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The Enemy Within (WHF Witch Hunter Quest)

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XXXVI - The Red Crown New
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    • [x] Reinforce the Mines

    XXXVI - The Red Crown

    "We need to regroup," you say decisively, "Whatever happens, I'll not leave Elvyra and the others to face it alone."

    You half expect Max to object, either out of distaste for fighting alongside mutants or in favour of escaping now while you potentially still can, but he simply nods and falls in alongside. The two of you make your way back downstairs, navigating the spiral staircase at the heart of the tower with nerves stretched taut and ears sharp for any signs of movement, and take up position by the tower's only door.

    "When I open the door, we run straight for the mine entrance," you say grimly, gripping the door handle and taking several deep breaths to steady yourself, "Don't slow for anything."

    "Aye," Max growls, his eyes narrow and his fist white around the hilt of his sword, "Don't have to tell me twice. On three?"

    "Indeed. Three, two, one… go!"

    You throw open the door and leap out into the night, trusting in your memory to guide you where your night-blind eyes cannot. The world beyond the tower is a swirling maelstrom of shadow and flame, twisted forms looming out of the gloom in all directions only to fade again just as quickly, the shadowy outlines of houses and storerooms lit only by the flames that seek to consume them. You run with a prayer to Sigmar on your lips.

    Markus tests Athletics! Skill is 26, roll is 11, success!
    Max tests Athletics! Skill is 46, roll is 68, failure!

    A frantic eternity later you reach the mine entrance, the tunnel opening looming before you like the maw of some great and terrible beast. To your relief it seems none of the beastmen have made it inside yet, and you are about to enter when you realise that Max isn't behind you. With the realisation comes the sound of bestial roars and the clash of metal on metal, a sound of violence to make the bottom drop out from your stomach. Turning, you peer into the darkness, seeking - there! Max is a dozen yards back, locked in combat with a pair of beastmen that must have intercepted him midway through the run, trying to fend them off even as more of the creatures slink forward out of the darkness to join the fray.

    "Sigmar preserve us," you growl, yanking your pistol free from your belt and aiming it at the brawl. For a moment you hesitate, trying to pick out a target amid the chaotic brawl and stifling darkness, and in that moment of hesitation the opportunity is lost. Max opens a vicious cut along the flank of one of the great shaggy beasts harrying him, only for the snarling beastman to ignore the pain and slam its crude wooden shield into his face. Your comrade staggers back, briefly stunned, and the second Gor seizes the opportunity to finish the job with a brutal strike of its axe. The heavy metal blade catches Max just below the hip and tears off his leg in a welter of blood.

    "Max!" you cry, knowing even as you see him fall that he will not rise again. There is no time to mourn, for already the foam-flecked maws of the Gors are turning towards you and thrown javelins are hurling out from the darkness. One of them skims against your upper arm, a whiplash impact that sends you through a half turn by sheer momentum, and with a final curse you turn your back and enter the mine at a run.

    Max and Markus have been intercepted by a band of beastmen en route to the mines. There are two Gors and two Ungors. The Gors are currently in combat with Max.

    It is dark. Close combat rolls suffer a -20 penalty, and shooting suffers a -30. The Beastmen, possessed of night vision, do not suffer these penalties.

    Enemy has two points of advantage due to outnumbering.

    Round One
    Max
    • Attacks one of the Gors with his sword. Skill is 32 after the darkness penalty, roll is 51, failure by -2SL.
    • Gor defends with skill 45, rolls 80, failure by -4SL, reduced to -3SL by shield.
    • Max inflicts 9 base +1 net SL = 9 damage. Gor has a TB of 4, one point of armour and a large shield (2), so it takes three wounds.
    Markus
    • Markus would be taking a total -50 penalty for shooting into melee and in darkness, so he instead chooses to spend a round aiming, giving him an additional +20 for next round.
    Gors
    • Both Gors attack Max. They have a skill of 45 and gain +20 for outnumbering their foe. One rolls 14, the other 19, so both get a base +5SL.
    • Max rolls to defend himself, again at 32. He rolls 85 and 96, failing by -5 and -6SL.
    • Gors have base damage 7, so that is two hits inflicting 17 and 18 damage respectively. Max has TB3 and 2 points of armour, so he reduces both of those by 5. He has fourteen wounds total, the first hit reduces him to 2 and then the second to -11
    • This inflicts a critical hit with a +110 bonus to the right leg. The result is 168, resulting in death as the blow shatters the pelvis and severs the leg below the hip. Max perishes almost immediately.
    Ungors
    • The two Ungors move up and throw javelins at Markus. They have a skill of 40, ignore the night penalties and are at standard range. They roll 02 and 42, so one misses and one hits with +4SL.
    • Base damage of a javelin is 6, so total is 10. Markus has five toughness bonus and four points of armour on the arm, so takes a single wound.

