Game of Thrones: Against the Band of Nine PART I

[max_vale]

A stretch of the Grandview-Stonhelm road in the Stormlands, Westeros; third week of the second month of the year 259 AL


It was mid-afternoon and a nice breeze was blowing down off the River to the East as the party from Valmont Castle made its way south towards the tournament being held at Stonehelm, about two days distant. The temperature was warm, but not unbearable and Ser Eduard Storm and his young nephew Ser Gannis Valmont and the Valmont Castle's Master of the Hunt and best archer, Darryn Drinkwater were all riding along at an easy pace. The two Knights rode their coursers, both looking forward to the Jousting in the tournament while Darryn was going to participate in the archery competition. The master of the hunt rode in a supply-laden cart being pulled by a pair of Rounseys, keeping company with the teamster, a sharp-tongued old man who went by 'Sour Sam'; who's foul-mouthed complaints and tales amused Darryn, but brought sharp looks of disapproval from the noble Knights.

A quartet of armed guards from Valmont castle also accompanied the group; riding one to each side and two behind the cart while the Knights rode in front. The four guards were armed with spears and daggers and wore ring mail armor and carried shields.

The road they were riding on lay at the flattened bottom of the river valley; with steep, wooded and boulder strewn foothills reaching up to the Red Mountains which dominated the view to both East and West. The day suddenly became much more interesting when a hail of half a dozen arrows came flying out of a wooded section of the foothills lining the vale to their right (the West) and the guard on the right side of the cart as well as one of the guards behind the cart both tumbled from their rounseys and Sour Sam let out a grunt of pain and a "F#@ing typical"; curse as he clutched the arrow buried in his shoulder and the cart's control became a little shaky.

Darryn felt the breeze of an arrow ruffle his hair as it narrowly missed his right ear and another arrow passed between Eduard and Gannis. The Knights attention though was suddenly drawn to the half-dozen spearmen wearing hard leather armor and raggedy cloaks who had stepped out onto the road about 20 yards away from them and who were clearly looking to come their way with bad intentions. The veteran Ser Eduard could tell from the way they were forming up and their calmness that these weren't ordinary bandits; they seemed to have had some training as soldiers and were most likely a house unit that had recently decided to leave their former employment and take up as bandits….or they were here specifically for them….

Darryn Drinkwater could see the half-dozen archers on a rise of a hill, well protected by boulders and trees about 20 to 30 yards away and the archers were armed with standard hunting bows and seemed to be wearing soft leather armor and if they had any other armaments he couldn't see the from here. The remaining two guards were coming around from the backside of the cart; which had come to a stop as Sour Sam slumped down, breathing hard and cursing in pain. The guards called out; "Master Drinkwater, what should we do?"….


Stretch of coastal road, south and east of Stonehelm in the Stormlands, Westeros; third week of the second month of the year 259 AL

Keyth Storm trudged along the coastal road, perhaps a day and a half from the Castle of Stonehelm, which was having a small tournament in a few days and he wondered for about the thousandth time, what exactly he was doing here. Until about four months ago; he had happily been living in the Free City of Tyrosh; a friend of the Archon of the City; finally feeling like he had found a place for himself. Now, his friend was dead; the city of Tyrosh was under the control of the Tyrant Alequo, one of the Band of Nine, and he had fled first to the city of Myr and then shortly after running unexpectedly into his cousin Asher for the first time since he was 11 and his cousin was 5. He had been sent to the Citadel for training to become a Maester in Oldtown that year, while his cousin had grown up to become a sellsword and somehow picked up the loyalty and companionship of an intimidating Dothraki warrior by the name of Voqarro; who seemed to always look at Keyth as a hungry wolf looked at a sheep.

Keyth had received a strange letter in the city of Myr a fortnight ago, with the seal of Maester Willit; who served Lord Ormund Baratheon, the ruler of the Stormlands. The letter included paid passage for himself and any close companions on board the ship Squall Runner, under the command of Captain Ryavin and to be at the tournament at Stonehelm where he would meet with the Maester for a matter most urgent. The letter also added that his transgressions at the Citadel all those years ago would be officially forgiven and forgotten. Keyth mentioned the letter and its proviso for a trip to the Stormlands to his cousin Asher and Asher agreed to travel with Keyth as the first leg of returning home to Valmont for a visit.

