Year 2946: Don't leave the path

[Vladim]

[Post 151]

Author : Vladim

Date : Oct 5 '16 6:09am

 

With the guidance of Nori, the Fellowship travels through the forest, steadily decreasing the distance between them and the orcs. After about two hours worth of marching, Gramtyng determines that the orcs are near, and urges the companions to ready themselves for battle.

 

The dim moonlight does not fully penetrate the dense foliage, but despite the darkness, the companions can make out the shapes of the orcs. They are not far from where they are standing. More evident are their voices, for they appear to be loudly arguing amongst themselves. Thankfully, both Ellerina and  Gramtyngs horse, Leasere, appear to be unharmed. Ellerinas hands are tied and the rope is secured to one of the ponies. Leasere is seen close to the tallest, largest orc in the foul company-evidently the leader of the pack.

 

As the companions observe the orcs quarrel, they notice dark shapes moving through the tries. The shapes of slender, hairy limbs betray the presence of Mirkwood spiders. They must have been attracted by the sounds of the orcs. Before the Fellowship has any time to react, the spiders come down upon the orcs from many directions.

 

These are not the sleepy spiders that captured Baldor: they are starving, and as soon as they slay an orc or a pony, they immediately begin devouring the corpse or fighting with others of their kind to protect their kill.

 

Although the orcs fight back, it is clear that they are overwhelmed. This is the only opportunity the fellowship will have. They must act quickly and with determination, before the spiders slay everyone.

 

Thanks to Gramtyng, the Fellowship ambushes the orcs. Roll Battle vs. TN 12 for advantages. A Success gives you an additional d6, a great Success two and an Extraordinary Success 3. These extra dice can be donated to any other player and used for any common skill check during the fight (see below).

 

In addition, each member of the Fellowship gets two opening volleys (ranged attacks) before the enemies notice them and have time to engage them.

 

There are 3 tasks to be performed. Each player should choose one task. More than one player can perform the same task. In addition, players can aid by simply engaging enemies in combat. By doing so, they will lower the TNs for the companion they are aiding.

(1) Rescue Ellerina: Getting to her requires a Stealth or Athletics check (TN 14) or the slaying of two orcs. Cutting her lose requires a dagger check (TN 10).

(2) Rescue Leasere: The orc chieftain has the horse close to him. Getting to him requires an Athletics check (TN 14) or the slaying of two orcs. Then, the chieftain must be intimidated (Awe or Battle, TN 14) or slain to recover the horse.

(3) Recover the supplies: Some of the mules and ponies have been slain. The supplies have to be quickly loaded onto the surviving pack animals by rigging an improvised harness (Craft TN 14) while another companion intimidates (Awe or Battle, TN 14) or fights off the spiders.

 

Any other actions or ideas are of course welcome!

 

Failure on certain checks is likely to involve more combat, while Eyes of Sauron may have additional negative consequences. In addition, I will be tracking the number of foes slain as well as the time taken. If you slay many, it is possible that some of the tests become easier. But if you take too much time, the spiders may still overwhelm you.

[Vladim]

[Post 152]

Author : Born on the Bayeux

Date : Oct 7 '16 5:36am

 

Battle was a madness all of its own.  Her Fellowship had ambushed the orcs with true skill.  And, to be honest, the spiders attacking the orcs also helped.  Bella loosed two volleys of arrows and it could be said that at least she didn't impale any of her comrades.

 

Hobbits were largely ignored by history, certainly there were no hobbit warriors of legend.  Bella decided to play on her kind's inobtrusiveness.  "I might rescue Ellerina, if that serves...?!"

 

 

A short post.  Bella has not distinguished herself in combat particularly as asset or drawback.  She is asking, in-character, my question out-of-character; Bella will volunteer to try and free Ellerina if that suits the party.  While not an expert on anything this battle requires, Stealth is still her best skill available.

 

In any case, Bella will defer to the Fellowship's wishes.

