's primary goal on the next action is moving forward in the race, you have an asset that can be used to lower the difficulty. If you decide to do something different, we can discuss whether that will help or not...though I'm sure you can figure out if "room to maneuver" is useful or not in your next action.

There is no cost to the next roll because you all have more room to do what you need to do. You are also free to decide how your character acts. The goal of the next roll is to find your capsule, but you also want to stay in the race. I will need an Intellect and a Speed test Difficulty 3(9). The Intellect test will be to see if you can find the logical place The Seer hid the capsule. The Speed test will measure how quickly you get there and get back in the race.:::

Carrick is suprised suddenly as Triat, or is it Tairt, rounds a tree ahead of him, he was sure he was first into the trees. The pounding of feet on the hard packed path behind him draw a quick glance from the young jack. He sees the twin red-haired girl closing in, confirming that it is Triat ahead of him. He doesn't know who will get credit for reaching the trees first, but at least he's made a good show of it. Triat on the other hand knows, that with Tairt's assistance she claimed victory in the first portion of the race and it bolsters her confidence going forward.

::Ok, sorry for the delay. Many family obligations over the holiday weekend kept me from posting. So with BlackStork's skills, effort and asset the difficulty of Tairt's test was reduced to 0, meaning a roll wasn't even needed, but we are using the optional rules of 'roll if you want to' an it worked in the player's benefit getting a minor effect. I am going to give Tairt the 'win' in the race. This is going to pay off when returning to the village, but it is noted. I'm making notes on how you all did with the Intellect test and the second Speed test, I will post the outcome(s) shortly.

@falryx - I agree that Sense Magic would work for you to help you find the eggs, they are Numenera and the stuff you put inside may have been too, so you would know the "feel" of it. That would reduce your difficulty to 1(3) meaning you were successful on that test, if you are willing to spend a minute and do it. That works well with the fact you failed the second speed test, Yaru was taking his time to sense the familiar resonance of his capsule and his possession(s) inside it.

@njohn8585 - You have understood the Inability accurately. It would have increased your difficulty by 1 and the Effort reduced it by 1, so they cancel. Unfortunately the dice did not favor you.:::

Galen and Triat & Tairt are racing neck and neck, deftly dodging trees and roots. Concentrating more on running, the three keep the elbowing and shoving to a minimum. Almost as one they come around a bend in the trail and bolt up gently rising hill. They have all decided to take the hidden game trail barley concealed by the underbrush.

A moment later Galen catches a glimpse of Kveit closing in behind them. It seems both he and his student had the same thought. They are both making their way to the overlook, a place where they train at swordplay together. Why Triat & Tairt are headed this way is beyond him, but he can't concern himself with that right now.

As the four of the burst into the small clearing they are greeted with exactly the sight they expected to find...more or less. Six capsules lay grouped together. Each one recognizes their own as they race to the pile. Triat & Tairt's capsule is on top of the pile, Galen and Kveit supporting it. Upon opening their capsule Triat & Tairt find all the possessions they had stored within plus a metallic, mechanical hand and a round disk with a button in the center. When pressed the finger on the hand act as though they are gripping something. The hand could easily be attached to a pole. Galen also finds whatever items he had placed in the capsule and an additional oddity, a small purple crystal that seems to encase the eye of a strange alien creature. Kviet finds a small synth bag of glittering dust, in addition to her other belongings. If emptied the bag refills when sealed.

Down at the bottom of the hill, Yaru is casting about attempting to sense where his capsule could be. He then remembers his favorite contemplation spot at the overlook is near here. Just as he turns to to find the game trail he uses to get there, Pha comes tearing around the bend. He has made up for lost time. Pha confesses to his friend that he cannot think where to look for his capsule. Yaru informs him that he has located his own and that he senses several magical signatures at the top of the hill. They agree that it could very well be what they are looking for and make the climb.

Not long after they begin climbing they hear a noise. It sounds like a large group of people moving through the underbrush around them. A moment later hushed, but not concealed, whispers confirm that the Clay Rats are moving in on them. It seems that Pha may have to settle his long standing feud with Chaig today. As the pair reach the clearing at the top of the hill theysee their capsules and are surprised to see four other people standing near them. Triat, Tairt, Galen and Kveit all standing at the ready. They must have seen the Clay Rats approaching and figured out they were up to no good since the vast majority of them aren't in the Rite.

Carrick is looking for that spot where he and Kylia meet sometimes. He thinks he finds it once, but when he gets to the divided tree, the rock he usually sits on has been replaced by a tangle of roots and a thorny shrub. It is then he remembers he hasn't climbed the hill yet, so it must be further along. Finding the hill Carrick is positive he has figured it out now. As he makes the climb he is suddenly grabbed by four sets of hands and forced to his knees. He looks up and sees he is surrounded by a bunch of children from the aldiea, and they seem to be facing off against a second group: Triat & Tairt, Galen, Kveit, Yaru and Pha!

:::So, here is the situation. everyone is in a small clearing, about 50 ft across. The clearing is ringed with small trees and shrubs and undergrowth. You are free to move outside the clearing but the unsure footing and the random wrist thick trees may increase the difficulty of some actions. There are eight youths plus Chaig and his lieutenant, Danjeers.

Triat, Galen and Kveit are all ready and armed. You are all at one end of the clearing, none of the Clay Rats are behind you. They will get each get one round of actions.

Pha and Yaru are stuck in the middle of clearing where Clay Rats may surround them still. After the first three act we will roll for initiative for each side. Pha and Yaru can act normally then.

Carrick, you got grabbed. You are being held by three of the Clay Rats. They aren't as old as you so while your size and experience would be an advantage in a fair fight, their numbers negate that and put you at a disadvantage.

The nameless rabble are level 1 threats, Danjeers Level 2, Chaig is Level 3. So the difficulty to act against (i.e. attack) or defend is their level x3 just like with the skill challenges. You are all free to act as you wish of course, but Pha isn't likely to escape the Clay Rats very easily.:::

Yes it would reduce the Intimidation difficulty to 0 and you are right that this would be an Intellect test. With a Difficulty of 0 you don't have to roll at all, but you have the option to do so. Getting a 17-18 result will make a second lv1 npc flee, 19-20 will get you a third, but a 1 will cause you issues. Targeting Danjeers or Chaig, you still have the benefit of a reduced difficulty.

Staring down the shaft of Kveit's arrow is to much for the young lad holding Carrick's left shoulder. He turns and bolts. The rest of the Clay Rats turn ad hiss at his back, an obvious sign of disapproval. Chaig hesitates but doesn't back down, not while he still has you outnumbered. His eyes burn rage at Pha.

"I don't have a problem with the rest of you. Leave him here and you can do what you need to do." Chaig says in response.

This gets a chuclkle from the rest of the Rats. Danjeers grunts audibly, you read the sound as one of disapproval, though what he disapproves of exactly is left ambiguous.