Round 7:
Ǽmon raises his sword and brings it down upon the duergar before him.
The blow connects with a savage hit, slicing a wide swath of the grey-dwarf's flesh open.
Round 8:
The duergar on the west tower is locked in melee with Aemon for just a moment before he falls to his wounds.
Skurn Osmail calls out for the seriously injured fall back, and for the reinforcements to move in. Both his men, and the half-orcs appear to heed his command. The dark dwarf blocking the east door to the gate house falls to Recruit Weilour's crossbow bolt and a vicious hack from the nearby militia recruit.
On the east side of the duergar phalanx, another Black Arrow recruit falls from a duergar hammerblow.
Sunny's new friend follows her, as she descends into the guardhouse from the east tower.
Round 8____________
Metal squeals as Anumil parrys another duegar swing, and the careful fencing continues.
Taking a risk, Anumil tries a feint low before lunging over the dwarfs shield.
for a possible piercing damage.
If hit flat footed, dwarf takes an extra precision damage.
The hammer-wielding duergar chases Anumil's feint with his heavy shield, and it clanks against the stone block ground. The dark dwarf then looks down to see the quickly redirected blade already being pulled back from his wounded chest.
Aemon finishes the discomfited crossbowman... striking him with a sound like a cracking crab shell. As Sunny steps down from the east tower, she see s two armored duergar in the gatehouse.
The wooden steps lead down to a wooden walkway which lines the north half of both sides of the gatehouse. One either side, there are stone steps which lead down another five feet to the stone floor of the guardhouse.
The only way to walk from one side to the other is along the walkway.
She also notices arrow slits along the north wall which are the appropriate height for any standing on the walkway.
Evrail puts away his bow as he moves forward drawing one of his daggers to attack when he gets a chance.
Telling her friend to stay put for a moment, Sunny hops down to 'G-somthing' and tries to open the door.
The two dark dwarves inside the gatehouse look stunned, and then look up to see the crossbowman still standing.
Sunny quickly lifts the bar on the iron door to allow Evrail entry.
Sunny grins at Evrail, "Oh! Hey-YA there." (^_^)
North of the gatehouse, Aemon sees a larger, mixed group of duergar and derro falling back... out of line of sight around the west-turning bend.
The half-orc escapees press their assault at ground level. Skurn the Black Arrow calling out commands yells to them. "Focus your attacks!"
They seem to heed his advice, and are able to get a couple solid blows in past the duergars' formidable guard.
The two armored duergar in the gatehouse start to charge Sunny, when the crossbowman yells out "No no no! Ally!"
One stops short... the one on the walkway continues his attack, but there is uncertainty in his swing.
The hammer-wielder blocking Anumil from the gatehouse door tirelessly continues trading blows with the elven swordsman.
Recruit Weilour trades his empty crossbow for one loaded by Skurn, and fires again.
Two of the half-orcs receive vicious cracks to the skull...
one of them nearly falls from the blow, but instead snarls off the crippling injury.
When she notices the fellow charging at her Sunny 'Epps' in surprise/shock and scampers backwards
Round 9____________
The clash of metal continues as Anumil blocks another duegar swing, and the careful fencing continues.
Anumil suddenly gasps in horror while looking at the duegars chest. He shouts; "What is THAT?" and feints before attacking.
for a possible piercing damage.
If hit flat footed, dwarf takes an extra precision damage.
for a possible extra piercing damage.
"Oh, right. That was my sword." Anumil said as he pulled it out.
"Hello." Evrail says to Sunny as he looks about attacking one of the men in front of him.
The hammer-wielding duergar blocking Anumil's path wobbles in his boots. Blood seeps out between the buckles and plates of his armor as he falls with clang against the stone.
The duergar in the gatehouse see Evrail enter, and are relieved to see one who is clearly the enemy. Sunny is able to back away from the more skeptical - and closer of the the two, and steps up next to her compelled crossbowman.
Though they turn their attention to Evrail, they were not yet ready to raise a shield to his quick blade. His kukri gets past the dark dwarf's guard, but fails to penetrate his armor.
Sunny simply grabs her Duergar, spreads her wings, and leaps out into space.
To loft gently down amongst her allies.
Sunny finds her wing strength a little lacking. She and the charmed crossbowman hit the ground pretty hard.
While Sunny absorbs the shock of her landing with a reflexive knee bend.
The duergar crossbowman lets out a sharp cry of pain with the landing.
Ǽmon moves quickly to the south, pounding through the door, and attacking the surprised and now flanked grey-dwarf on the other side.
The half-orcs continue to pound at the armored duergar phalanx with their bare fists, and drag those of their numbers who have fallen.
The leader charges in after binding one's wounds.
Suny gasps in shock at the Duergar's gasp of shock. She settles the poor lil' hurt feller down and begins to examine the injury.
Aemon's slash sends the fallen duergar toppling down below.
The Black Arrow recruits press their assault, and one yells out to an injured half-orc... pointing to the fallen duergar.
"Grab that dead one's weapons!"
You can see fatigue setting in... the recruits and half-orcs both swing with less vigor.