    On round two, Markus decides that fighting out here is likely to get him killed, so he retreats deeper into the mines.

    Sure enough, less than a minute later you have to draw up short before the line of waiting spears can impale you. Half a dozen mutants fill the tunnel ahead, arranged in a double rank with spears held ready in trembling limbs, and at the sight of you most relax a bit and murmur in relief. You push your way through the improvised phalanx without a word, seeking the wider chamber beyond. As you expected, Rolf is there with the other noncombatants, helping Elvyra set out the pallets and supplies necessary for a frontline aid station.

    "Ah, Lord Bruner," Rolf says warmly, smiling in pleasure at the sight of you. He's too tall for the tunnels, already bent at the neck to fit into this relatively spacious chamber, but he still has a sword in one hand and shield in the other. "I'm glad to see you made it."

    "Where's Max?" Elvyra frowns, looking up from her preparations, and it is all you can do to shake your head. She needs no more explanation than that, and though her face crumples in sudden grief the apothecary has seen more death than most gathered here. She rallies herself a moment later, taking a steadying breath to centre herself, and when she snaps another set of instructions to her new assistants her voice barely even trembles.

    "I assume you've considered evacuation," you say to Rolf in a low voice, crushing your own heart back into place in the interests of survival.

    "The beasts have scouts watching all the exits," Rolf says grimly, though in truth you had hardly expected otherwise, "I've men watching each to keep them from sneaking in, but there's no chance we can get more than a few of us out that way. The plan is to hold here for long enough that they lose heart. The beastmen are raiders and pillagers, allies of the Red Crown rather than their servants. They won't fight to the end, and if we can hold out until dawn they'll flee rather than risk a reprisal force from Grissenwald being mustered."

    It's a slim chance, but you suppose you really don't have many other options. At the very least if you kill enough of the warriors willing to come in after you they might need to pull more in from the perimeter guard, giving you a chance to break out and make it to the river.

    There is no chance for further discussion, words and thoughts abruptly drowned out by bestial roars that echo like thunder through the caves. There must be at least a score of throats contributing to that twisted symphony, filling the space with the echo of their hatred and thirst for blood, and you hardly have to look at the trembling hands or pale faces to know a morale breaker when you hear it.

    "Steady!" you call out, pitting your voice against the chorus as you step away from Rolf and over to the phalanx that holds the tunnel, "Steady, people of Black Peaks! This is your home, your future that you fight for. You have friends at your side and kin at your back, so take heart and stand with me. Stand!"

    Markus tests Leadership! Difficulty is Average (+20) due to good reputation, +10 due to higher status, skill is 85! Roll is 98, fortune spent for reroll, 77. Critical Success!

    It's not the best speech you have ever given, but it is exactly what the mutants need to hear right now, and though their limbs still tremble and their eyes are still wide, not one of them takes a single step back. You take your place in the front ranks of the defence, rapier in one hand and pistol in the other, and raise your voice in answer to the challenge.

    "Come on then!" you roar, spitting defiance into the dark, "In Sigmar's name, come and meet your end!"

    The beastmen oblige.

    You pull the trigger the second the first braying monster enters the tunnel ahead of you, splitting its horned skull like an over-ripe apple and filling the air with the sound of thunder and acrid stench of gunpowder. The beast's comrades flinch at that, at least a few of them turning and scrambling back out of sight, but you have not the firepower to exploit the disorder this creates and soon enough the tide of flesh and steel is upon you. You fend off the first snarling beast that comes at you with a quick flicker of steel, the threat posed by your sword enough to pierce even the veil of rage that hangs across that primitive mind, but the other defenders have neither your experience or skill. There is the sound of screaming, the visceral crunch of axe blades into flesh, and to your left a mutant with hair of writhing worms goes down, quite literally tumbling back with her attacker stumbling over her.