The beginning of the trip started normally enough but then they had been dropped off in the middle of the night, three days south and east of Stonehelm, apparently per a secret arrangement made between Maester Willit and Captain Ryavin; and now they were trudging their way to the castle of Stonehelm. Keyth's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of screaming and the ringing of steel on steel coming from around the bend in the road about fifteen yards to the north of them. Asher and Voqarro quickly drew weapons and Keyth fumbled for his crossbow a few moments later.

Sweat began to pour down Keyth's hair as adrenaline coursed through his veins and the sounds of running footsteps could distinctly be heard. A moment later, a young man wearing a couple of unmistakable maester's chains came racing around the corner of the road and about to flee into the tree-lined northern edge of the road when he saw the trio in front of him and he called out; "Bandits! Maybe 6 or 7…..about to come around the bend; be ready! They killed Maester Willit and our two guards!"

Sure enough, less than a minute later, 7 men came around the bend about 15 yards away, wielding axes and long swords, most of them bloody and armored in hard leathers. They pulled up in surprise at the sight of three armed men facing them….

[Rusty Tincanne]

It all had happened so fast. One minute he was listening to Sam's ribald jokes and stories, the next he had two guards on the ground and the driver was bleeding at his side. And now the idiot-guards are asking me for direction!? Darryn was no soldier, but he knew a soldier's duty. Stick with Gannis and Eduard! he hissed while righting Sam and handing him the Rounseys' reins. He would follow the lead of the knights, charging into the riders or halting. If he had more hands and time, he would have notched an arrow...

[smoke warrior]

Asher smirks taking pleasure from the fact that he hasn't been home 5 minutes before he gets to wet the thirst of his blade on the lowest of scum.., Home sure has changed he thinks. He looks the men up and down and Laughs,"7 men you at least could of made it fair for your selves and brought more men. But to make up for your mistake I'll give you a choice you can ether turn around and climb back in to what ever maggot filled hole you crawled out of or you can cross this line and you can meet the Seven because see this scar better men than your selves have tried and failed to kill me. So the choice is yours my friend I don't have all day." Says while drawing a line in the road with his sword while pointing out the scar on his neck and face with the axe in his off hand.

[Enoch]

"Maester, wait!" Keyth pauses a moment too long, reaching out for the fleeing figure. Fumbling at his pack for his crossbow, he untied it and hunched down behind a tree, loading it with trembling fingers. "Oh gods oh gods oh gods..."

[Marullus]

Clarifying:

• It is 20 yards up the hillside westward to the archers, who have partial cover of some amount.
• The hillside has boulders - is that 'unstable terrain'? Can it be ridden over with a horse to close on them?
• What other scene modifers are in-play?
• The spearmen are also 20 yards, here on level ground?
• Understanding movement... footmen are 4 yards, horses are 8 yards, charging is x2 and sprinting (w/o attack) is x4. Right?

Eduard pulls loose his heavy spear as he eyes the trained soldiers before him. "You'd have been wiser to parlay, before shooting my men. I will accept your surrender before you die; speak it with haste." He assays the situation swiftly and issues orders to the others. "Sam, keep down. Get the wounded guards behind the cart for cover. You two, stay with them and defend here. Drinkwater, fire to pin down those archers. Nephew... we handle these in ringmail before us. Beware - from the look of them, they know how to fight and this is no tournament."

Trying to learn and understand these new rules here... GM is making rolls, right?

Roll Cunning for Logic to identify a exploitable gaps in their plan. 4D+2B.

Using Battlefield Tactics to give both of the other PCs a +1B to their initiative.
(Roll is warfare, 3D)

This puts my initiative last in the round.
If the spearmen close on us (four yards), then I can charge on my horse (16 yards) and engage an attack. If not, then we'll count it as a sprint and no attack until next round.

If he attacks, it should be... 4D +2B for 7 damage with the boar spear, I believe. If the attack is on round 2 instead, it is 9 damage mounted.

