Marduk

[The Bindoner]

Leon/Roberta: Could you roll 4x 2d6, and a 1d6? Couple of checks and a reserve in case I need them.

[Legion Lee]

As requested dice rolls:

Dice roll 1 (2d6): 4
Dice roll 2 (2d6): 12
Dice roll 4 (2d60: 5
Dice roll 5 (2d6): 7

Dice roll 1 D6 = 5

[The Bindoner]

Round Seven Part 2

Fresh from the Market

Hróarr chases his prisoners through the market, falling behind but still driving them on. Something on one of the market stalls catches his eye and he snatches it as he goes.

Stáli moves to the man Erlingr felled among the stalls, takes him by the collar and drags him toward the Serpent.

Bjartr keeps the people ahead of him moving toward Leon and Roberta while Erlingr continues his dance with the merchants assistant.

After a little dodging and manoeuvre Erlingr finally gets in a blow, catching the man's left hand a heavy blow. The pain of it breaks the man's morale and he surrenders. Erlingr tells him, by gesture and shouting, to pick up the merchant and start moving.

Sigmundr stands apart from his scattered band, overseeing them and ready to intercept anyone fleeing north.

Dagný and Gulbrandr harry the three stunned men to get up and move with kicks and imprecations. The woman flees from them southwards.

Þórir advances through the market area ready to offer support to any who need it, but everyone he could engage is shot before he sights on them, so he contents himself with threatening the man bowled over by the watercannon and the woman who tripped. They hurry away south toward the ship as he jogs forward to help Steinn.

Yngvildr, angry at having missed him before, reassesses her opponent and catches him on the right elbow with her stunstick. The blow is not hard, but the shock is enough to numb the arm and render the man compliant.


Ragnheiðr hauls up the man she stunned and drags him toward the rear of the Serpent.


Áshildr, with þefa beside her, moves to collect the woman she tranquilised while threatening the woman still on the rocks. The dog and gun have the desired effect and she scrambles down. Áshildr orders her to bring her friend and, with an effort, she pulls her to her feet and supports her as they move toward the ramp.

The five people running past Manfred and the temple soon reach the rear of the ship where Leon and Roberta are waiting to direct them into the hold, the young man from the market not far behind.

The older men turn as directed, but one one man and a middle-aged woman keep running south.

Leon tries to intercept the man, but he dodges and keeps running. Roberta calculatedly steps sideways and swings down and out, her stunstick hitting the woman's right knee and taking her leg from under her. With a scream she tumbles and rolls in agony at Roberta's feet.

Kar can try to catch the man Leon missed

[Tiglath]

Making unconscious tactical decisions based on what her experience tells her is likely Raven moves north hoping to match the fleeing militia. She is unaware of the predatory grin hidden behind the stark image of Hel on the face plate of her helmet. Any townsfolk watching would simply see an agile armoured figure with a skull design on the front of their helmet - one half black one half stark white.

While running she keys her comm "Steinn you have done well. Take all your sheep back to the ship and stay aboard. Ingunn good work but you are exposed. Pull back to where the warband can support you - keep using cover and watch the ships too!" She then adds "Manfred be careful - that villager nearly spoiled your haircut! Valued guests should be careful if they go sightseeing during a raid".

Raven "doubles" north through the tear gas.

(OOC: Based on what she knows (and what "geography" she will perceive on the way) she aims to place herself above the "G" of "Tear Gas" / under the walkway(?) over the road on the map and hopes to intercept the displacing militiamen as they cross (westwards) ahead of her).

[The Bindoner]

Round 8

Rúna in the North

As Rúna stands over the stunned rifleman the Automatic in the house opens up again, bullets striking her left shoulder. The Torso Protector and Ballistic Cloth take a lot of energy out of the rounds, but the impact numbs her arm and she can feel the blood running warm down her body. Furious she charges the house and, seeing the gunman through the barred window, switches her grip on the sword and throws it like a javelin. The gods surely smile on the audacity of the move because the weapon passes between the bars and impales the figure in the side as they turn to run, just below the ribcage. There is a horrified scream and the man drops out of sight. Rúna carries on running to the corner of the building, bringing up her ACC and checking the grenade-launcher.

Just a little bit of action where the PCs aren't involved, to get us back in the flow.

Raven:
There are indeed walkways between the upper storeys of buildings.

The militia still have initiative. Everyone has the option to "Hasten" - take a -1 on all skill and ability rolls to add 2 to initiative this round.

