"I already said my piece -- I'm with Marius. No offense, Brother, but I reckon he knows more about mixing it up in a melee than you do." Mother shrugs cheerfully, apparently unconcerned about the fight ahead.
"I admit that the idea of making this rescue attempt an actual fight does not appeal to me, especially considering that it will be the knights who will be outnumbering us this time instead of the other way around," Raven offers. "But I am hardly a strategic genius. Whatever is going to get me on that wagon and give me the chance to work on Arael's bonds -preferably undisturbed, mind you- is fine with me."
He turns to both Akorian and Marius. "Both plans sound viable to me and both plans involve making certain assumptions. I really do not care which one we follow as long as we make up our minds before too long."
And whilst we ride towards them what do you think the prison wagon will be doing...standing there waiting for us..no either they will turn away and return to Westcrown or they will push on towards where their escort is.
"It's less likely their attention will be focused on a second ambush riding fast from behind them," Akorian replies, "And, what's more...even if the did...they won't be able to outrun us to rejoin their escort. And traveling that way only takes them into the teeth of Janiven's crossbowmen. They'd be complete fools to do that, especially since it runs an even greater risk of losing their prisoner by having to face both of our groups."
"Both plans sound viable to me and both plans involve making certain assumptions. I really do not care which one we follow as long as we make up our minds before too long."
"You're right," Akorian nods, "Marius? I don't question your valor or your common sense in planning an ambush. My fear is that your plan runs a much greater risk of us having to fight our way through the Hellknights to get to Arael. I prefer a plan that separates the escort from the wagon. Given how you've described your plan, I don't see how that can happen without severely threatening the safety of Janiven's crew. I'd prefer we take on the risk. Not them."
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At Waifrin's urging, Zarabeta looks uncertain, glancing at Marius briefly, and avoiding look at Akorian at all, before coming to a decision that is no decision at all, "I have no warriors training whatsoever, and this 'democracy' idea is alien to me. Just as I would feel no obligation to respect a 'vote' from those who do not work arcane forces on how I should use my magic, so I shall leave tactical decisions to those qualified to make them."
Her mouth closes abruptly, almost cutting off her last words, and she quickly pulls up her hood and turns away.
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"Fair enough, looks like it's Marius' plan. We better give Janiven's group the extra horses they'll need, as we'll have the wagon," Waifrin declares firmly. "Marius, how are we going to get away afterwards? We won't be able to take the road back, so I guess we go east or west and double back to the city somehow?"
Janiven weighs in. "I'd rather have the civilians behind the caltrops with enough horses or the wagon to make a run for it. You can take care of yourselves in a scrap. I've seen that. The Hellknights won't be gentle and we don't want these folks getting themselves killed." Rizzardo nods solemnly.
Mathalen speaks up, "Getting Arael back is important. It could be life or death for us all. We'll do what we can to help in this fight, but some of us just won't be worth much. The best fighters have to get through to that wagon and free Arael. " Most of the others nod in agreement.
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Marius smiles ruefully...the vote may have gone against him it was a vote...a first painful stirring of demcracy perhap...maybe he can still wean these people to the idea
"Very well..I'll ride down to the bridge with the wagon and set the caltrops"
He moves to do so..scattering 4 bags worth in the grass on either side of the bridges north side. He hands two further bags to Javinen to drop as they leave the bridge and advises the civilians to shoot for the horses and concentrate their fire on one target at a time..trusting in Javinen to keep them focused he then rides back to the party pausing to drop the last two bags in the centre of the bridge.
"I hope this works Akorian" he says as he returns.."otherwise we are going to have a lot of innocent blood on our hands"
"I hope this works Akorian" he says as he returns.."otherwise we are going to have a lot of innocent blood on our hands"
"You and me both, friend," the priest replies, "In all honesty, I didn't expect the vote to come out the way it did. Either plan has its merits. For this one, however, I think those innocents down by the wagon stand the best chance of avoiding any of their blood being spilled. It's ours I'm most worried about now."
He claps the warrior on the shoulder as they sit astride their horses. "But that's what we've got you for, right?" he jokes, "Between you and Mother, I expect we'll handle that escort in no time."
"Raven?" he calls to the elf, "You've got better eyes than the rest of us. Keep a watch on the road and let us know when they're coming. I want to make sure I have a chance to impart Milani's blessing upon everyone before we ride after them."
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Waifrin turns to Janiven.
"You had better start shooting when the wagon gets there," she points to the first bend in the road. "Or if they seem to see something in the copse - but if that happens you won't need to be told," she grins briefly, then follows Akorian and Marius.
