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 2/2
• Esgalwen 1/1
• Grimbeorn 1/1
• Hathcyn 0/0
Situation Modifiers:• The companions have the initiative, though only Hathcyn (with his long spear) or Esgalwen (with her bow) may attack until Tylquin comes down from the ceiling.
• Four anchor strands remain undamaged.
Physical Modifiers (complications): • Tylquin's nest is in near-complete darkness, and she gains +2 to her Parry score.
PC/NPC | :+~: | PARRY | :<>: | ARMOUR | :vv: | HOPE | :<3: | END | :-X-: | STANCE | :##: | STATUS |
Arbogast Esgalwen Grimbeorn Hathcyn
| | • 6 (:<|: +3) • 9 • 4 (:<|: +4) • 4 (Great Strength +3) | | • 2d (:C|: +3) • 1d (:C|: n/a) • 2d (:C|: n/a) • 3d (:C|: n/a) | | • 7/16 • 11/14 • 8/12 • 10/13 | | • 26/26 • 27/27 • 31/31 • 29/29 | | Forward Defensive Defensive Forward | | normal normal normal normal |
ENEMY | :+~: | PARRY | :<>: | ARMOUR | :@: | HATE | :<3: | END | :csu: | NOTES |
Tylquin | | • 7+2 | | • 3d | | • 7/8 | | • 53/60 | | • |
STANCES:-X-: | Forward - action order 1 Close combat TN 6+ parry Forward Maneuvers (https://rpg.avioc.org/webimages/lotr/tor/forward.jpg) | :-->: | Open - action order 2 Close combat TN 9+ parry Open Maneuvers (https://rpg.avioc.org/webimages/lotr/tor/open.jpg) | :<|: | Defensive - action order 3 Close combat TN 12+ parry Defensive Maneuvers (https://rpg.avioc.org/webimages/lotr/tor/defense.jpg) | :<->: | 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 (https://rpg.avioc.org/webimages/lotr/tor/rear.jpg) | :<>: | 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 |
Hathcyn knew that this fight would not be won by strength of arms. They could not defeat the spider on their own, but sue did not know this. The Longspear hoped that the audacity of their coming here and attacking her would have cast a seed of doubt in her confidence. Hathcyn sought to make that seed grew.
The Beorning stood to his full height, leaf bladed spear like fire even in the dim light of the wizard. He brought the silver rimmed ram horn of the mountain to his lips and blew a great blast. A sound not heard in the depths of the forest for perhaps an Age, if ever. The golden fox ring glittered and the warrior stood as if sprung from the tales of yore.
:ooc: rolling Awe to drop her hate down.
Rolled 1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 3d6+1 : 1, 3, 1 + 1, total 6
:ooc: mediocre.....
Though the note of Hathcyn's horn is brief, and a slight-sounding thing in this drear and dreadful place, Arbogast lends his voice to his friend's efforts. "You are undone, spider!" he shouts. "We, who have ended one of the great beasts of the deep wood, will end you here today!"
:ooc: Arbogast will use Battle to try the same thing (TN 19, because intimidating something like Tylquin is HARD!):
:00: 1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 5d6 : 4, 3, 5, 5, 5, total 22
:ooc: And whoop-de-do, Tylquin loses a whole Hate point.
On the other hand, I'll tag Arbogast's 'Hardened' trait for an AP.
:csu: for that, and for Hathcyn's hope point from before the combat got started.
:ooc: How many more strands need chopping?
:ooc: Well, there's four left. How many need to be cut for Tylquin's spells to break? Who knows? Radagast might, but he's not answering questions at this time.
Words and horns were put to the test, but Tylquin would also need to feel their sting. Having replaced Nimronyn with her sturdy bow, Esgalwen loosed an arrow sighted on one of the beast's unblinking eyes.
Stance: :<->:
TN 21 longbow 4d:00: 1d12 : 11, total 11
Rolled 4d6 : 5, 5, 4, 2, total 16
:dmg: 7 edge: 10 injury: 16
:ooc: Fuck! How many :~~: 's can we continue to roll!
I will spend a :vv: to make that a 22 success for 7 :<3: loss. :csu: (my local PC sheet copy is updated. I will update the Dropbox one as soon as more resources are used).
:ooc: The house thanks you.
The strands of the web seemed to drink up the notes of his horn. Failing to conjure up an image of Tulkas again ridding across Middle-earth Hathcyn lets the horn swing from it's cord. Now will be the time of spear work, and the courage if men.
:ooc: Just waiting on Grimbeorn now, and then the fun starts.
:ooc: Here comes the bear for strand #2...
:00:
Axes - 1d12 : 11, total 11
Rolled 5d6 : 4, 3, 3, 6, 3, total 19
:ooc: :o :roll: :(
:ooc: Dudes... we're gonna die.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/229roceyGaQTezq5lz/giphy.gif)
:ooc: A spear day, an axe day, and the sun rises!
Once again, Grimbeorn's great blow shivers the work of the Weaver, the severed ends of the column whipping through the air as silken threads shift all around the chamber. Tylquin herself gives a pained hiss, keenly feeling the destruction wrought upon her spells. As if in response, however, a new sense of presence - of watchful and malign attention - fills the small space, making breath come harder and burdens heavier. Radagast, his eyes seeing things unknown to the rest of the companions, erupts in a sudden scream, all-consuming horror plain in his voice as he slumps to the ground, his staff rattling away into the webs.
Such light as there once was is abruptly snuffed out, and once again the lair of Tylquin is black as a deep-buried tomb.
"Where?" comes Esgalwen's cry. "WHERE IS SHE?"
But the greatest of the web-weavers is already at work, her chittering and clicking making her presence plain as she casts new sorceries about the son of Beorn...
:ooc: Matt's timely :~~: has triggered a revelation episode, and all TNs for this encounter have just gone up by four now that you're fumbling around in the dark.
Tylquin is dropping a point of Hate to work her Dreadful Spells on Grimbeorn, who needs to make a Corruption roll (TN 20):
:00: 1d12 : 1, total 1
Rolled 5d6 : 5, 4, 5, 2, 3, total 19
For several terrible moments, spider-spell takes hold of Grimbeorn, and it is not until one arm is already ensnared in sticky black threads that he regains control of himself. With a loud curse he wrenches his sword-arm free before finding by touch the long haft of his axe.
The spider's voice has subsided, and all is deadly still.