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Situation: Rescue is at hand!  The Men of Dale have brought the goblins to battle in the depths of the Long Marshes, and all the captive companions need do is live through the next minute...

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

Situation Modifiers:
• The companions have the initiative.

Physical Modifiers (complications):
• The marsh is treacherous underfoot, but both sides are equally hampered.

PC/NPC

:+~:

PARRY

:<>:

ARMOUR

:vv:

HOPE

:<3:

END

:-X-:

STANCE

:##:

STATUS

Arbogast Beal Esgalwen Grimbeorn Hathcyn Laeral

• 6  • 4 • 6 (+3 Skirmisher) • 4 • 4 • 8

• 0d (:C|: n/a) • 0d (:C|: n/a) • 1d (:C|: n/a) • 0d (:C|: n/a) • 0d (:C|: n/a) • 0d (:C|: n/a)

• 13/16 • 13/13 • 12/14 • 7/12 • 8/13 • 12/11

• 5/26 • 11/27 • 2/27 • 12/31 • 11/29 • 11/28

Open Open Open Forward Forward Defensive

WEARY WOUNDED WEARY WEARY WEARY WEARY WEARY

ENEMY	:+~:	PARRY	:<>:	ARMOUR	:@:	HATE	:<3:	END	:csu:	NOTES
Kurgak Goblin Guard Goblin Guard Goblin Guard Goblin Guard Goblin Guard		• 5+9 • 2 • 2 • 2 • 2 • 2		• 3d • 2d • 2d • 2d • 2d • 2d		• 5/8 • 1/1 • 0/1 • 0/1 • 0/1 • 0/1		• 20/48 • 8/8 • 8/8 • 8/8 • 8/8 • 0/8		v Esgalwen v Beal FLED FLED FLED DEAD

STANCES

:-X-:

Forward - action order 1 Close combat TN 6+ parry Forward Maneuvers (http://rpg.avioc.org/webimages/lotr/tor/forward.jpg)

:-->:

Open - action order 2 Close combat TN 9+ parry Open Maneuvers (http://rpg.avioc.org/webimages/lotr/tor/open.jpg)

:<|:

Defensive - action order 3 Close combat TN 12+ parry Defensive Maneuvers (http://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 (http://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

:ooc: Kurgak is activating his Wicked Cunning ability, increasing his parry rating for the round.

Esgalwen watched the orc with a calculative eye - his surprise at the wound and then his change in defensive stance. He was large and loomed over her smaller frame, but she did not quail. Neither did she press in to posturing. There was no reason to get herself harmed, she only needed to keep him occupied while her men dealt with the others and freed the prisoners.

She brought Nimronyn around in a sweep left, even as she stepped right in an effort to confuse the hulk before her.

Not far from where Esgalwen faced her challenge, Beal heard the hard hit on Arbogast and dove at the diminutive goblin to deny him any kill.

:ooc: Combat rolls:

Esgalwen
Stance: :-->:
Two-handed attack on Kurgak
TN 23 longsword 4d

:dmg: 11  edge: 8   injury: 18

Beal
Stance: :<|:
He will make an Athletics roll to try and tackle the goblin to the ground
TN ?? athletics 2d

:ooc: RESULTS

• Esgalwen will spend 1 :vv: to make that a :%: success on Kurgak for 17 :<3: loss

• Beal rolls a :%: 18 on his Athletics roll - Paul will have to decide what that does.

Esgalwen's sword bit deep and she gave the the Uruk a wicked smile of her own.

"It will be your head mounted on a pike atop this little hill," she snarled, "and the crows will feast on your remains."

Esgalwen's grin is mirrored by Kurgak's hideous, snaggle-toothed smile.  His eyes hold a feral glint as he answers "well now, we'll see about that, won't we?" 

Behind the Dúnadan, Beal crashes headlong into the goblin that stands over Arbogast.  His momentum bears it to the ground before both Man and creature slip in the slick, foot-churned muck.  Beal struggles as he never has before and he gains the upper hand only at the very end, his body weighing down his foe as he holds its face under the freezing water.  The creature begins to fight like a cat being forced into a sack, the filthy nails on its fingers and toes scraping and scratching at the Lake-Man's arms, belly and face, desperate to fill its lungs once again. 

