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Post by zipp on Jan 16, 2009 19:36:21 GMT
At around 6:00pm, the companions arrived at the second gatehouse between Holmgard and the merchant city of Oasis.
At this point, the rains had stopped completely. Kai was a beautiful orange glow hanging in the Western sky, preparing to bed in the mountains for the night and pass on his vigil to Ishir, already visible in the sky and ready for her watch.
The guard post was nestled in a small ravine. At either end of the ravine were gates that spanned the distance between the two hill bases that made up the indentation. Battlements stood at the ravine lip, looking down into the space between the two gates. All in all, a brilliantly strategical use of the natural scenery.
As the companions rode forward, they saw this gate was closed. A mounted and fully armoured warrior wearing a Dureneese war-helm that covered his features manned the gate, and he held out a hand to the companions, signaling them to halt before the gates. He didn't say anything, simply stared at them, waiting apparently for them to state their business.
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Post by Bonnie Sommer on Jan 16, 2009 23:25:06 GMT
Note: Before the group approaches this guard post, Bonnie will inform them that the commander of the outpost is a man named Bannon and he is known for following protocols strictly. Bonnie asks the group to behave accordingly.
Bonnie speaks up.
"Bonnie Sommer from the King's Border Rangers. We are on an official mission from King Ulnar. We seek shelter for the night and an audience with commander Bannon."
At this point Bonnie will expect to be prompted for proof of authorization and will provide it on request.
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Post by zipp on Jan 16, 2009 23:52:19 GMT
The armoured man grunted and regarded Bonnie for a few moments. Then he maneuvered his horse over to the gate wall where the companions now saw leaned a huge iron lance, easily the man's own height, even mounted. He hefted this weapon, amazingly, in one hand and the companions stiffened. But he seemed simply to be removing it so he could get at a lever behind the lance. Throwing the lever down, they heard a clanking of chains and a grinding of gears, and the portcullis blocking the two gates opened.
With a dismissive grunt, the man pointed through the gate, seeming to indicate that's where the party should go. "Bannon," he said simply, in a deep voice.
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Post by Bonnie Sommer on Jan 17, 2009 10:21:41 GMT
OOC:ishly there isn't enough information in the text to let us know that this fort still is controlled by the Sommlending.
Given Bannon disposition to protocols Bonnie would expect certain things in the outpost and she would expect the guard to speak Sommlending well. I'm making some skill rolls here to assess that Bonnie thinks all is in order before entering.Perception rolls on the outpost and the guard. (1d20=2, 1d20=14, 1d20=3, 1d20=5)If she finds nothing amiss, Bonnie will be following the guard's direction and seek out Bannon.
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Post by Dirac Sil on Jan 17, 2009 11:28:26 GMT
Meldorac dismonts the miserable steed he has been given and awaits the actions of his fellows. In some ways, he cannot wait to be in the plague ridden Oasis, where he may be of some use. Also, the danger from Darklanders may be less.
Meldorac finds it odd that the Border Ranger's nor the Brother's frst thoughts were not to report the intrusion of Darklanders, however he has no wish to cause a scene himself.
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Post by Brother Owain on Jan 17, 2009 14:56:01 GMT
Owain sets off after Bonnie. If all is well with the fort, he will inform this Commander Bannon of the Darklands forces he recently encountered.
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Post by zipp on Jan 17, 2009 19:04:06 GMT
Good call on the perception roll, Bonnie. Unfortunately, it's not high enough to succeed, but I'll give you some credit for having made it and consider you to be on guard.
Bonnie was immediately suspicious of the armoured guard. But she was also exhausted and wet from her ride in the rain and she was still running high on adrenaline from the thought that, even now, their enemies might be tracking them, or worse... riding towards the Eledil crossing and making their way into Sommerlund proper.
She gave a quick look around the fort, but aside from the strange guard, she saw nothing amiss. Realizing that, once again, she was being looked to as a leader (however unwilling) by the others, she rode forward and gestured for everyone to follow. Last to go through the gates was Meldorac, who had dismounted and had to quickly remount.
As they passed through, Bonnie slowed her horse, so that she was riding closer to the others, and whispered:
"Be on guard."
No sooner had the words left her lips then they heard a command being barked out from behind them, followed by the rush of chains and metal as the gates on either side of the ravine passageway slammed shut, trapping them. Above them they could see, on the Western side, the ravine wall stretching up a good forty or fifty feet. The Eastern side was more like thirty feet high, and lined with man-made battlements. On these battlements appeared two soldiers, dressed in the black armour of the Drakkarim, and wielding crossbows, which they aimed into the group.
