Chapter 19: Civilization's End

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

"Balls!" Dahinna curses, standing up from her crouch, her back to the Pict on the right. "Kiri, I'm going to get that bastard and gut him before he knows it!"
She moves out as silently as possible, keeping to the shadows of the trees and dense foliage. Sweat trickles down her back but it only loosens her muscles and she welcomes it.



When she gets close enough to flank the archer, she goes in for a strike!

(Actually, a backstab gives her an extra +2 to hit, and double damage.)

[ChubbyPixie]

The shadow being out of range of any useful spell he might employ, Kiri also charges, shield up, punching down with his Claw's deadly tines at the last moment.

Attack with Trident +1, Claw of Chobek (THAC0:18): To Hit: [1d20+4]=8+4=12 Damage vs. s/m: [1d6+8]=5+8=13, vs. Lg: [3d4+7]=9+7=16

[Inferno]

The Pictish Wilderness, the World of Hyboria
Day Two. Night. 12th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia
Partly cloudy, cool







Merciless are the hunters. Their arrows do not relent. Grigor's cheek is grazed by another cruel missile, dying his mustache red with blood! (1hp damage)

Thinking only of others, Amethu moves toward Grigor to heal him, and steps into the light! A cloud of arrows bursts all around him! One sinks deep into his left leg with a wet thunk! (4hp damage!)

Within that ruthless swarm of missiles, Amethu and Grigor join in desperate prayer to heal the gypsy's shaft-pierced body! (+14hp total!)

Meanwhile, the four warriors make a mad, desperate charge west, into a storm of unyielding arrows! The effects upon Iago, Zahra, Kiri and Cruloc are devastating (-7hp, -6hp, -4hp, -11hp respectively) but not fatal. For them.

Their foe, however, will never see another sunrise. Iago's sabre and Kiri's trident, blessed by Grigor's benediction, raze the savage archer! (P3)



Suddenly the Pict lies face-down on the ground with a shattered skull, his fingers spasmodically clawing at the grass.

Then his brothers leap from hiding like wild beasts, muscles hard as steel cords, axes and knives bared for vengeance! The first is dead before he knows it, Dahinna's blade deep in his back! (P1)

The other two shriek spinetingling war cries! And from the Black River, a Pictish voice howls in answer!


Actions?!


Map:

The river is toward the bottom of the map.

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=3, Monsters: [1d6]=3 Tie!

P5 fires on Grigor: [1d20]=19, [1d20]=5, damage: [1d6]=1, [1d6]=1 One arrow hits for 1hp damage. Because initiative is simultaneous, I'll say the damage doesn't disrupt Grigor's spell.
P6, P7 fire on Amethu: [1d20]=17, [1d20]=1, [1d20]=3, [1d20]=8 One hits.
Arrow damage to Amethu: [1d6]=4 Because initiative is simultaneous, I'll say the damage doesn't disrupt Amethu's spell.

P1, P2 fire on Iago and Zahra: [1d20]=15, [1d20]=15, [1d20]=15, [1d20]=7 Two hit Iago. One hits Zahra.
Arrow damage to Iago: [2d6]=7, and Zahra: [1d6]=6
P3, P4 fire on Kiri and Cruloc: [1d20]=10, [1d20]=13, [1d20]=12, [1d20]=14 One hits Kiri. Two hit Cruloc.
Arrow damage to Kiri: [1d6]=4, and Cruloc: [2d6]=11

PCs that charge get +2 to hit, and +2 to their AC.

Anyone may move 1" and attack in the same round. Outdoors, 1" means 30 feet. So Dahinna can move 3 squares and backstab this round.

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 10/14, Spells: 6/7 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 34/45
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 19/19
Grigor: Zamoran Nomad Cleric/Fighter 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 20/29, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl
Iago: Zingaran Southman Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 13/32
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 15/19, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 21/29
Gnasher: Grigor's Hound: Move: 12", AC: 5, HD: 2+2, HP: 11/11, AT: 1, D: 1-4

PC Magic:

Bless (Grigor): Duration: 2 rounds. All PCs have +1 to hit

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

"Iago! Behind you!" Dahinna cries, lunging for the Pict who sprang out of the underbrush, hoping to catch him unaware on his left flank.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

The grim Cimmerian reaps his crimson harvest like some berserker-killing wraith unleashed from a demonic oubliette!

Attack w/ longsword [1d20+3]=20+3=23
Longsword vs. S/M opponent [1d8+3]=2+3=5

[Bluetongue]

Grigor

"Let us charge with the others and clear that wing of savages." he says to his fellow cleric before raising a holler and charging into the western melee and joining in the hack and slash of the Picts. If only ...

Grigor scimitar+2 in melee [1d20+2]=3+2=5 damage [1d8+2]=8+2=10 misses on P4.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri swings diagonally upwards while stepping left, aiming to slash through his next opponents ribcage by brute force with the razor sharpened tips of his weapon.

Ew.

Attack with Trident +1, Claw of Chobek (THAC0:18): To Hit: [1d20+4]=15+4=19 Damage vs. s/m: [1d6+8]=4+8=12, vs. Lg: [3d4+7]=8+7=15

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra charges (P2).
att [1d20+4]=1+4=5
She misses, badly.

[Paladin]

Iago Vazquez de Quesada

Iago spins to face this new threat, lunging and stabbing with his long blade, then taking a wide swipe with the dagger in hopes of commanding the savage's attention while Dahinna puts him down.

