(012) Beneath the Gatehouse

[waysoftheearth]

verhaden wrote:

Ah, but these are no ordinary dogs... they are larger by half than any dog Mads has seen, with hellish green eyes, and gone wild beyond reason with blood-lust. And all present have heard the evil tales of beasts that eat naught but Man-flesh...

Mads is ready to rend their flesh--he's not terribly broken up about it. Maybe he'll buy himself a war dog once this is all settled.

[waysoftheearth]

tonneau wrote:
Gustave continues to tarry with the engaged foe, wary of both its huge club and the potentially wayward staff of Michele.
"You duel like that lame dog the Count of Vratt", he spits at the beast,"though I doubt your mistress is nearly as comely..."

[waysoftheearth]

heartless wrote:
Padrig drops his bow and graps his spear and shield he had ready beside him. If the wolfs are charging can I spear one easily as it runs into my spear, if not I will just fight normally.

"Nice work Ulric, I glad you are here!", says Padrig.

[waysoftheearth]

Valandil wrote:
If Andaros has a chance to strike one of the ogres, he will attack'em. If not, he will remain there, protecting Olaf.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The Torture Chamber Passage

Ulric ducks behind Mads and Padrig as they hastily drop their bows and whisk out axe and spear, respectively. No sooner have they grasped their weapons than the pack of gnashing Wolves are leaping for their necks with jaws agape.

Initiative is rolled (1d6; Wolves=3, Padrig=5, Mads=5(+1))

Mads brings his axe swiftly down in an attempt to crush the first monster's skull as it bounds toward him (1d20=11) but his blade is turned off its singed black flank -- but for a blessing the beast's powerful jaws are pushed aside by the blow (1d20=13) snapping shut loudly but harmlessly at Mads' ear.

At the very same moment as Padrig grasps his spear a second Wolf, this one with a streaming slash down its flank, leaps at him, forcing the Elf back a quick step to raise his spear to front the charging beast. Padrig's aim the hasty is still true (1d20=13) and he catches the mass of the black monster in mid-air at the bright point of his spear (2dd=3,6) impaling the whole of its body weight upon the its point for 6 hit-points. The struck wolf squeels and thrashes woefully upon Padrig's spear as it drags the weapon low before Padrig can pull it free of the slain beast. But already the third wolf comes bounding across its fallen brother without thought and dives at Padrig (1d20=2) but even so caught he is able to deflect it from its path by the shaft of his spear.

Caine, dagger armed now, finds himself looking for an opening into the tightly packed melee in the crook of the passage way. Padrig and Mads are fighting off great black wolves right before him, and there seems hardly a way into the riotous space.

But unseen to him Ulric's eyes now grow wide with fear and loathing as beyond them all he sees a great bulky figure lumber out of the foul mist and darkness with a broad, hormed helm upon its mis-shapen head and a massive hatchet hanging lazily from its gnarled fist. It ducks its head low to fit into the neck of the passage...

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The Ante Chamber

Initiative is rolled (1d6; Ogre1=6, Ogre2=1, Michele=5, Dieter=4(+1), Gustave=3, Andaros=1)

The first Ogre forces both Michele and Gustave onto the back-foot with a great buffet of its shield and then strikes out at (1-3 Michele, 4-6 Gustave; 1d6=2) Michele with a (1d20=18) powerful, backhanded swing of its club that catches the staff-fighter (4dd=6,5,5,4) a cracking blow to the side of the head, and crushes his poor cranium against the rocky wall for a barbarous 10 hit points of damage! Michele's unprotected skull cracks sickeningly as it is struck hard between unforgiving timber and stone, and he drops lifeless to the wretched floor.

Gustave retaliates furiously with dashing slashes and thrusts (1d20=4) that drive the terrible beast off its kill, but fails to mark it by more than a scratch. Undeterred by this most awful sight, Andaros lopes into the fray with a look of grim determination about him and the comforting mass of his pendulous mace at hand. He uses his striding momentum and his cold hatred for the monster's evil crime to drive his swing with a ferocious potency (1d20=19) and strikes a heroic blow (2dd=6,4) to the side of the monster's thick body, audibly cracking ribs and delivering 7 hit points that cause it to howl in pain and lash reflexively about, smashing dust and stone from the walls.

Meanwhile Dieter has recovered his balance, and the edge of his fury is honed lean and hard, and now he presses his foe with mighty slashing arcs and driving stabs despite its greater size! He feints low, then dives recklessly in with all his considerable might (17 strength) and (1d20=13) punches his notched and bloodied blade (2dd=6,5) deep into the monster's breast bone so that the gorey tip of that weapon protrudes between its massive shoulder-blades dealing a mortal 8 hit points.

"Oogh.." gurgles the hairy brute, clutching for the hilt of the dread blade clumsily with its calloused claws, long ropes of bloody drool dangling freely from its gargling jaws...

Dieter grunts and rips his blade suddenly free, drawing with it a visceral splatter of hot black gore which shlumps to the broken floor afore the mighty beast drops heavily to its knees, then collapses to a great stinking pile.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The situation is thus;

####X.################ Double
####..################ Door
####..################===#####
####..################...######
####Ww################...#########
####MW###########O..GX........######
####UpC.Pt....@T...mA.D(............ <-- passage
######################===###########
######################=a=#########
###################### Stair
###################### Down

X Ogres
( Dead Ogre
W Wolves
w Dead wolf
a Anwyn (slain)
D Dieter (sword, shield, 6 of 12 hit points)
G Gustave (sword)
O Olaf (incapacitated, -1 of 10 hit points)
T Thorgrim (war-hammer)
P Pelenwin (hand-axe)
A Andaros (mace, shield)
m Michele (slain)
C Caine (daggers, 5 of 6 hit points)
t Michele's arbelast
p Padrig (spear, 4 of 5 hit points)
M Mads (axe, 8 of 9 hit points)
U Ulric (lantern)
@ Torch


Alas, Michele is slain! Rue this woeful day!

What be your intentions for the next round?

[waysoftheearth]

makofan wrote:
There is a live wolf close to Caine - he will take it down!

[waysoftheearth]

danhem wrote:
Ulric grabs his sling and eyes the monstrosity that has entered the passageway.

"We may have a problem headed our way," he shouts above the clash of steel and growling of the wolves.

OOC: Does Ulric have any kind of shot at the incoming ogre(?), either with magic or sling; or can he not safely do so past Mads and and Padrig?

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
There's another Ogre, so Dieter's work is not yet done. He'll turn and attack it with the same fury.