|
Huck hears the villagers talking about aide from a nearby magistrate and he asks, "Do any of you have the ability to send a message to this fellow? Talk to a bird and have them deliver the message or anything like that? I certainly can't do anything like that."
"In the meantime though, I'm going to keep helping them bring in that harvest as quickly as possible. It'll all be for naught if they survive the attack but can't survive the winter. But then we need to get training them to fight as quickly as possible."
|
"Hmm, a good idea, Huck. The magistrate may not send aid in time, but it's worth a shot."
The next day, Meredith prepares the Animal Messenger spell. She asks the villagers to write a letter to the magistrate, requesting help. With some of the grain, she attracts a nearby raven and ties the message to its neck, telling it to fly to the magistrate and deliver this message.
"It should find the general area and wait for someone to get it. If it can reach there in about 3 days..."
Meredith sends a message via bird, hoping it reaches someone who can help.
Huck continues to help with the harvest.
=====================================
Day 5 passes
20 Farmers have brought in about 80% of the crops. At this rate, you figure 1 more day.
30 others continue work on the barricades. You figure another day at this rate.
=====================================
=====================================
Day 6 passes
20 Farmers have brought in the harvest and are available for other duties.
30 completed the barricades. They are ready for further instruction.
=====================================
Saldoc starts training 10 archers with their light crossbows.
He estimates it will take at least 2 days for them to be proficient enough to be useful.
The Friar likewise begins martial arts training on his 10 peasants.
He estimates it will take at least 2 days for them to be proficient enough to be useful.
30 peasants stand ready for their orders. No more crossbows are available, but these others could be trained for combat with farm tools as weapons, posted as scouts or set to flooding the fields or other defensive measures.
Meredith sends the 10 out as scouts. Nothing to report.
Ruth and Goldur likewise begin weapons training on their 10 peasants each. Again, best estimates will take at least 2 days for them to be proficient enough to be useful.
=====================================
Day 7 passes
All the archers and warriors are making marginal progress, and causing frustration with their respective drill sergeants. But there seems to be some improvement.
The scouts return with nothing to report.
=====================================
|
|
Meredith always makes sure to listen to one of Goldur's stories, especially with the rest of the village. "Home used to be like this. Just the family, harvest and a good story. I was off in a forest, collecting berries when I saw an injured man. I gave him first aid, brought him back and the village chipped in to help him recover. He thanked us and went on his way." She smiles. "We all put our differences aside for that moment to help someone in need. I missed that time."
Her hand slowly balls up. "Little did I know he was a bandit, and he went straight back to his boss to tell him about our village. We were soon overrun. I spent the last few years as a slave, sold like cattle. Used for entertainment." She shakes her head. "It made me so angry. At myself, at them."
"It wasn't until the Pathfinder Society saved me and gave me a chance to use my powers to help other people that I got a chance to calm down and forgive myself. I guess what I'm saying is... I will make sure this village does not befall the same fate that happened to mine. This week has been very... your hospitality has been more than enough payment."
She wipes away a tear, surprised she became so candid.
=====================================
Day 8 passes
All the archers and warriors are making better progress, and do not drop their weapons as often. Courage still seems to be hard to find in this motley crew.
The scouts return with nothing to report.
=====================================
====== Day 9 =======
On the ninth day in Nesting Swallow, the bandits of the Thundering Eclipse finally arrive.
At dawn, riders are spotted in the hills, and by midmorning the entire force circles Nesting Swallow in preparation for launching a raid across the southern fields.
Fortunately, a few ride within sight of the village, however, and they fall back to rethink their assault. This gives the party and villagers time to take up positions along the barricade and prepare for assault from the only directions left open. The tengus wait out the rest of the day in the hillside forests. Dozens of the birdmen can be seen in the woods.
The tengu bandits arrive in the morning of the ninth day, but spend most of the day re positioning their forces in preparation for the attack.
The day has been long and tense, as Nesting Swallow finds
itself waiting for the sword to fall. Villagers spend shifts
keeping watch over the hastily erected, crude bamboo walls
surrounding their village, and constant reports of the enemy
riders’ movements filter back and forth between the barricades.
As the sun sinks below the western hills, the sharper-eyed
among those manning the barricades report a number of riders
forming into groups along the roads; these reports are soon
proved true as the sound of hammering hooves comes out of
the twilight, and the dusk erupts with tengu warriors riding
toward the village.
And so the battle begins...
And so it begins...
The villagers (soldiers and archers)
that you trained are stationed around the rest of the barricades, watching side gates and gaps. Your job is to defend each of the waves in the primary assault. The enemy forces are starting from about 400' away.