    Barking a curse you drop your pistol and draw your silvered sword in its place, pushing forwards to draw attention and buy time for the mutants to rally. The beastman before you goes down under a flurry of blows, managing only to tear a strip out of your armoured coat as it falls, but when you turn to the creature on the left it manages to keep its shield between your blades and the flesh you seek to tear and rend. The creature is lost to battle frenzy now, foam dripping from its fanged maw and bloodshot eyes staring wildly, so furious that it barely even notices when one hoof crushes the worm-haired mutant's skull like an egg. Unable to bring its axe to bear in the tight confines of the tunnel fight, the Gor instead slams its shield into your chest and face like a bludgeon, knocking your hat clear off and filling your mouth with the taste of blood.

    "Sigmar!" you roar, spitting out a mouthful of your own blood and stabbing downward with your sword. The blessed steel splits the beastman's shin in two with a rotten crack, and as the screaming beast falls you are already turning to the next in line. You are too late to save a mutant with pale blue skin, split cleanly in twain by the beastman's axe, but your sudden aggression at least prevents the creature from pressing the assault into the rear ranks. Smaller, weaker and less skilled than the attackers, it is only the narrow frontage of the tunnel and the mutually supportive thicket of spears that are keeping the mutants in the fight. Such are your thoughts as you engage the blood-splattered foe, and such is the root of your mistake. Thinking of your allies and their peril, you neglect to consider your own.

    With a shrill bleat, a beastman you didn't see crashes into your side, forcing your arm down before you can parry an incoming blow. A desperate twist of the neck turns a skull-shattering blow into something that merely rings your head like a temple bell, and as you stagger back you repay it with a thrust of the rapier clean through your assailant's throat. Desperately you try to raise your other sword to repeat the performance on the remaining beastman, only to find the limb stiff and unresponsive, numb beneath the aching throb of bruises you didn't even notice.

    You might have died there, gutted and trampled by a braying monster before you could recover your weapon or cleanse your senses, but for the sudden intervention of the remaining mutants. Someone grabs you by the shoulder and hauls you out of the line of battle, taking your place and herding the monster back with questing jabs of their spear, and working side by side the mutant militia rally the line and press the remaining foe into the corner. It is dangerous, uncertain work that still leaves one of them doubled over and clutching at a bruised gut after the Gor resorted to kicking with its hoofed feet, but soon enough it is done.

    "C'mere you big lug," Elvyra says briskly, grabbing you by the elbow and all but forcing you down into a chair as she looks you over, "Ack, but you'll have some terrible bruises on the morrow…"

    She passes some truly staggeringly aromatic salts under your nose to clear the confusion, pokes and prods at your bruised flesh without so much as a thought to the grunts of pain she elicits, then forces a small vial of some dark and acrid liquid between your lips. You endure her ministrations with a weary patience, or perhaps with freshly concussed pliability, and when at last she nods in satisfaction you are not sure if you truly feel better or simply want to be out of her reach.

    "That'll do," she says, slapping you briskly on the uninjured shoulder and pulling you back to your feet, "Get back out there, you big lug, before…"

    "My, my. What a mess."

    The voice is not one you recognise, but there is only one woman in this place who could be speaking with such smooth aristocratic languor. Sure enough, when you return to the corpse-strewn ruin of the entrance tunnel, it is to find a tall blonde woman in a rich scarlet dress standing amid the bodies, inspecting the carnage with a dispassionate eye.

    "Ah, and here he is," Etelka Herzen says with a smile as you push your way through the crowd of wary mutants, "Markus von Bruner, the man who would replace me as your patron."

    The sorceress has not come alone, flanked instead by a pair of truly enormous beastmen whose metal-tipped horns scrape against the cavern roof, their bloated forms so packed with muscle it is a wonder they can fit into the heavy suits of armour each wears. At the sight of the pistol in your hand one of them interposes himself between you and the sorceress, fixing you with a glare and growling so deeply you can feel it in your bones.

    "Really now, templar, be reasonable," Etelka chuckles faintly, laying a slender hand on the furred arm of her brutish protector, "Even if you could gun me down and survive the fury of my champions - no sure thing by any measure - the Greyhorn tribe will simply set fire to the supports and collapse the mine. You may be willing to die for the sake of vengeance, but will you sacrifice all those gathered here to see it done?"

    You grit your teeth hard enough to hurt, but you do not raise the pistol. "Why have you come, witch?"

