(076) Off the Beaten Track

[ehiker133]

Leudigar snorts up some bloody phlegm and spits it at Thickneck, "Drink that, you feckless bastard." Exhausted, he lays back down and allows Faengol to finish binding his wounds.

[acodispo]

Sitting splay-legged like a child in the midst of the field of battle, his dagger fallen from his hand, Wetzel stares at the blood-soaked ground before him without expression, slack-jawed and slack-eyed, merely breathing. He seems unaware of the drama of Thick-Neck's final moments.

[mushgnome]

"Aww, Gunter, no!!" cries Boggs. He rushes over to see if anything can be done, but it's too late.

[The Red Baron]

Dopey cleans the blood from his blade and announces:

"Those crossbowmen and disarmed hobgoblins will return directly with reserve troops; We have no time to mourn the dead nor inter them."

"Faengol, would you please verify that Gertrude has no thaumaturgical equipment that could fall into enemy hands. I wouldn't know what to look for."

"Brother priest, attend the wounded; I have not the strength nor knowledge to see to Leudigar."

"Gather your weapons, strip the fallen, and let us depart with haste."

The hobbet gingerly washes out his own wound, then begins to search the fallen starting with Thick-Neck for small portable treasures or coin.

Would Gunter's dwarf-sized plate armor fit a hobbet?

[waysoftheearth]

Remember that all survivors will recover one normal hit after the melee. Thick-Neck the Mymridon will, natrually, recover two normal hits... if/when you allow him sufficent repose. Let us presume that he will be in the subdued state at that point, if it comes about...

[sully]

If Thick-Neck shows any signs of moving around or trying to get up, The Herald kills him.

[waysoftheearth]

"Give over me flask, Brother, that I kin wet me throat e'nuf ta speak!" croaks Thick-Neck, propping himself painfully onto one elbow under The Herald's baleful glare. He barely bats an eye-lid as Dopey the Hobbet leads the effort to turn over the bodies of his recently departed fellows in search of spoils--it's normal conduct that the victor owns the field.

Eight Hobgoblins and Thick-Neck's two Men died here, along with Gerthrude the Medium, Brother Alfwin, Menno the Fighter and Gunter the Dwarf. Fourteen bodies all told scattered along the rocky ridge.

The Hobgoblins are sallow-skinned sorts, with hunched backs and long, thick arms. They wear conical iron caps, a coarse mail over filthy arming jacks, and hob-nailed boots. They have bags, purses, and dirty water-skins between them, including 32 sp in coins, and about a day each of a dubiously dark, hard bread, as well as a lizard and a small snake (presumably for eating) and a blue egg in the bottom of a sack. Their weapons were mean axes and knives, but half the axes were ruined by Faengol's hex.

The Men carried better supplies; two-days each of goodly cheese, bread, and dried meat as well as a half-full wine skin apiece. In their purses they carried silver and gold! 30 gp and 42 sp between them; Thick-Neck carrying the most of it. Their helms and shields have been ruined in the fighting, but their mail is still on them. Two swords and a mace they carried. One of the dead Men has a hunting horn on a strap over his neck, while Thick-Neck has a single iron piton among the supplies in his shoulder bag.

A subdued figure is essentially compelled to obey. Moreover, an incapacitated figure is at your mercy, so you needn't worry too much...

1,550 XP is earned for the combat; to be divided among the survivors. Fendrel hasn't posted, so he is--as of now-- officially an NPC.

You are free to borrow/reclaim/gather to return the goods belonging to your deceased allies. Lawful types should want to do the lawful thing. Neutral types may want to be more... practical about it...

[coffee]

"I like a man who knows when he's beaten," Karl says, going to Thick-Neck and getting the man's flask for him.

He looks around to see whether people are tending to our dead properly, although not being a holy man he's not sure what all is required for each.

Meanwhile, he'll keep an eye on Thick-Neck.

[acodispo]

After a moment or two, Wetzel climbs to his feet, wincing. He looks about at the other survivors, meets their gazes boldly for an instant, and then ducks his head again in his habitual way.

He splashes a bit of water in his own cuts & scrapes, and pokes at the contusion on his skull gingerly, glad that his helmet took the brunt of that blow. He shakes his head to clear it.

He pays little attention to Thick-Neck, but begins moving amongst the dead, after retrieving his own spear.

First he visits each of their fallen comrades, and composes them in an unpracticed but respectful way, crossing their arms gingerly on their chests, closing their eyes. He does gather any likely goods from each, though.

Then he moves amongst the fallen foe, looking at them without emotion as he strips them.

He welcomes the assistance of any other, and in brief time has a small pile on a scrap of clear ground.

He takes the small blue eggs the Hobgoblins were keeping and tucks them away into his pack. He also helps himself to one of their strangely shaped iron helms and ties it to his belt. He also takes a suit of mail from one of the Men.

The contents of the pile:

  Code:

Friends:

   torches     12
   food        18 
   chalk        4
   candle       6
   81sp

   plate (Gunt)
   battle axe (Gunt)
   shield? (Gunt)

   padded (disgarded by Wetzel)

   baskets, cats therein (Gert)

   mail (Menno)
   dagger (Menno)
   hand axe (Menno)
   crossbow (Menno)
      30quarrels? (Menno)
   
   staff (Alfwin)
   mace (Alfwin)
   padded (Alfwin)
   helm? (Menno)
   mirror, steel (Alfwin)
   
The Enemy:

   7 conical iron caps
   8 coarse mail over filthy arming jacks
   8 pair hob-nailed boots
   8 days Hob food (plus lizard & small snake)
   6 days Man food
   3 1/2 full wine skins
   30gp
   72sp

   2 suits of mail
   2 swords
   1 mace

   hunting horn
   an iron piton

[ehiker133]

Once he is able, Luedigar will take off his remaining gear and rest, to see if he can properly bind his wounds and recover a bit from the combat.

He checks the chain armour pulled off of the enemy to see if one of the sets will fit him. If so, he will don it once he has rested.