Breaking away from the main group with the newly christened "Rez's Roughnecks", Nathan finds himself in command of the soldiers Phil ordered to follow him, the scouts winging ahead after handing out the storm-cloaks (colored like dirty snow) and flour to toss into hair. Those days-of-hard-travel without being able to wash provide the grease neccessary to get the flour to stick, and a few people mix some form of woad in small pestles, painting their faces, as well.
Thinner white cloths are used to wrap hilts, sheathes, and cover other blades before you begin trudging south, the most visible of the group walking carefully in the bottom of the valley carved by the Dreadmarch's passage.
Nathan and the group continue hiking until one of three things happens:
(A) One of the scouts comes back to report something;
(B) He notices something of interest;
(C) Something else occurs to get his attention.
You proceed south for a ways, the majority of the men keeping to the valley.
After a few hours -- you're not really sure how long -- the scouts come back, and warn that there's some bad news, and some worse news.
The bad news is that there's no supply caravan or anything ahead of you; you're right on the verge of clashing with their main army, and your force of one hundred skirmishers doesn't have a chance against the three million Dreadmarch soldiers ahead of you.
The worse news is that even though everyone was trying to be subtle, you've been spotted by rearguard scouts, and a group of about two hundred and fifty Dreadmarch soldiers is going to be upon you in about thirty minutes.
Rez calls his group to a halt, asks the following pertinent questions of the scouts (after saying some very bad words. Bad Rez):
"Where are they exactly, how fast are they moving, what's the force made up of, and what kind of notable terrain have we got around here?"
They're south of you, heading north on the east side of the valley cut into the snow. The force is made up of ten of what they call 'ogres', about ninety orcs, and the rest they call horde-lings.
You have no idea what the majority of these things are.
At your blank look, they explain that the ogres are carrying large clubs, the orcs have bows, and the rest are armed with whatever came at hand.
There is no real terrain here, to speak of. Just the endless and slightly undulating snowy plains, broken occasionally by a brush of scrub (now that you see the ice, do those things just grow out of the snow?) the mountains in the far distance to the south and north, and the trench through the snow that the majority of your force is hiding in.
Rez casts his eyes around the area and starts thinking.
"Alright. This pretty much clinches the fact that we aren't going to be doing any damage the way we were intending, so that puts us back to our secondary objective. If we can work on convincing them that the main body of our forces is trying to wreak havoc here, it'll hopefully stop them from concentrating on where they actually are. So.," Rez pauses, "that pretty much means we have to make a fight out of this, at least enough of a showing to convince them that we're serious."
"Ideally, the trick here is probably to get within melee range. Best way as I can see for that is that we have some natural cover here," Rez waves at the trench, "which'll at least protect us from arrows. If we conceal the axemen here and let them run into a 'patrol' marching south, they'll engage it and hopefully follow them right to us. That's the basic plan. If we retreat right now, we'll be tracked back north. If we can make a mess here, and get away with it, we can get them shaken up - and if they're paying attention to us, they're not just distracted from what our main army is doing up north . . . they're less likely to notice our noncombatants as they make their way. If I go down and we're still around after the battle, the orders are simple: send the wounded north, break into small groups, then hunt down and kill dreadmarch scouts until, in your judgements, it gets too dangerous to do so. Getting advance information to Lord Bloom about any forces they send north is, of course, absolute priority. Thoughts, people?"
No one has any objections to your plan, and everyone gets into position quickly. You can see the approaching forces in the distance.
<@Brian> roll 2#3d6 general archer accuracy (storm-riders)
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 2#3d6 general archer accuracy {17}, {7}
<@Brian> roll 3d6 general archer accuracy (orcs)
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 general archer accuracy (orcs) {5}
<@Brian> roll 5#3d6 stealth
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 5#3d6 stealth {8}, {17}, {16}, {8}, {9}.
The orcs take one scattered shot, one more-focused attack, and then fire a relatively effective salvo of their own -- two of your archers go down, and a handful more take arrows, but keep running back anyway. They've got their hands full helping their wounded along, and don't have time for pot-shots, but at least the orcs can't fire back, either.
The entire force is still rushing your emplaced soldiers; either they don't see you, or they don't think you're a threat. You're staring down their forces, now. The orcs are what you'd expect -- man sized, and roughly shaped. The horde-lings are cruder mockeries of human, smaller, and with spindly limbs. You think 'goblin' when you look at them. The trolls are bigger brutes, burly, and outfited in some form of plated armor, wielding clubs that looks like entire tree-branches.
Fuck. What AM I doing here?
Muttering a brief prayer, Rez steels himself - and the moment one of the enemy gets close enough he throws himself upwards with an incoherent roar, sword whistling as it arcs towards his foe, as his fellow stormriders up and do the same . . .
