Dryad
This too shall pass.
When a human silhouette appeared in a doorway to their left, Newkirk was quick to react. He raised an arm and gathered a firebolt to throw -
Osterley gently but very firmly pushed his arm down.
"Silvertown, I presume."
Lowering the lengthy shape of a Browning Automatic Rifle from their shoulder, the figure relaxed but did not come out into the light. They spoke with the light tones of the female Hampton socialite.
"If I told you the challenge was Shindig, how would you respond?"
Osterley suddenly looked wary.
"I would not, because the challenge is Amatol."
"Very good. The countersign is Torpex - I am Silvertown."
She stepped out then, a sequinned dress sparkling with the motion. It was elegantly cut, flowing around her slender form in a thousand tiny reflections; here and there scorch marks dulled the effect. The agent laid her weapon down on the table and breathed out in relief.
"I was beginning to think no-one was coming. Where is Perivale?"
Prequels
Sequels
Comments (5 so far!)
HSAR
Dungeons and Dragons uses the popular concept of "hit points" in its various editions to describe how manage damage player characters and enemies can survive before succumbing to their wounds. Tough characters like barbarians have more health and are more resistant compared to more delicate classes like sorcerers and rogues.
How this is represented in-game is very much a source of controversy, but I personally have always held a certain narrative-heavy viewpoint. Player characters, as heroes heavily entangled in the strings of fate, are no mere mortals. An arrow that might have pierced the chest of a lesser man might be dodged - barely - by a hero. But they can dodge so many arrows and blows until one of them inevitably strikes home, and this is what I believe is described by hit points. A trained combatant might survive under a hail of blows for a little longer than one unaccustomed to the hurly-burly of melee combat, but even heroes die eventually.
- #3941 Posted 6 years ago
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HSAR
The above musing on the abstract notion of health is relevant because of the state we see Silvertown in. The reader may reasonably ask how Silvertown survived an attack by Yorck, and therein lies the answer - that she may have, but only by withdrawing, and while she seems unscathed, this is not the case.
The following text aptly describes how damage can be taken seemingly without putting a scratch on the target, in narrative-combat terms.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/2xu4vd/howispowerwordkilldescribedtothewizard/cp3l5ez/
- #3942 Posted 6 years ago
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HSAR
Operation Dryad was a raid conducted by British commandos on a remote lighthouse in the Channel Islands. Soldiers from the Small Scale Raiding Force (one predecessor of the Special Air Service) sailed to the island in a motor boat and took the German garrison completely by surprise in the middle of the night. Capturing all of the garrison, they sabotaged gear and dumped weaponry into the water before departing with their new prisoners.
- #3943 Posted 6 years ago
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Robert Quick
There's something about the verbal interaction that bothers me but even after a couple of days, I can't put my finger on it. I suppose since there are so many sequels after it already that it doesn't matter unless you end up editing these all into a single document later. Sorry I can't be more specific here.
- #3972 Posted 6 years ago
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0
Inspired by (sequel to):
Newkirk felt Osterley grab at his sleeve as she fell, but before he was pulled off his feet she let …
Chastise- Published 6 years ago and featured 6 years ago.
- Story viewed 6 times and rated 0 times.
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HSAR
The M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle is an automatic weapon that would later find success in the light machine gun role. Heavy and quite cumbersome, it fired a powerful cartridge that made it difficult to control. Silvertown's weapon is quite at odds with her appearance.
East Hampton (and the associated area) is well-known as a place where the welathy own country homes. How and why Silvertown is associated with the area is not stated.
Beckton gave the daily challenge and countersign during "Teller-Ullam" (#41660).