Post by TheUdjat on Apr 8, 2009 11:20:34 GMT -5
As the bandit brother’s axe sweeps in to catch Elric, he deftly deflects, catching it between sword and shield and trying to wrench the weapon from his opponent’s grasp. He almost pulls the axe free, but the rugged man proves strong enough to hold his own—and, in fact, he brings his axe back with such a powerful jerk that it pries Elric’s sword right out of his hands, falling to the ground far below.
Still dizzy and slow-moving, the crazed bandit grins. Elric looks to his dagger, but the blade is too short to catch his enemy without some maneuvering, so instead he looks to his horse, grasping the reins and bringing the mount around and into battle, hooves swinging. It catches the bandit full in the chest, but the man only grunts and takes a step back from it, undaunted.
Jakob commands the bandit before him to surrender, but the man gives a wary glance at Elric, and the man’s recent commands to let know bandit live. Clearly he doesn’t trust Jakob, and is prepared to fight—so Jakob presses the attack. His handaxe slashes down in a clean arc, opening up the bandit’s chest from collar to belly.
The covenant’s guards continue to fight. Now that Thomas has only one man before him, he quickly finishes him off, his longsword nearly severing the man’s arm off at the shoulder. He collapses with a scream, his life pouring out of him. James moves on to another bandit, but without much success, while the two guards on the wagon try to put bolt and arrow in the men around Elric, but to no avail.
While Tawno continues to huddle under the cart, the very last bandit with a spear looks around at all his fallen comrades, particularly the one that was just offered a surrender by Jakob. He looks also to his fleeing leader, and the other, still wildly attacking Elric. With one look at Jakob, his axe still dripping from his recent kill, the bandit throws down his spear and club. “I yield!” he shouts, hoping perhaps the offer is still good.
Arnaud lines up a shot at the fleeing instigator of this fight. It’s a good, solid shot, catching him in the back... but the man doesn’t even seem to feel it. He just keeps on running. Perhaps his armor stopped the force enough, or else he is just that tough.
Rupert carefully climbs down the tree, his eyes on the fallen sniper and his equipment. The crossbows look big and heavy, larger than Arnaud’s, certainly. The one directly beneath him looks to have been damaged by the fall, but there are others that seem to be in better condition.
Meanwhile, the bandit leaders continue to struggle—one fleeing, one fighting. With Elric’s horse attacking, the brother focuses his attack on the beast. The blade opens a line of blood on the horse’s flank, but it is a shallow thing, doing little damage. It’s enough to make the horse unhappy about the situation, though.
Amalric and Joseph watch the scene wrap up, though the former keeps careful tabs on his hawk. Isabeau flies over the fleeing bandit in a lazy circle, making sure he has no hope of escape—even if he doesn’t know it yet.
The rest of the battle is over in moments. The two guards at the wagon take custody of Jakob’s prisoner, allowing him to help Elric, Thomas, and James with the weary bandit leader, still fighting fiercely. Elric quickly dismounts from his horse, resorting to his dagger after all, though the horse continues to defend itself. The bandit suffers more hoof strikes, a blow from Jakob’s axe, and a crushing sword strike from Thomas, still mounted—but though he bleeds, he does not even look troubled by these wounds.
While one brother fights, the other flees. Arnaud continues to fire on him, hitting him with another bolt that only causes him to stagger a little bit. Rupert loads a crossbow he finds in the dirt, but never gets a chance to use it—Amalric finally commands Isabeau to end it, and the hawk swoops down like a bolt of lightning, talons ripping into the tender flesh of his neck. He takes one more stumbling step and tumbles to the dirt, unmoving.
Ending one brother seems to break the other as well. The bandit hears the distant yelp from his kin and looks for just a moment, long enough for Elric to bury his dagger into the man’s side. The bandit’s eyes widen and he gasps, slumping to the ground unconscious. But the wound won’t kill him—he breathes still, all can see.
Truly a tough individual.
(long and arduous final rounds)
Fight is mercifully over.
With one brother slain and the other in an unconscious heap, the battle is over. Blood and bodies litter the road, including one of the Covenant’s guardsmen, still dead in his saddle, slain in that initial onslaught. One bandit remains alive, held at crossbow-point by Helmut, the guardsman driving the wagon. James and the other guardsman, Joost, move to their fallen friend, pulling him from his horse with care. Their faces are solemn, but they guard their grief.
Thomas takes quick stock of the situation as the group comes out of cover and regroups. “Poor weapons,” he states, looking over the spears and clubs. “Except for those axes. Nice work, those. Armor’s shoddy, too. Most of it not worth the space it’d take up on our wagon—and we’re already full.” Clearly he doesn’t advocate wasting much time on the bandits’ possessions—and a quick check assures they have no coins or other valuable items.
