"Hey now. Hey!" Lutke rushes over and attempts to gently pull Caspar off of the young woman. "Come on now. Easy, easy." Lutke speaks in a fairly soothing voice to both of them trying to calm down the situation.
Fel 30 v. = Success
"We don't have time for this you two. We need to get into the city. Then we can sort this out, okay?"
For perhaps the first time in his life, Lutke manages to show the same understanding of people that he shows for locks and mechanisms. His soothing voice and quiet mannerisms do the trick. Gretta and Caspar unlock from one another and move off to separate sides of the camp.
As Gretta skulks away, covered in Kurgan blood and stung from being slapped by Caspar, her lip begins to quiver.
vs 35 (WP): FAILED!
Gretta lowers her head and bursts into tears, her arms wrapped around her shoulders as she weeps in great heaving sobs.
"Women of Empire very strange," Njord comments and shrugs, turning his attention back to the two Dwarves who have nearly completed their explosive task.
At last the sapper charges are wired and complete. Both Krak and Boom look to each other and finish the job with an exuberant high-five. Donkey joins in, extending a hoof. You each look to each other and jaws drop. One by one you follow the gunpowder black dwarves away from the tunnel and back into the treeline, a small dark wire trailing in their wake. Krak then begins to affix the wire to a strange metal box with a wooden 'plunger'. There is a long moment of silence as the Dwarves look at each other. Donkey snorts. And then...
The Eye of the Raven switches perspective to the city of Wolfenburg.
On the great ramparts of Wolfenburg, Commander Nulner stands, his dark gaze sweeping over the districts still held by the fighting forces of the Empire. Men run this way and that, preparing for the inevitable night raid the forces of Chaos so enjoy staging. Above, the white moon of Mannslieb has vanished, leaving the grim red disc of Morrslieb as the lone moon in the night sky.
"Bloody hell," Captain Nulner grumbles, "If we don't get reinforcements from Middenheim soon, we're all dead men."
Lieutenant Biedelmann, Commander Nulners most trusted officer, stands at his side and silently nods his agreement.
Since his time in Wolfenburg, Lieutenant Biedelmann has seen a great many horrific things. But what has bothered him the most is the eerie feeling he'd been here before...somehow...somewhere.
And then, just like that, a massive (but distant) blast! ka-booooooom!
"The hell..." Commander Nulner exclaims. "That blast didn't come from No Mans Land! That came from behind us!" Shouting orders, Commander Nulner levels his finger at his Lieutenant. "Get a group of men together. Take that big brute that's been causing so much trouble. Lackmeister...Lackster..."
"Lackey, sir." Biedlemann respectfully says, "Lackey Gunterman, famed Snotball player of Altdorf."
"Yes, yes, him! Take him and a few other men and go find out what the hell that noise is all about. Take the secret passage."
"Aye sir!" Lieutenant Biedelmann says, saluting.
Elsewhere, back at camp with our brave heroes...
Krak and Boom look on in horror as a huge atomic plume of gunpowder black smoke rises into the air. A huge gaping hole is all that is left of the secret door...
Everyone blinks.
Lutke grunts.
"You two didn't leave me with much to work with out here. We'll have to set up the collapsing trap further in." Lutke stands up and absently brushes off the debris from his clothes as if explosive residue is no different than the ever present snow. "We'd better get moving. If the Kurgen didn't know the location of this tunnel before, they do now! Plus I can only imagine someone from the city heard that noise. They are sure to think it's another Kurgen trick and be responding with some assuredly suspicious fellows."
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Krak, Boom and Donkey were probably the only ones crazy enough to have kept looking. All three of them wearing their smoked goggles did not want to miss seeing their handy work.
As the smoke clears, all three are now blackfaced with soot and their hair is swept back and smoking.
Donkey's goggles are cracked and askew.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Krak and Boom laugh at eachother.
"HEEEEEEEEHAAAAAWWWWWWH EEHAAWWHEEHAWHEEHAW!" Donkey joins in.
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Lieutenant Lucas Biedelmann has managed to gather the men he feels best suited to dealing with a new surprise attack. Now to locate the last one.
Lackey Gunterman was definitely a good choice for this mission. Lucas sighed. If only he wasn't quite so, so...Lucas stopped that line of thinking. Most likely it was that attitude that made Lackey such a great person for these types of jobs.
Striding up, Lucas calls loudly, "Lackey Gunterman! You're up. Get your gear together and come with me. We have to attend to something new the Kurgen are trying."
