[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[Lord Windos]

Carnivine was caught!

He's taking an automatic poison damage every round now. Four rounds to live.

His ability is levitate. He has 3 disobedience, 0 loyalty or happiness.
He has a pseudo-ability, which one might call Poisonify. All Normal type moves on his movelist are replaced with an appropriate Poison move for the same cost.
His 0Xp moves are Poison Sting and Smog. One of his 37Xp moves was Sludge Bomb.
Something like Sludge Wave OR Gunk Shot could go in Wring Out's slot, but he hasn't learned that yet.
Does that make sense?

He also knows Bite and Vine Whip in addition to Poison Sting, Smog, and Sludge Bomb.

Apsis and Lucifer gain 2XP each, and Ventus gains 3XP.

Initially, Ventus was somewhat surprised that Apsis pulled off what looked to be a Poison Fang on Carnivine, as that was not a move her species line was typically capable of using, but that feeling was soon replaced by a sense of grime pleasure at seeing the wretched weed suffer a taste of his own medicine when it ended up Poisoned and Paralyzed for its troubles. Once captured, the researcher was tempted to just let the Grass type rot away in the Pokeball and bury it somewhere out in the swamp as a final form of revenge, but in the end opted to instead send it to his PC. 

'Loathe as I am to give this plant reprieve for trying to prey on Lucifer, the poisonous characteristic it displayed are highly atypical  for its species, so that makes it an interesting topic of research to consider. At the very least that quality increases its value on the open market, so keeping it alive will only serve to benefit me in the end, fortunately for it,' he though, patting the side of his sister in thanks for promptly taking out that dangerous nuisance, earning him a grateful hiss from her as she craned her head down for a head rub as well (Which he happily complied to her request).

Not only did she get to eliminate yet another one of those nasty carnivorous weeds pretending to a Pokémon (her last run in with the species left her with quite a distaste for them!), but she managed to learn a deadly move all too much for her liking. All there was left to do to make this day a spectacular one for her was to sample (See: Devour) the indigenous swamp Pokémon, and drool on that ingrate of a boy for wounding her master so! It would be the perfect day, *Hiiiiss!*

Sensing his giant's snakes growing appetite and seeing the imploring look she gave him, Ventus let out a chuckle and patted her head again, before motioning for them to follow him deeper into the swamp for more fertile hunting grounds. It would be a few hours before the rest of the group were done exploring the given area/combating with the local residents, so why not spend that time bounding with his big, beloved sister by hunting with her?

Order: Send off Carnivine to Ven's PC for containment/treatment for its Toxic Status, and then spend the rest of the time hunting with Apsis while the rest of the group finishes their encounters/waiting for them to refresh. He still has one more left despite his stomach troubles earlier in the morn I think, so this is a good as way as any to spend his down time!

[Dragonstrike]

Croaker: (5) + 4 Dex + 3 Survival = 12
Masq: (3) + 7 = 10

Toxicroak nods and closes its eyes, drawing its arms up to its sides. It gives a tiny bow like that.

Masq bows back along with Nathan.

But gone is the timid bird that Nathan encountered on the Creshirean plains.

There's a fire in Masq's eyes as he looks back up and at this Toxicroak.

He spreads his wings, letting sparkles fly out from his sides in a small shower as he makes himself look as big and intimidating as he can!

+1 Strength from Rivalry since Toxicroak is male!

Nathan raises an eyebrow.  Well, seems like Masq's a bit of a show off...let's see how that holds up in battle, shall we?

"Air Cutter, Masq.  Three times.  And do take care to not KO our honorable opponent."

Air Cutter x3 (And we're battling under 1 HP rules as well since this is a friendly spar, yes?)
Accuracy: 4 Dex + 3 Fight + 2 Canalize - 3/4/5 Actions = 6/5/4 D6
Damage: 4* Strength + 2 Power + 1 STAB = 7 D6 base
Effect: Only 4 successes needed to crit!

Oh, and if Mask reaches 1 HP and is poisoned, Nathan will both withdraw him from the battle and use an Antidote to cure the poison.

[Spiritmon]

Bloop. Bloop. The water near Heart's face stirs. Two beady eyes in a blue face are regarding him curiously.

Heart decides to take a different aproach from the little one. "Hello there little one. How are you?" Then Heart bring a his Ranc Berry a bit of dry food and show to the little Mudkip. "Would you a bit lunch? This lunch looks quite yummy." Heart recalls Viktor. Heart thinks better and go in Shiva style.

Action: Show the food for Mudkip and wait about what might happen.

Oo, Mudkips love Ranc Berries.

Insight: (3)(4)
Will: (3)(5)(2)(1)(1) 

Having exploited its weakness, you see Mudkip crawl out of the slime and start nomming on the berry.