    "Oh, so he does speak! I was beginning to wonder," Etelka chuckles at that, but you notice that her eyes do not leave the pistol. She's not nearly so dismissive of the threat you pose as she might pretend, though that is cold comfort unless you can find a way to leverage it. "In any case, my purpose ought to be obvious. I came to receive your surrender."

    You remember how Max fell, his blood staining a beastman axe, and you laugh without humour. "You must be joking. Surrender to the likes of you is nothing more than a death sentence."

    "Now why would you think that?" Etelka chides you gently, and even above the stench of broken bodies and sundered bowels you think you can smell her perfume. It is a rich floral smell, strong enough that she must have damn near bathed in it. "I was the one who gathered these poor lost souls in the first place. I gave them food and shelter, a place they could live without fear, and I did not require some flimsy pretext of law to justify it. They have far better grounds to trust me than you."

    Ah, of course. Her words are not aimed at convincing you, but rather the watching mutants, scared and desperate and all too aware of how many of their kin are already lying dead on the floor. You shake your head, determined not to allow the sweet poison to pass unchallenged.

    "You are a cultist of the dark gods," you say flatly, "Any virtue you pretend is cover for your master's agenda. You would use these people as pawns in your schemes and discard them just as easily."

    Etelka Herzen laughs at that, and when she opens her mouth you could almost swear there is something black and glittering at the back of her throat.

    "Njawrr'thakh 'lzimbarr Tzeentch," she says, her smile growing wider when you flinch at the sound of that accursed name, "Yes, I am a servant of the Changer. Yes, I would see others brought into their service. I offer no excuses and make no apologies. Indeed, let me preempt your next argument - yes, I would have those who tried to abandon the Red Crown slain, especially if they wished to return to the bosom of Sigmar's Empire. What general would not, faced with those determined to offer aid and comfort to their enemy?"

    "Are we to conclude that an honest monster is somehow better?" you say acidly, measuring with your eyes the angle needed to put a bullet through this woman's skull. If she intends nothing more than this vapid posturing it may well be worth the cost.

    "I care little for what you believe," Etelka shakes her head, "Only what you do. We are at war and you, trapped and outnumbered as you are, have lost. Yet battles do not have to end in slaughter. Surrender, offer yourself as a hostage, and I will spare the rest of the people here. Even your agents, should any of them remain breathing."

    The reminder of Max's death burns like fire, but you are not so weak as to give into a goad so easily. "And what possible reason could you have to do that?"

    "Well, I hardly expect you to believe any claim rooted in compassion," Etelka rolls her eyes, as though believing the worst of a chaos cultist is somehow childish or unreasonable. "Perhaps it is easier to believe that my master has its eye on you, and has for some time? Since Bögenhafen, in fact."

    You remember the way that the Ordo Septenarius died. You remember the flames, vibrant beyond reason and horrible beyond measure. You remember the Eye, and how it felt to endure its scrutiny. You remember these things and you shudder, but so too do you remember to keep your own eye upon Etelka, to weigh her words and measure her intent as you would any other quarry..

    Markus tests Intuition! Skill is 55, roll is 23, success.

    The witch looks… annoyed? Yes, you can see it now, in the narrowing of her eyes, the faint edge to her words. She doesn't want to make this offer, doesn't want to be anywhere near you at all much less while you are still upright and have a weapon in hand, but she is here anyway and she detests it. For reasons you cannot even begin to fathom, it would appear she is sincere; whatever foul monster she serves does not wish you to die just yet.

    "Let us say I entertained this farce of yours," you say carefully, trying not to linger on how horrifying a thought it is that you might yet owe your life to a daemon, "What do you imagine would happen?"

    "I would bind you hand and foot with the strongest chains I can find," Etelka says, her voice and tone the sweetest kind of poison, "then I would load you into my boat and smuggle you off to meet my comrades, who I expect would do all manner of horrible things to you over a prolonged period. Eventually you would either die or convert - either way, my role will be complete by then, the promised rewards bestowed, and I will have no need to involve myself in this… matter any further."

    Well, at least that much matches with your expectations. "And Black Peaks?"

    "Well, I can hardly afford to remain here now, can I? Not when the Holy Orders know of my past and where I choose to make my home," Etelka sighs, more visibly annoyed now, "I would leave, and take the faithful with me. The rest, I suppose, can take their chances with the local authorities, for whatever good that will do them."

