DND_Reborn
The High Aldwin
Ok, this was early on in our game.... We were infiltrating an orc stronghold/cave complex. Things were going well until--of course-the **** hit the fan!
---------------------------------------------
A couple orcs escaped us. Two character pursued as others were engaged in combat. The next round the others also gave chase, only to find we walked into a trap! One of the two who ran ahead was already down, the other badly injured. We moved in to try to rescue them, but then from hidden passages others cut off our retreat. We were surrounded and it was looking like a TPK.
The fights raged on for many rounds, one by one the PCs continued to drop. The few that stood fought their way back to the entrance, but the cost was heavy. Guarding their rear, allowing their flight to succeed, was a single dwarf...
A lone dwarf in plate armor and shield, wielding his trusty warhammer, was the last one standing against the tide. Literally a dozen orcs moved in on him. Round by round, minute by minute, he crushed one and then another, taking each blow with a resolve born from deep within his mountain home.
He shrugged off the blows as he armor and shield were beaten, dented, and smashed. He suddenly grew to twice his size! His Duergar magic was his last hope as his strength and life was waning. His mastery of his armor and shield proved his only lifeline as his friends continued their fight on the other front.
Each time one of the orcs swung, it got harder and eventually he knew he would not survive--he would die and so would his friends. He gasped for hope and air in the stagnant darkness of the orc-infested caverns, finding both. His strength slightly bolstered, he fought on bravely!
The orcs began to despair as their numbers dwindled. His hope grew more and more as each foe fell. The last that faced him dropped below the weight of his mighty hammer. Bloodied, aching, and war-torn, the dwarf stood glaring at the single orc that had retreated before he could kill him.
In his stunted common the mongrel spoke, "Drop you weapon or I kill you friend!"
Defeated, his shoulders slumped and he dropped his warhammer. The clunk-like sound echoed in the silence of the cave halls. The orc grinned, a broken tooth forcing his lips into a sneer.
"Now you both die," the orc uttered.
Head bowed, the dwarf replied, "Yep, I guess we will..."
This handaxe whirled through the air, slicing the darkness with its razor's edge, and struck deeply into the orc's chest. Its eyes opened wide in shock as its legs lost all feeling, and it collapsed into the blood-soaked earthen floor.
"But you'll die first."
Gathering his weapons, the dwarf slowly trudged to the entrance, to find his friends had cleared the way out and cheered when he walked into the summer sunlight. They had thought he had died to cover their escape, but seeing him step out from the tunnels was like watching him being born again.
---------------------------------------------
The DM took the one player aside to play it out while the rest of us sat back and watched. It looked bleak at many times, but Heavy Armor mastery saved the dwarf's life. The battle, literally, took over three hours to play out, over 30 ROUNDS of combat, and the dwarf had killed over 20 orcs in battle by himself, and he had only 3 hit points left.
I've rarely seen anything like it. I have one other story to share, about love and sacrifice, but that is for Sunday maybe when I have more time.
---------------------------------------------
A couple orcs escaped us. Two character pursued as others were engaged in combat. The next round the others also gave chase, only to find we walked into a trap! One of the two who ran ahead was already down, the other badly injured. We moved in to try to rescue them, but then from hidden passages others cut off our retreat. We were surrounded and it was looking like a TPK.
The fights raged on for many rounds, one by one the PCs continued to drop. The few that stood fought their way back to the entrance, but the cost was heavy. Guarding their rear, allowing their flight to succeed, was a single dwarf...
A lone dwarf in plate armor and shield, wielding his trusty warhammer, was the last one standing against the tide. Literally a dozen orcs moved in on him. Round by round, minute by minute, he crushed one and then another, taking each blow with a resolve born from deep within his mountain home.
He shrugged off the blows as he armor and shield were beaten, dented, and smashed. He suddenly grew to twice his size! His Duergar magic was his last hope as his strength and life was waning. His mastery of his armor and shield proved his only lifeline as his friends continued their fight on the other front.
Each time one of the orcs swung, it got harder and eventually he knew he would not survive--he would die and so would his friends. He gasped for hope and air in the stagnant darkness of the orc-infested caverns, finding both. His strength slightly bolstered, he fought on bravely!
The orcs began to despair as their numbers dwindled. His hope grew more and more as each foe fell. The last that faced him dropped below the weight of his mighty hammer. Bloodied, aching, and war-torn, the dwarf stood glaring at the single orc that had retreated before he could kill him.
In his stunted common the mongrel spoke, "Drop you weapon or I kill you friend!"
Defeated, his shoulders slumped and he dropped his warhammer. The clunk-like sound echoed in the silence of the cave halls. The orc grinned, a broken tooth forcing his lips into a sneer.
"Now you both die," the orc uttered.
Head bowed, the dwarf replied, "Yep, I guess we will..."
This handaxe whirled through the air, slicing the darkness with its razor's edge, and struck deeply into the orc's chest. Its eyes opened wide in shock as its legs lost all feeling, and it collapsed into the blood-soaked earthen floor.
"But you'll die first."
Gathering his weapons, the dwarf slowly trudged to the entrance, to find his friends had cleared the way out and cheered when he walked into the summer sunlight. They had thought he had died to cover their escape, but seeing him step out from the tunnels was like watching him being born again.
---------------------------------------------
The DM took the one player aside to play it out while the rest of us sat back and watched. It looked bleak at many times, but Heavy Armor mastery saved the dwarf's life. The battle, literally, took over three hours to play out, over 30 ROUNDS of combat, and the dwarf had killed over 20 orcs in battle by himself, and he had only 3 hit points left.
I've rarely seen anything like it. I have one other story to share, about love and sacrifice, but that is for Sunday maybe when I have more time.