[max_vale]

OOC: To answer Marullus' questions:


-It is 20 yards up the hillside westward to the archers, who have partial cover of some amount. (It's actually about 25 yards and yes, they have partial cover from boulders or tree trunks)

-The hillside has boulders - is that 'unstable terrain'? Can it be ridden over with a horse to close on them? (Yes, it is unstable terrain for anyone moving up or down it and NO, a horse cannot ride over it to close on them.....a horse COULD slowly climb up it, but not move at any speed)

-What other scene modifers are in-play? (None)

-The spearmen are also 20 yards, here on level ground? (Yes)

-Understanding movement... footmen are 4 yards, horses are 8 yards, charging is x2 and sprinting (w/o attack) is x4. Right? (Correct)

-I hope this helps, sorry for any confusion!

[Synthalus]

Sir Gannis Valmont

Gannis halts his horse and dismounts. He then draws his sword and shield out.

" For the Glory of House Valmont ye transgressors will be defeated. "

Gannis Takes a Defensive stance in front of his horse.

[Marullus]

Ser Eduard flushes red with anger, chastising his young nephew. "What, you think you are Ser Florian at Maidenpool? Get on your thrice-damned horse! Take that sword and kill with it." He makes a sound of frustration, hefting his vicious-looking spear to brace a charge. "Gods protect us from youth," he mutters, moving into action.

[max_vale]

A stretch of the Grandview-Stonhelm road in the Stormlands, Westeros; third week of the second month of the year 259 AL


The action continued hot and heavy in the southern Stormlands on an isolated stretch of mountain valley road....

Ser Eduard Storm recognized that the road was too wide for a group of 6 spear men to be able to truly impede a horse-charge; but his nephew threw him a bit out of sorts as he dismounted while the 6 bandits began to advance towards them. Letting out a final curse under his breath, he spurred his well-trained courser forward and then deftly maneuvers it around to the right when the half-dozen spear men split into 2 ranks of three with their weapons braced for a charge from the FRONT; as Eduard suspected they might. He had 'danced' his mount out of the way however, and with a vicious thrust down, he felt the shock in his strong arm as his boar-spear became deeply embedded in one of the bandits' chest; dropping him to the ground with a horrible cry of pain; and then Eduard yanked the weapon out and continued down the road a bit to gain some room to turn around for another pass when an arrow whizzed past his head and another buried itself in the flank of his horse. His horse reared in pain and anger and the surprised Knight found himself being dumped onto the ground, though he somehow managed to land with a roll and not injury himself in the process. Two of the spear men were moving towards him quickly while a third dragged the man he wounded towards the side of the room and the other two were advancing towards his dismounted nephew...

Ser Gannis drew his sword and shield and stood ready to meet the enemy spear men on foot and took advantage of his Uncle's charge to move forward himself, closing the range to about 10 yards. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the archers splitting into two groups; with one group of 3 moving towards him and his uncle while drawing back their bow-strings. He raised his Shield and felt and heard the impact as the shaft slammed into it and bounced off. The other two archers fired upon his uncle and he quickly followed the path of the arrows flight and saw his Uncle fall from his horse, though his alarm quickly faded to relief as he saw Eduard roll on the ground and come back up to his feet to face a pair of advancing bandits while two more advanced towards him. He began to feel the effect of fear as his attention was torn between the archers to his right and the spear men moving towards him on his front side....

Darryn Drinkwater had managed to drag the cursing Sour Sam down and behind one of the wheels of the cart while the two remaining guardsmen also took cover behind the now-stopped cart and the Master Huntsman drew his bow and nocked an arrow. A quick look around the corner of the wheel almost saw him take an arrow to the face as he ducked back and the shaft deflected off the wheel; but Darryn had had time to see that the archers had advanced from their place of cover and divided into two trios. One was moving towards them, maybe 20 yards distant while the other were advancing on the two Valmonts. A second arrow thudded into the wooden side of the cart near one of the two guardsmen, Young Rory and a third arrow flashed past the top of the cart's side by no more than an inch and buried itself into the ground perhaps a yard and a half from Drinkwater and the other guardsmen, Tough Tom.