Raven should roll on Recon, and can make a Tactics roll to improve next round's initiative ( and maybe influence something now )

[Tiglath]

Raven

Recon: [2d6] = 7

+1 Skill
+1 Int?

Tactics: [2d6] = 9

+2 Skill
+1 Int?

(OOC: Huzzah and hurrah for the new delivery of dice roller numbers for 2021! For once I rolled neither three nor seven! )

[The Bindoner]

Well, apart from that first 7....

Are you going to Hasten? It will make a difference ( to the above rolls and to what they reveal )

[Tiglath]

(OOC: Well, yes but you can't have exceptions going on all the time!

I'd love to Hasten - I'm typing it as the Viking name but it keeps reading like hasten!

Perhaps confusedly I got the impression that I could only do it the once and, having done it last turn (before Xmas), I therefore couldn't repeat it again this turn.

Apols for any confusion caused which is no doubt my error! ).

Ref: Page 6 Thu Dec 17, 2020 12:50 am

HASTEN
At the start of each combat round a character may declare that he
is acting hastily. This gives him a +2 bonus to his Initiative for that
round only but all his actions receive a –1 DM. A character can
only hasten once.

My emphasis.

[The Bindoner]

It is an ambiguously phrased rule, isn't it? I'm taking the "at the start of each combat round" part as is and interpreting the " can only hasten once" part to mean once per round. Whether that's the intent of the designer or not I'm going with that. I think the -1 to all rolls is a fair penalty for the +2 initiative. I'm also going to put an End limit on it. Since this fight seems to keep extending...

[Tiglath]

OOC: Thanks for the guidance! That being the case I default to "If I can I will!"

[The Bindoner]

As Raven moves through the drifting gas clouds her attention is caught by movement above her. Figures are moving on the walkways above, between warehouses V and W and from warehouse X to house Y.

Edit:

Raven gets the impression that the people are escaping, not manoeuvring tactically.

Map amended https://www.unseenservant.us/forum/view ... 55#p519555

[Tiglath]

Raven simply ignores the running civilians as tactical threats but uses the sighting to inform her strategic sense of the battle's tide.

Keying her comm she irritably sends “Rúna, we are leaving! Return to the Serpent now or look to a new career entertaining Marduk whelps!” She then slings her rifle and climbs the supports of the walkway between warehouses X and Y. She assumes that ground floor entrances will be barred against her and hopes to thereby secure entry to both warehouses.

She sends her location to Kar and states “There is a point of balance in every engagement and we have reached it now. We are ascendant and organised resistance ends. The defenders recoil in so much fear that they will not yet count how few we are. Guide the warband and crew for they must now load the sheep swiftly!”

She adds “There are two warehouses through the tear gas cloud which I will secure. If we stuff the Serpent's hold with whatever is within then surely we will have completed the first part of our strange task with merit?”

On her team channel she calls "Ingunn, move to my position - I will come aboard from the walkway. I am too used to hunting with wolves and not cubs - Rúna is overdue and so we will fetch her".

All she hopes to achieve with the warehouses is to confirm she can gain access and that they are undefended.

(OOC: A busy post but actually just climbing and talking! )

[The Bindoner]

Some of the figures on the walkways are armed. It is likely the remnants of the militia and civilians from the Town Hall area moving away fast. Raven is acting simultaneously with the militia now, otherwise the X-Y pair would have already escaped. the V-W group is slowed by wounded.

[Tiglath]

Raven will therefore shoot at the X-Y pair and leave Ingunn to "bounce" the V-W group as she hops the APC over the rooftops (via the figure "9" on the map) to get to where Raven told her to be.

(OOC: The above fits better as an amendment to/evolution of the proposed actions rather than anything more convoluted).

Seeing the fleeing combatants Raven instinctively shoulders her support ACR and makes sure they don't rally. She aims at any figure who looks to be carrying a rifle.

Please note amended action below.

(To Hit: [2d6] = 7

-1 Hasten
+2 Skill
"Odin's Eye" a Personal HUD (+2 to Hit all ranges)

Damage: [4d6] = 18 DSAP

Location: [1d100] = 76 In the mitts!)

[hardrocks]

She sends her location to Kar and states “There is a point of balance in every engagement and we have reached it now. We are ascendant and organised resistance ends. The defenders recoil in so much fear that they will not yet count how few we are. Guide the warband and crew for they must now load the sheep swiftly!”