Initiative
1-Saldoc(),Huck()
2-5xTengu(bows),5xHorses() <= 400' away
3- Meredith(),Ruth(), Goldur()
About a dozen of the birdmen mounted on horseback can be seen in the distance.
Still 400' away, two of the riders turn back to join the ranks in the edge of the woods, as if they were watching the reaction of the village defenders.
Huck and Saldoc can go. There are still 5 riders apparently approaching from 400' away with bows drawn.
Saldoc moves to the wall, and waits. He notices some scratches in a plank in a nearby wall...
From now until the end of the adventure, each PC gains a pool of points equal to 1/2 the total Defense Points earned. At any time, a PC may choose to spend a number of these points as an immediate action. They can be added to any single attack or damage roll, ability or skill check, saving throw, or can be used to grant the PC a dodge bonus to his AC. Points used only apply to a single roll, and do not otherwise last until the PC’s next action. More than 1 point may be spent on a roll, with a maximum equal to the character level of the PC. A player must decide to use his Defense Points in this way when he announces his action and before he makes the roll the bonus will apply to. Once spent, points from this pool cannot be replenished.
+2 barricade, +1 archers (2d), +4 troopsx4(2d)= 7 defense points total
While Huck is acting, the 5 horsemen advance and fire their bows from range. One is injured by Saldoc's crossbowmen.
Bonzai!
At this range, only one arrow comes to hitting Huck. The others bounce off the barricades and skip into the courtyard.
|
|
"And so, it begins. Remember your training! Fight bravely! Do not let them recreate my nightmare! I will lay my life on the line to stop it!"
With one hand, Meredith readies her shield.
With the other, she casts barkskin. Her skin turns a light shade of greenish brown.
She slaps her shield and screams to the horsemen. "COME!"
Ruth is able to tap the party with the wand to bolster their armor.
Meredith casts a protective spell, while Ruth and Huck fire missiles at the approaching riders.
Both hit the one on the right, and the tengu lets out a "caw" followed by a gurgle and falls from his horse.
=== Round 2 ===
The four riders look back at their dropped friend and let out a shriek, not expecting resistance.
Another volley of arrows skitter across rooftops and barricades, but fail to hit anything.
Villagers grip their crude weapons and cheer as one of the riders falls.
Hooray! This might work! Cheers for the samurai...I mean Pathfinders!
Ruth fires off another magic arrow, dropping another of the riders. Saldoc crouches behind a wall, ready to spring into action.
|
Goldur draws his shortbow and nocks an arrow. He knows that at this distance, a weapon like his has little chance of hitting, but if nothing else it might be a deterrent. He aims up at the sky and notices the tip of the arrow wavering as he strains to hold back the string. Nine hells. I hate getting old.
However, probably because of his lack of practice, the arrow never even takes flight. The string twangs painfully against his arm and the arrow goes skittering over the barricade.
Goldur's arrow drops and a welt forms on his arm from the string.
Meredith's armor is strengthened and Huck reloads.
=== Round 3 ===
A trio of arrows fly into the courtyard. One bounces off Meredith's stronger armor. Of two targetting the bard, Goldur is struck in the arm by one lucky shot.
Saldoc and Ruth both score hits on their targets, but they keep advancing. Once looks back and waves to the treeline and you see another set of horsemen marshaling in the distance.
|
|
Goldur winces more from his own embarrassing failure with his bow than from the glancing wound of the enemy arrow. "Not to worry, dear," he says to Meredith, not taking his eyes off the approaching enemies. "I've had worse scratches in my time."
He pulls out a bit of jade dust from his pouch. "Going to need your help for this, wall," he says, sprinkling the dust on the makeshift barricade. "Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. Let's use that to our advantage." Even if it only buys us a few seconds, that can make the difference.
Trigger: an enemy comes within 10 ft of the barricade
Effects: a giant mouth appears on the barricade, saying "YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE. THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING."
Huck fires a perfect shot, but the bolt narrowly misses the eye of a another of the riders. Rather than killing blow, a small scratch is created on its bird-face.
All three of the injured riders of the first wave appear to be losing their courage as the village of simple farmers is dealing lethal damage unseen in past raids.
At the sound of the booming voice, they do not dismount, but look back over their shoulders for reinforcements. They instead ride around to the western gate, trying to avoid arrow shots.
=== Round 4 ===
Wave1-3xRiders (-4,-6,-1)- double move to west 50' away, cover
Wave2-6xRiders ()- double move 800' away