(Adventure) Rivenblight's Castaway [Creamsteak judging]

[Thomas Hobbes]

It's a moderately difficult task to follow tracks that cut across a well-travelled road, since you don't know how far the bandits went before they headed back into the forest, if they did so at all. Fortunately for you, the bandits seem to have simply cut straight across the road. The boy picks up his burlap sack in his left hand and carries the axe in his right as you both set off. He looks partly nervous, partly excited.

When the tracks begin to lead into a small clearing between two hills, you start to get suspicious- is is, after all, a rather good spot for an ambush. Your suspicions are confirmed when you both see and hear movement on the hill to your right. The boy, turning to look backwards, doesn't seem to notice anything. The clearing is a rough oval, about thirty feet by fifty, with you at one of the narrow ends. The rough hillocks are both covered heavily by brush and trees; you put the movement at about parralel to the center of the clearing.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Troi - Init +3, HP 20/20, AC 18, Atk: Longbow +6 (1d8, 80 ft.)

Troi nods to himself as he notices the movement, and continues walking slowly, casually nocking an arrow in his longbow.

"Be ready." He says quietly.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Trois's at the closest point a straight line across the clearing will take him to the movement he saw when a sudden burst of noise from behind almost makes him jump. "Fieri comitis!" says the boy in a commanding voice, gesturing imperiously, and the words seem to fill Troi's mind. Suspicion begins to ease, and Troi looks at the boy through new eyes... or not. The enchantment fades as Troi bucks it off.

"Well, bugger," says the boy casually, his farmer-boy accent giving way to something much more cultured. "Pelekta!

Surprise round over. Intiative:

Enemy 1
Troi (9)
Spellcaster
Enemy 2

In response to the boy's second shout, two arrows fly from the location Troi had spotted earlier. Both connect, one bouncing off Troi's armor and the other burying deep into the meat of his thigh.

11 points of damage.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Troi - HP 9/20, AC 18, Atk: Longbow +6 (1d8, 80 ft.)

"Damn it!" Troi cries loudly. Not wasting time, he turns, takes a step back, and shoots the spellcaster.

He also takes a quick glance around, and tries to determine if there are trees he could use to take cover from the archers.

5-foot step back, shoot.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Turning on his good leg, Troi lets the arrow fly from point-blank range. Twang! The boy, already turning to run, becomes pale and drawn, and the force of the arrow striking him in his upper right shoulder blade almost spins him around to face Troi again. Stumbling away the direction they came, he fumbles in his burlap sack. Troi ducks instinctively, and an arrow goes over his head. Another passes through the air where his arm was a moment before, and a third hits his shoulder, only to bounce off the chain. He can see, now, two figures up on the hill.

Hit (total 22) and 5 damage. He's disabled and moved 30' away. The clearing is only 30' wide, with you in the middle, which means that cover (in the form of both undergrowth and trees) is just 15' in either direction. Your move again.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Troi - HP 9/20, AC 18, Atk: Longbow +6 (1d8, 80 ft.)

"Serves ya right." Troi mutters as he nocks another arrow. He heads for the largest tree available back in the direction he came, and shoots the boy again.

15 foot move, hide behind tree granting 1/4 cover. Shoot boy with longbow.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Moving into the brush and keeping his eye on the boy, Troi nearly trips over the rope suspended at ankle level between two trees. Glancing down, he can see it would have been a short and painful fall- arrows have been planted point up in the soil. The makeshift trap, Troi can see, was meant to catch people running for cover unawares.

In any case, he has avoided it. He lets loose another arrow at the boy, this time hitting him under the armpit. The boy collapses without a sound, his blood staining the grass of the clearing. Three more arrows fly at Troi. One grazes his arm and the other two go amiss.

Eight damage (ouch!) to the boy, two damage to you. You have +2 to AC and 20% miss chance right now. Both your opponents have aquired large trees (+4 AC) and heavy brush (30% miss chance) to hide behind. Your move.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Troi - HP 7/20, AC 18, Atk: Longbow +6 (1d8, 80 ft.)

"One down, two er three ta go." Troi says to himself satisfactorily.

Attempting to take heavier cover behind the tree, he takes out his healing salve and applies it to his wounds.

Using tree for half-cover if possible, otherwise one-quarter; using 1 use of healing salve (1d8).

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

Troi hunkers down behind the tree, leaning against it and applying the healing salve to his leg. It eases the pain in his leg somewhat. Another flurry of arrows come your way, one dangerously close, but you come out unscathed.

Healed 3 points. And you were only a 20% miss chance away from being knocked down to 2 just then.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Troi - HP 10/20, AC 18, Atk: Longbow +6 (1d8, 80 ft.)

"That's better." Troi says as the pain subsides.

He heads for a tree in the direction of his attackers, nocking an arrow as he goes. Once there, he hides behind it, well enough to help deter attacks but not block his aim.

He then takes a quick step around the tree, shoots at one of the attackers, and hurriedly gets back behind his cover.

Move to a large tree on the edge of the clearing closest to the attackers, taking quarter-cover; attack with longbow.