[Vladim]

[Post 153]

Author : Diofant

Date : Oct 7 '16 2:46pm

 

The bard pulled his bow off his shoulder with practiced precision, his fingers finding the fleltching of an arrow in his hip-quiver while positioning the bow properly. He had his target - the large orc giving orders amidst the chaos of the spider ambush, who stood beside Leasere. His first arrow struck true, hitting the orc in the sholder - a shame, he aimed for the throat. The second shot impacted near the orc's feet: Gramtyng was by no means a great shot. More importantly, he had a chance to see the battlefield fully before he shot again, and whatever it was, it pushed him past any limit he knew he had. His hands shook as he took the second shot, and as it failed, he replaced the bow with an utterly calm expression on his face.

 

He no longer felt concerned or fearful. His anger evaporated, swept away like smoke in the wind. He felt a chill, if it could be called that, and a kinda of mad, crazed glee. The orc, having traced the source of the arrow, gave a battlecry, which the son of Rohan answered with only laughter. It was an abnormal, whooping kind of laugh you may expect from a corpse, if a corpse could talk; the minstrel even looked like a corpse, having gone entirely white below his tan, face dissolving into a strange, stretched smile as if a snarl permanently frozen. On his face, only the eyes betrayed the sheer magnitude of the Rohorrim's rage.

 

"DEATH." He announced loudly, drawing his sword and shield, and charging at the orc.

 

Gramtyng is assuming Open Stance and going to get Leasere back. He is now in the Fey Mood, what the rohirrim call battle-madness

[Vladim]

[Post 154]

Author : Born on the Bayeux

Date : Oct 10 '16 4:45am

 

Bella moved to quietly free Ellerina...

 

A very short post because its resolution truly depends on Bella's middlin' Stealth skill.

[Vladim]

[Post 155]

Author : Old Overholt

Date : Oct 10 '16 5:43pm

 

Drawing up close on the orcs admist their strife with the spiders, Nori slows to a snails pace, eventually finding a stout tree under which to prop Arphel up against. With the ranger out of harms way, the dwarf sneaks to the edge of the treeline with the rest of his companions to assess the situation unfolding before them. He's about to turn to speak with Gramtyng when he catches site of the Rohorrim already pulling back his bow and launching a shot at the creature. The decision as to what to do had been made.

 

Placing his right hand on Bella's back, just between her shoulder blades, he says in a muted shouted, "Go and keep your head /lower/!" He words are not meant to be gruff or abrasive, merely to give Bella a clear answer and an ever so brief exclamation of concern. There was too much to handle and too quickly that one could not give all members of the group full consideration. His eyes turning to see their camp gear and belogings along with Baldor's wares, Nori looks for his cousin and says in that same whispered grunt as he used with Bella, "Come on, Cobweb Cranium! Keep those foul things off me and I'll get the cart hooked back up so we can get out of here. The rest know what they're doing."

[Vladim]

[Post 156]

Author : CrimsonKnight16

Date : Oct 10 '16 10:46pm

 

Today was a good day.  Had Nori's group not stumbled into the spider's nest, Hepti might be sipping on warm stew, waiting for the dawn to break so he could further scout the spiders' lair.  Now, he stood before the largest gathering of spiders he had ever seen.  His only regret was that he couldn't stay to kill them all.  Thankfully, it appeared that Nori had the supplies under control, which meant Hepti got to be the distraction.

 

"Come on, Cobweb Cranium! Keep those foul things off me and I'll get the cart hooked back up so we can get out of here. The rest know what they're doing."

 

"Thought ye'd never ask." Hepti stepped out from the bushes, ready to massacre as many of the giant arachnids as he could before Nori got his friend to safety.  He raised his axe above his head and charged at the nearest spider.  "RUE THE DAY YE CROSSED PATHS WITH HEPTI SPIDERBANE!"

 

1d12 3d6t

 

Forward stance.  9 damage from axe plus 6 from body for getting a 6.  Total 15 damage.

[Vladim]

[Post 157]

Author : Vladim

Date : Oct 11 '16 1:58am

 

Upon seeing the madness of the Rohirrim seize Gramtyng, Idunn rushed to his aid. Putting her safety at risk, she threw herself into the melee, narrowly avoiding the orcs and spiders that were busying themselves by attacking one another.

 

Before she could know it, the two companions were at the heart of the struggle, facing the orc chieftain as he tried to coordinate his men. As Gramtyng stabbed the great orc, the Bride swang her axe against one of his henchmen.

 

The Bride assumes the Forward stance for the time being, and attacks an orc henchman.

