Completed [Play-by-Post] Magic World/BRP: "In Search of the Sorcerer"

[nikolokolus]

Spoiler

I'll get an overhead view of the village up hopefully tonight, or possibly tomorrow.

 

[nikolokolus]

The village is about 400 m across at its widest point. most of the houses are a conical "roundhouse" type

Spoiler

and are not especially packed together as a great deal of open space is devoted to growing cereal crops and there are numerous goat, sheep and cattle pens. particularly in the west and east portions of the hillfort. The spots marked as "ambush sites" are houses constructed in a more "modern" pitched roof style with timber frames and would likely give you the ability to stand hidden behind the pitch of their roofs on either side of the road and pop up and fire missiles down on anyone passing through the main thoroughfare (or in the direction of Bran's house, if you needed to make a fighting retreat and try to get to the tunnel).

As mentioned before, the men riding up the river-road number about a dozen (it's difficult to get an exact head count with them riding so close together, and there are two wagons being pulled behind them about 30 m back. Each of the wagons is being pulled by a pair of mules. At the leisurely rate they are ascending the hill, it seems reasonable that it will take them 4-5 minutes to reach the town gate where Amon and Marcán are keeping watch, you'd estimate that they are about 400-600m away from the gate.

Currently only Amon and Marcán are aware of the advancing troupe, since they were on watch. It is about fifteen minutes before sunset.

 

[Grimgravy]

Spoiler

Rhenmyr will head to Ambush site 1 when Marcan relates his news.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Once Borric hears of Marcan's news, how long will it take to move to the gate?

 

[Llywelyn ap Gruffydd]

Spoiler

Amon will remain behind the group and then use his cloak to remain invisible and follow the group as they move towards an ambush site.

 

[nikolokolus]

Once Borric hears of Marcan's news, how long will it take to move to the gate?

Four rounds (48 seconds). You could try to sprint and double your speed but you'd need to make a Stamina roll at the end or be fatigued (double fumble chance).

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Once Borric hears of Marcan's news, how long will it take to move to the gate?

Four rounds (48 seconds). You could try to sprint and double your speed but you'd need to make a Stamina roll at the end or be fatigued (double fumble chance).

Stamina roll: [1d100] = 10 vs 85

 

[Siveon]

How long would it take Marcán to reach the others?

 

[nikolokolus]

How long would it take Marcán to reach the others?

Spoiler

4 rounds at a jog, you can shave off a round if you run at a dead sprint, but you'll need a Stamina roll at the end to avoid being fatigued (double fumble rate)

 

[Siveon]

Stamina Check (70) vs [1d100] = 13

 

[nikolokolus]

Marcán sprints across the village, taking an old shortcut through a field of millet and arrives breathlessly at Bran's house to relay the incoming threat. Borric springs into action and runs back to toward the gate to bolster a defense.

Rhenmyr tails behind and climb on top the roof of a structure and prepares an ambush overlooking the central road that runs up to the village longhouse.

What is everyone else doing?

 

[Grimgravy]

Spoiler

I plan on chucking nets and shooting arrows.

 

[Siveon]

Marcán joins Borric in the defense.

 

[Llywelyn ap Gruffydd]

Amon follows the group from a distance as they walk.

 

[nikolokolus]

Amon follows the group from a distance as they walk.

Spoiler

Which group?

 

[nikolokolus]

Spoiler

Llywelyn ap Gruffydd OK, I'll deal with the specifics of who you are following. For now I'm just going to assume you mean the riders and the wagons.

Amon hangs back around the gate and watches as the riders and the wagons crawl up the switch-backed road leading to the top of the hillfort. The men on horseback seem at ease and in good spirits, and when they get closer you see why; they are passing a waterskin . . . or probably more accurately a wineskin, back and forth between themselves and appear to be at least slightly drunk. A man in one of the wagons begins cursing at the men to shut the hells up, and you see some of the riders turn around and give the wagon master rude gestures.