    "Milord, you can't possibly be thinking to…" Elvyra mutters from somewhere behind you, but you cannot afford to look back at her just yet. The witch is here within your grasp, and she offers you a choice. If you accept, you may be able to save the remaining mutants who placed their trust in you, not to mention Elvyra. If you refuse, you are unlikely to have a better chance than this to bring Etelka Herzen to justice.

    Blessed Sigmar, guide me now…

    Article:
    What decision does Markus make?

    [ ] Surrender
    Markus will allow himself to be taken by Etelka Herzen in exchange for the lives of his remaining allies and followers. He will of course attempt to escape where possible, or at the very least give Elvyra a message to pass back to the Holy Orders.

    [ ] Attack
    Etelka Herzen has a pair of elite beastmen with her as personal champions and is a potent sorceress, but she might yet be brought down by a surprise assault. Better dead than in the claws of a daemon and its mortal pets.

    [ ] Write In
    Alternate terms may be suggested but will require a charm, leadership or intimidate roll as appropriate. Tactics may also be suggested, if you wish input on how Markus seeks to fight or trick his way out of this one.




    Markus has joined five mutants holding a chokepoint for this battle. The tunnel is only wide enough for three men abreast, but armed with spears the mutants in the back rank can engage anyway.

    Six Gors are attacking Markus' position in the first wave.

    The mines are not well lit, and so those without night vision will be taking a -10 penalty to their combat rolls.

    Round One
    Markus
    • Markus opens fire at the beastmen with his pistol. He gets a +20 for short range, a -10 for poor illumination, and another +20 for shooting at a small group without caring which Gor he hits. His skill is thus 88 and he rolls 11, a critical hit with +7SL.
    • The Gor has a shield and so gets to resist with its skill of 45. It rolls a 90, a failure by -5SL.
    • Total damage is 9+7+5=21 damage. Even with the Gor's impressive toughness, this and the crit is enough to kill the first Gor. Two points of advantage are gained.
    • The other five Gors need to make average (+20) cool tests to avoid breaking in the face of a blackpowder weapon. They test against 50 and three of them pass. The other two break and flee.
    Beastmen
    • Two of the beastmen are Broken and so move back out of sight.
    • The three remaining Gors charge the defensive line, one against Markus and two against the other mutants in the front rank. They have a skill of 45 and their charge bonus is cancelled out by the longer reach of the spears. The Horns trait gives them a bonus attack when charging.
    • The Gor attacking Markus rolls 59 and 36, for -1SL and +1SL respectively. Markus has an effective defence of 53 and rolls 49 and 76, for +1SL and -2SL. He parries the first attack, then spends fortune on the second for 06, parrying that as well. Two more advantage gained.
    • The beastmen attacking the mutants roll 76, 55, 63 and 78, failing by -3, -1 (fumble), -2 and -3 respectively.
    • The mutants defend themselves with a skill of 35, rolling 89, 66, 96 and 61, failing by -5, -3 (fumble), -6 and -3 respectively.
    • The warrior to Markus' left is hit twice, with net SL of +2 each time, though on the second they both fumbled. Damage is 9 and then 8 (the second attack is the Horns and thus slightly weaker), reduced by 3 each time, so the mutant takes 11 wounds. He is still alive, barely. Both sides then take a wound from their fumble, which brings the mutant to zero and he collapses prone. Beastmen get two advantage points.
    • The warrior to Markus' right is hit twice, with +4 and +0SL for 11 and 6 damage. The mutant takes 8 and then 3 wounds, again bringing him to one wound remaining. Beastmen get two points of advantage, bringing them to 4.
    Mutants
    • On the left, two mutants attack their Gor. One has skill 35, the other is prone and is reduced to 25, but they outnumber the Gor so get +20. They roll 24 and 66, for +3SL and -2SL (and another fumble)
    • The left Gor defends at 45 and rolls 74 and 100, failing by -2 and -5SL even after the shield's defensive quality is taken into account. Result is net 5 and 3SL for the mutants, though the fumble means the prone mutant is now taking another -10.
    • Damage is 11 and 8, reduced by 7 each time, the left hand Gor takes 5 wounds. Combined with the earlier fumble, it is now on 8/14.
    • The mutant behind Markus stabs at the middle Gor with 35+20 = 55, rolling 72, a failure by -2SL. The Gor defends at 45 and rolls 04, easily parrying the attack. The beastmen now have five advantage points. Markus and the mutants now have six.
    • The right hand mutants attack the right hand Gor, rolling at 55 each. They roll 9 and 14, for +5 and +4SL.
    • The right hand Gor defends at 45 and rolls 50 and 41, for 0 and 1SL after the shield. Thus it is hit twice with 5 and 3SL net. Damage is base 6, so 11 and 9, reduced to 4 and 2 wounds. The right hand Gor has 8/14 wounds left. Markus and the mutants have eight advantage points.
    Markus, Additional Action
    • Markus spends four advantage points for an additional action, then the remaining four points for +30 on his attack. He draws his second sword alongside the rapier and attacks the middle Gor.
    • Markus has base skill 63, -10 for poor illumination, +30 for advantage and +20 for outnumbering. His total skill is 103. He rolls 18, scoring a total of 10SL after talents.
    • The central beastman takes a -10 penalty for defending against a fast weapon, rolling against 35 and getting 11. He gets 3SL and inflicts a crit on Markus' body location. Markus elects to sacrifice a point of armour to cancel out that critical, reducing his body AP to three.
    • Damage is 8 base +7 net SL for a total of 15, which the beastman reduces to 8. It has 6/14 wounds left.
    • Markus reverses the dice to get 81 for his follow up attack, a total of 3SL. The Gor defends with 45, since the silvered sword is not fast, and gets 74 for -2SL after shield. 5 net SL plus 8 base is 13 damage, the Gor reduces it to six, but this is enough to bring it to zero wounds and it falls.

