The Battle of Stánford

[tomcat]

Esgalwen and her raiders are inside the palisade, too.

[Posterboy]

  I was thinking Song as well...

Song Check on the front end this time... trying to demoralize the Toft-men and encourage them to give up...

Feat Die:

Rolled 1d12 : 3, total 3

Skill Die:

Rolled 4d6 : 5, 6, 2, 1, total 14

Minstrelsy if needed.

[Eclecticon]

I'll pay that - you're up to five successes before Grimbeorn's failure ends the encounter. 

Insight roll to determine objectives for Mass Combat.

Strictly speaking, this (and Bandy's roll) really ought to be Battle and Awareness, but I'll pay those, too, to keep things moving.  I won't put more narration in until I see what Aryn has in mind for Tate's song, but Bandy has found a spot where he, Esgalwen and the archers could set up an ambush that would give anyone trying to set fire to the kindling outside the barn a really bad afternoon.  Someone would need to run out into the open, though, to un-bar the doors. 

As for objectives, I'll give you these:
1. Gain entry to the village - the section of the stockade nearest to the parlay site can obviously be dragged open or closed, or you could focus the assault elsewhere. 
2. Free the captives from the barn - not essential to victory, but essential to one that doesn't feel hollow. 
3. Degrade the Blood-moon forces - there would've been three of this objective, but you've done a good job of reducing their morale ahead of the battle. 
4. Kill or capture Vidugalum. 

Having read over the battle rules again, I think I'm going to make a minor change to the Assault Wave Table on p 12.  A roll of 5, 6 or 7 means deadlock - no objectives achieved and no change in the relative strengths of the forces.  A roll of 8, 9 or 10 achieves an objective from the list above.  A achieves two. 

[Posterboy]

  Kids with flu bug tapped me out tonight.
I might be able to post tomorrow night, but feel free to move along. Poetry takes me forever to write.
The basic song was to be 3 verses long, with a chorus after each verse, all told from the perspective of Tate and Hathcyn recalling the battle we're about to have:

Verse one would be from the perspective of later tonight, Tate and Hathcyn recalling in vivid detail how the Wolfslayer and his people overran this mongrel-king and his insolent pack of wolf-whelps, recalling how the Toft-men's hearts melted when the first heard the mighty roar of the Bear-folk. Tate and Hathcyn mimic and laugh at Vidugalum and his foolish pride, wondering what could have happened if the wolf had made peace with the Bear.

Verse two would again be Tate and Hathcyn conversing about the battle of Stanford, a week after the battle and the cold rains of Winter approaching are washing away the blood of battle and the ravens have nearly picked clean the bodies. Tate and Hathcyn are having a harder time remembering some of the details though now about Vidugalum and his men... but what does it matter, it was insignificant. Hardly dimming the joyful life and laughter of the Beornings.

Verse three have Tate and Hathcyn into mid-winter enjoying the fruits of their labour, trying to recall once again the Battle of Stanford, but the two have nearly forgotten it, not even sure who the people were who fell at the blades. Oh, well, doesn't matter!

The chorus after each verse shifts focus to celebrating the victories of Grimbeorn, son of the Bear, the Wolfslayer, and the Bear-folk, about their strength and ferocity, freedom and glory. The chorus would be simple, repetitive and merry. Something that hearer could catch on to by the end of the first chorus so that the volume would build as more Beornings caught onto the song.

If the song sticks around, I could imagine that it would have a bantering two-voice storytelling feel during the verses and a call and response feel during the chorus.

[Eclecticon]

That's awesome just from the description!  But I hear you - sick kids take priory.

[GandalfOfBorg]

  Grimbeorn will specifically seek O1 and O4, leaving the freeing the captives and demoralizing the raiders to the others.  He will use Insight to send his men into battle at the best location, seeking the greatest advantage based upon the parlay with "king."

[Eclecticon]

Okay, that definitely places him At the Gates throughout the battle.  Bandy and Esgalwen will be Skirmishers (at least for the first wave or two), based on their position.  Where do you want to deploy the other PCs? 

Determining the areas of best advantage will be a Battle roll, not Insight (which is really for reading people). 

[Telcontar]

  i should have read the skill descriptions.

Anyway, Hathcyn will be next to Grimbeorn with the banner of the Bear. Standard banners in Tolkien have poor battle fates, bit let's do this!

[Eclecticon]

As with Tom, above, you're welcome to chime in and say where your character will be in the absence of some other command!  For example, Arbogast will lead the remaining ten or so Woodmen, probably on one flank or the other.

[Eclecticon]

Faced with three days of crickets chirping, I'm going to go ahead and say that Idunn will be in reserve, where here healing expertise can be put to best use.  Everyone else not named above will be At the Gates with Grimbeorn and Hathcyn. 

Story post to follow shortly. 

[tomcat]

Hey Paul, sorry if you were looking for something we didn't give. Esgalwen is hiding near the barn and waiting to see how the encounter ends.

I don't have any other thing to add unless you need a skill roll. Otherwise, it is either battle or we escort these people out.

[Eclecticon]

Nah, you're fine, Doug.  I wanted to see whether Aryn or Matt had anything else to say before we kicked things along.