Wrath of the Weaver - Round 5

[Eclecticon]

Situation: Having awoken one of the three Great Spiders of Mirkwood, the Fellowship of the Helm are fighting for their lives! 

Combat Advantage dice:
• Arbogast 0/2
• Esgalwen 1/1
• Grimbeorn 0/1
• Hathcyn 0/0

Situation Modifiers:
• The companions have the initiative.
• All anchor strands have been severed. 

Physical Modifiers (complications):
• Tylquin's nest is in near-complete darkness.  She gains +2 to her Parry score. 

PC/NPC

PARRY

ARMOUR

HOPE

END

STANCE

STATUS

Arbogast Esgalwen Grimbeorn Hathcyn

• 6 ( +3) • 9 • 4 ( +4) • 4 (Great Strength +3)

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

• 7/16 • 10/14 • 8/12 • 10/13

• 26/26 • 27/27 • 4/31 • 11/29

Defensive Forward Defensive Forward

normal normal WEARY UNCONSCIOUS, WEARY, WOUNDED

ENEMY		PARRY		ARMOUR		HATE		END		NOTES
Tylquin		• 7+2		• 3d		• 6/8		• 10/60		•

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]

Try as he might, the Fire-watcher cannot match the cunning of Tylquin.  One after another, his strikes, like Hathcyn's fateful blow, go aside.  From the corner of his eye, he sees Grimbeorn regain his footing, though the great warrior is clearly weakened.  Only Esgalwen seems tireless, her sword seeming aflame with her defiance and fury.

And though the misery of the shadow-caught lies heavily yon, and he is not yet lost to despair.  The spell-threads are broken, he thinks.  Now all we must do is buy time...


Arbogast will shift into Defensive stance and protect Grimbeorn.

1d12 : 6, total 6
Rolled 4d6 : 5, 2, 2, 5, total 14

[Eclecticon]

Another miss, but at least not a catastrophic one.

[tomcat]

Hopelessness set into her heart once more and even as she fought, Esgalwen wept. They had delved again into darkness that wanted to consume their very beings, and the light of hope dwindled. The terror of the Beast of Mirkwood filled her mind. The terrible loss of Arbogast and his beautiful family. The Shadow in the highlands of Gundabad, the Ghost of Orophin - all of these horrors tore at her strength of will and resolve.

Hopeless, she thought to herself, even as Grimbeorn strove to stand. Nimronyn gleamed in her hand, the Elven-gilded weapon burning with its own inner fire. Esgalwen whispered to Tylquin, "You may have us now within your weave, but we will leave you with such a bitter wound that you will never forget the strength of the tribes of Men that defied you. In the end, it is you that will fail and the spirits of the river shall return to their own and once more aid the Folk of the Tarn to stand against your darkness."

She turned to Arbogast, "Fire-watcher... make your way from here. Return to the ones you love and ascertain that they do not mourn a husband and father! I will see to it that you have as much time as is needed."

Arbogast could hear her fey voice and knew that the Ranger intended to give all for this task.

Stance: still
Two-handed swing once more at the spider...
Shadow-bane - extra 1d to attacks when in Forward stance against the Shadow...
TN 19 longsword 5d

1d12 : 3, total 3
Rolled 5d6 : 3, 4, 2, 5, 3, total 17

12  edge: 8   injury: 18

[tomcat]

I'll be damned if I cannot get a blow or a freakin' !! Five rounds in and I have achieved one pierce and NO 's. The dice are crazy!

This battle is a slogfest and we are running out of heroes!

Still, that is another success for 12 loss.

[Telcontar]

  in this scenario not rolling another  is the only luck we can hope for. Wounds and  are beyond our reach.

[Eclecticon]

Just waiting on Matt...

[GandalfOfBorg]

If this was his lot, so be it. Side by side, shield at the ready with Esgalwen, Grimbeorn wades in again.

Hmmm where's the eagles when you need them? So much for a Wizard's usefulness

Stance: Defensive, Action: Defensive Fighting (-3d, +6 Parry)
Using Advantage die
 

Axes-  1d12 : 7, total 7
Rolled 3d6 : 5, 6, 3, total 14

[tomcat]

That is close to a hit, Matt, if you wanna throw a at it. Remember, because we are in the dark, all TN's have a +4 to them, so to hit her in Defensive requires a TN 25.

I am not sure if driving her down below 0 will make much difference, but maybe?

Hey Paul, just an FYI - I added all the emotes for PC conditions in case you do not want to have to type stuff out or have the words string across the table above.

[Eclecticon]

Thanks, Doug, but I type pretty fast and find it easier to deal with words than to try to recall what all the fiddly symbols mean.  No offence to you or anyone else who's the other way around - it's good to have the option. 

EDIT: I wouldn't ordinarily break kayfabe like this, but save your Hope, Matt.  It won't affect the outcome of the scene.

[Eclecticon]

Half-blind, and with the strength of their bodies failing, the bright steel of Men seems unable to break the carapace of the Weaver.  Tylquin, malice shining in her eyes and her jaws already working in anticipation of the taste of warm blood, turns her gaze upon Esgalwen, the Ranger clearly presenting the greatest threat. 

As she readies herself to spring, though, there comes a great wrenching of rock and tearing of threads as the roof of the cavern, where Tylquin slept undisturbed mere minutes ago, is ripped asunder, the lair now plainly shown to be made within a heap of great stones piled here at the dawn of the world and covered over long ages ago by molder and the twisted undergrowth of Mirkwood.  Now the uppermost stones are heaved aside and, his bulk silhouetted against the light of high and bright stars, Tauler looks down upon his sister and her foes. 

All freeze, as if the slightest movement would seal the doom of the mover.  The Weaver, her almost-Mannish face set in an unreadable expression, regards her brother above for a heartbeat, or perhaps two.  Then, all thought of those who laid low her sorcerous wards forgotten in the face of a greater threat still, she takes flight, skittering lightning-fast across the wall of the chamber to vanish into the crevice that was once the only entrance to her lair.  Tauler, barely slower, is after her in the blink of an eye, seeking to catch her when she emerges and likewise heedless of the companions below.  For a few seconds, the crashing of the two through the trees can be heard.  Then the pall of Mirkwood falls once again over what was the stronghold of the Weaver and all is silent but the sizzling of a single torch where it lies upon the floor. 

[GandalfOfBorg]

Grimbeorn slumps to the ground in weariness from the throbbing from .. everywhere.