Now that the men are closer you get a good look at them from about fifty yards down the road. They are all garbed in muted brown riding garb, that appears to be worn over black-lacquered scale armor, carry lances, and have dark iron, open-faced helms. Their shields bear no mark or insignia, but they appear to be somewhat uniform in appearance, suggesting a cohesive mercenary troupe perhaps? As you stand in the gate and observe, suddenly four of the thirteen riders break off from the head of the caravan and charge up the hill right at you. They whoop and yell and seem to be racing to reach the gate. A few seconds later they thunder past you into the hillfort and wheel around and pull up in the middle of the track leading farther into the village. One of the man laughs and holds out a black gauntlet-ed hand, and the three other men grumble and drop a handful of coins into his outstretched hand that he quickly drops into a purse at his belt, "Hah! I told you I'd win. No horse can best my roan. I'll say one thing about these backwards savages, they breed fine riding horses, that are almost as much fun to ride as their women!" The men all share a hearty laugh at the man's joke and they patiently wait for the rest of their group to pass through the gate, which happens about four minutes after Marcán ran back to Bran's house.

Borric and Marcán hustle across the ground of the village and after a couple of minutes they come up to the last few houses before the ground opens up and they can get a view of the gate, where you duck behind the cover of an empty wattle-fenced pen attached to a roundhouse. You see four horsemen armed with lances and shields gallop at full speed through the gate about fifty meters away from your position. The men pull up short and seem to be in a jovial mood, talking about the quality of Keltic horses and women. They wait for about 30 seconds milling about, when nine more armed riders pass through the gate followed by two empty wagons. One of the men in a wagon stands up and starts barking out orders, "Alright you dogs, one last pass through this shit-heap to make sure we didn't miss anything. Lord Abazion says there's a bonus share for anyone who brings him the gods damned 'Earthstone.' It has to be hidden here somewhere."

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Borric observes the group to see how well they have formed up, and if any stragglers are about.

 

[nikolokolus]

Long years on the steppe have honed Borric's sense of good horsemanship, and based on the way these men sit in the saddle and manuever about you get the impression that these are veteran cavalrymen. They aren't particularly organized or in any sort of formation, but then again they seem to be at ease and likely believe the hillfort to be unoccupied.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Long years on the steppe have honed Borric's sense of good horsemanship, and based on the way these men sit in the saddle and manuever about you get the impression that these are veteran cavalrymen. They aren't particularly organized or in any sort of formation, but then again they seem to be at ease and likely believe the hillfort to be unoccupied.

"Hmmm, they stand well on the horse, I wonder how controlled the beasts themselves are?" Borric mutters to himself in an undertone.

 

[nikolokolus]

The troupe begins rolling out towards the center of town, heading directly for Borric and Marcel's hiding spot at a liesurlely pace. You've got a round to make a move to a better hiding place (easy hide rolls).

I'll make the hide rolls for you in secret, if you decide to hide.

 

[Siveon]

"You think this the sort to lay down their arms if we take the leader? I pop out, get them distracted and you run and hold the leader. With luck our allies would have taken a few men out and they'll give up."

Spoiler

are the wagons flammable, and does my fire sword set things aflame?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

"You think this the sort to lay down their arms if we take the leader? I pop out, get them distracted and you run and hold the leader. With luck our allies would have taken a few men out and they'll give up."

Spoiler

are the wagons flammable, and does my fire sword set things aflame?

"Or we could wave some fire about, scare the horses. If that works,the horses would panic, and likely injure some of these louts well enough that we hold the upper hand."

 

[nikolokolus]

For perspective the riders are only about 10-15m away from the two wagons that are trundling up the road behind them, they are spread out a little bit (2-3 meters apart). So 13 armed and armored lancers and 2 drovers, of which the man in the lead wagon appears to be the leader. they will pass your position in about 2 rounds (24 seconds).

 

[Siveon]

Spoiler

For the record I'm waiting on whether or not my sword can actually set things on fire.

 

[nikolokolus]

Spoiler

For the record I'm waiting on whether or not my sword can actually set things on fire.

Spoiler

Sorry about that, I've been building a deck and pergola and installing an irrigation system at my house on my week off, so no 'puter time. I did mean to answer your question.

The answer is 'yes' with a caveat. The wood isn't exactly kindling, it's sealed hardwood. It will take at least one round of sustained contact, but could take rounds longer to get it to become fully on fire and burning on its own . . . unless it was doused with some kind of accelerant like naptha, pitch, oil, etc.