Commander Marcus Nulner watches his best officer depart, rounding up his men to meet the latest threat of the Chaos forces. He'd been meaning to promote Lieutenant Biedelmann to Captain, but had hesitated. The last two men he had promoted had promptly died horrible deaths. Marcus was beginning to feel as if he was somehow cursed; that his promotions were not advancements so much as death sentences.
"Sir!" a young soldier reports, saluting the Commander.
"Report, soldier. What news?"
"Sir, our scouts have detected activity near the Great Bridge. Farseer Nicodemus suggests that it is an offensive of..." the soldier breaks off, swallowing hard.
"Of? Of what?!" Commander Nulner snaps.
"An offensive of Kurgan enforced by daemons of Khorne..."
Daemons? Here?! the Commander ponders, trying hard to hide the rising fear in his heart.
"Tell the Farseer to find whoever he can talented in spellcraft and form a unit. Enforce our men on the front and inform the artillery officers to direct their fire to the far side of the bridge. Not even daemons can withstand the cannonade of the Empire!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
This is going to be a long night. Sigmar preserve us.
Waiving smoke away from his soot caked face.. "Vell know, Ve should be on our vay. I zink veve made a big enough hole."
With that, Boom cocks the hammer to his rifle and steps into the still smoking hole and disapears into the darkness.
"Cummon Donkay. Gonna be good tah be back inna a proper tunnel."
Krak secures gear onto Donkey, Slings a large pack, grabs up his Pick and he and Doneky follow Boom inside.
The fallout from the massive explosion lingers in the air, raining down black snow and soot as you move single file across the frozen tundra and down into the smoky blackness of the hidden tunnel.
Descriptive Challenge: Describe the general feel of the tunnel as you enter it. What is it's history? How long has it been in use? This challenge is worth +20xp.
Though the monumental explosion nearly deafened you, you're still able to make out the skittering sounds of falling stones and dripping water from the darkness ahead. With a final look at the night sky you hurry down into the cold embrace of the earth. Huh? What are those strange lights anyhow?
Drying her tears, Gretta trails after the party, looking from left to right.
"Well, that's done it," she says. "I think we've alerted every living thing within ten miles that we're here..."
Gretta trudges forward, glaring at the back of Caspar's head.
"Good, let come," Njord says with solemn pride. "Blade not yet taste enough Kurgan blood. Still thirst for more."
The Norseman re-slings his sword and ducks low, entering the cool darkness below.
"Hey!" Lutke exclaims as the two dwarves lead the charge into the darkness of the tunnel. He follows the giant warrior inside the cool damp confines of the earth while still trying to get the dwarves attention. "Hey! We need to get the collapsing trap set up. Hey! Listen!"
*...uUurk?!...*
"Master Lutke, when can we do to help. I agree we must hurry, but we cannot leave this unguarded. What would you have me do?"
"...Wait... Why did he make that noise?" Albrecht asks pointing at Largyn
The light that spills in from outside shows you that this tunnel is indeed constructed.
The walls, and ceiling are of the giant boulder inwhich a hole was blown and extends for some 50 yards.
The floor however is made up of medium sized slabs of granite neatly placed and despite its obvious age still perfectly retain the positions inwhich they were laid long ago.
As you move on you can notice that there are various etching of Runes evenly spaced that look to be of Dwarven make. They are intricate and some ornate and though they stood the test of time, they have not been able to survive unscathed as haphazard paintin and chalk drawings indescriminately are scribbled along the walls and cieling.
"Heinz Gunterman was here"
"King Malcom sucks rotten apples."
"Bloodbowl VI: HUMANS RULE!"
"For a good time, visit Gretta 54 Altdorf way"
The rock eventually ends and the rest of the tunnel is made up of unremarkable but sturdy arches and columns regularly placed. Even-set stones make up the walls, ceiling and floors, but here the earth has been more successful in its erosion as evident in the hanging moss and damp rocks as water drips from places in the ceiling and cracks in the walls.
Several hundred yards the tunnel finally ends at a large stone door. Empty sconces on either side of it as well as 2 man-sized "murder holes".
"ONE MORE MOVE AND YOU'RE ALL COW FODDER!"
ALBRECHT: There's something not right about those lights in the night sky. It's a nimbus of shifting patterns that seem to form shapes and symbols, dancing between a spectrum of colors you understand to those that have yet to be named.
You turn your gaze from the will-o-wisp like lights above you when you hear a grunt from the snow nearby. What that Largyn?!
