Fangs in the Gloom - Round 4

[Eclecticon]

Situation: The companions are defending Ferthald's steading from a pack of wargs that have breached the walls. 

Combat Advantage dice:
• Esgalwen 0/0
• Gwaithlim 1/2
• Hathcyn 0/0
• Luindîs 0/0

Situation Modifiers:
• The foes have the initiative.

Physical Modifiers (complications):
• There is a limit to how many fighters can be supported by the roofs, though you're not certain exactly how many will cause a collapse. 
• A character can use a long spear to attack foes on a roof from the ground (or vice-versa) with a -2 penalty to hit.   
• The Fellowship's followers are also engaged fighting other Wargs.  Periodically, each companion will need to make a Battle roll to determine casualties.

PC/NPC

PARRY

ARMOUR

HOPE

END

STANCE

STATUS

Esgalwen Gwaithlim Hathcyn Luindîs

• 6 (/9) ( n/a) • 7 ( n/a) • 7 ( n/a) • 5 ( n/a)

• 1d+1 ( n/a) • 3d ( n/a) • 3d ( +4) • 1d ( n/a)

• 14/15 • 12/13 • 12/14 • 12/12

• 16/27 • 27/30 • 26/29 • 18/27

Defensive Defensive Open Open

normal normal normal normal

ENEMY		PARRY		ARMOUR		HATE		END		NOTES
One-eyed warg Snapping warg Pad-foot warg Grey-muzzled warg Scar-legged warg Black warg Hulking warg Ridge-backed warg		• 5 • 5 • 5 • 5 • 5 • 5 • 5 • 5		• 2d • 2d • 2d • 2d • 2d • 2d • 2d • 2d		• 0 • 2 • 0 • 0 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5		• 0 • 1 • 0 • 0 • 12 • 12 • 20 • 18		DEAD vs Gwaithlim DEAD DEAD vs Luindîs vs Esgalwen

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]

All around the Fellowship, the sounds of battle blend together into a raging, raucous and constant din as knots of Men are beset by small packs of wargs that strike suddenly and fade back into the shadows.  Hathcyn, raising his gaze from the slain beast before him, sees naught clearly but the long-healed scars of some terrific battle on the leg of another as it leaps over his head to land before Luindîs, who shrieks in alarm and drops her freshly-nocked arrow.  Another lands, shadow-dark, before Esgalwen as she flicks warg-blood from her blade.  Teeth-tearing and hungry as fire, the wargs press their attack, heedless of their pack-mates already fallen.   


Gwaithlim, Esgalwen and Luindîs are currently engaged.  Hathcyn is free to do as he wants this round, including making a Battle roll to see how well the Fellowship's men are doing.  If he does that, it'll be at TN14 (rather than 16 as it would have been) since he took the time to summon them to the fight. 

Attacks:
Snapping warg (TN19)

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

Scar-legged warg (TN14)

1d12 : 7, total 7
Rolled 2d6+3 : 6, 6 + 3, total 15

Black warg (TN21)

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

[Eclecticon]

Luindîs' cries continue as the scarred warg bears her to the ground with a thud audible even over the nearby noise.  Before Hathcyn can even draw breath, though, a crash from the granary roof heralds the arrival of yet more wargs.  These new arrivals, he fancies, must be princes of their kind, for the first to arrive is huge and hulking, and though it treads with care the beams of the roof creak beneath its weight.  The second seems but slightly smaller, for its hackles are raised in a spiky ridge from the nape of its neck all the way to its tail as it raises its voice in a howl that echoes from a score of wolfen throats. 

[Telcontar]

Hathcyn pointed the leaf bladed spear at the prince of wargs.

"Come beast of darkwood, we are old enemies you and I, for in me you will find a fox that can bite!"

[GandalfOfBorg]

Gwaithlim hacks at the warg snapping at him, trying to get to Luindis' aid.


Stance: Defensive, Action: Protect Other

Swords -  1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 2d6 : 6, 2, total 8

Spend Hope to help Luindis if necessary.

[tomcat]

Two wargs lay dead near her and Esgalwen watched as another dropped to the ground, "This ground will run with more draug blood, lest you withdraw from this place, hound of the Shadow! A daughter of Gondor stands before you, beast, and as always shall we stand against the darkness!"

The Ranger was not sure if the warg knew the speech of men, or that of the Sindar, but still she made her threat. There was a sudden rush from the beast as it tried to attack her, but she side-stepped, using its fallen comrades as deterrents in its attack. The gambit worked and the warg's teeth snapped on empty air. Esgalwen leaped one of the fallen and plunged forward with Nimronyn.
TN 17 longsword 5d

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 5d6 : 5, 5, 4, 5, 1, total 20

10   edge: 8   injury: 16

[Telcontar]

  i thought the beasts were attacking first and had the initiative?

[tomcat]

He already rolled their attacks this round above.

That is a hit for 10 loss.
Nimronyn slashed deeply into the warg's right shoulder and it snarled in pain, exposing its large canines threateningly.

[Eclecticon]

Not only that, it's a penetrating injury!  Let's do a Protection roll:

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

[Eclecticon]

And that's another warg down.  Doug, want to narrate how you finish it off?

[Eclecticon]

Stance: Defensive, Action: Protect Other

This dice roll has been tampered with!
Swords -  1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 2d6 : 6, 2, total 8
Spend Hope to help Luindis if necessary.

Matt, that's a miss by a single point.  Do you want to use your last bonus die?

[Telcontar]

Oh I missed the attacks somehow. Unless you typed it in later in the placeholder post.

For the defenders. Battle:

Rolled 1d12 : 6, total 6

Rolled 3d6 : 4, 6, 5, total 15

[Eclecticon]

Yes, sorry - I replaced the placeholder post holus bolus with combat stuff. 

[Telcontar]

Despite weariness and despite the weather the defenders of the steading answered the call of Hathcyn Foresthelm. Axe and spear fell upon their foes and in a hearty few the songs of battle carried over the field. The struggle was not easy, but it would be dearly fought.

[Eclecticon]

With a crash, the hulking warg breaks down the granary door and emerges, steam rising from its bristling fur, into the firelight.  From its position still atop the ruin of the roof, the ridge-backed warg directs gaze, eyes coal-bright in this pre-dawn hour, at Hathcyn.  To the surprise of the Longspear, it answers in the tongue of hounds, though its words are of a strange fashion as if only half-learned.  "Ah, so it is you yes.  So I thinked myself when I smelled you afar.  Horse sweat, but fox and forest beneath!" 

About them, the shouting of Men grows stronger.  The fortunes of battle being, it seems, with the companions and their followers this night.  More Men, shields and faces streaked alike with blood, begin to arrive in ones and twos.  Nearby, the scar-legged warg sees the fall of its fellows and the approach of Gwaithlim, eyes narrowed in battle-fury.  Again it gathers its strength and leaps, passing over the head of the she-Elf and into the darkness beyond the firelight. 

The ridge-backed warg growls something in its own tongue to its hulking pack-mate, which snarls a reply but begins to back once again into the shadows of the granary.  Turning its attention again to the Fellowship, it speaks once more: "Rest well, pet of the bear-whelp!  Good health, woman of Gond!  Your scent we have, and we will meet again at the river-side!" 

Then, turning on its heels, it springs away into the last shreds of the night. 

When the dawn at last brings light and warmth to Fearthald's steading, it finds the two archers who shared Esgalwen's watch upon the granary roof dead, but of the other Men only three too injured to take the field again.  And yet, of the wargs that were their night-time foes the only signs that can be found are great paw-prints and a broken roof, all else having somehow melted away.