Thomas’s assessment of the prisoner is equally gruff. “Shouldn’t have bothered calling for a surrender. We’re not taking him with us, are we? I say kill him and let’s get moving.” Cold and callous as ever.
The bandits looks at him with wide eyes, from Thomas to Jakob to Elric. “B-but I yielded—h-he s-said surrer—srendr—he said to give up an’ I did!” The man speaks with poor German and is clearly from a common birth. A peasant, perhaps. But then, none will likely miss him.
[What would you like to do with the bandits, their possessions, and the survivors? The weapons are not good for bartering but could be used without penalties. There are 8 spears, 8 clubs, 2 battleaxes, 4 heavy crossbows, a few daggers and knives, 12 sets of leather armor, and 2 sets of studded leather.]
(Character Status)
Alright, we have some injured characters. Each condition can be recovered from given a certain period of time (more severe conditions require more time), and the most severe conditions must be dealt with before any others can be repaired. So, for instance, Elric will have to recover his wounded condition before he can deal with the hurt condition. I will outline recover rate for those injured below:
The guardsmen have their own problems, clearly.
I have every expectation that everyone will be fully healed up by the time the wagons stop for the day, but make rolls if you want to. Call it 6 hours more of traveling until you reach an inn or camp.
Amalric – Winded (-1 Str/Dex, no charge)
Arnaud – Normal
Elric – Mounted, Hurt (-1 vs. lethal), Wounded (-1)
Jakob – Normal
Joseph –Mounted, Fatigued (-2 Str/Dex, no charge)
Rupert – Normal
Tawno – Wounded (-1)
Isabeau – Normal
Guardsman 1 [Helmut] – Driving Cart, Wounded (-1)
Guardsman 2 – Mounted, Wounded (-2), Unconscious, Dead
Guardsman 3 [Thomas] – Mounted, Hurt (-2 vs. Lethal)
Guardsman 4 [James] – Normal, Walking
Guardsman 5 [Joost] – Riding Cart, Hurt (-2 vs. Lethal), Wounded (-1)
Bandit Leader 1 – Shaken, Hurt (-1 vs. Lethal), Wounded (-2), Staggered, Disabled, Panicked, Dying [fleeing; 90’ south]
Bandit 1 – Shaken [attacking Guardsman 3], dead
Bandit 2 – Shaken [attacking Guardsman 3], dying
Bandit 3 – Shaken [attacking Elric], dying
Bandit 4 – Shaken, Unconscious, Dying
Bandit Leader 2 – Shaken [attacking Elric], bruised (-1 vs. nonlethal), staggered, unconscious
Bandit 5 – Shaken [surrendering]
Bandit 6 – [attacking Elric], dying
Bandit 7 – [in the open; no spears], dying
Bandit 8 – [in the open; no spears], dying
Bandit Archer 1 – [west side of road, DC 10 Notice check to target], dying
Bandit Archer 2 – [west side of road, DC 10 Notice check to target], dying
Bandit Archer 3 – [east side of road, DC 10 Notice check to target], dying
Bandit Archer 4 – [east side of road, DC 10 Notice check to target], dead
Still dizzy and slow-moving, the crazed bandit grins. Elric looks to his dagger, but the blade is too short to catch his enemy without some maneuvering, so instead he looks to his horse, grasping the reins and bringing the mount around and into battle, hooves swinging. It catches the bandit full in the chest, but the man only grunts and takes a step back from it, undaunted.
Jakob commands the bandit before him to surrender, but the man gives a wary glance at Elric, and the man’s recent commands to let know bandit live. Clearly he doesn’t trust Jakob, and is prepared to fight—so Jakob presses the attack. His handaxe slashes down in a clean arc, opening up the bandit’s chest from collar to belly.
The covenant’s guards continue to fight. Now that Thomas has only one man before him, he quickly finishes him off, his longsword nearly severing the man’s arm off at the shoulder. He collapses with a scream, his life pouring out of him. James moves on to another bandit, but without much success, while the two guards on the wagon try to put bolt and arrow in the men around Elric, but to no avail.
While Tawno continues to huddle under the cart, the very last bandit with a spear looks around at all his fallen comrades, particularly the one that was just offered a surrender by Jakob. He looks also to his fleeing leader, and the other, still wildly attacking Elric. With one look at Jakob, his axe still dripping from his recent kill, the bandit throws down his spear and club. “I yield!” he shouts, hoping perhaps the offer is still good.