[Vladim]

[Post 158]

Author : Vladim

Date : Oct 11 '16 7:09am

 

It is reasonable to assume that all PCs can see what is going on with regards to their companions. PCs in the same group (i.e. Nori and Hepti or the Bride and Gram) can directly help one another, but helping companions not in the same group will require skill tests and/or combat as described in my previous post. This represents the need to get to them in the chaos of the fight.

 

Bella

 

As the tall-folk charged into the fray and the dwarves secured the supplies and held back the spiders, Bella moved quietly, unseen by spiders and orcs alike. For a hobbit, it was easy to sneak amidst the confusion and reach Ellerina swiftly.

 

As she approached Ellerina, Bella could see that the elf was hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape into the forest. But even her keen elven eyes did not notice Bella before she made herself apparent. Upon seeing her hobbit companion, Ellerina regained hope, and the arrival of her friend postponed her plans of a running escape.

 

Bella! exclaimed Ellerina quietly, I did not think Id see you again! Quickly, release me before the spiders notice us!

 

As posted earlier, cutting Ellerina free requires a dagger check at TN 10. Remember, all PCs should have at least a single point in dagger. An alternative would be to ask Ellerina to quietly follow you away from the battlefield (both of you will need to make Stealth checks of TN 14) or make a run for it (Athletics TN 14).

 

Hepti and Nori

 

As Nori transferred the supplies, Hepti stood forward, placing himself as a barrier between the ponies and the spiders. The spiders moved hesitantly, but there were many, and their accumulating numbers quickly made them confident.

 

Before long, a particularly big attercop jumped on Hepti, but the dwarf cut the spider down with one fell swoop of his great axe. The killing did not deter the remaining spiders: another attercop, seeing an opening in the stout warriors defences, jumped on Hepti from the side, quickly covering him in sticky webs produced from its bloated abdomen. Before Hepti could react, he felt the sharp pierce of the creatures sting thrust against his chest. Luckily, his steel mail protected him from the worst effects of the attack… but Hepti was now trapped in the webs, and more spiders were coming…

 

Behind him, Nori was making great progress with the harnesses… indeed, by that point, the most important supplies were secured. Upon completing his task, Nori saw the spider stinging his cousin, while another attercop also leapt on Hepti, doubtlessly driven by great hunger. 

 

As stated in the dice thread, Hepti is stung for 3 damage, and is also trapped in the webs. He cannot change stances and his Parry is halved, making him easy to sting (TN 8). Hepti can keep attacking (there are now 2 attercops who will try to kill Hepti in the next round) or can attempt to break free with an Athletics check (TN 13).

 

Nori can join the fray, taking some heat off Hepti, or can help him by breaking/cutting the webs for him (Dagger TN 10 or Athletics TN 13). Both dwarves can see that there are more spiders than they can ever hope to defeat in the long term. Eventually they will have to run, but killing many spiders may also deter the rest.

 

Gramtyng and Idunn

 

Gramtyng charged against the orc chieftain in the heart of the battle, closely followed by Idunn. The man of Rohan thrust his blade with such speed that the great orcs attempts to parry it with his large shield did nothing to save him. Gramtyng felt the resistance from the orcs armour, but although he failed to wound the creature, it was clear that a few more solid blows like this one would surely fell the orc.

 

Angered, the mighty orc swung his great axe so viciously that, when the blow connected, it knocked all the air out of the young warriors lungs and nearly dropped him to the ground. A lesser orc quickly joined his leader, attempting to exploit the opportunity by quickly slashing with his knife, but Grams quick reaction ensured that the knife did little but bite against his shield.

 

A few steps away from him, the Bride dodged the knives of two orcs and smashed her axe against ones chest, nearly felling him in one blow. The orcs, realizing that the two companions were not going to be defeated easily, redoubled their efforts.

 

As stated in the dice thread, Gram takes 5 damage. In the next round, the chieftain and the mook will attack Gram, while the Bride will also be attacked by the two mooks.

 

Gram can clearly see the fear in the orc chieftains eyes, though he may actually be more worried about the spiders than the fellowship. Awe is still a valid option; in fact, because the chieftain has suffered damage, the check is now easier (TN 12).