<Rez> roll 3#3d6 for footmen effectiveness
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3#3d6 --> {11}, {8}, {6}.
<Rez> roll 3d6 FOR SMACKDOWN
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 {8}.
The storm-riders spring up suddenly, getting a few attacks and slaying about 80 enemy before they even realize what's going on. At that point, the archers have reoriented themselves, turned about, and loosed a few extra volleys of arrows.<Rez> roll 3#3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3#3d6 --> {9}, {13}, {10}.
This puts down another sixty or so foes, and then everything breaks down into a messy melee, and you find yourself and an axeman facing off against a pair of ogres.
<Brian> Rez, you're standing right atop the snowy slope, facing off against a three-meter tall ogre. It's got slavering jaws, a bad attitude, and worse breath. Behind you, an axeman faces off against another ogre, around you, everyone else is embroiled in their own battles.
<Brian> No one has any held actions, so we're going to go in speed order.
<Brian> Segment 4, Rez, that's you.
Rez lunges forward, slashing at the ogre's legs.
<Rez> Both points to OCV, normal attack.
<Rez> I'll try and push my str, if I can.
<Brian> Called shot, -4 OCV for that target.
<Brian> Please roll 3d6 for ego to push your strength.
<Rez> roll 3d6 for EGOTISM!
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for EGOTISM! --> [ 3d6=12 ]{12}
<Brian> You do not push your strength. Or pay extra endurance.
<Brian> Go ahead and make your attack roll.
<Rez> roll 3d6 for SMACKDOWN
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for SMACKDOWN --> [ 3d6=7 ]{7}
Rez nods.
<Brian> That's a hit.
<Brian> Go ahead and roll your damage.
<Rez> roll 2d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 2d6 --> [ 2d6=5 ]{5}
<Rez> roll 1d5+2 for stun
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 1d5+2 for stun --> [ 1d5=4 ]{6}
<Brian> You stagger your foe!
<Rez> Rocking.
<Brian> His armor appears to have absorbed most of the impact of your blade (he's still standing), but he's also apparently Dazed.
<Brian> Segment 6.
<Brian> Axeman.
<Brian> roll 3d6 for war cry
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for war cry --> [ 3d6=6 ]{6}
<Brian> (Ouch)
<Brian> roll 3d6 to hit
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 to hit --> [ 3d6=13 ]{13}
<Brian> roll 4d6 for damage
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 4d6 for damage --> [ 4d6=12 ]{12}
<Brian> roll 1d5+2 stun multiplier
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 1d5+2 stun multiplier --> [ 1d5=3 ]{5}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> The axeman plants his axe pretty deep in the collar bone of the ogre. It appears stunned, but his axe is also stuck.
<Brian> Your ogre recovers enough to try and swing at you, Rez.
<Brian> Do you want to abort to block?
<Rez> Yes.
<Brian> Alrighty.
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> Good thing you're blocking. Make your block roll.
<Rez> roll 3d6 for blockage!
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for blockage! --> [ 3d6=16 ]{16}
<Brian> Please roll your normal damage for your weapon, and multiply it by two.
<Rez> roll 2d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 2d6 --> [ 2d6=6 ]{6}
<Rez> 6 x 2 = 12
<Brian> That's more damage classes than the club can take; it shatters into a cloud of splinters, and your sword is now humming, vibrating very slightly in your hands.
<Brian> The ogre looks a little put off by this.
<Brian> Segment 12, everyone acts, dex order, Rez first.
Rez slashes at the ogre in front of him.
<Rez> Both +1s to OCV, still.
<Rez> roll 3d6 for a proper thrashing
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for a proper thrashing --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> You hit, roll your damage.
<Rez> roll 2d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 2d6 --> [ 2d6=7 ]{7}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=11 ]{11}
<Brian> 11 -- chest. Center of mass. You've struck his breastplate.
<Brian> Roll your stun multiplier.
<Rez> roll 1d5+2
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 1d5+2 --> [ 1d5=4 ]{6}
<Brian> You've staggered him, and unarmed, he turns to flee.
<Brian> The axeman.
<Brian> roll 3d6-5
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6-5 --> [ 3d6=9 ]{4}
<Brian> He wrenches his axe free, causing his ogre to wobble around a bit, but not fall down.
<Brian> Post-segment 12, everyone gets a recovery.
<Brian> Segment 4, speed threes.
<Rez> I turn, since my foe is staggering backwards, take three steps and swing my sword as hard as I can into the axeman's ogre (haymaker). Both points to OCV.
<Brian> Roll for your attack.
