Dead Men at the Tollhouse - Round 1

[Eclecticon]

Situation: The Fellowship has disturbed three wights' siege of the tollhouse buildings.

Combat Advantage dice:
• Hathcyn 2/2

Situation Modifiers:
• The companions have the initiative.

Physical Modifiers (complications):
• The canal between the Elven Quarter and the tollhouse allows any number of characters to fight in Rearward stance until the wights are able to cross the bridge. 

PC/NPC

PARRY

ARMOUR

HOPE

END

STANCE

STATUS

Arbogast Esgalwen Hathcyn Laeral

• 6 ( +3) • 9 • 7 • 8

• 2d ( +3) • 1d ( n/a) • 2d ( n/a) • 3d ( n/a)

• 13/16 • 11/14 • 7/13 • 10/12

• 26/26 • 22/27 • 29/29 • 28/28

Open Forward Defensive Rearward

normal normal normal normal

ENEMY		PARRY		ARMOUR		HATE		END		NOTES
Root arm Missing jaw Rusted helm		• 7 • 7 • 7		• 4d • 4d • 4d		• 7/8 • 7/8 • 7/8		• 37/54 • 0/54 • 54/54		DEAD

STANCES

Forward - action order 1 Close combat TN 6+ parry Forward Maneuvers

Open - action order 2 Close combat TN 9+ parry Open Maneuvers

Defensive - action order 3 Close combat TN 12+ parry Defensive Maneuvers

Rearward - action order 4 Ranged combat TN 12+ parry Must be 2 other PC's in Close Combat; May not use if outnumbered 2:1 Rearward Maneuvers

From any Stance Escape combat Must start in Rearward or roll TN 10 + highest attribute level of opponents Athletics roll. On success, may safely flee from the scene of combat

[tomcat]

Esgalwen let her bow clatter to the deck once she had reached the other side of the bridge, grasping her sword in two hands as she brought it down in a sweeping attack.
Okay... she will attack the first wight close at hand as she makes it to the other side.

STANCE: her skirmisher trait kicks in making her parry a 9
Attacks with two-handed swing.
TN 13 longsword 4d6

1d12 : 7, total 7
Rolled 4d6 : 1, 5, 5, 6, total 17

11  edge: 8   injury: 18

[tomcat]

Nice!

She hits the TN 13 with a 24 success for 17 loss; she just missed a piercing blow.

[Eclecticon]

Nimronyn bites into the root-armed wight, shivering rusted mail and old bones in a great blow that would have cleft any mortal Man in twain.  But the mud and muck that makes up the greater part of the vile thing's body seems to seize the blade and hold it, and it is all she can do to tug it loose as the empty holes that once were a living man's eyes fix themselves upon her. 

<SNIP> her skirmisher trait kicks in making her parry a 9

I'll give you this one since you haven't been travelling and living rough (and I'm not a total dick).  Normally, her winter travelling gear would put you one point over the threshold.  Something to bear in mind for the future. 

Terrific hit, though!

[Telcontar]

Coming alongside Esgalwen, defensives stance narrative to follow.

Rolled 1d12 : 8, total 8

Rolled 3d6 : 3, 1, 4, total 8

[tomcat]

Esgalwen's Fatigue score is 13 from the travel and battle we had in the marshes. Wouldn't we have all had sound rest in Laketown (or even Dale) since we returned from that encounter?

[Eclecticon]

Yes, you certainly would.  In fact, I'll assume that you can all calculate Fatigue scores without travelling gear until you actually leave town.  I'll update the character sheets when I get a minute. 

[Eclecticon]

With a hiss through his teeth Arbogast follows Esgalwen on to the platform, quickly approaching the jawless wight in the centre of the four buildings.  He does not wait long for an opening, letting the Warden's Axe break roots and bones asunder.  Further away, Laeral frowns at her wayward shaft but swiftly nocks another, aiming for the rusted helm of the third wight as Hathcyn harries it with his spear. 


Attack rolls:
Arbogast

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 4d6 : 2, 3, 3, 6, total 14

Laeral

1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 3d6 : 5, 4, 4, total 13

[Eclecticon]

That's a penetrating blow from the Woodman - let's see if there's anything in there to be hurt...

Protection roll

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

[Eclecticon]

With a wet sound like the splintering of moldering wood, the Fire-watcher tears into the jawless wight.  The creature's countenance does not - cannot - change, but the arms that had reached for shield and throat abruptly go limp as the animating spirit flees its shell of brute matter.  Then, with a soft squelching sound and a sudden noisome stench, it splatters on the timbers of the tollhouse platform and is no more. 

Heedless, the two remaining wights reach with fingers of mud, twigs and bone for their living foes. 


A disappointing Defence roll for the wights, but one does not look these things in the mouth! 

The wights fight back:

Root arm (TN 15)

1d12 : 6, total 6
Rolled 3d6 : 5, 5, 5, total 15

Rusted helm (TN 19)

1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 3d6 : 5, 6, 2, total 13

[Eclecticon]

Esgalwen feels cold mud around her throat as the wight bats Nimronyn aside with its root-arm and oozes inside her guard.
She drops, spinning her body to the side to escape before dead fingers can find their mark.  Mere yards away, Hathcyn gives ground before a series of wild haymaker blows which threaten to splinter bones and crush the vitals beneath.