[Vladim]

[Post 159]

Author : Diofant

Date : Oct 12 '16 2:51pm

 

The hit the orc landed on him did little to reduce the anger the Rohirrim had felt, nor did it snap him out of his fey mood - but the force of it did cause him to stagger - as he did so, he got a good view of Hepti being relentlessly attacked by numerous spiders, though he had been fighting bravely and even broke their webbing. He saw with a strange clarity what it was that was necessary, an eerie calm that was not impeded by the strange defiant battle fury of the Rohirrim. More than that, it was a chance to inflict MORE casualties on his foes. Catching another attack on his shield, Gram folded his lips slightly and gave a sharp whistle, signaling Leasere. The horse, trained to understand such signals, wheeled around, attempting to resposition, but the large orc growled, yanking at its reins. But the minstrel had known this would happen, and used the momentary distraction to launch himself at the orc, booming laughter somehow overcoming the screams of orcs for a moment.

 

Gramtyng lashed out with no regard for himself: it was an inaccurate, almost amateur swing of the sword - from the right, making a slight loop, point aimed towards the orc's neck. He had gotten close enough to the orc to touch him, and when the orc had pulled his head back just in time form his distraction by the horse and avoided the blow - he received a shield into his face, followed by a headbutt- not any real attack but the sheer tenacity of it had been abnormal. The bard looked up at the orc seconds after he headbutted him in the chin, and moved his lips to a semblance of a bloody smile, eyes that of a being much too far gone. He did not know if it was his place face, his eyes, or the smile of a madman that did it but the orc stumbled, visibly recoiled in fear, and let got of the reigns. The orc might not have known what fey mood was, but it seemed to impression Gramtyng had given him had, that of a man that cared not if he lived or died - was enough.

 

It was all the bard needed. He leapt forward, using the smaller orc who bent low in his attemptnto stab him as a footstool - he ended the jump landing cleanly in the saddle; he extended his arm, shield worn on the upper half, towards the Bride, and with her help pulled the Woodswoman behind himself. Making certain she was secure, the Rohirrim clapped Leasere on the side,  and the faithful horse reared, leaping over a fallen orc and galloping in the direction of Hepti. Horses normally would leap over anything on the ground - but a trained horse, which Leasere was, could on command trample their foes. The Rohirrim laughed once more, directing the horse through the thick of things - he heard the crunch of bones and a death-scream of an orc once. Ah, it was a better day than he thought it would. For all his frenzy, he made sure to bend forward a bit, so The Bride would have an easier time - it might have been tough for her who was not used to riding. Still, this was the fastest way to take care of their issues, as much as Gramtynf desired to behead the orc leader.

 

"Death!" The fierce shout once more left his mouth amidst a burst of laughter.

[Vladim]

[Post 160]

Author : Vladim

Date : Oct 13 '16 6:11am

 

After dodging the sharp knives of the orcs, the Bride moved quickly, lowering her axe again against her enemy. This second blow was enough to fell the creature. Its companion quickly thrust his knife against the Woods-woman and while the blade failed to draw blood, it hit the Bride's armor with great force, bruising her flesh underneath.

 

Before the Bride had any time to retaliate, she saw Gramtyng gracefully climb on his horse and turn towards her direction. She extended her hand, grabbing the horse-lord's arm as he rode past her and allowing him to lift her. As the Rohirrim rode to Hepti's aid, the Bride cast her glance behind. She saw the orcs begin to scatter, following their leader's example. The spiders, noticing the retreat, were quick to fall upon their fleeing enemies, easily picking them off from behind.

[Vladim]

[Post 161]

Author : Vladim

Date : Oct 14 '16 12:48am

 

With their leader fleeing, the orcs begin to scatter to all directions, choosing to run into the forest rather than face the spiders. The spiders quickly pursue them, picking them off as they run. Still, about a dozen spiders remain in the battlefield, as they are hungry for the flesh of Men and Dwarves.

 

Bella

 

Bella releases Ellerina so quickly that the elf has time to retrieve her great bow from a dead mule nearby. She releases an arrow against one of the Attercops, but misses. 'Quickly!' she says to Bella, 'We must regroup!' She then starts moving towards the rest of the Fellowship, who are fighting off the spiders.