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : for your attack. --> error: malformed expression
<Rez> roll 3d6 for SEVERE smackdown!
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for SEVERE smackdown! --> [ 3d6=11 ]{11}
<Brian> roll 3d6 for hit location
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 for hit location --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> Chest, again. This one had more power than the last, and was already pretty badly wounded by the axeman -- that finished him off.
<Brian> Phase 6, speed 2s.
<Brian> The axeman goes after the unarmed ogre you left behind.
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=10 ]{10}
<Brian> roll 2d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 2d6 --> [ 2d6=7 ]{7}
<Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 3d6 --> [ 3d6=12 ]{12}
<Brian> Stomach shot.
<Brian> roll 1d5+2 stun multipler
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Brian ... : 1d5+2 stun multipler --> [ 1d5=3 ]{5}
<Brian> The ogre goes down. Isn't dead yet, but the combat is over.
<Rez> roll 3d6 for Footman Effectiveness
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : {9}
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : for Footman, SMACK! {13}
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3d6 for Footman, SMACK #3! {9}
<Rez> roll 3#3d6 for l337 archery skillz!
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : 3#3d6 for l337 archery skillz! {11}, {14}, {11}.
Well, after all is said and done, you wouldn't call it a victory.
<Chibi-Suu> Them bones was tossed for Rez ... : Go into the light! {5}
You've lost exactly half of your forces, and a lot of what's left is too wounded to fight. For what it's worth, your eight able archers, and seven intact axemen (including your dance partner at the ogre ball) are able to ensure that there's no enemy survivors, at least.
But your forces aren't up for another fight; you need to get your troops somewhere they can rest and heal up, and soon.
"Fuck," Rez sums it up succintly.
Surveying the carnage, he winces.
"Right," after gathering his able men he starts giving more orders, "Pull most, but not all, of the supplies off our fallen. When they investigate here, I want them to think we had very little with us and that we didn't go through and retrieve any, so they'll hopefully deduce we have a camp nearby. The wounded need to head north along this trench back to the original camp and from there to link up with the rest of the main group, I want you," he points out three of the archers and four of the axemen," with them. It should be tricky to track you over this ice, so apart from forward scouting I want at least three of you playing rearguard at all times, eliminating what traces of the trail you can."
"You and you," he continues, pointing out another archer and axeman, "are going north with them for a couple of hours march, then I want you concealed on the rim of this mess. I need you to stay there for a few days at most - your orders are very simple. Don' get spotted, and if you see any evidence of the dreadmarch moving north in force, I need you to get word to Lord Bloom as fast as humanly possible."
"The remainder of you," Rez concludes, gesturing at the remaining four archers and two axemen," are coming with me. We're moving east and we're going to leave a trail for their to follow. We don't have much time before they come to find out what happened to their force, so we need to be well out of sight by then. Any questions?"
The soldiers shake their heads, the wounded being escorted north quickly, as you head out east.
After an hour or so of laying the false trail, you're starting to get a bit tired, and one of the bowmen says he sees something on the horizon. It's getting close to moonset, so your light's going to get even dimmer very soon.
When you look, you see one very large group of moving objects south of you, and a much smaller group of moving objects directly east of you, headed north.
By your map, you're not too far from that little fort you stayed at.
Rez eyes off the party to the east and frowns, a plan forming as he calls his small group to a halt.
"Interesting. Alright . . . I know there's a small fort to the east, past that group. Once whoever that is has moved out of our line, we'll go. If we can lay a trail to that, we could have ourselves an amusing show to watch, because I know the soldiers in it turned it into a deathtrap before we left. After we've laid a fairly obvious trail to the area, we'll move into the hills, find somewhere safe to get some rest and sleep, then circle back west again and start trekking north."
Your followers agree with your plan, crouching low, as the approaching group from the east appears to actually be heading to the north-west ... which is also the direction you last saw Phil.
"Figures. We need to stop this group, then - luring them to the fort should do it all perfectly. Everyone feel up to a long run?"
Assuming all his guys aren't too tired for a decent running race, Rez tries to move his guys to the east . . . and once slightly past, gets them to purposely 'screw up' the stealthy thing, so that they're spotted.
If not, Rez has something rather more direct in mind. Cackle.
The group you're trying to lure either doesn't notice you, or is actively avoiding you when you try and slip up, letting your armor reflect the starlight, or standing up straight.
"Wonderful. We'll have to be a touch more direct about this, clearly," Rez frowns.
"Right. Whoever out of the four of you archers can run fastest, you're coming with me. You and I are going to walk up in arrow range of that column and try to sharpshoot the commander. If we fail, we get their attention, if we succeed, bonus. The rest of you . . ."