Reaching the copse Waifrin dismounts and does her best to hide herself and her horse.
Raven nods in agreement to Akorian's suggestion and then walks to one of the horses. Once he sits on it, making sure he feels steady enough, he calls out to Marius.
"Do not worry my friend. After all, if this plan fails you could always plan the siege on Citadel Rivad that is sure to follow. Provided we are still alive of course." The tone, as well as the grin on his face, betray the elf's mirth. All the prospective action seems to agree with him.
"Do not worry my friend. After all, if this plan fails you could always plan the siege on Citadel Rivad that is sure to follow. Provided we are still alive of course." The tone, as well as the grin on his face, betray the elf's mirth. All the prospective action seems to agree with him.
Overhearing Raven's words to Marius, Akorian can't help but laugh. "And that is why I like hanging out with you so much," he quips to the elf, "Never a dull moment it seems."
Following Waifrin's lead, he then nudges his horse in among the copse and waits with everyone for Arael's escort to appear.
Janiven, riding her own horse, leads the others in the wagon down to the bridge. They set up the wagon to block the far end of the bridge. She and Ermolos help Marius with the caltrops. Mathalen distributes the crossbows and bolts. When everything is ready she says to Marius, "Keep your heads down til the fighting starts." Then she turns to the others and begins speaking to them in low urgent tones.
>>>
Zara:
The copse is slightly elevated and has a good view of the road. Time passes slowly as you wait. After an interminable period of waiting, a banner appears well down the road, then the four riders of the vanguard, lances held high. Next comes the closed, armoured coach. There's a driver and two gunners manning an outsized crossbow on top of the coach. Three more armigers sit on a low bench seat across the back of the coach. Bringing up the rear are six more riders without banner or lances.
"Sixteen men." Akorian shakes his head as they watch the escort move along. "Let's hope the ruse to lure the armigers away works. Or we're riding to join Arael rather than free him from Citadel Rivad."
The priest quickly gathers everyone together and offers a few hurried blessings from Milani. "For our guidance and a virtuous heart in what we undertake," he prays, "In the Everbloom's name I call down her blessings so we might free Arael and bring hope once more to Westcrown."
The coach and riders stop short of the copse. (SS42) The leader is apparently on top of the coach. He stands by the large crossbow on the coachtop. He yells for the other rebels to clear the wagon from the bridge.
Standing in fornt of the wagon, Janiven shouts back the party's defiance. The Hellknights laugh. She has hidden two rebels in the bed of the wagon and two on the banks of the stream. Only Janiven and four rebels are easily visible.
The leader looks around at the surrounding country and at his men.
The Hellknight leader has powerful lungs. You can easily hear him ordering the four advance riders to sweep the wagon aside. You also hear him yelling to the other six riders to "watch how real soldiers do it." The six trailing riders sullenly fan out to either side of the coach.
The four riders mill about readying themselves for a charge. The banner is handed up to the roof of the coach where the driver takes it. The Hellknights on the wagon, excepting the driver-standard bearer and the leader dismount. They unsling their crossbows and ready a volley. The leader arms the large crossbow on the roof. You can't make out individual words, but the lancers and crossbowmen are laughing slightly, apparently confident of an easy victory. The six horsemen of the rearguard are silent and do nothing.
Perception DC 17:
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Waifrin will tuck branches and foliage around her horse's saddle to try and keep it from being seen easily, and try to place the creature behind the few taller trees in the copse. She will conceal herself by keeping low to the ground behind the foliage and trees available near NN52. She is less concerned with seeing what is going on than she is with not being seen.
Stealth:
Perception:
Akorian makes sure he places his horse behind Waifrin's to better blur any silhouette it might make while standing among the copse...and also to cut down on the number of potential animals the Hellknights might be able to see. While dismounted, he keeps close to his horse, hand over its muzzle to ensure it doesn't whinny and give away their position.
Mother uses her knowledge of animals to try to keep the horses as calm and motionless as possible.
Raven keeps his horse close to the others in an attempt to make its silhouette as difficult to discern as possible, keeping both himself and the animal behind as much foliage as the situation allows. He stands close to the creature, trying to keep it calm and quiet with what he hopes to be a soothing voice and touch.
"The six horsemen at the back do not seem to carry any weapons," the elf points out in a low whisper, his golden eyes fixed on the scene unfolding at the bridge. "They are still armored however. The ones who failed to capture us perhaps?"
Perception:
The Hellknights release their crossbow volley. Three bolts smash into the side of the wagon. One bolt grazes Janiven's sword arm. She drops her crossbow and cries out in pain. One bolt falls pitifully short. The super-sized crossbow sends its bolt winging well over everyone's heads.