Corporal 'Tough' Tom was a gray-haird, wiry soldier in his 40s who had gained his nickname way back in the 4th Blackfyre Rebellion when a Sling Bullet had glanced off his skull and left him out cold on the ground. When he awoke, he was surrounded by Vultures who had apparently deemed him 'too tough' to bother taking a nibble on. He was a taciturn, wily old soldier and he assessed the situation calmly and spoke up saying; "Master Darryn, if'n you use your Bow to get their attention, Young Rory and I can take advantage to rush in close where their bows won't do them no good. If we just stay 'ere; they'll just pick us off slowly and easily". Darryn was taken with the calm, assured tone of the veteran and with a nod, he took a deep breath and turned the corner of the cart and let fly with an arrow that skipped off one of the archers' ribs, drawing forth a cry of surprise and DEFINITELY getting the attention of the three men. Drinkwater ducked back down again to draw another arrow and as he did so, he noticed that Tough Tom and Young Rory had rounded the opposite side of the cart and were rushing forward with their shields up and their spears leveled forward....


Stretch of coastal road, south and east of Stonehelm in the Stormlands, Westeros; third week of the second month of the year 259 AL

"You'll be eatin' them words scar-face!"; one of the raggedy bandits yelled out in response to Asher and the 7 men charged forward, rapidly closing the distance between the two groups while letting out yells of defiance and anger. A Dothraki high-pitched scream answered them; along with the twang of a re-curve bow and an arrow buried itself in the eye-socket of the axe-wielder who had responded back to Asher, dropping him stone-stiff to the ground while Voqarro then dropped his bow and drew his arakh while stepping forward to stand at Asher Valmont's side.

Keyth Storm tried to keep his trembling hands still enough to launch a good shot with his crossbow, but his bolt sailed wide of one of the sword-wielding bandits and his eyes bulged out as the man he fired at saw him and altered his path to line up on the former maester-in-training; closing about half the distance between them while Keyth fumbled for and eventually managed to load a second bolt into his crossbow. The young man never noticed the shadowy figure of the young maester slipping through the trees to his side, crouching down low with a Stiletto in his hand and keeping an alert eye on the charging bandit...

Asher Valmont just smiled; any chance to sharpen his skills as a swordsman agreed with him. He awaited the unruly mob of bandits with his Bastard sword in one hand and a hand-axe in the other; and he stepped forward as the range rapidly drew close enough for hand-to-hand combat....

[Synthalus]

Ser Gannis Valmont

I will give up a turn to gain +2B on the my NEXT action I take. Ser Gannis Valmont takes up a defensive stance in front of his uncle.

OOC: Hey there Synthalus, sorry if I wasn't clear in my last post, but I think you're going to need to edit this last post; you are about 20-25 yards away from your Uncle....you got down off the horse while he charged into and thru the enemy.

So think of it like this.......Gannis......10 yards or so.....2 Spearmen......5 more yards 1 Spearman dragging wounded Spearman off the road...5 more yards...2 Spearmen....5 more yards and there's Eduard.

That make sense?

[Rusty Tincanne]

- What is in the wagon? If needed, Darryn will test his memory (Cunning 3) to recall if there are any useful items such as spare bows/arrows or crossbows? Maybe a shield for Sam to improve his cover?

- How badly are the two guards injured? Are they able to throw spears or fire arrows? If they are well enough to fight, Darryn will press them to wither join the fight with Gannis or throw their spears. Unless there are bows, in which case he will have them get some bows and start firing.

Looking at the bleeding trio around him, Darryn could not help but utter, "Pin them archers down? More like us who's pinned." While he would have preferred to force themselves through the spearmen and out of range of the archers, he had to admit it was nice to bruise the bandits back - he was glad to have drawn their attention long enough to allow Tom and Rory to start towards the woods. But they would need more cover if they were to make it all the way there.

Darryn notched another arrow and drew the bow back half way before peering around the corner of the wagon. He let loose another arrow, praying to the Warrior it would find its mark and draw the archers fire again.