 

Hepti, Nori, Gramtyng and Idunn

 

While Nori's attack misses the swift Attercop, Hepti does manage to break free from the webbing. The spiders attack again, but the dwarves, fighting together, are able to repell them. The other spiders notice the dwarves and join the battle.

 

Not far from where the dwarves stand, Gramtyng approaches the spiders from behind at full gallop...

 

If Nori and Hepti stay their ground, they will be facing two Attercops each in the next round. However, it is likely that they will have the help of Gramtyng and Idunn.

 

As all objectives have been accomplished, the company can now retreat. Due to the chaos of combat, retreat is easy, so no rolls will be required. Simply describe how your character manages to escape.   Round: 3

Fellowship points: 6/6

Spiders slain (by party): 1

Orcs slain (by Arphel): 3

Orcs slain (by party): 2

Current status: The orcs are fleeing, pursued by most of the spiders. Around 12 spiders remain on the battlefield.

[Vladim]

[Post 162]

Author : Born on the Bayeux

Date : Oct 14 '16 4:34am

 

Bella even impressed herself by how fast she freed Ellerina.  She was awed by how fast the elf recovered, grabbed her mighty bow (elves seemed born to them) and fired a bolt at the attercop.   For herself, Bella's best bet was to use her much smaller bow and skill to support her newly-freed companion.

 

Bella will use her bow to cover her friends.  If she needs to retrieve her bow (possibly having to put it aside for the sneaking to bound Ellerina), she will do that if reasonably safe.  She does not want to risk her ability to defend by taking spurious (given her skill) offensive shots.  Bella figures that her companions can pick off the opposition and Bella is only required if the spiders get really close.  If she can fire without compromising her defense, she will.  My apologies if I caused any delay by not rolling sooner.

[Vladim]

[Post 163]

Author : Diofant

Date : Oct 18 '16 9:23pm

 

Mounted atop Leasere, sword is one hand, shield in another, the Rohirrim felt more alive than he had in a long time. Perhaps there was no escaping the curse of one's blood; this thrill and rush was something that he could never gain any other way, from anything else. Song burst from his mouth, drowned by laughter, as he ran down the orcs without a care, galloping towards where Hepti and Nori fought. Reminder: 'Leasere' just means 'Jester' in the tongue of Rohan., feeling his rider's merriment and excitement, had went faster, happy to be reunited with his rider. They had reached the other end of the clearing in mere moments, and as Gramtyng swung his sword side to side, warding off spiders, he shouted: "We are victorious! Leave the maggots to fight maggots - we have what we came for, friends! Orc, Spider, it matters not - we will outwit and outfight any!"

[Vladim]

[Post 164]

Author : Vladim

Date : Oct 19 '16 2:12am

 

As soon as Gramtyng reached the dwarven duo, the Bride leapt from Leasere, eager to take their side as the spiders converged upon them.

 

Despite her unfamiliarity with horses, her jump was well-timed, and she was able to land next to Nori. 'We have Ellerina! she explained to the dwarves, 'It is time to leave this place!'

 

As soon as she finished her sentence, a hungry Attercop tried to ensnare her, but the Bride was able to push the creature back, for the time being at least...

[Vladim]

[Post 165]

Author : Vladim

Date : Oct 20 '16 4:08am

 

With Gramtyng and the Bride joining the two dwarven cousins in battle, and with Ellerina and Bella letting lose arrows to distract the spiders, before regrouping with the rest, the fellowship had once again gathered. The elf and the Hobbit remained behind while the rest of the company defended against the spiders, whose attacks have thus far failed.

 

While no-one had suffered a wound yet, one of the Attercops did manage to hinder Leasere, by covering the Rohirrim's horse in webs. The horse seemed unsettled, for it had nevered encountered spiders before, but Gramtyng was able to control it.

 

Undeterred, the Attercops pressed on, although some of their kind chose to scavange on the dead mules and ponies.

 

Round 4. As before, it is possible to retreat without any rolls. If you stay, there will be 2 Attercops per each companion not in Rearward for this round.

 

Gramtyng's Rally gives everyone 3 Endurance point-remember that this does not lower your Travel fatigue.

 

As there are no clear rules on what to do when horses are ensnared, I will simply consider the horse easier to hit (-2 to TN) and more difficult to control with athletics (+2 to TN). However, Gram can still change stances, and his Parry is unaffected.