An Ambush on Bridge Street - Round 1

[Eclecticon]

Situation: An ambush has been ineptly sprung on the Fellowship as they escort the decoy casket to Laketown's town hall.

Combat Advantage dice:
• Arbogast 1/1
• Esgalwen 0/0
• Grimbeorn 1/1
• Hathcyn 0/0

Situation Modifiers:
• The companions have the initiative. 

Physical Modifiers (complications):
• Characters attempting to engage the bowman in melee must accumulate three Athletics successes (great successes count as two, Extraordinary successes count as three)

PC/NPC

PARRY

ARMOUR

HOPE

END

STANCE

STATUS

Arbogast Esgalwen Grimbeorn Hathcyn

• 6 ( +3) • 6 • 4 ( +4) • 7

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

• 13/16 • 11/14 • 7/12 • 8/13

• 26/26 • 27/27 • 27/31 • 14/29

Defensive Rearward Defensive Defensive

normal normal normal normal

ENEMY		PARRY		ARMOUR		HATE		END		NOTES
Bowman Swordsman Viglunding Spearman Dorwinish		• 4 • 5 • 5 • 5 • 5		• 1d • 3d • 3d • 3d • 3d		• 2/2 • 3/3 • 3/3 • 3/3 • 3/3		• 16/16 • 0/16 • 16/16 • 16/16 • 11/16		Seriously 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

[Eclecticon]

Esgalwen's hasty return shot flies wide of its mark, high and long into the sky.  A cry of alarm rises from those nearby who beheld the bowman's shot, and it rapidly spreads as the crowd rushes away from the violence that is to come. 

As the swordsman rushes forward, the mouth of his nearest compatriot, above a beard braided in the characteristic fashion of the followers of Viglund, widens in a cruel grin as he brandishes an axe in both hands.  Immediately behind him, a slighter-built man reveals a spear from beneath his cloak.  The fourth assailant draws a pair of short, curved swords fashioned in the mode of the Men of Dorwinion and moves across the street to flank the casket's escort.   

[Telcontar]

"Hail friends, we commend you on your diverse membership. Let us see how you move to the dance of axe and spear!"

[GandalfOfBorg]

Grimbeorn unleashes his ancestral axe. "This axe is meant for the true enemies of Man. Pray, run now lest your blood forever stain these streets."

  Grimbeorn either engages the closest one to stand to meet his challenge or attacks him.

Axes -  1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 5d6 : 6, 4, 4, 5, 6, total 25

[tomcat]

Wow, Matt! I am not sure there could be a better roll.

[Telcontar]

  wow. Okay. Imma sit this one out. That dudes kids need to make a morale check!

[Eclecticon]

Purely for form's sake, the swordsman gets a Protection roll:

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

[Eclecticon]

The swordsman pays no heed to Grimbeorn's warning, and greatly does he suffer for his ill judgement.  As he approaches, his mien full of menace, the fell-handed son of Beorn, doom of the Werewolf of Mirkwood and much else besides, brandishes his ancestral axe in one enormous arm and almost casually smashes it home, cleaving bone and flesh from collar to heart and leaving the swordsman a shattered, blood-soaked wreck upon the timbers of Bridge Street.   

The remaining three barely falter, however, moving to engage even as Tafan backs hurriedly away from the casket and Balin, under the cover of Hathcyn's cloak and Grimbeorn's shield, seeks the shelter of a nearby alley.  Arbogast, doffing his disguised manner as a man might cast aside a wet cloak, moves to Esgalwen's right, offering her the protection of his uncle's shield and intercepting the Dorwinish before he can put his twin knives to work. 


Tom, since Hathcyn's not attacking this round, I'm going to give him the opportunity to make an Insight roll to learn something potentially interesting:
Hathcyn (insight)

1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 3d6 : 2, 1, 6, total 9

Arbogast shifts into Defensive stance and will protect Esgalwen while making an attack against the Dorwinish:
Arbogast

1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 4d6 : 1, 1, 5, 6, total 13

[Eclecticon]

The Fire-watcher's blow strikes a knife from the hand of his assailant, leaving the Dorwinish holding only that in his right hand.  Undeterred, the southerner presses inside Arbogast's reach, his knife-hand twisting in a curling, serpentine pattern. 

As the Viglunding approaches Hathcyn, axe clasped in both white-knuckled hands, the Longspear is able to properly behold the Fellowship's living, breathing enemies for the first time.  Outwardly, he sees little about the man that is different to the Viglundings he and his friends fought at Fystenheorth, or at Stánford.  But the man's eyes are vastly dissimilar to those of other Men he has fought, full as they were of the terror of mortal combat.  This man's eyes are unfocused and give a seeming almost of slumber.  Realisation strikes him - he is - they are not moved by their own wills. 

Then the archer shoots again and the ambushers fall upon the companions with an unholy fury. 


I'm awarding Hathcyn an AP for his great success on the Insight roll, plus the fact that it's highly plot significant. 

Attack rolls:
Bowman

1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 4d6 : 5, 4, 5, 4, total 18

Viglunding

1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 3d6+4 : 6, 5, 6 + 4, total 21

Spearman

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

Dorwinish

1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 3d6+4 : 1, 4, 6 + 4, total 15

[Eclecticon]

Yuuuup, that's gonna hurt plenty.  That's 15 damage to Hathcyn, and five to Grimbeorn (and a piercing blow).  Arbogast misses getting hit by one point. 

Protection roll for Grimbeorn (TN 14):

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 2d6 : 4, 4, total 8

 

[Eclecticon]

Tafan cries out and falls as an arrow finds its mark in his belly but there is no time to attend to him.  Like wild beasts, the three ambushers ring blow after blow upon the companions.  Grimbeorn's breath is forced from his body by a spear thrust that is halted only by the heavy leather scales of his corselet.  Mere paces away, the roaring Viglunding smashes Hathcyn's spear aside, and it all the nimble Beorning can do to get back to his feet after his efforts to avoid the follow-up blow drive him backwards over the casket, falling heavily on the timbers already slick with blood. 

Esgalwen sees Arbogast's shield weave back and forth in a desperate attempt to keep the Dorwinish knife at bay.  For now, the Fire-watcher seems to be holding firm, but for how much longer?