Recruit Weilour fires another bolt, and exchanges his crossbow for another loaded by Skurn.
One of the duergar in the gatehouse drops down from the platform while swing his axe at Evrail...
His movement in front of the doorway, blocks the attacks of his ally.
Ǽmon spots the Deurgar on the far side of the gate. Charging across the walk atop the wall, he spreads his wings and sores over the gap above the gate. Coming down next to the foul dwarves on the far side, he hammers his sword down upon the nearest.
Aemon's sword comes down on the duergar trying to squeeze in for a swing at Evrail. The strike - although not a might swing for Aemon, is nearly enough to knock the unaware dark dwarf from his feet.
Sunny finishes bandaging the heavily injured recruit...
greatly improving his chances for survival.
Evrail grins at the enemies in front of him as he swings his dagger once again at the one that attacked him hoping to finish him off quickly.
Round 10____________
Anumil, glancing at the battle below, decides to leand a hand. Quickly he slides down the ladder and around the scrum to flank a duegar. (Or swing down heroically on a rope if available...)
Move action: Move to (H,5)
Standard action: Attack to (I,5)
for a possible piercing damage.
Evrail is forced to check his stab when Aemon's sword comes down like a guillotine in front of him.
After Anumil slides down the ladder and moves into position, he drops an injured duergar with one blow. He sees a little light come back to the eyes of the others fighting the dark dwarves.
The orc leader yells to his nearby kin "Mob them! ...Their shield can't stop all of our fists!"
He and the two half-orcs next to him topple a duergar, and beat him unconscious.
Recruit Weilour fires off another failed shot, and Skurn urges him to the gate.
The recruits on the ground are finally in position to flank...
a part of their training in which they have excelled.
They drop another duergar.. leaving only one injured foe for Anumil.
That final dark dwarf of the routed phalanx swings at the recruit who had just dropped his last friend in the world.
He slams his hammer into the recruit with a jaw-cracking strike, then backs against the gate.
The axe-wielder on Aemon keeps his shield high, and hacks low at Aemon.
The duergar in the doorway swings and slices Evrail.
Patting 'her' Duergar on the head with a "Stay down." type of command, Sunny stands, turns and skips over to help the other wounded.
Ǽmon swings his blade again,striking flesh and bone a second time.
Round 11____________
Move act: Anumil stepped to flank the last duegar.
Standard act: He flank attacks the last duegar.
for a possible piercing damage.
Evrail grunts as he takes the attack making a strike of his own againist the duegar that just got him.
Aemon drops his target, the other duergar in the gatehouse moves his shield too late to stop Evrail's stab.
Anumil has the last of the duergar phalanx backed against the gate door, but fails to put him down with his strike.
There are two Black Arrow Militia, and one half-orc who are unconscious, but breathing.
The duergar in the gatehouse swings at Evrail, but misses.
The last duergar survives another assault from those around, it then lashes out at Anumil with its axe, and hacks into his shoulder.
Evrail grins as his strike hit true attacking once again hoping to have the same success with this attack as the last.
Ǽmon sees Evrail pressing the attack on the last duerger upon the battlement and steps in with a thrust to finish the creature off.
Sunny will do simple healing/physical things for those unconscious for now.
Round 12____________
Anumil missed a parry and was rewarded with a heavy hit.
Move action: Feint. Standard action: Attack (hopefully to the FF AC)
for a possible piercing damage.
Evrail draws a good amount of blood, and Aemon's sword finishes the duergar in the gatehouse.
The duergar at the gate... though he has his back to the gate, and is now flanked, his demeanor is still confident with his strong shield arm. He then chases Anumil's feint with his shield, and the quick blade then sinks into his unprotected underarm like a sheath.
Inside the gatehouse Recruit Weilour says "We have the gatehouse... lets take that chamber up there. This door should lead to it."
Skurn disagrees "Not yet, Weilour... we bandage and re-arm. Need to time to regroup."
Recruit Weilour then says, "Respectfully sir, you are just a training officer with no real experience. Evrail is the one with experience... I think it should be his call."
Sunny does her best to make bandages out of what ever material is both clean(-ish) and doesn't need to be used as armor etc.
" ♫ ♪ Oh tha' arm bone's connected to tha' ♪ ♫ This bone... ♬ ♩ " (^_^)
"I don't know how much you all know, but here is the situation... We have heard of suspicious activity for decades around the Sleeping Ferry, but had never been able to find anything amiss."
"Then began a rash of abductions. Half-orcs at first, but then members of our order turned up missing as well. On a hunch, we staked out the ferry, and discovered there is a lift in the center of the wide lazy river. Its existence is obscured by illusion, but we found it, and this underground complex... apparently in the midst of a power struggle."
"There is one gate beyond this blocking our path... beyond that a wide hall, and spiral stairs to the lift. We've lost half our number, and have no clue how many more we are up against... or even why they fight us."
"I am regrettably further conflicted... I feel I should get these young men out, and take back Fort Birch.. yet there may be others still held within... those who were captured before our infiltration."
Anumil will take the time to run back and snatch up his crossbow again before joining the conversation.