She adds “There are two warehouses through the tear gas cloud which I will secure. If we stuff the Serpent's hold with whatever is within then surely we will have completed the first part of our strange task with merit?”

" Your tactics are sound Raid Leader, we will handle the loading of the human cargo onto the Serpent. If you find something of merit in the warehouses on your way back to us, then that too will be ours. As soon as you are ready, recall the rest of your children. Maybe our next task will be less strange"

[2d6] = 11

Kar trying to catch the one Leon let go ,or general shenanigans

[Legion Lee]

Leon watches the fleeing man, your not going to be free for long he muses. Leon will continue to help load up the remaining prisoners/ guests.

[The Bindoner]

Round 7 Coda

Kar, standing alone in the centre, behind everyone else, sees the man dodge Leon and make a break for freedom.

Raising his weapon he shouts a command to halt. The man looks around and is dazzled by the targeting laser. Kar holds his aim and repeats his “Halt!” order, adding “Come here, now.”. The man probably doesn't understand the words Kar speaks, but the tone and intent are clear. He looks around, sees no hiding place, and stops running. Raising his hands he trudges toward Kar and the Serpent's loading ramp.

I used the roll as a Leadership check. It's Kar's strongest applicable skill after all

[Tiglath]

Raven amended action

Seeing the fleeing combatants Raven raises her rifle to ensure they don't rally.

She shoulders her support variant ACR - with its heavier barrel and box magazine it's not a handy weapon but in certain circumstances it comes into its own. Instinctively her thumb pushes the fire selector switch from Safe through Fire and all the way to Auto. Sighting on the two figures escaping across the walkway Raven's lips curl back from her teeth as she braces for the recoil and pours a full burst of automatic fire onto her target...


[1d6] = 6

[1d6] = 4

[1d6] = 2

[1d6] = 5

(OOC: Paired as 6+2=8 & 4+5=9 for two hits (more effect if HUD counts too?)

First Damage Roll: [4d6] = 18 DSAP
Second Damage Roll: [4d6] = 19 DSAP

+2 Skill +1 Dex -1 Hasten

HUD +2???

Oh, and ... Booyah! )

[The Bindoner]

Round 8 b

The refugees from the burning Town Hall flee through the warehouses, climbing to the bridges between buildings.

As Raven runs north through the gas clouds she sees two men sprinting across a walkway ahead. They have not yet seen her as she raises her weapon and fires at them. The first they know of their danger is the tungsten darts of the sabot rounds buzzing around them, knocking splinters off the wooden railings. Both men are hit in the hands and wrist. One has his hand pinned to the forestock of his rifle by one of Raven's rounds, the other drops his weapon as his wrist is shattered. They carry on running, bursting through the door into the house beyond with a shoulder charge.


Sigmundr encourages Gulbrandr, Dagný, Yngvildr and Ragnheiðr as they drive and drag their prisoners to the hold.

Þórir reloads his Launcher as he strides across the market in support of Raven.

[The Bindoner]

Round 8c

On the Serpent Regina reports that she has seen two figures disappearing over the crest and can find no sign of anyone alive still on this side of the ridge-line. Ingrid's laser fire has played across the likely hides, burning off the scrub leaving small fires and drifting smoke.

Ingunn pivots the Doomsayer and moves off south along the dock, swinging west between the warehouses and turning sharply left to head south again down the alley heading for the Town Hall. Her attention is on moving quickly without hitting the walls, but Sverrir spots the figures moving on the walkway above and calls on her to halt as he trains the autocannon on them. Ingunn brakes, throws the vehicle into reverse and gains altitude to bring the APC up to the level of the bridge.

There are a dozen people strung out along the walkway, some armed, some walking wounded, and two being carried. The sudden reappearance of the APC stuns some, galvanises others into faster action.

Toward the front of the group one man spots the APC as it dog-legs into the alley and runs forward half-pushing, half dragging an injured woman. They burst through the door into the next warehouse before Ingunn brings Sverrir into position to engage, leaving the slower main group still on the walkway when he unleashes a burst from the autocannon at the opening, most of his HE shells bursting on the wall of the building with one passing through into the interior. Ignunn tries to pivot the vehicle enough to bring Hrafn's watercannon to bear but the space is too narrow and his jet plays against the walls of the eastern warehouse without reaching the doorway. Nonetheless the people on the bridge recognise the hopelessness of their position and sullenly raise their hands in surrender.

( Hah! Finally getting my arse into gear. One more segment and 8 is done )