    End of the round, the beastmen have six advantage points and Markus et all have zero.

    Round Two
    Markus
    • Seeing that the mutant to his left has been knocked prone and badly injured, Markus attacks the Gor to his left. He has effective skill 53 but gets a +40 for outnumbering the foe 3:1, so his skill is 93. He rolls 67 for +4SL after talents
    • The Gor defends with 35 and rolls 05, for 4SL after shield. Markus gets a bare hit with no SL, which the Gor reduces to one wound. It has 7/14 left.
    • Markus flips the dice for a result of 76 as his follow up, 3SL. The Gor defends again and gets 06, successfully parrying Markus entirely this time. The beastmen now have seven advantage points to Markus' one.
    Beastmen
    • Of the two Beastmen that fled, one manages to regain its composure. It moves back up but cannot engage this turn.
    • The two beastmen currently fighting spend 3 advantage each to activate their Fury traits. This grants them both the effects of Hatred and Frenzy. They get +1SL on all attacks, +1 damage and a free extra attack each round.
    • The left-hand Gor uses one attack against the downed mutant and one against Markus. The first gets +20 for attacking a prone target and ignores the reach advantage, so is against 65. The roll is 24, for a total of 5SL. The downed mutant defends with 25 and gets 29, and takes a horrific crit that kills him instantly. The beastmen now have three advantage points.
    • The second attack is made against Markus at skill 45. It gets 20, a head hit with 3SL. Markus has an effective defence of 43 due to the darkness and his use of dual wielder. He rolls 73 and spends fortune (leaving him with 2) to reroll, getting 45 for a bare failure.
    • The hit is 8+3 = 11 damage. Markus has 5 toughness and one point of armour on his head, so he takes 5 wounds.
    • On the right the second Gor makes its two attacks against the already injured mutant. It has an effective skill of 35 due to having less reach. It rolls 63 and 31, for -2 and +1SL after frenzy.
    • The right-hand mutant defends himself with skill 35. He rolls 78 and 15, getting -4 and +2SL. Only the first hit gets through, but it deals 8+2=10 damage, reduced to seven by the mutant's toughness. The right hand mutant only had one wound left, and so takes a crit with a +60 modifier to the body. With a result of 142, the mutant is torn entirely apart and dies. The beastmen now have five advantage points.
    Mutants
    • Only three mutants remain now. One is fighting the left hand beastman, two are fighting the right hand. Consequently, they both get +20 for outnumbering (since Markus is also fighting the left hand Gor.)
    • The left hand mutant rolls 57 (0SL) against 75 (-2SL), net hit +2 for 8 damage, reduced to 1 wound by toughness etc. The left hand Gor has six wounds remaining.
    • The mutants attacking the right hand beastman roll 68 (-1) and 36 (2). The beastman defends with 45 and rolls 30 (1) and 66 (-2, fumble). This results in one hit at 4 net SL, for ten damage reduced to 3 wounds. The right-hand Gor has 5/14 remaining.
    • The Gors now have six advantage points, while Markus and the mutants have four.