Rez pulls out his map and shows everyone exactly where we are and where the fort is.
"I need you lot to get to the fort. We'll be running with a lot of orcs on our heels, so we'll need either somewhere to dive for cover and hide while they assume we're in the damn fort, or a safe route for us to dash through some traps. I don't recommend the latter, but do what you have to do. If you can spread out, do so, because I'd like people in a position to nail anyone who flees."
"If the fort looks like it's been disturbed, or whatnot, I recommend you don't get inside unless you're sure they've been through it thoroughly and aren't there. The place is intended to be a deathtrap, be careful. Use your discretion as to whether you feel it's a good defensive place or not.. If there are dreadmarch already there or something goes horribly wrong with this plan, head back towards us and we all dash north," Rez indicates a spot on the map on the border of the northern mountains, "any survivors will link up there."
"Not the best of plans, I know, but every few hours we can buy for the rest of our troops is crucial."
The troops look at one another, and don't seem to like your plan too much, but they agree to do what you say. One of the archers is with you, and squints at the marching group. "I'll go with you," he says. "We're clansmen, after all."
Rez nods gratefully to the archer.
"I know this plan sounds lousy, but I honestly don't see a better one. We need to harass these guys, and we need to be bold to convince them that we're up to something. Don't engage any dreadmarch forces you find, is that clear?"
If there are no complaints or comments, Rez sends the other guys off to the east, and starts advancing - cautiously, but quickly - in an attempt to get to the outer edges of bowshot range on the enemy group.
You draw near the enemy. Realizing that you aren't going to be dissuaded, they break into a shield formation, fifteen in front leveling pikes and bracing defensively. Behind the pikemen, another fifteen swordsmen take positions. Another three figure stands to one side, behind a bundle of five swordsmen.
"Don't shoot," Rez shakes his head at his archer companion, and starts moving forward quickly, bow pointed at the ground, without an arrow nocked.
I may just have fucked up badly.
The pikemen watch you warily, and one of them yells, "Who are you?"
Rez turns to his archer, swearing foully, "Get after the rest of the group and tell them to get back here. I told them not to engage, so they should turn north if they see anyone. Your only orders are to get the hell back to the rest of our army, you should be able to follow their trail from there, if I don't link back up with you. Go!"
Turning back to the armed group, Rez yells back, "Stormriders! And you are?"
Relaxing their guard visibly, the guards step close enough for you to see them. "Oh!" one of them says. "I recognize you -- stayed at the fort for...." He trails off, and looks pale. "Has the keep already fallen?"
Rez puts his bow over his shoulder and walks forward. "Gods, no. The stormriders, however, were late, and some of us went out looking. You've abandoned the fort?"
"Yes, it's a deathtrap. We found ourselves blocked from reaching the fort by the Dreadmarch, and retreated to the fort. We lost half of our own forces, and a goodly number of the temple guarstman," the pikeman explains, gesturing to the swordsmen, who are slowly sheathing their weapons. "Without the aid of the priestesses, we'd be in sorrier shape than we already are. We were going to hide in the foothills of the mountain range, and see what we could do to survive until the siege broke, our numbers too few to do much else. There are other storm-riders out here? You don't number more than a dozen yourself, though ... how many?"
"The entire army. We've no way to the keep, so you'll want to link up with that force. Are you being pursued?"
"We thought we were," he says, nodding at you. "We cost them at the fort. We thought it best to abandon it before reinforcements returned ... all the traps are activated, now. We must have cost them over two hundred before the end."
The other storm-riders begin to jog up to the rest of the party, as the moon sets, plunging everything into darkness, until your eyes adjust to the stars.
"You'll lead us to the rest of the army, then?" the pikeman asks. "I'm sure we'd all fare better together; certainly healers would be welcome in a war, and the temple guardsmen are genius tacticians."
"Definitely. My group has done all we really can do down here, so we're heading north west ourselves. We have another priestess with our forces already, and our group of course reached the keep. It was lucky chance that we found you."
With that, Rez gets the group moving northwest towards what was the stormrider encampment, planning from there to follow the trail of the army northwards.
It doesn't take long, and the priestesses are able to keep everyone running pretty much continuously. You pass over what was a camp for an army of about 35,000 soldiers, and following their trail you can see the signs of a skirmish. Looks like the storm-riders won, and continued north, towards the foothills of the northern mountain range.
Rez keeps the group moving as long as is humanly possible. Fatigue or no, it's not safe out here to be resting.
Thanks to the priestesses, there's not that much fatigue going around. When you draw near the foothills, you encounter some storm-rider scouts, who lead you in through the fortifications, and into the main camp.
This thread now merges once more with World Revolution (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=34602#34602).