Arnaud lines up a shot at the fleeing instigator of this fight. It’s a good, solid shot, catching him in the back... but the man doesn’t even seem to feel it. He just keeps on running. Perhaps his armor stopped the force enough, or else he is just that tough.
Rupert carefully climbs down the tree, his eyes on the fallen sniper and his equipment. The crossbows look big and heavy, larger than Arnaud’s, certainly. The one directly beneath him looks to have been damaged by the fall, but there are others that seem to be in better condition.
Meanwhile, the bandit leaders continue to struggle—one fleeing, one fighting. With Elric’s horse attacking, the brother focuses his attack on the beast. The blade opens a line of blood on the horse’s flank, but it is a shallow thing, doing little damage. It’s enough to make the horse unhappy about the situation, though.
Amalric and Joseph watch the scene wrap up, though the former keeps careful tabs on his hawk. Isabeau flies over the fleeing bandit in a lazy circle, making sure he has no hope of escape—even if he doesn’t know it yet.
The rest of the battle is over in moments. The two guards at the wagon take custody of Jakob’s prisoner, allowing him to help Elric, Thomas, and James with the weary bandit leader, still fighting fiercely. Elric quickly dismounts from his horse, resorting to his dagger after all, though the horse continues to defend itself. The bandit suffers more hoof strikes, a blow from Jakob’s axe, and a crushing sword strike from Thomas, still mounted—but though he bleeds, he does not even look troubled by these wounds.
While one brother fights, the other flees. Arnaud continues to fire on him, hitting him with another bolt that only causes him to stagger a little bit. Rupert loads a crossbow he finds in the dirt, but never gets a chance to use it—Amalric finally commands Isabeau to end it, and the hawk swoops down like a bolt of lightning, talons ripping into the tender flesh of his neck. He takes one more stumbling step and tumbles to the dirt, unmoving.
Ending one brother seems to break the other as well. The bandit hears the distant yelp from his kin and looks for just a moment, long enough for Elric to bury his dagger into the man’s side. The bandit’s eyes widen and he gasps, slumping to the ground unconscious. But the wound won’t kill him—he breathes still, all can see.
Truly a tough individual.
(long and arduous final rounds)
- [From Last Round] I keep forgetting Elric’s Weapon Bind. I’ll give him the free action to attempt to disarm the Leader (it doesn’t say, but it makes sense that this ability should be 1/round, so I’m not giving him rolls on all the other bandits). My apologies, I will try to keep this ability in mind from now on. Disarm attempt. Attack roll @ +3: 16, hits. Damage roll vs. Strength of defender. Elric @ +6: 12. Leader: 13, is not disarmed. May immediately attempt to disarm Elric. Damage vs. Str. Leader: 21. Elric @ +3: 13. He is disarmed.
- [New Round] Elric gets to act first, and without a weapon. Luckily he has his trusty dagger, though I don’t see it doing him much good from atop his horse. However, I will allow a Ride check to command his warhorse to attack (actually, this should’ve been possible earlier, I just suck and overlooked it). Ride check @ +6 vs. DC 15: 19, pass. The horse attacks, starting with the formidable guy with the axe. Attack: 13, hit. Toughness Save vs. DC 18: 20, pass.
- Jakob asks for a surrender, but the guy refuses. So, an attack @ +2: 18, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 17: 8, fail, another bandit drops.
- Covenant Guards try to wrap this up. Thomas attacks from horseback: 18, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 19: 7, fail, another bandit bites the dust. The men on the wagon fire on the last couple of bandits around Elric: 14, 3, both miss (the first due to melee).
- Tawno waits.
- The very last ordinary bandit is more than willing to obey where his comrade didn’t. He throws down his weapons and offers his surrender to Jakob.
- Arnaud fires on the fleeing Bandit Leader. Attack roll 20 in the thread, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 17: 18, pass.
- Rupert climbs down the tree (double move required).
- Bandit Leader 1 continues to flee. Leader 2 maniacally keeps fighting. This time he goes after Elric’s horse: 17, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 19: 19 on the nose, it’s fine.
- Isabeau soars over Bandit 1, while Amalric and Joseph both delay.
- Initiative returns to Elric. I’m going to take a leap here and have him jump from his horse (attempting a quick dismount @ +6 vs. DC 20: 24, pass) as a free action, draw his dagger as he moves, and attack Bandit Leader 2. Attack @ +3: 9, miss. His horse keeps on fighting. Attack: 12, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 18: 23. Can’t keep this man down.