    Round Three
    Markus
    • Markus once again spends four advantage points for a +30 attack bonus as he goes for the left-hand beastman. He takes -10 for darkness but +20 for outnumbering, end result is his skill is 103. He rolls 29, getting 9SL after talents.
    • The left hand Gor defends with skill 35 and gets 65, a -2SL failure with the shield. Total damage is 8 base +9 +2 = 19, reduced to 12 by armour etc. The left hand Gor had 7 wounds and so is reduced to -5, taking a leg crit at +50. This gives the beastman a cracked shin injury, so it is stunned and prone.
    • Markus turns and makes his second attack against the right hand Gor, reversing his dice for 92, 2SL after talents. The Gor defends with 45 and gets 23, successfully parrying the attack with 3SL.
    Beastmen
    • The fleeing beastman is removed from consideration. The one that rallied spends three advantage points to activate fury and hatred, then charges Markus. The remaining right-hand beastman also turns to attack Markus. Although alone in the front rank, there are enough spear mutants alive to avoid any outnumbering bonus.
    • This leads to a total of four attacks, three at 55 and two at 45.
    • The charging beastman rolls 04, 91 and 36. After bonuses, this means 6, -3 and 3SL respectively.
    • Markus defends himself with 43 due to darkness and dual wielding. He rolls 100, 59 and 62, failing all three rolls. He spends fortune to reroll that first one and gets 88, still a failure and also a fumble. The end result for him is -4, -1 and -2SL, so he blocks the middle hit and gets hit by the first and third.
    • The first hit is a hit to the right arm and deals 9+6+4=19 damage. Markus has five TB and four AP on his arm, so he takes ten wounds. He has three wounds left.
    • The fumble results in Markus being out of position, so his next action will take a -10 penalty.
    • The second beastman, the right-hand one, attacks twice and rolls 10 (4SL) and 91 (-4SL)
    • Markus defends with 43 and rolls 14 (3SL) and 64 (-2SL). He parries the second hit and takes the first at 1SL net, for 9 damage to the head. Markus has 1AP and 5TB there, so he takes three more wounds, reducing him to zero but not quite inflicting a crit.
    • The beastmen have seven advantage points, while Markus and the mutants have two
    Beastmen, again
    • The charging beastman spends all seven advantage to take another turn with a +20 bonus. It gets two attacks, due to frenzy, at a total skill of 65. It rolls 69 and 86, for 1 and -1 SL after the frenzy and hatred bonuses.
    • Markus defends with skill 43 and gets 31 and 96, for 1 and -5SL respectively. He chooses to reroll the second one with his last fortune point and gets 92, still a failure.
    • The first hit is parried, as both combatants have 1SL but Markus has the higher raw skill. The second hit is +4SL in the Gor's favour. It inflicts 8+4 = 12 damage to Markus' body location, where he has 5TB and 3AP after the earlier crit deflection. This means he takes a crit at +40.
    • The roll is a total of 42, wrenched collar bone. Markus drops his silvered sword and cannot use his left arm for one round.
    Mutants
    • The left hand mutant finishes off the beastman with the cracked shin bone. The other two mutants attempt to bring down the right hand Gor, gaining a +20 outnumber bonus to roll at 55. They roll 02 and 46 for 5 and 1SL
    • The Gor defends with 45 and gets 71 and 72, for -2SL each after the shield bonus.
    • Damage is 6 base, +7 for first and +3 for second, so 13 and 9 damage. Both are reduced by 7, so the Gor takes 6 and then 3 wounds. It had five wounds remaining and so is put down.
    • Markus et all have five advantage now.

    Round Four
    Markus
    • Spends two advantage to fall back without getting attacked, swapping positions with the spearman behind him and moving to the medical aid station
    • Elvyra, on her turn, rolls Heal at her skill of 85 and gets 76, allowing her to restore 7 wounds to Markus
    Beastman
    • The one remaining Gor attacks the mutants. It has a skill of 45, reduced to 35 by the shorter reach, and rolls 34 and 75, for 1 and -3SL
    • The mutants defend with their skill of 35 and roll 61 and 13, for -3 and +2SL. The second hit is blocked, the first gets through.
    • Hit is 8 base plus 4 net SL = 12 damage, reduced to 9 by toughness. One mutant is badly hurt but still intact.
    Mutants
    • The three mutants have a +40 outnumbering bonus now, so they make their attacks at a skill of 75. They roll 08, 17 and 34, for 7, 6 and 4SL respectively.
    • The Gor defends with its skill of 45 and rolls 100, 58 and 70, failing all three defense rolls.
    • This is enough damage to put the final beastman down and end the combat.
     