If I need to take a knowledge test (lesser action, correct?) for the wagon, I will only fire the bow. But if I don't, I will use a lesser action to aim prior to firing, giving me a bonus die).

[max_vale]

OOC: The wagon holds mostly food and some spare clothes; but there are definitely some arrows in there and some tourney lances for the Knights; a Hunting/Skinning knife or two and a couple of Small Hand Axes and one or two Woodcutter Axes in case foliage/fallen trees would have to be chopped out of the way/turned into firewood, etc.

Darryn would know this and where things were packed....no need for a Cunning/Memory roll; unless it was something REALLY specific he was looking for. So unless you tell me otherwise; I'll just go with the Aim and Shoot choice.....cool?

As for the 4 guards; 2 are down and one is moving slowly and moaning in pain; the other isn't moving at all or making any sounds. Rory and Tom are fine; they are moving around the wagon and moving closer to the archers that are focusing on you for the moment.

[Marullus]

Ser Eduard unsheathes the greatsword from his back, long and menacing. He regards the two spearmen solemnly as they approach. "Again, you have an opportunity to yield. Nothing but death comes from your approach."

Initiative 4d6
Two Lesser Actions: both Standard Attack. One attack against the first spearman. Repeat, or if he drops, second attack is against the other spearman.
Greatsword on foot: 4D+1B+1, 9 Damage

Current Combat Defense: 8, AR: 5

Rules-wise, I could find any mechanics for intimidation or morale. You could appropriate the Discipline rating for the NPC units for that purpose, but that is only described in terms of your own orders being obeyed. All characters have the opportunity to end combat by yielding, but it seems it is GM fiat for NPCs?

In any case, I'm hoping that seeing two spearmen cleaved clean in half is influential in inspiring the others to drop their weapons. If they are unbreakable ironmen willing to fight to the death, i have no problem continuing until they are all dead, of course.

[smoke warrior]

Asher grips his hand axe in one hand and his bastard sword in the other; and strikes out at the nearest bandit with both weapons....

[max_vale]

A stretch of the Grandview-Stonhelm road in the Stormlands, Westeros; third week of the second month of the year 259 AL

The skirmish in the southern Stormlands continued to rise in intensity and violence as the steel on steel ringing echoed through the mountain river valley....

Ser Gannis Valmont was a little undecided on what to do; try and get back on his horse per his Uncle's suggestion; charge into combat against the pair of Spearmen advancing his way; attack the archers flanking him and his uncle; he wasn't sure and so decided to maintain a defensive stance and await the moves of his enemy....they weren't long in coming...

Corporal 'Tough' Tom and Recruit Rory moved around the rear of the stopped wagon and advanced upon two of the bandit Archers who had foolishly come out of cover on the hill and come closer to the party to get good shots on Master of the Hunt Drinkwater. Tom lands a good thrust with his spear that tears through the leather armor the archer was wearing and drew a deep cut on the man's side. The bandit's howl of pain could be heard for hundreds of yards around. Meanwhile; young Rory had also managed to land a blow; but it was just a glancing one that opened a cut on another bandit archer's thigh....

Darryn Drinkwater took the opportunity to take a deep breath, let it out and in one smooth motion he came around the corner of the cart he was kneeling behind; took aim and let loose with an arrow that zipped through the air and embedded itself deep in the chest of a third bandit archer and caused the man to drop his bow and crash down to the ground clutching the arrow and cursing in agony...

The bandit spearmen then made their moves against the two Valmont Knights with two of them attacking Gannis only to watch one spear attack get parried by the young Knight's shield while the other glances off the polished scales of his armor. The two facing off against Ser Eduard fare no better; with one's spearpoint making a grating sound as it etched a line in the veteran's steel breastplate; while the other was blocked away by Storm's Greatsword....

Then Eduard moved forward and with a practiced swing of his muscled arms his massive Greatsword came whirling around in an arc that ended in-and-thru one of the bandit spearmen; who was all but cut in half from the massive blow. His companion's eyes bugged out upon seeing that and he began to fall back while calling out in a quavering voice; "Ch-ch-chauncy! I don't think we're gettin' paid enough for this!" as he fearfully watched the powerful Knight with the bloody sword advancing towards him...