Curses! It's too dark to see. You strain your eyes into the shadows around you as the rest of your companions file down into the tunnel behind. Eyes slamming shut, you mumble a quick incantation and fling the forefinger of your right hand skyward. A moment later a firework of blazing red light rockets upwards and explodes, illuminating the entire area in a nimbus of yellow and red.
"Rrrrruuuuuuuuunnnnn!"
It's total mayhem! Albrecht is shooting flares into the air and shouting like a madman. Donkey, sensing something horrible near, rears up and begins kicking. In the packed confines of the tunnel, this is the worst possible thing that could happen!
"Rrrrruuuuuuuuunnnnn!" you hear Albrecht scream, but to where? And then you see them! You look about frantically and...GAAAAAH! The Kurgan! What foul sort of Necromancy is this?! You see hands outstretched as bloody, burned and broken bodies begin to rise from the snow like unholy automatons!
But the Kurgan are not the only ones rising from the grave! Long dead and forgotten soldiers, probably from the Empire, begin to heave up from the snow around the hidden entrance, perhaps a fallen rear guard from years ago. Dead corpses in various stages of decomposition, some nothing more than frozen bones covered in tattered armor, reach for rusted swords and brittle spears.
But it's the eyes. THE EYES! Unspeakable, unholy light burns in the sockets of these necromantic puppets. It's the same light that dances across the sky! The same strange colorful iridescence...
"Gaaah, move out of the way," someone shouts! "You're trampling me, HEY!" someone else screams!
You'd run down into the tunnel but Donkey has panicked and is kicking everything in sight! Only Boom is in front of his faithful for legged friend, desperately trying to calm the beast.
*...Uuuuurggglll?!...*
*clink...clink...SCRAAAAPE* *clink...clink...SCRAAAAPE*
Looming from a tent nearby a giant of a man emerges fully 7 feet tall and pushing 300 pounds of kislevian muscle. A man bearing a worn blue and white heavy linen jersey bearing a pair of numbers "77" and the name sewed on the back "MUTTONWENCH". He gathers his gear and picks up a large heavy 2 handed mallet, and trudges to Lucas "Wed gunna serch fer me kin Ginger now?!" Lackey sensing the answer before Lucas mutters it, no then. "So whats we doin? Something needen bashin?" Lackey shifts from stance to stance tossing hismallet from hand to hand as if it weighs nothing, Lead on mate eyeing Lucas...
Caspar WP
Caspar Attack
Caspar Defense
Undead Warrior Attack
Undead Warrior Defense
Caspar Toughness
Caspar has snapped the way many soldiers do in battle he doesn't care. He turns around and charges the nearest one. He sees only red. His swings are wild and untrained as he puts little regard for safety. He swings his arm so wild he loses his weapon and that's when the Undead Soldier strikes. The Soldier strikes are brutal opening Caspar up in the chest twice before lunging his sword deep into Caspar's chest.
CASPAR: There are very few in your life who would ever look at you and say to themselves, "That man is brave!" Indeed, more often than not you've been called everything from a deserter to a coward. What these people never bothered to understand is that you simply had nothing to fight for, no reason to be courageous. That is until now.
With absolutely nothing left to lose, you simply snap. All regard for pain and fear vanish like smoke on a cold wind. Grasping the iron hilt of your blade, you draw your weapon and charge into the outstretched arms of the undead! It's a suicide attack, one perhaps inspired by a desire to prove to the world for once and for all that Caspar is not chicken!
Leaping into the fray you swing once, TWAACK! and off goes the head of a long dead skeletal soldier! You swing again, CLANG! and your sword finds the blade of another undead scourge, snapping it in half. Dead limbs swing rusted swords as you pass, but your luck holds!
And then, just like that, you come face to face with a ghastly abomination. This man, this undead lord, must have been great in life, from the armor he wears to the sash across the chest. This long dead soldier WAS a Captain of Wolfenburg! You gulp.
The fight is one born of desperation. You swing wildly, parrying once, twice, SHCLIIIICK! and a nasty cut opens along your rib cage. No time to scream, you parry again and dodge, summoning just enough speed to manage one single strike of your own. Your weapon is easily deflected and you are spun about like a top! A moment later you look down only to see the rusted weapon of the skeletal lord sticking out of your upper chest!
Stars swim before your eyes as the world begins to darken. You feel your fingers go slack as your blade drops, slipping into the deep snow silently. You blink and gasp for breath as the world around you at last goes black.
"CASPAR, NOOOOO!" you think you hear a voice scream in the distance. It's Gretta. Yep, your dying will teach that heartless harpy a thing or two.
A grin spreads across your face.
