Four Casts at the Granary

FOUR CASTS AT THE GRANARY

The Granary Door

The raiders came over the wall with the last of the light. The household is behind the granary door with the bar down. Zofia stands in the yard unarmed, and the raider with the axe has found the door.

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ZOFIAOmen-Born of Tajmork · Unseen Craft Skilled · Mind Renowned · Cast 2d6 +3 · Strain Threshold 3 · Health 6

THE CAPTAINA raider · Prowess +1, Mind +0 · Magic Defense 2d6 + the attribute named · Resilience 4 · Health 8

Shadow Strike: a Skilled Bolt, Lethality 3, against his Mind. Hidden Constraint: a Trained Bind, against his Prowess. Two actions each, Begin Casting and Complete Casting, with nothing else between.

THE FIRST CAST · SHADOW STRIKE

She begins the Working as he plants his feet and completes it as the axe comes up. Nothing reaches him. He does not even look round.

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ZOFIAcast1 + 3 = 4 +1 Unseen Craft +2 Mind7

THE CAPTAINdefense5 + 6 = 11 +0 Mind11

A clean miss. Margin 4, against Strain 0. Strain only: 2 for a Skilled Working.

Engaged, hurt or Restrained between Begin and Complete, she would have failed before the dice and taken the Strain all the same.

ZOFIA 6/6 · Fatigue 0 · Strain 2 of 3THE CAPTAIN 8/8 · Fatigue 0

THE SECOND CAST · SHADOW STRIKE

The axe is buried in the door up to the haft. She casts the same Working again, and this time it lands. He stops with both hands on the haft and does not pull it free.

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ZOFIAcast5 + 4 = 9 +1 Unseen Craft +2 Mind12

THE CAPTAINdefense3 + 4 = 7 +0 Mind7

The Working takes. Margin on the dice 9 − 7 = 2, +3 Lethality, +2 Mind, a Damage Total of 7 against Resilience 4. He loses 3 Health and a point of Fatigue.

Success costs Strain too. Another 2 puts her at 4, past her Threshold.

ZOFIA 6/6 · Fatigue 0 · Strain 4 of 3 · ◆ PAST THRESHOLDTHE CAPTAIN 5/8 · Fatigue 1

THE THIRD CAST · HIDDEN CONSTRAINT

He has the axe free and the door is giving. She names his next blow before he makes it, and for a heartbeat he cannot make it. Then the axe comes down, and the pain of the failed Working goes through her head like a nail.

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ZOFIAcast3 + 3 = 6 +1 Unseen Craft +2 Mind9

THE CAPTAINdefense5 + 4 = 9 +1 Prowess10

Backlash. Margin 1, below her Strain of 4, with her Strain past the Threshold: a point of Fatigue, and 1 Health lost that no Resilience reduces.

The Trained Working adds its 1. Strain 5. A miss by 4 or more would have cost her that and nothing else.

ZOFIA 5/6 · Fatigue 1 · Strain 5 of 3 · ◆ PAST THRESHOLDTHE CAPTAIN 5/8 · Fatigue 1 · the door giving

THE FOURTH CAST · HER CHOICE

The bar splinters along its length. Eleven people and a child are behind it. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, and there is blood on it, and she begins again.

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A MISSBy 5 or more: Strain only. By less: a point of Fatigue, and Health equal to the margin, unreduced.

A HITThe Working lands, and her Strain goes to 6 or 7 for the cast after it.

Nothing in the rules stops her. The caster chooses when to stop.

ZOFIA 5/6 · Fatigue 1 · Strain 5 of 3 · ◆ BEGIN CASTINGTHE CAPTAIN 5/8 · Fatigue 1 · the axe up