Heart then decides to put some lasangna as leftlovers, one Tayaki Magikarp close to Mudkip. "Would you like to join me little one? I can cook any food you might like if everyday. But if do not want I will undestand. But you will did not worry about food for a long time little one. Oh, and you might find others Pokemon friends to make some company. If you like of course." Heart give his best sincere smile when offering the last piece of lasangna and the last Tayaki piece.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Shiva makes her way to a sturdy little tree growing amid the treacherous, whispering grassy hummocks. Between the close-set hummocks is lots of surprisingly deep scummy water.

On the little tree is a nutlike fruit much like the one Espurr keeps! This one, however, is a dull white!

(Aww, no colour?)

As soon as the pain became moderate or rather less intense to enable continue the way, onward to the swamp they went... Before doing so though, Shiva asked Valder for one on the Ponyta he carried - not for its Pokeball, but simply to have one of the fierly horses close to her in case the mud was becoming too much for the Metagross. She isn't riding this horse though and prefers to walk on her own for now. Nathan helped introduce herself to one of the horses and let her know of her name ('Sarah') and her traits - Shiva certainly appreciated this particular Ponyta's calmness and stalwartness she could almost sense without concentration.

Turned out as a good decision as the fierly horse proved itself useful to clear the path of mud and overgrown plant. Cottonee  was still staying close to her Master, not minding the more humid area of the swamp at all to Shiva's suprise - she did ensure her fluffball that she's already feeling a little better and offered to recall her, but Cottonee remained adamant and simply kept her place on Master's right shoulder. A part of Shiva was silently overjoyed over this - she caught herself nuzzling the soft fluff of her Pokemon a few times.

The third time this happened Shiva noticed her fluffball was staring at something beside the path - following her gaze, she noticed there was more than the first glance could meet about these grassy hummocks. She didn't new why, but something dragged her there... Of course she ended up leaving the path with Sarah. The closer they came, the more Shiva got the feeling that these hummocks are...whispering...breathing... It was at its peak as the small group reached a sturdy little tree and Shiva picked up what she noticed as a White Apricorn Nut. How lucky! "Take a look at that, Cottonee... It has approximately the same colour like your fluff has. Do you want to...carry...this...Nut...Huh?"

Shiva had no idea why, but here, among threacherous breathing grassy hummocks surrounded by swamp, offering an Apricon to a Cottonee, she was strongly reminded on some lines from 'Skirl of the Southern Wind', which she reread several times yesterday:

Cotton
And fruit
Grown tall by summer storm

Cotton
Fruit
Her wool will keep you warm


She wasn't sure either whether there was a meaning here or whether it was just coincidence.


-------------------
Mechanics:
If Cottonee expresses desire to carry this white Apricon, she can do so and the Incense is being returned to bagpack to hand it to Nightshade later (would need to ask her whether she'd like to carry such a fragrant item before giving it to her).
Also, I'd like to keep a hold on the second and last Encounter Slot for now to spend it on the next set/later. But, would a quick searching for arrowroot in this area or doing a Roll for other natural loot in the deep scummy water (a Roll like the ones described here) take up an Encounter? Ventus is also hunting with Apsis, I dunno whether there is a chance that he'll stumble over Shiva or see her in the distance. I wouldn't mind if he does so, actually.

[Iron]

Cottonee expresses no interest in the white apricorn at all.

Arrowroot:


There's a little bit of both this swamp's namesake plants right here near the Apricorn. Not enough for a meal or crafting, but just a few roots to study.

Hog peanut:

This is best harvested in the fall. In April it has little delicate purple flowers. Sadly I don't have a picture, but you could google it.

[Iron]

Bloop. Bloop. The water near Heart's face stirs. Two beady eyes in a blue face are regarding him curiously.

Heart decides to take a different aproach from the little one. "Hello there little one. How are you?" Then Heart bring a his Ranc Berry a bit of dry food and show to the little Mudkip. "Would you a bit lunch? This lunch looks quite yummy." Heart recalls Viktor. Heart thinks better and go in Shiva style.

Action: Show the food for Mudkip and wait about what might happen.

Oo, Mudkips love Ranc Berries.

Insight: (3)(4)
Will: (3)(5)(2)(1)(1) 

Having exploited its weakness, you see Mudkip crawl out of the slime and start nomming on the berry.

Heart then decides to put some lasangna as leftlovers, one Tayaki Magikarp close to Mudkip. "Would you like to join me little one? I can cook any food you might like if everyday. But if do not want I will undestand. But you will did not worry about food for a long time little one. Oh, and you might find others Pokemon friends to make some company. If you like of course." Heart give his best sincere smile when offering the last piece of lasangna and the last Tayaki piece.

Mudkip is extra pleased with that Tayaki Magikarp. It'll come along if you cook for it pretty often.

Happiness 2, Loyalty 2, Disobedience 0.
Ability is Torrent.
Growl, Mud Slap, Water Gun.

