Captives of the Enemy

[AlyC]

-ooc- damn it, Paul!

[Eclecticon]

Wings folded, Arod plunges from the bright sky like a stone dropped from the heavens.  But Kurgak has the cunning of one of the great drakes of old, and the swiftness also.  A slayer of things both great and small, his hands blur the air as Arod spreads his wings and extends his claws, seizing the bird and wrenching his legs with an audible snap.  Beating the air with panicked wings, Arod screeches in pain, to no avail.  Kurgak rips several handfuls of dun feathers from his body and flings them to the ground before biting into the exposed flesh. 

Several dreadful moments later, Arod's screams stop, and the only sound is the grunting of the uruks as they methodically beat the Men across the shallow channel.  The smaller goblins watch in awe as Kurgak, his chin red with owl blood, locks eyes with Laeral's.  "Oh, sorry," he chuckles, "was 'e yours?" 

He maintains his gaze as he drops the still-twitching body on to the muddy ground and stamps it down, once, twice, thrice, the cracking of small bones hidden beneath the thumping of his boot.  Then, his bloodlust sated for the moment, he calls to his followers.  "Don't kill 'em!  You've 'ad your fun.  Go find snakes an' worms, whatever this place 'as to eat.  I've 'ad a fine appetiser, an' I'm ready for a proper meal!" 


for the beating earlier.  Everyone is now weary. 

-ooc- damn it, Paul!

What were we saying about the dice having their own story?

[Telcontar]

Doug, I realised after I posted that I've been forgetting the existence of Beal.  Please accept my apologies and consider him to have been beaten too.

Nothing like an apology beating. Lol

[tomcat]

 

I was starting to feel left out! 
His eye was swelling shut, even as he stared with pure hatred at the orc that stood over him. Beal felt terror in his heart, but also the desire to kill the creature that had caused him so much harm.

"I will not die here!" he hissed in a whisper. "I will not die this way!"

The orc heard the words coming through the man's clenched teeth, and it reached down to wrench him up by his long, black hair.

"Naw... ye won't die here, that is certain! Kurgak would never allow us the pleasure. But you'll get your wish when we arrive at the Hill! There you will beg for the mercy of death, even as the Lidless Eye flays your mind."

With a shove, the orc slammed Beal's head to the ground and his world began to dim at the edges of his eyes. The croaking laugh and thump of heavy boots faded, as his aggressor walked away. The Lake-man rubbed the back of his head to see if he bled, and then pushed himself up to lean on an elbow and look around with his one good eye. The Elf-woman sat not far from him, tears streaking down her face creating lines in the grime and blood there. The other men were also now relieved of the orcs who milled about in the quest for food, by order of their chief.

Looking to Hathcyn he said, "We must do something. My arms and legs are like lead, but I cannot end in this manner. What was the manner and point of your trances? The strange fox - is it your pet? Do you have some Elven powers unknown allowing you to communicate with it? What is it that is happening?" He then looked to Laeral and said quietly, "I am sorry for the death of your bird, Fair Lady. If I have any strength left me, I will see that the debt is paid in kind."

Even as he gave such challenging words, Beal felt his head swoon and he fell back on to the ground, lying prone and staring up at the gray sky. Whatever, and whoever, these Men and Elf were planning - he hoped it would happen soon.

[Telcontar]

Hathcyn whispered to Beal.

"Help comes and swiftly, we must yet delay them some for they ride hard on our heels and grow closer while they rest in the day. The fox is the totem of my family and in great need they will aid us, or allow us to take their shape and fly with great speed across the land while the night endures. And so, I have found friends and called for their aid."

The goblins hearing the whispering approached.
"You want the boots again! Eh? The pack man hasnt had enough."

"Hathcyn cocked a grime encrusted face in their direction and struck up a tune he had heard along the great forest road.

" As I walked forth one summer's day,
To view the meadows green and gay
A pleasant bower I espied
Standing fast by the river side,
And in't a maiden I heard cry:
Alas! alas! there's none e'er loved as I."

The tune seemed out of place and jarring in the present scene of bondage and torture but the words had a power, a spell of calm and escape from toil and trouble.

The goblins began to kick the Beorning again and the second verse died in his throat. His face swollen, his lip split and bleeding and several teeth now lay in the muck.

"We's not aupposed to kill ya, but not much less than that. Mind your mouth now two legged pack mule."

The final boot to his head made his head loll and he fell down into the dirt again breathing ragged.

[GandalfOfBorg]

 
Well that escalated quickly. Grimbeorn would've interceded to protect the elf and such but oh well.  Also, would Beornings still be Weary from the fighting/beating?

[Eclecticon]

I'm going by your endurance/fatigue totals here.  Everyone started the journey near the threshold.  Recent events have pushed you over it. 

[Telcontar]

  i think what Matt is asking is whether our Great Strength cultural ability works to prevent weariness like it does in combat.

[tomcat]

I know I have turned the game over to Paul to be Loremaster and thus the arbiter of the rules, but I am going to chime in here and say no.

I am of the mindset that the Beorning Furious ability let's them shake off the immediate effect of combat weariness, but they will get worn down over times of long struggle and travel. Otherwise, why bother with the mechanic for them.

How I played it was, when in battle you guys would not get weary, but if END was equal to or lower than Fatigue - on the next travel check you guys would suffer weariness on any failures.

But it is now Paul's game, so he will let us know.

[tomcat]

Beal was helpless to do anything while Hathcyn was set upon once more. He dug his fingers into the icy mud, praying for some solution.

At last it was over and the Beorning lay on his back, seeming to be gratefully unconscious. The Lake-man looked all around him - maybe there was a stick, or a hard root? Something that he could fashion as a weapon and when the orcs came again, it could find the soft-flesh of one of them. It would be his only chance to act, and most likely his last, but he was ready to give it all.
Awareness and Stealth roll to see if he sees or feels anything in his immediate surrounds that he could pick up and then hide.

TN opposed? Awareness 1d

1d12 : 3, total 3
Rolled 1d6 : 4, total 4

TN 14? Stealth 1d

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 1d6 : 1, total 1

[tomcat]

Nothing!

There was nothing that he could see or feel that might serve him. Beal lowered his own head into the mud, snow and ice.

Whatever friends you summoned, Beorning, he thought, may they come in haste and sweep these beasts away.

[GandalfOfBorg]

 
No problem, just wanted a clarification.


Grimbeorn does what he can to shield the others from the punishment but his spirit sinks lower with the days sun.

[Eclecticon]

Damn it, it's been a while since I GMed this, so I keep remembering one thing after another to set up fights.  Last things last - Battle rolls for everyone except Esgalwen (who has already had hers):

Arbogast

1d12 : 6, total 6
Rolled 4d6 : 1, 6, 4, 3, total 14

Beal

1d12 : 3, total 3
Rolled 1d6 : 3, total 3

Grimbeorn

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 3d6 : 4, 5, 2, total 11

Hathcyn

1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 2d6 : 3, 4, total 7

Laeral

1d12 : 11, total 11
Rolled 3d6 : 1, 5, 6, total 12

[Eclecticon]

Unless anyone wants to spend Hope points, that's a great success for Arbogast, a basic success for Grimbeorn and nowt for anyone else. 

Matt, I'm giving Grimbeorn a second AP in his Vocation track thanks to his Hardened trait - he knew this was coming and he's been keeping some wits in reserve for it.   

On a similar note, Tom, I've gone through the last chapter and Hathcyn's APs are now up to date.  You weren't doing a lot of rolling, so there aren't that many of them, but it's not nothing.