- Jakob goes to help him out and try and wrap up this combat. Attack @ +2: 18, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 17: 22. Son of a bitch.
- Covenant Guards join the gang-fight. Thomas, from horseback: 16, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 19: 24! James on the ground: 4, doesn’t even hit. The other two guards secure Jakob’s new prisoner.
- Tawno does nothing. Nor does the prisoner bandit.
- Arnaud fires again at the fleeing leader (now just at the edge of the first range increment): 15, hit. Toughness Save vs. DC 17: 13, fails by 4. He is hurt.
- Rupert locates a heavy crossbow that will suit him and, presumably, reloads it (two move actions). (They’re simple weapons, so he can use one)
- Bandit Leader 1 flees. Leader 2 attacks, um, Jakob this time. Attack roll vs. Defense 12: 4, miss.
- I’m gonna say Amalric sends Isabeau to go collect Bandit Leader 1, since he’s getting away. Attack roll @ +5: 19, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 14: Natural 1, total of 3. Fails by 11. He is disabled again, which means now he is dying.
- Joseph continues to wait.
- Elric stabs at his foe again: 12, hits. Toughness Save vs. DC 19: 8, fails by 11, making him staggered and disabled. Since this is his second Staggered result, he is now unconscious.
Fight is mercifully over.
With one brother slain and the other in an unconscious heap, the battle is over. Blood and bodies litter the road, including one of the Covenant’s guardsmen, still dead in his saddle, slain in that initial onslaught. One bandit remains alive, held at crossbow-point by Helmut, the guardsman driving the wagon. James and the other guardsman, Joost, move to their fallen friend, pulling him from his horse with care. Their faces are solemn, but they guard their grief.
Thomas takes quick stock of the situation as the group comes out of cover and regroups. “Poor weapons,” he states, looking over the spears and clubs. “Except for those axes. Nice work, those. Armor’s shoddy, too. Most of it not worth the space it’d take up on our wagon—and we’re already full.” Clearly he doesn’t advocate wasting much time on the bandits’ possessions—and a quick check assures they have no coins or other valuable items.
Thomas’s assessment of the prisoner is equally gruff. “Shouldn’t have bothered calling for a surrender. We’re not taking him with us, are we? I say kill him and let’s get moving.” Cold and callous as ever.
The bandits looks at him with wide eyes, from Thomas to Jakob to Elric. “B-but I yielded—h-he s-said surrer—srendr—he said to give up an’ I did!” The man speaks with poor German and is clearly from a common birth. A peasant, perhaps. But then, none will likely miss him.
[What would you like to do with the bandits, their possessions, and the survivors? The weapons are not good for bartering but could be used without penalties. There are 8 spears, 8 clubs, 2 battleaxes, 4 heavy crossbows, a few daggers and knives, 12 sets of leather armor, and 2 sets of studded leather.]
(Character Status)
Alright, we have some injured characters. Each condition can be recovered from given a certain period of time (more severe conditions require more time), and the most severe conditions must be dealt with before any others can be repaired. So, for instance, Elric will have to recover his wounded condition before he can deal with the hurt condition. I will outline recover rate for those injured below:
- Elric: Must make a Constitution Check (DC 10) every hour until he succeeds, eliminating the wounded condition. Hurt will be removed one hour after this (no check required).
- Joseph: For every hour of rest, Joseph can make a Constitution check (DC 10) to remove a fatigue condition (he has two—Fatigued and Winded). He must succeed twice; once to remove Fatigue, and again to remove Winded.
- Amalric: Since he is only Winded, he need only succeed one such Constitution Check.
- Tawno: Being only wounded, Tawno must succeed a Constitution Check vs DC 10 after an hour.
The guardsmen have their own problems, clearly.
I have every expectation that everyone will be fully healed up by the time the wagons stop for the day, but make rolls if you want to. Call it 6 hours more of traveling until you reach an inn or camp.
Amalric – Winded (-1 Str/Dex, no charge)
Arnaud – Normal
Elric – Mounted, Hurt (-1 vs. lethal), Wounded (-1)
Jakob – Normal
Joseph –Mounted, Fatigued (-2 Str/Dex, no charge)
Rupert – Normal
Tawno – Wounded (-1)
Isabeau – Normal
Guardsman 1 [Helmut] – Driving Cart, Wounded (-1)
Guardsman 3 [Thomas] – Mounted, Hurt (-2 vs. Lethal)
Guardsman 4 [James] – Normal, Walking
Guardsman 5 [Joost] – Riding Cart, Hurt (-2 vs. Lethal), Wounded (-1)
Bandit 5 – Shaken [surrendering]
]