Despite all the horrible things she had done to torment Caspar, Gretta knew in that very moment that he was in fact the man she desperately loved.
"CASPAR, NOOOOO!" she cries, drawing her long knife and leaping after the wayward bard before it's too late!
vs 38 (AG): FAILED!
The undead are too many! Where did they all come from?! Someone, no, SOMETHING grabs her ankle and Gretta goes down, landing hard on the ice packed earth.
She can see it begin to happen then. Caspar squaring off against the monstrous form of some armored skeletal atrocity with burning blue eyes. In an act of desperation, Gretta hurls her dagger at the monster...
vs 28 (BS): FAILED!
wooosh...wooosh...wooosh! the blade spins end over end and vanishes into the inky blackness of Ulric's winter cloak.
"Oh, Gods..."
Lucas Biederman's Squad with Lackey in tow moves from building to building clearing as they go, combat can be heard in the distance. Lackey begins to pick up the pace a bit maul in one hand he tugs at his metal bloodbowl helm, he glances down to his dwarvish spikerboots as checking to see if all his gear is present last check yes his metal codpiece is in place as well whew. Just around the corner is the combat and the squad wil be there soon. Lackey thinking if The Punishers were here this would be much easier, and where the hell did Ginger go he thinks.
Boom hears the commotion and stops to turn around but is pushed backwards on his heels as there is a sudden rush of bodies pressing the advance into the tunnel.
Agil test failure. He loses his footing and begins to get trampled Toughness check success.
Even as Boom gets knocked back and onto the ground he instinctively braces himself and tightens his body into a resilient mass of dwarven muscle.
vs WP success Donkey begins to buck, but not out of fear, but more out of understanding that the group needs to go foward...ESPECIALLY him!
If you could read Donkey's thoughts (or even speak to him) you would learn that somehow this is not an average "dumb" creature. While he holds every trait of a typical Mule, it is perhaps his long association with Krak that has tought him function more closer to his biped teammates. Whatever the case, Donkey bucks and pushes his way foward attempting to get past Krak and Boom.
AGIL SUCCESS! "HEHAAAAAWW!!!!!"
"WHAT?! OK OK, I'll get out of yer way!!" exclaims Krak and he is pressed against the wall by a fast moving ton of flesh.
INT success! Looking back at the ruckuss, Krak sees the entrance of the tunnel being assaulted by Kurgen!
"RIGHT!!" Seem like dey found us soona dan Ah expected!"
"Well den, time tah givem a taste of de ol..."Leave us alone" Krak says as his lights one of his round iron balls with a whick in it...
SSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTT.....
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"Lackey!" Lucas shouts at the large figure charging through the streets. "Lackey, get back here!" Lackey Gunterman's zeal for smashing undead heads and literally breaking bones had caused him to move further into the city from the squad's position. With the bodies of fallen citizens of Wolfenburg, comrades-in-arms and barbaric foes alike crawling out of the woodworks almost literally, Lucas didn't have time for Lackey to get caught up in the moment. They still needed to investigate that explosion.
Wishing there was some way to bring that man to heel, Lt. Lucas tries very hard to control his frustration. He says a prayer to Shallyah for calm and asks for a portion of her patience and compassion. Lucas isn't certain why he always prays to her in times of crisis, but it feels right.
"Listen up men. We're on a sortie out of the city into what we thought was mostly Kurgen free and Imperial patrolled area. An unknown explosion has occurred outside the city wall and we are tasked with ending any threat it may represent." Lucas takes a moment to knock a skeletal figure to the ground that was scratching at his plate mail than slamming a heavy boot into its skull crushing it like an egg. "Don't get distracted men."
Lackey was still running around knocking zombies and skeletons everywhere, and he was squealing. He seemed to be holding something under one arm...was that a pig?? It appears that was what was squealing. "Lackey! Shallyah, bless me...Lackey! Stop charging through them and get over here!"
Lucas sighed. Where in the nine hells had he gotten that pig?
Albrecht seeing Caspar run out into combat is both dumbfounded and inspired. Caspar! HE charged! He truly is the bravest of men! He hides not behind big muscles and large sword like the Njord. He is what he is and yet he still charges into the waiting claws of the undead. Albrecht would be DAMNED if he let him fall.
vs 50 WP
...Well, those undead are really scary. But still he will move on!
Following behind Caspar he sees him fall and the undead begin to rise their weapons. Albrecht shoots his left hand up, touching a match his forehead, muttering incantations.
He throws his right arm outward in an arc, bolt of flame fanning out towards the putrid flesh of the dead!