[1d20+1]=19+1=20, [1d8]=1, [1d20]=8, [1d4]=3


"Your scalp will bring me much silver, painted one," he snarls.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu follows Grigor not wanting to be left behind alone. He does his best to keep to the edge of the light to prevent an arrow attack from the rear...

[Inferno]

The Pictish Wilderness, the World of Hyboria
Day Two. Night. 12th day of the month of Qrot, 1280th year of the Age of Aquilonia
Partly cloudy, cool






Painted wolves burst from the forest, ax and knife in hand!

Zahra's charge and Iago's theatrical swordplay distract and deflect a lunging Pict long enough for Dahinna to sheath her red, gypsy-blessed blade in his back. (P2) And just like that, there was another soul in Hell.

A strongly built savage (P4) tries to open Cruloc's throat with an ax! (3hp damage)

With a thirst for violence that cannot be slaked, Cruloc the cruel carves a path of destruction matched only by the man-mountain of the East. Kiri's trident disembowels their Pict foe and Cruloc abruptly ends his agonizing howls by decapitating him with one fell stroke. (P4)



Amethu and Grigor race west through the night to join the murderous fray, but find the slaughter complete.

Suddenly, another swarm of Pict arrows target every adventurer holding a glowing blade! Shafts blossom from Zahra's back and Iago's shoulder! (5hp damage each)

Their ruthless enemies to the east are invisible again in the darkness.



And urgent voices swell on the river!


Actions?!


Map:

The river is toward the bottom of the map.

Behind the DM Screen:

Initiative: Party: [1d6]=2, Monsters: [1d6]=2 Tie again!
P2 charges Iago: [1d20+2]=8+2=10, [1d20]=1, damage: [1d8]=3, [1d4]=1 Both attacks miss.
P4 charges Cruloc and Kiri: [1d20+2]=12+2=14, [1d20]=9, damage: [1d8]=3, [1d4]=2 Cruloc is cut for 3hp damage.

Arrows at Grigor, Zahra: [1d20]=5, [1d20]=7, [1d20]=11, [1d20]=8 One arrow hits Zahra.
Arrow damage to Zahra: [1d6]=5
Arrows at Iago, Dahinna: [1d20]=15, [1d20]=6, [1d20]=8, [1d20]=4 One arrow hits Iago.
Arrow damage to Iago: [1d6]=5

PC Status:

Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 10/14, Spells: 6/7 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl
Cruloc: Cimmerian Northman Barbarian 3: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 31/45
Dahinna: Zamoran Southwoman Thief 4: Move: 12", AC: 4, HP: 19/19
Grigor: Zamoran Nomad Cleric/Fighter 3/3: Move: 9", AC: 1, HP: 20/29, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl, 1/2 2nd lvl
Iago: Zingaran Southman Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 2, HP: 8/32
Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 3/2: Move: 9", AC: 3, HP: 15/19, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 4: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/29
Gnasher: Grigor's Hound: Move: 12", AC: 5, HD: 2+2, HP: 11/11, AT: 1, D: 1-4

PC Magic:

Bless (Grigor): Duration: 1 round. All PCs have +1 to hit

Player Resources:

The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

No longer squeamish at the death of her foes, Dahinna hears Zahra grunt in pain and grabs at her, pulling her down.
"Sheathe your blade!" she hisses. "Else you'll be ushered into the nether realms of the dead!"

Looking around, she tries to get a sense of where the Picts are firing from....

[Urson]

Zahra
Zahra nods, and exchanges her sword for a javelin. She half-crouches, looking for a target in the darkness.

[Yrkoon]

Cruloc

Crouching, Cruloc puts the stout trunk of a tree between himself and the archers to the east. He pulls the bloody arrowheads from his shoulder and binds his wounds.

"Crom's anvil!" he curses to himself. "The glowing weapons of those fools will be the end of us!"

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri will move several feet to the north, then crouch in the underbrush looking back east for signs of movement.

"There are others coming. From the river," he says quietly to whomever is nearby.

[Bluetongue]

Grigor

Assesses the situation. Partly successful in that one half of the first group of savages lie dead at our feet. "Unless anyone has a better plan I am willing to repeat the earlier tactic though my invulnerability to attack has proven insufficient. My friend Amethu. If you can invoke the power of your scroll's words over me I will once more draw their ire and arrows towards me as I entice them and stand by the tree to taunt them.

When they close to melee, then spring from the undergrowth and we kill them all. The east group and those coming from the river."

[ravenn4544]

Amethu nods in agreement. He will retrieve the scroll and, with the light of the sword to read by, invoke the power written within to protect Grigor.

[Bluetongue]

Grigor

Kneels before Amethu shielding his radiant sword to shed little more than candlelight as the priest reads the incantation. Better not to expose our position to a flock of arrows.

"Amen and amen."

Trusting the words are not hexed or mumbled, he will break the foliage cover once his comrades are hidden and taunt the savages to add to the arrows which already impale his bleeding body.

[hedgeknight]

Dahinna

"Agreed! We need to put these fuckers down once and for all! Otherwise, they're gonna pick us apart."

[Paladin]

Iago Vazquez de Quesada

Iago crouches behind the nearest tree broad enough to shelter him from arrows. He peers into the darkness to find his next target.