1XP to Heart.

[Iron]

Toxicroak Round 1

Poison Jab 1
4 Dex + 4 Fight + 3 Brawl - 4 actions = 7d6
(3)(5)(4)(5)(5)(1)(5) Critical hit
2 Str + 3 power + 1 STAB -3 vit +2 crit = 5d6
(3)(2)(5)(5)(3) Masq takes 2 dmg 6/8hp -1 pain
Poison: (6)(3)(6) Masq is poisoned

The fighting Pokemon moves in with many tumbles and feints, unimpeded by the marshy ground. His final move is to rotate on one leg and lean far forward like a dancer to spike Tranquill in the breast.

Air Cutter 1
(2)(1)(4)(1)(4)
Evasion: 10 dice, -4 actions = 6d6
(4)(5)(1)(4)(4)(4)
The blast of concentrated air doesn't come close to the nimble creature in its own habitat.

Air Cutter 2
(5)(5)(1)(4)
Evasion3: (6)(1)(6)(4)(2)
That time is a lot closer. Masq is quick to adapt.

Air Cutter 3
(6)(2)(2) Toxicroak is moving in for the attack now!
3 vit = 4d6+1
(5)(4)(1)(2) Toxicroak takes 3 dmg! 4/7hp -1 pain

Toxicroak eats an Oran Berry. 5/7hp -1 pain

Belch 4
11 Canalize dice, -7 actions, -1 pain, -1 acc =2d6
(6)(1)
2 Str + 5 Power + 1 stab -3 vit =6d6
(4)(2)(5)(3)(2) Masq takes 3 dmg 4/8hp -2 pain

Poison: (6) No damage!

Toxicroak Round 2

[Dragonstrike]

Yup, as tough as Nathan had expected.  Tougher, even.  Belch...that's a danerous move.  "Masq, Quick Attack.  Twice.  Get in what damage you can."

5 and 4 dice for those accuracy pools after -2 pain, 4 dice in the damage pool. Withdrawal and Antidote orders remain the same.

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

(Searching also revealed that the Hog Peanut plant produced two types of seeds, and both + the taproot are indeed edible [if cooked]. Today I learned)


"Oh... No interest in that Apricorn, either? I like its color... But if you don't, then that's fine as well." Packing this new Apricorn away for now, it'll probably be shown to the other Pokemon on hand later when serving dinner to them. The Guidebook also mentioned something about the Mamo co-bonding their Pokemon to themselves in rituals involving mysterious Apricon Dust... How they create this Apricon dust without any mechanical devices was something Shiva failed to imagine.

Eh, anyway, now that they where already here, she could also search for more useful plants nearby... First of all in that scummy water here. It turned out way deeper than it looked at first... Curiosity and eager got the better of her, and using a forked branch of the sturdy tree she already picked the Apricorn from (she may not be that strong physically, but that should be doable!) it didn't took her long to dig up some of the roots, and the kitchen knife she's still carrying from Ronin Spearow proved itself useful to cut them off. What a delightful feeling to put a bit of elusive arrowroot into the wooden crate... The wildflowers who are still in there are feeded to Sarah.

Shiva also spends several minutes simply examinating the swamp's namesake plant. It certainly had beautiful small flowers... It wasn't enough to take with her and she wouldn't enjoy to unroot the whole plant in a hope it would be enough nevertheless.

My, this short trip, also let her mostly forget about the pain from earlier... Actually, it has gotten somewhat better by now. (Still -1 Encounter though). Turning to both Cottonee - who was still refusing to be withdrawn - and Sarah, "Now then... Should we go back to the main path to meet up with the others again?" On the way back though, Shiva could not help but to throw a glimpse over her shoulder to these grassy hummocks. She still feels like they've been watching her the whole time.


----------------
Mechanics:
Adding White Apricon and a bit of arrowroot to Inventory, heading back to the main path, ready to meet up with the others then.

[Iron]

Toxicroak Round 2

Quick Attack 1
(4)(3)(5)(3)(1) Seems Toxicroak is only evading Flying moves
(4)(2)(4)(2) Toxicroak takes 2 dmg 2/7hp -2 pain

Poison Jab 1
11 dice -2 pain -4 actions = 5d6
(6)(4)(3)(3)(2)
(4)(3)(1) Masq takes 1 dmg 3/8hp -2 pain

Quick Attack 2
(5)(1)(5)(4)
(2)(1)(4)(6) Rivalry and Quick Attack lets Masq power through a fight against a more mobile opponent with a home field advantage. Toxicroak folds both his arms in over his chest, making the pointy knuckles point safely inward, and bows to Masq. Still like that, his lilypad starts sinking until all but his head is submerged in the swamp. His eyes grow very gradually brighter as he absorbs water.

4Xp to Masq, 2XP to Nathan!