The four mounted knights begin to canter towards the wagon with their lances raised. As they round the second curve of the S-bend, their lances fall level and they kick their mounts into a charge.
On the wagon, Rizzardo fires his crossbow. His shot flies wide. Janiven is scrambling to pick up her crossbow and watch the oncoming knights at the same time.
"The six horsemen at the back do not seem to carry any weapons," the elf points out in a low whisper, his golden eyes fixed on the scene unfolding at the bridge. "They are still armored however. The ones who failed to capture us perhaps?"
"Bless those elvish eyes of yours," Akorian whispers, "I can't see a thing. If they're unarmed, it should work to our advantage, though. And we get to humiliate them once again." He adds the last statement with a roguish grin.
Then, he sees Waifrin starting to mount.
"Be patient," he advises, "Let them hit the caltrops and see if it draws the others. Then we attack."
As he speaks, he also stands and begins mounting his horse, mimicking Waifrin by leaning forward in the saddle and holding close to the animal's body.
By "other riders" in round 2 do you mean the 6 unarmed armigers?
By "other riders" in round 2 do you mean the 6 unarmed armigers?
"And we get to humiliate them once again." He adds the last statement with a roguish grin.
"Careful now Akorian. One might think you are beginning to enjoy this," the elf remarks with a soft chuckle as he starts mounting his horse as quietly and carefully as he can, taking care to crouch low on the creature's back rather than sit upright. "There may be hope for you yet dear friend!"
Initiative:
Rounds 1-2: Mother also mounts and rides towards the wagon, ready to grapple the most dangerous looking opponent.
Round One. The party mounts up under cover of the forest. The crossbowmen fire with mixed results. The lancers begin their charge. The rebels hold fire. I will assume Mother and Marius wait with the others.
Round 2
Initiative and Location:
Zarabeta 16 LL50ish (casting)
Janiven 14 J30
Crossbows 13 SS40ish
Lancers 8 O30ish
Akorian 8 LL50ish
Waifrin 8 LL50ish
Mother V. 8 LL50ish
Marius 8 LL50ish
Raven 8 LL50ish
Other Rebels 1 I30ish
Un-armigers delaying
The crossbowmen fire another volley over their charging comrades. Perhaps they're nervous about wounding their friends. The bolts all fly high, although two of the rebels duck. Janiven picks up her bolt and fumbles it into the track of her crossbow. She is just raising the bow when the lancers hit the caltrops. Two horses stumb;le and plow breast-first into the roadway, spilling their Hellknights from their saddles. Amazingly both Hellknights roll out of the fall and stand. A third horse makes it farther into the caltrop field before suddenly rearing and dumping its rider onto the road. He doesn't get up. The last horse makes it through the caltrops and onto the bridge. Janiven shouts for the others to fire. She snaps her own crossbow up, sidesteps and fires as the hellknight's lance plunges past her into the wagon. Her bolt catches the Hellknight squarely in the chest and he falls backwards off his horse. He lands heavily, flat on his back. The other rebels rise up, point their weapons and fire. True to their orders they shoot two of the horses whose neighs of pain mix with cursing from the Hellknights.
Perhaps the motion of mounting attracts the attention of one of the unarmed knights. He shouts and points towards the copse in which you are waiting. The leader stops admiring the arc of his over-sized bolt and stares slack-jawed for a moment at the party. But just for a heartbeat. He swears by the hells and urges his men, "Reload! Reload. Give the mounted men your swords."
Caltrops:
so that one prong faces up no matter how the caltrop comes
to rest. You scatter caltrops on the ground in the hope that
your enemies step on them or are at least forced to slow
down to avoid them. One 2-pound bag of caltrops covers
an area 5 feet square.
Each time a creature moves into an area covered by
caltrops (or spends a round fighting while standing in
such an area), it runs the risk of stepping on one. Make an
attack roll for the caltrops (base attack bonus +0) against the
creature. For this attack, the creature’s shield, armor, and
def lection bonuses do not count. If the creature is wearing
shoes or other footwear, it gets a +2 armor bonus to AC. If
the attack succeeds, the creature has stepped on a caltrop.
The caltrop deals 1 point of damage, and the creature’s
speed is reduced by half because its foot is wounded. This
movement penalty lasts for 24 hours, until the creature is
successfully treated with a DC 15 Heal check, or until it
receives at least 1 point of magical healing. A charging or
running creature must immediately stop if it steps on a
caltrop. Any creature moving at half speed or slower can
pick its way through a bed of caltrops with no trouble.
