Immersive Ink

Leudigar, Zem, and Zax rush in, taking the monks by surprise with their brutal attack. Three monks a hacked down before the others are even on their feet.

Akbar decides not to risk a shot into the melee as Dopey and Wetzel join in the mad butchery. Bones crunch and blood slews in wide arcs as broken bodies fall. For a moment it seems the monks will be utterly overwhelmed, but alas! Dopey takes a blow and falls to his hobbet knees at the same moment Wetzel's defenses are beaten by a wily dagger thrust. Wetzel falls! In a heinous move the wicked monk proceeds to bludgeon Dopey to death while he is defenseless, just moments for the last monks are taken apart by those that initially charged into the room.

As the dust begins to settle, Dopey and Wetzel are seen to be among the dead.

Surprise Segment

Leudigar, Zem, and Zax rush in for a surprise attack. The others follow up behind them.

3xd20+1 (FC man+1)=21, 11, 13. Three hits; 3d6=2, 4, 2.

At this point the ref dices for some cultist hp; 9d6=5, 6, 1, 3, 3, 5, 1, 3, 3. Monks are reduced to 5 3, 6 2, 1 -1, 3, 3, 5, 1, 3, 3. So one monk is slain.

Ordinarily, being attacked by surprise would trigger a morale check, but there cultists are unaffected by morale where their ritual is concerned. The blasphemers must pay!

A regular combat turn follows.

Movement Segment Wetzel and Dopey are near enough, and intend to, join the melee. Akbar gets a sight though the doorway. Karl and Fried can't so easily get thru the gaggle of friendlies blocking the passage... 'tis perhaps a pity they didn't attempt to enter the room from the other portal to flank attack. None the less.

Missile Segment Akbar can't shoot into the melee with risk to a friendly, so holds his fire.

Melee Segment: first Round At this point only L+Z+Z are engaged. The attackers retain the initiative.

3xd20+1 (FC man+1)=11, 6, 10. Two hits; 2d6=3, 4. Monks are reduced to 5 3 0, 6 2 -2, 1 -1, 3, 3, 5, 1, 3, 3. Now three monks are slain.

Six monks reply by leaping to their feet but lose a blow to draw small arms; daggers, clubs, and cudgels.


Melee Segment: second Round At this point Dopey and Wetzel (defensive) join in. The attackers retain the initiative.

4xd20+1 (FC man+1)=19, 2, 14, 10; three more hits! 3d6=4,5,4. Monks are reduced to 5 3 0, 6 2 -2, 1 -1, 3 -1, 3 -2, 5 1, 1, 3, 3. Two more monks go down; four are left.

Four monks retaliate at last: 4d20 (FC man) = 16, 5, 17, 6. The 16 and 17 will target (1=L, 2=Zem, 3=Zax, 4=D, 5=W, 6=reroll) 2d6=4, 5, so 16 vs Dopey and 17 vs Wetzel.

Dopey's AC is 3/4 in his sig--but plate+helm should be 4/4 by the house rules--; a 16 precisely hits AC 3 anyways, so Dopey takes a hit for 1d6=4 hp. Wetzel's AC is 3/5 in his sig., so a 17-4 = 13 is a miss by 3 pips. Dopey is reduced to 0 hp and incapacitated (death is at -1 for PCS, per the Dalluhn ms).

No morale check for the fanatic monks.

Melee Segment: third Round. The three attackers (plus Wetzel) retain the initiative.

3xd20+1 (FC man+1)=13 5, 11; two more hits. 2d6=3, 1. Monks are reduced to 5 3 0, 6 2 -2, 1 -1, 3 -1, 3 -2, 5 1 0, 1 -2, 3, 3. Two more monks are slain; two remain.

Two Monks: 2d20=20, 18! Who is targeted? (1=L, 2=Zem, 3=Zax, 4=D, 5=W, 6=reroll) 2d6=5,4 again! Vindictive then.

The 20 vs Wetzel is reduced to 16, which is exactly enough to hit AC 3; 1d6=2 damage, so Wetzel is reduced to -1 and slain! The 18 will hit poor Dopey while he is down; 1d6=1, reducing him to -1 and slaying him.

That is the end of the combat turn.

For the sake of expediency, the ref presumes Leudigar, Zem, and Zem would fall upon the last two monks violently;

Second turn: Move, Missile, Melee 1st round: 3d20+1=6, 16, 13; so two hits; 2d6=3, 5, which slays the last two monks.

The combat concludes.

A grim turn for the players; Red Baron and Acodispo can proceed to the requests to join thread if you would like some new PC stats...

Meanwhile, what orders for those that yet live?

After double checking Dopey and Wetzel to make sure there isn't a chance of saving either, Leudigar searches the rest of the slain for anything of value.

"If Wetzel and Dopey have anything we can use - rations or coin or whatever - we should take that, as well", he says while searching the monks.

Wetzel has, among other things a store of rations & a sweet clay pipe w/tobacco.

Oh no! Poor Dopey...

May his life have served some greater purpose.

A note to plunderers: Dopey has some strange items on his person. Gatekeeper's pectacles, goblin ledger, buckles, signet ring, mysterious iron serpents ring, very small plate armor, etc.

By the time Freid is able to get up to the room all the fighting is over. He sees the carnage, including Dopey and Wetzel.

"Oh, no!" he says bitterly, "This is a serious blow to us. Is there no way to save them?"

Zem catches his breath sees the fallen. "Poor lads, whatever it was we put a stop to the price was high."

Akbar weeps.

Leudigar confirm that Dopey and Wetzel are in fact slain, before rifling through the monk corpses. They have daggers and bludgeons, and grey Hessian robes with rope belts decorated with rodent skulls, small bones, and stones. Each has a purse with a few coins in it... leudigar totals it at nine purses and 30 sp.

What now?

Zax wipes his pick clean on a monk's habit - taking particular care to remove the small bits of skull and brain - then castes an eye across the blood-strewn floor.

He chews on his moustache, momentarily considering the bodies of his fallen comrades, then grunts and leaves the room.