Stretch of coastal road, south and east of Stonehelm in the Stormlands, Westeros; third week of the second month of the year 259 AL

A similar scene of carnage was playing out a few days ride to the south....

Vaqarro leaped forward at a pair of the horde of bandits rushing towards him and Asher; and he made a very fast, but not-too-well-placed slash with his Arakh; cutting a tear out of a leaping-back bandit's Leather armor; but failing to get to the flesh behind it. Quick as a flash, he slashed in the opposite direction, landing a blow against a second bandit with enough force to draw blood; but not enough to take the man out of the fight...

Meanwhile; the bandit rushing towards Keyth Storm was taken ENTIRELY unawares by the young measter as he leaped out from behind some trees and swiftly jabbed upwards with a gleaming Stiletto; landing a fatal blow to the man's neck; causing blood to spurt out in a spray as the man fell to the ground clutching his neck in a futile attempt to staunch the life-ending wound....

Asher Valmont found himself facing three bandits and without the slightest hesitation, he showed his remarkable prowess in the realm of armed combat by deftly moving forward and slicing out with both a Hand Axe and his castle-forged Bastard Sword; and he laid open a Bandit in the blink of an eye; sending the man crashing to the ground flopping before he ever knew what hit him...

Keyth Storm was more than a little taken aback by the site of the Young maester leaping forward with the precision and stealth of an assassin; but he focused on the task at hand; which was to do what he could to help keep his cousin and his cousin's....friend?....alive. He yelled out an insult at one of the men facing the Dothraki warrior; using every foul word and curse he could think of; and he felt a strange sense of pride when one of the men turned his way with a look of both anger, annoyance and surprise....

Vaqarro's opponents managed to cut a few new tears in his Leather armor; but they were unable to wound the crafty Dothraki warrior; while Asher's opponents managed to tear a few links of chainmail with an old woodsman's axe head but not the flesh underneath; AND to land a light cut with the sword blade of the other bandit; who looked positively ECSTATIC upon seeing a trickle of blood rise from his blow...

[smoke warrior]

Asher smirks at the sight of his own blood and sets his sight at the bandit that dealt the blow.

[Rusty Tincanne]

With the three bowmen that had focused on the cart were wither engaged or down, Darryn decided to target the three that had broken in the direction of his noble-companions. The hunter carefully slid an arrow form his quiver and placed it on the string of his bow. Darryn felt the wind on his face and adjusted his shot accordingly. He drew back, exhaled the air from his lungs, and let the arrow fly at the nearest of that group of three. As the arrow flew, he addressed the wounded men at his feet, A moment longer and these bandits'll be on their way to meet the Stranger. And don'tcha even think about joining 'em.


If I read the second update right, there were 3 archers heading to the wagon and 3 others heading to Eduard and Gannis. If that is wrong, Darryn will shoot one of the bandits approaching Gannis.

[Marullus]

As of now, I think we have:

• One down from the board spear
• One dragging him to the side
• One cut in half by the great sword
• One facing Eduard
• Two in melee with Gannis

Eduard hardly spares a glance as the two halves of the spearman fall to the ground, his cold stare fixed on the other spearman quavering before him. "I assure you, and Chauncy... you are not." He brings his sword around and down in a massive arc to split the man from clavicle to groin.

(Standard attack, Greatsword: 4D+1B+1, 9 Damage)

As the two spearman face off against his nephew, they are distracted by the chortled cry of the bisected spearman and fearful words of the man who called to Chauncy. They, too, face a knight - is his blade as vicious? "I suggest you surrender to him before I reach you," calls Eduard to them.

(Assist action, +2 bonus to Ser Gannis.)

[max_vale]

OOC: Rusty, Marullus...you are both right....one slight correction; Chauncy; the spearmen who dragged his wounded fellow off the road is advancing to stand next to the trembling spearman facing Eduard

Syth, Enoch: Actions?

[Enoch]

Given that I can actually hit and damage them with a good roll, I'm going to actually Attack.