Nearby, Grimbeorn looks to Hathcyn.  "Arm yourself," he cries.  "Go swiftly!"  Then he surges forward, dodging through the chaos of the skirmish toward the loot-pile on the largest islet. 


:ooc: Kurgak will spend another point of Hate to be Hideously Tough, reducing the amount of damage Esgalwen dishes out. 

Doug, if Beal can hold the goblin under the water for three rounds, it will pass out and cease struggling.  In the meantime, it will get a Dagger roll every round to try to force him off. 

Tom, it'll take Grimbeorn a round to get to the loot pile and another round to find Bear Claw.  Hathcyn has Swift as one of his defining characteristics, though, so if you can make an Athletics roll, he can make it there in time to find a suitable spear this round. 

:ooc: Not quite enough... unless you want to spend some Hope on it. 

 :ooc: not right now. I'll wait.

:ooc: Laeral will try to finish off her goblin foe:

Laeral takes her time, allowing the goblin to exhaust the strength lent by its terror and spite before plunging the goblin-spear swiftly home.  Her aim is true, and it dies kicking and spitting as the light fades from its eyes. 

Around the companions, the dreadful noise of battle is unrelenting.  Barding and goblin warriors are locked together, and avoided horses seek the shortest path away from the danger of their arms.  Arrows, loosed by warriors on the southern islet, streak from the sky, but none on the field have the luxury of following their course to see whether they strike true. 

On the captives' islet, the goblin beneath Beal thrashes in the muddy water, desperate for breath. 

Kurgak, his left eye shut against the blood that flows from the cut opened above his eye, parries a second blow from Esgalwen and knocks her back with a heavy kick.  As she recovers, he brings his sword down towards her...


:ooc: Beal's goblin will roll Dagger to try to fight him off (TN 13):


Kurgak is trying to make some new openings in Esgalwen:

Her eyes widening as she realises her plight, Esgalwen tries to throw herself aside.  Slipping in the mud, she barely dodges the edge of Kurgak's sword, well-notched and thirsty for the blood of Men.  Undaunted, the massive orc gives an inarticulate scream as he raises the blade, slipping underneath the Ranger's guard.  Esgalwen feels the sudden and terrible chill of metal cleaving skin and is smitten to her knees by the pain that follows an instant later. 

Beal, ignorant of all save the goblin beneath him, wrenches the wrist of the hand that clutches at his face.  Its cracked nails vanish into the mire as the creature continues to struggle. 


:ooc: Beal is working away at drowning his goblin, but Esgalwen is in trouble.  Kurgak is spending another Hate point ('cause this is a life-and-death struggle and all) to be Hideously Strong, so she loses a whopping 25 Endurance points! 

Doug, this is probably an appropriate time to make the follower's fate roll: Esgalwen's Battle vs TN 16.  Don't worry about her sudden weariness - this was all set in motion before that.   

TN 16 battle 2d

 :ooc: I will post more tomorrow.

With a preternatural speed and a strength that she could not oppose, Esgalwen was staggered by the blow. Darkness crept into her peripheral vision and she struggled to maintain herself upright, let alone return to her feet. The muddy, icy ground made it all the harder for her. The Ranger made feeble attempts at keeping Nimronyn held high and postured for an attack - or at least a defense.

There was a hatred in this monster that drove it forward like the smithy's hammer to his anvil. Her miscalculations were all too clear, but Esgalwen would not go to the hall's of her fathers on her knees. Hearing his cruel laughter, she struggled back up using her sword to aid her, to stand once more before her foe.

Still unbalanced, she weakly raised her sword.

What she was not aware of was the fact that her men had seen her stand - resist - and the fire in their hearts grew and their swords cleaved deeper. The Company of Dale gave a booming shout of challenge to their Enemy. Euric, seeing Esgalwen's plight began the arduous task of moving across the field to help her.