(014) The Ravine

[waysoftheearth]

Guest wrote:
Nidhogg will grab a rock and hurl it at the knave below.

[waysoftheearth]

verhaden wrote:
Mads the Fair

Mads steels his resolve and blocks out the villainous distractions around him. Uttermost focus on the ogre, he dips and feigns his away into the beast, intending to draw out the last of its life with his axe.

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:

Dieter: Must...kill...ogre!

I say again my last.

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:

Danhem; unless he makes a very favourable initiative roll Ulric's magic will be resolved last in the round. But with just 2 hit points remaining, any hit before then will ruin his casting and very likely end him.

Cowering behind the chest without attacking could avert this possibility entirely. On the other-hand, it is said that fortune does favour the brave...

Ulric cannot bring himself to cower behind the chest while his comrades face such odds. However, he will stick with his sling in hopes of taking down the nearest knave (#4) before he can fire another arrow rather than risk a spell.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:

OCC: Crap on a cracker. Natural 20 and I roll 1,1,4 for damage. d**n you d6's, d**n you to the Abyss!

With a focused expression and a cold look in his eyes, Andaros will swing his mace at the knave one more time.

In fact I should have rolled 2dd as Andaros is using Mads' handaxe (a light weapon). His own mace was destroyed by the night ooze!

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:
Wibert now picks up his courage to attack. As a shadow like his name suggests, his silent feet will sneak up on the closet Knave for a back stab with dagger in one hand and axe in the other. He thinks, 'I hope this lot appreciate my cooking!'

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
A deadly storm of missiles are exchanged, the company now outnumbering the foe in the ravine. Initiative is rolled (1d6; Knave4=6(+1), Knave6=5(+1), Highbough=5, Olaf=4, Gustave=4, Nidhogg=3, Knave5=2(+1), Ulric=1).

Nidhogg's assailant launches yet another crooked knife (1d20=6) but this thunks hard into the front of the chest. The farthest knave fires his black bow from the shadows (target selection 1=Nidhogg, 2=Olaf, 3=Ulric, 4=Gustave;1d4=4) at the enraged Gustave (1d20=20!) with deadly accuracy (2dd=6,1) piercing his mailed chest for 6 hit points, dropping him as any common sack of potatoes before he ever flings his dagger!

Scarcely an instant later Highbough whips his dagger free and hurls at Nidhogg's foe with (1d20=16) deadly grace (1dd=2) slashing him across his bristled cheek, but hardly ending him. All the while Olafsquints into the gloom to stare down his target, and then lets slip his own arrow (1d20=17) with sure accuracy at the largest of the shabby knaves, a hardy dog of a Man with greasy dread-locks to his waist, puncturing him near the hip (1dd=4) for 4 hit points, but doing little to slow him.

Nidhogg, meanwhile, puts his fist around a jagged stone and hurls it with all his surprising strength (1d20=20!) striking his antagonist directly on his sloped forehead (2dd=2,3) with an audible crack that deals 4 hit points and cracks the fellow's skull, slaying him.

The dread-locked knave, scarcely slowed by his wound, looses his own arrow (target selection 1=Nidhogg, 2=Olaf, 3=Ulric, 4=Gustave;1d4=2) at Olaf who just now shot him (1d20=15) causing it to tug at his hair as it rips narrowly by!

As Olaf instinctively dodges behind the chest the dread-locked knave bounds up to the base of the ledge, vanishing from the sight of those behind the chests -- just as Ulric pops out from his cover at the last moment to launch a stone from his sling at the only visible target. (1d20=11) but his shot flies wide in the gloom to clatter out of sight on the ravine floor.

Gustave has 0 of 9 hit points and is incapacitated.

edit: wrote in Highbough

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The combat between Dieter, Mads, Pelenwin, Deggerhund and the dual-wielding knave rages on, with a flurry of thrusts, swipes, swings and stabs being exchanged amid much shouting. Despite the ferocity of the fighting and swearing, none makes purchase against his foe.

(Initiative 1d6; Dieter=5(+1), Mads=4(+1), Ogre=4, Knave1=1(+1), Pelenwin=2(-2), attack rolls Dieter=3, Mads=11, Deggerhund=5, Knave=10, Pelenwin=4).

"Stay you, stinking maggots!" roars Deggerhund, smashing another boulder out of the ravine wall as Dieter ducks the massive axe once more. The knave facing Pelenwin is instead silent and grim-faced, but deadly quick.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Meanwhile Andaros and Thorgrim are locked in their own melee, pressing a pair of grim fighters back with their superior strength. Initiative is rolled (1d6; Knave3=4(+1), Andaros=4(-1), Knave2=1(+1), Thorgrim=1).

Thorgrim (weilding a pair of hand-axes since his favoured maul was dissolved by the night ooze) and his opponent exchange a run of fients and swipes before locking blades and coming face to face (1d20; Knave=3, Thorgrim=2).

"I've seen Goblins with fuller beards than that!" taunts the knave in Thorgrim's flustered face!

Andaros works his craft more artfully (1d20=15) blocking a number of thrusts to tempt his foe forward, before judging his counter strike expertly. He hews (1dd=6) mightily with Mads' handaxe for 7 hit points, very nearly shearing the over-reached fellow's shoulder from his torso with one clear, bloody stroke, slaying him.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Covered by the noise of the fighting, and moving as silently as a shadow in any case, Wibert sneaks up behind the farthest of the knaves...

The situation at the end of the round is thus:


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Gentlemen, what are your intentions for the following round?