Caltrops may not work against unusual opponents.
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Waifrin urges her horse forwards, trying to cut directly in front of the wagon ().
Ride check:
She raises her hand and tries to direct a Wild Surged ray of fire into the leader on the roof of the wagon.
Concentration Check: ()
Attack (ranged touch):
Damage (fire):
Enervation Check (1):
"Throw down your arms!" she shouts, hoping to shock the Hellknights into surrender once they realise they have walked into a trap.
Intimidate:
Edit: The dice seem to love me today ... and I forgot the +1 on my first attack too ...
Since you're all pretty much on init 8 because of waiting for the lancers to hit the caltrops, I'll wait for more posts before describing Waifrin's results.
Seeing the unarmed armigers are about to become armed by the men still on the wagon, Akorian puts the spurs to his horse and gallops out of the copse.
"The Everbloom shakes the confidence of tyranny as the bold rise up to confront it!" he intones, calling down a blessing...or in this case, a curse...on the Hellknights.
Stupid me. I've been rolling 6 crossbow shots, but 2 of those guys (driver and leader) are on the coach roof. 4 of them are on the ground. (though i may have neglected to describe them getting down before firing.)
So sword symbols are unarmigers. And the H-knights to either side of the coach each represent 2 crossbowmen.
Taking out his hand crossbow as he leads his horse towards the knights' wagon, Raven waits until he is close enough before attempting a shot against the vehicle's driver.
Mother rides up and tackles someone from horseback.
Grapple check:
Her horse shies away, foiling her attempt, however.
Round 2 Wrapup:
Zarabeta completes her casting. A kaleidoscope of color and motion coalesces into a four-legged shape and begins to take on solidity. (PP46)
The crossbowmen watch their shots then try to reorganize themselves against the new threat of the party.
The lancers are collecting themselves from the wreck of their charge.
Akorian charges boldly from the thicket, pulls up short and curses the Hellknights. (Thanks for the spell description. What's the duration?)
Waifrin's bolt of mystical fire takes down the leader. He roils in pain, then sags heavily against the large roof-mounted crossbow.
Marius urges his horse into a crossbowman. The man is pushed aside but keeps his feet.Raven's bolt does indeed fly wide of the driver who drops his crossbow and slides across the roof to check the leader.
Mother Vangelis tries to grapple from horseback and finds it more difficult than she expected.
hogarth:
Attempts to initiate a Horse to horse grapple will be made at -4 because you've got to stretch out to reach and can't get the leverage you normally would. Or you can try a DC 25 ride check to switch horses and attack him from the back of his own mount at +2.
Attempting a grapple against a ground-based target : If you want to pop off the horse and grapple normally you got to fast dismount (ride DC 20). If you want to grab someone while staying on horseback it's -4 on the attack (simialr to horse to horse grappling above) and you must make a DC 15 strength check or DC 20 ride check to stay mounted yourself. If you want to just throw yourself off the horse at someone, make a touch attack to see if you get the timing right to hit them. Then make your grapple. In all cases hitting the ground may subject you to falling damage depending on how well you've rolled.
There's a lot of confusion and yelling around the armoured coach. "Shanwen's down!" "Is he allright?" On the near side of the coach, the crossbowmen are refusing the armigers their swords. You can't see what's happening on the far side. From inside the coach a firm voice orders, "Dirk! Smitts! Ride for the garrison! Now!" Two of the nearside unarmigers wheel their horses and begin a gallop back toward the city.
A quick glance toward the bridge shows that combat there is slowly getting underway. The Hellknights can't rush through the caltrop field.
Round 3
Initiative:
Z's puppy 23 pp46 (Set, make its attacks)
Zarabeta 16 (acts before unarmigers gallop away and weapons are exchanged)
Janiven 14 -- other combat
Crossbows and Un-armgiers 13 (note the driver is an armiger too)
Lancers 8 -- other combat
Akorian 8 LL50ish
Waifrin 8 LL50ish
Mother V. 8 LL50ish
Marius 8 LL50ish
Raven 8 LL50ish
Other Rebels 1 -- other combat
Near side: The two crossbowmen refuse to give up their swords. One thrusts his crossbow at an unarmiger. The one bull-rushed by Marius drops his. They both draw swords ready for a fight. Marius' tries a nasty low cut at the gladiator's leg. He's too close to get the long blade to bear and only slaps the horse's flank with the flat of the blade. The remaining unarmiger looks stupidly at the crossbow.
Akorian charges boldly from the thicket, pulls up short and curses the Hellknights. (Thanks for the spell description. What's the duration?)