Flaaaames of U'zuuuul! Send you BACK to the GRAVE!
Defender vs 31
Undead Save vs 45 - 20 (Right? Because of the successes?)
The bolts of flame catch the undead rising, ignites the scraps of flesh and decaying skin and send the innards exploding out the other side!
roll WP vs 33 , Lackey sighs, "Ok coach weed better not be bein late fer da big game or I'm gunna be pissed and ya don't be wanten me pissed yous know." Lackey strikes a few poses with the pig in hand waiting for Lucas.
Lutke turns back towards the tunnel opening in time to see Caspar make his heroic if foolhardy charge. Seeing the terrifying figures emerging from the ground, Lutke feels that old familiar panic rising.
WP 43 v. =
Lutke turns and begins trying to move further down the tunnel away from the scary, scary monsters.
Move 4*10=40 v. =
Lutke is moving quickly, but the debris from the explosion causes him to stumble slightly, and he is jostled more when Gretta tries to run past him to save Caspar. He doesn't make it to Donkey's flying hooves this time around.
As the skeletal champion eyes Caspar with it's cold blue orbs, he raises his massive blade into the night air. A moment later there is a shattering blast of orange fire that shakes the night!
"Flaaaames of U'zuuuul! Send you BACK to the GRAVE!"
Skeletal bodies fly everywhere, armor clinking and clanking as the bodies of the long dead hit the earth smoldering. A corona of eldritch flame seers everything in the center of the undead mass, torching several of the abominations into ash in an instant!
vs 45 (T): SUCCESS!
The seering wave of flame lights the undead Captain on fire but does not kill him! The flaming armored form of Commander Nulners once proud Captain appears to laugh wickedly as he glows, heat rising from antiquated platemail armor like the ripples of a phoenix's wings.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! The huge sword arcs down towards Caspar, aimed directly at his neck.
KRAK:
In the tunnel...
"Well den, time tah givem a taste of de ol..."Leave us alone" Krak says as his lights one of his round iron balls with a whick in it...
SSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTT.....
And then you abruptly realizes the error of your ways. YOU'RE STILL IN THE TUNNEL! And to make matters worse, Lutke is charging down the tunnel RIGHT AT YOU! His eyes are filled with fear.
The Eye of the Raven moves now to Wolfenburg...
LUCAS: Chaos. Absolute chaos in Wolfenburg. The dead don't stay dead for long, and being forced to kill the once proud inhabitants of the city is grim work. More grim still is being forced to put down fellow soldiers who had so bravely served on the front lines, only to rise up as the enemy! It has had a terrible toll on the morale of the men...
Even now you struggle to rally the small band of soldiers together. Commands are being ignored, some soldiers (like Lackey) seem to have a blatant disregard for your orders. Leveling your finger you finally get your men in formation. Snapping orders, you march your men into the secret passage and into the darkness beyond.
*...gUuurk?!...*
Largyn begins to shamble towards Gretta. It's a ghastly sight, his head split in half, brains and blood flowing freely down his face and chest...
SSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTT......
FAIL! Agil test to move past Lutke.
"MOVE OUT O DAH WAY YAH BLEEDIN SOD OR TURN AROUN ANNA FIGHT!!!" Krak yells as he tries to push past Lutke which is in turn trying to push past Krak.
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Shoved again by Krak, Lutke snaps out of his fearful charge down the tunnel long enough to see the black orb with the burning fuse spitting and hissing like an angry cat. Lutke's eyes widen and his mouth makes a large 'O'. This only inspires further haste from Lutke, albeit at the cost of watching his footing and now tangling with the dwarf holding certain death in his hands.
Ag (40-10)=30 v. = Success
Lutke manages to disentangle himself from the dwarf and moves quickly towards the far end. Feeling relief Lutke takes a large breath and reaches out to steady himself. His hand encounters something very warm and covered in coarse fur. I thought I just got passed Krak, Lutke thinks. Only when Lutke hears the startled and fearful braying of an unusually bright service animal does Lutke realize he has placed his hand on Donkey's hindquarters. And Donkey is not at all pleased.
Lutke's Ag to dodge to avoid a near point-blank kick from a frightened Donkey: 40-25=15 v. = Failed
Lutke is kicked hard. One hoof connecting right into his torso and the other under his jaw.
Lutke's fate roll not to take an Attack Dice like hit 3*10=30 v. = Failed
Lutke is launched into the air right in the direction of the rushing Krak's back spitting teeth and blood and the horrible sound of cracking ribs.
Lutke's Saving throw not to be KO'd by a donkey: 43 v. = Failed