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    • Do we have any reasonable guesses as to the capabilities of a sorceress like her? As in would she have arcane defences against getting shot in the head?
     
    In hindsight my disagreement with the mutant-decision only growth stronger.

    Having the town garrison or the dwarves behind us seems a lot better than the mostly-useless mutants.

    No matter now, we must do some final stabbing.

    [X] Attack

    I hate the odds, but given that the system can be very swing-y maybe we can just put a bullet through the witch's eye from the start. If not, we are as good as dead anyway.
     
    [X] Surrender
    Markus will allow himself to be taken by Etelka Herzen in exchange for the lives of his remaining allies and followers. He will of course attempt to escape where possible, or at the very least give Elvyra a message to pass back to the Holy Orders.

    No shame in taking an L against a force like this.
     
    [X] Attack

    To surrender to the likes of her is utter insanity, both for personal and ethical reasons. The kind of madness, that the Changer loves.

    Fighting to the end is the only sane choice.

    A shame about Max, I really liked him...
     
    01paradox01 said:
    Do we have any reasonable guesses as to the capabilities of a sorceress like her? As in would she have arcane defences against getting shot in the head?
    Click to expand...
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    Markus has no real way of telling what magic Etelka has at her command, but he knows that she is less than happy about being so close to him, so chances are she's not outright immune to bullets and/or stabbing.

    She'll almost certainly have some kind of plan for what to do if he starts blasting, but it might very well just be "run the fuck away while my gigantic bodyguards buy me time".
     
    Does Markus' intuition test reveal that Etelka really will spare the others or just that Etelka is scared and annoyed but her master genuinely wants to take him alive?
     
    [X] Surrender
    Markus will allow himself to be taken by Etelka Herzen in exchange for the lives of his remaining allies and followers. He will of course attempt to escape where possible, or at the very least give Elvyra a message to pass back to the Holy Orders.
     
    Draz said:
    Does Markus' intuition test reveal that Etelka really will spare the others or just that Etelka is scared and annoyed but her master genuinely wants to take him alive?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    He's reasonably sure that she is sincere to the extent of "if that is the price I must pay then so be it", that she is herself gambling on the idea that Markus cares enough about these people to trade himself for their lives. He does not, however, think that she actually cares whether the rest of them live or die outside of that trade.

    She sent the beastmen in to kill everyone in the mine in the first place, after all.
     
    Artemis1992 said:
    In hindsight my disagreement with the mutant-decision only growth stronger.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Our choices have made this bed, and now we must lie in it. Let's review our strategic situation:

    -A very, very powerful baddie wants us corrupted as a result of our actions in Bogenhafen. Our odds of surviving their tender mercies are extremely low, should we reach them. We'll be up against the cultist A-team, not the clean-up crew, and cannot resist forever.
    -Markus's three primary capabilities are his physical strength, his authority as a Templar, and his personal will and determination. The first will be negated by sufficient guards and bindings, the second is irrelevant here, and the third has been greatly tested as a result of past player choices.
    -Should we be questioned by a competent interrogator, we'll likely eventually spill the beans about Reinhard. Holzen knows about our father, but presumably doesn't know about our brother, and can be expected to take advantage of this fact. A major noble house of Reikland could be corrupted for the cult, and Tzeentchians are the ideal folks to try and tempt a rogue magic-user. Our own family is at stake.
    -Markus is well aware of all of the above issues, and can be expected to factor them into his decision-making.

    And on a personal level, the witch who got Markus's family ripped asunder and caused the single greatest catastrophe in his life is right there. He has a loaded gun. You can do the math.

    Conclusion: We gain nothing by surrendering, and risk far more than merely a half-dozen lives should we be successfully interrogated, let alone turned to the Enemy's cause. Markus's best shot is right in front of him - it's time to take it.

    [X] Attack
     
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    [X] Attack

    I really, truly do not trust the Herd won't just burn down the mines anyhow, as soon as their strongest defender is removed. They've already lost five of their number.
     
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