Behind them they heard a low chuckle and the neighing of a horse. The one manning the gates had come in with them and was leveling his huge lance. With a roar in some dark language, he charged. Only Bonnie's warning gave them any chance of countering his lunge.
Okay, here's the layout of my enemies:
Drakkarim Commander (8 threat) 11/11 rolls 4 dice, carries a lance that does +4 damage but reduces his dice pool to 2. Also has a sword, +2 damage, no reduction. Drakkarim archer 1 (2 threat) 5/5, rolls 2 dice, has a crossbow Drakkarim archer 2 (2 threat) 5/5 rolls 2 dice, has a crossbow
Currently, the DC to hit any of you with the crossbows is 10. A number of factors make this up, such as the fact that you are mounted, don't have any cover, and are clumped together in a group. Anyone using a long range weapon against the archers does so at a DC of 15. In either case, successes lead to damage, one damage per success. Damage can be resisted as usual via toughness. The archers are currently targeting Bonnie and Michael.
The Drakkarim Commander is charging Meldorac, following the usual rules for combat. So the next step is for everyone to post their actions, accompanied by a roll if neccesary. Meldorac, you have to roll against the Commander. Make sure you post your character's actions in combat and remember they don't have to be stoicly slicing and stabbing if you don't want.
Maybe your character pulls Meldorac from his saddle before the Commander can impale him, and you slice at the man's neck as he passes. Maybe you avoid the charge but ride to the other end of the gate, where the Commander will end up and engage him before he can charge again. Maybe you leap from your horse on to the Commander's.
All of this can be done with the Combat score. It will all be resolved based on how everyone's rolls turn out. Don't be afraid to push the narrative, within bounds. Obviously you couldn't lift the commander and his horse and throw them into the archers (this isn't a Japanese RPG, after all).
I won't lie to you, this could be a tough battle, and I'm not going to pull any punches. You'll have to use your abilties, wits, some luck, and probably even Trenton to survive. Which reminds me, the first person to claim Trenton as their ally in this fight gains +1 to their Combat dice pool for the entire combat.
Finally, remember that, using insanity, you can add dice to your pool as long as you do so before you roll, and announce how many you are adding. Also remember you can reroll any die once by the same system.
Good luck.
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Post by Dirac Sil on Jan 17, 2009 19:21:18 GMT
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Post by zipp on Jan 17, 2009 19:43:33 GMT
Alright, sorry to confuse you here, but you'd still need to roll for Combat in this case, even if your action is simply to dodge out of the way.
That might not seem to make sense at first, but Combat involves your entire combative skill, whether that be slicing with a blade or dodging the blades of someone else.
Skill is only used outside of combat, or for long range attacks.
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Post by Dirac Sil on Jan 17, 2009 19:55:02 GMT
Ok, then the combat rolls I gave you still apply, but are labelled 'dodge' and iclude me trign to twist the horse and get off of it.
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Post by Brother Owain on Jan 17, 2009 19:56:14 GMT
With a startled yelp, Owain leaps clear of his saddle to put his horse between him and the crossbows. Seeing the commander aiming his charge at Meldorac, he utters a protective prayer to help his companion survive.
Actions: Dismount, hide behind horse, and cast Faithshield on Meldorac.
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Post by zipp on Jan 17, 2009 20:17:01 GMT
Meldorac, how do you want me to order those dice you rolled?
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Post by Dirac Sil on Jan 17, 2009 20:27:49 GMT
Highest last, the other two added together - he's only got two rolls while using the lance, yes?
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Post by Bonnie Sommer on Jan 17, 2009 20:57:39 GMT
Moving forward on horse to spread out from the rest and present a more difficult target next round.
Arms herself with the Bow and returns fire at the Crossbowman who targets her.
How exactly does Trenton's skill special work? Is it +5 to each roll in one round? Does Bonnie have to control him for the rest of the round? Can Trenton use the special and still attack the drakkarim?
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Post by zipp on Jan 17, 2009 21:26:35 GMT
Meldorac: Yes, with the lance he only gets to attack with two dice. If he discards the lance, he can roll 4.
Bonnie: Trenton's two abilities operate separately from each other. So you could use his +5 skill bonus and someone else can claim him for the +1 die bonus. If you do use his skill bonus, make sure you narrate how he is able to help you (maybe he expertly throws a knife, or he acts as a distraction to lure one of the drakkarim into a better position to hit, or he points out a flaw in the armour... your call how he helps, but describe it).
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