Cowards
OOC: I hope you all had a good Christmas, and that the new year is good to you. I am at my mum's house for the holiday, and am posting this from a hand held PC so bear with me if the post comes out stangely. (I can't really see the layout at all) Still, I'll be back home on Thursday - so a better post next week.
The doghead with the bow sees Callum rushing towards him swinging the huge sword, and its morale breaks. As it turns and starts to run, it screams a few words in a strange guttural language, before falling to the ground,imobile. The other doghead attacking the party falters and looking around it sees that is now alone in its attack, and it too starts to run, this one though makes a strange barking noise as it turns.
The wolves stop in their attacks, and start to streak away, following the barking doghead. Peter is left prone on the ground, Elsbeth is kneeling by Aenis's body and Callum is in no-mans land. Smilo and Mandrake are in a position to continue missile attacks, those others in combat can get an attack of their departing enemy with a 2 modifier.
The two entangled dogheads start start shouting at their withdrawing comrades, in their own guttural language.
..A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.P.Q.R.S.T.U.V
a|........bbbbb..............................|
b|.......bbb.................................|
c|.................................bbbbb.....|
d|.........bb...........-D-..d........bbbbb..|
e|..........bbbbb.......-wbbw.d..bb..bb......|
f|........sbbbbb......bb—--..................|
g|..................d........................|
h|....................M......................|
i|....................w....E.................|
j|............x.x.x.x.d.P.A.h................|
k|........D...w......w.......R...............|
l|................w...K....w.................|
m|...................b.b.....................|
n|.......bbb........mbbbb.............C......|
o|......bbbbb.....................bbbbb......|
p|.....-F-......................bbbbb........|
q|...........................................|
r|.....................................D.....|
s|...........................................|
t|...........................................|
b Bush; - Entangle area
D Doghead; F Doghead with metal bars; w Wolf; d dead Doghead
h Horse; x Mule; d Donkey
C Callum; R Rolf; E Elsbeth; A Aenis; K Kerim; P Peter; m Mandrake;
s Smilo; M Madelyn
Wolves AC7 normal size; Dogheads AC6 large size.
OOC: Sword - hit for 6 points. Axe - miss
Rolf leaps forward at the retreating wolf, slinging his sword around in a quick arc, ripping through the fur of the wolves flank. The follow up swing with the hand axe misses as the wolf moves out of easy range. With a quick glance, Rolf notices that all of the enemy are withdrawing, except those entangled and the one wielding the bow seems stuck in place. Seeing Callums charge, Rolf calls out, "Hold, Callum, we need him alive." Rolf rushes over to block Callums attack if necessary.
In the aftermath of the battle, Rolf takes stock of the situation. Motioning at the frozen enemy, he calls out to Mandrake, "Get his weapons. Callum, ward his back." Looking over at Kerim, he says, "Come on." Sheathing his blade and axe, he collects his bow and moves within easy range of those stuck in the undergrowth. With a quick move, Rolf has an arrow leveled at the first dogheads chest. In his native Norse, he calls out, "Your weapons or your lives. Choose quickly."
With a howl, Callum leaps after the fleeing Doghead as it falls rigid to the ground he expertly flips the sword down and severs the creatures head.
Callum looks around at the scene to see all the enemies dead or fleeing. He lets out a ululating cry of victory and stands with his sword raised in the air before him. He seems to shrink slightly, his limbs twisting back to their normal shape, his features assuming their normal proportions. The wild energy playing around his head disipates and the weird light in his eyes fades. He shakes his head slightly, as though just waking, wipes some of the blood and gore from his face then moves towards the entangled Doghead with the metal bars. Advancing carefully lest he become entangled beside it, when Callum gets within striking distance, her raps the Doghead on the side of the head with the flat of his sword, to knock it unconscious.
Elsbeth watches- fascinated, horrified, as Callum attacks, reacts and transforms. She has never in her life seen such barbarism, certainly not in a man. She pulls back from the dead Aenis, her hands still wet with his blood, unable to pull her eyes from the spectacle before her.
As Rolf interjects, she finally manages to breathe. "He'll not be easily stopping one such as that," she says softly. "Yon Callum is less a man and more an old one of tales..." The woman shudders.
Side stepping to get clear, the hobbit twirls his sling and lets fly, the bullet zipping through the air. "Necht! Went wide." As the enemy disappears in the distance, Smilo steps back and takes a breath, his heart thumps in his chest. He takes a deep breath, blurts, "necht!" once more. And rests for a moment, hands on knees. Then he runs over and loots the dead gnolls.
Mandrake heads over to the doghead with the iron bars cautiously and calls out first in norse and then in the same strange guttural language that he used during the illusion earlier.
"Throw your things over her if you want to live this day!"
..A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.P.Q.R.S.T.U.V a|........bbbbb..............................| b|.......bbb.................................| c|.................................bbbbb.....| d|.........bb...........-D-..d........bbbbb..| e|..........bbbbb.......-wbbw.d..bb..bb......| f|........sbbbbb......bb—--..................| g|..................d........................| h|....................M......................| i|....................w....E.................| j|............x.x.x.x.d.P.A.h................| k|........D...w......w.......R...............| l|................w...K....w.................| m|...................b.b.....................| n|.......bbb........mbbbb.............C......| o|......bbbbb.....................bbbbb......| p|.....-F-......................bbbbb........| q|...........................................| r|.....................................D.....| s|...........................................| t|...........................................|b Bush; - Entangle area D Doghead; F Doghead with metal bars; w Wolf; d dead Doghead h Horse; x Mule; d Donkey C Callum; R Rolf; E Elsbeth; A Aenis; K Kerim; P Peter; m Mandrake; s Smilo; M Madelyn Wolves AC7 normal size; Dogheads AC6 large size.
Jim: - which order is Smilo go around the bodies?
Malcolm: - Mandrake is at the one with the bars first - same plan?
Brad:- Where abouts is Rolf?
Sorry about all the strange posts - the hand held can't cope with preview - so I am posting blind. Havind said that - some of my past posdts have been a bit dodgy too :)
Callum walks up to stand beside Mandrake. "It will try to escape when the magic stops - " he says to the Gnome " - my way is best." and clips the doghead with the flat of his sword, taking care not to hit it too hard.
OOC: I'm a little confused as to which doghead it was that Callum was going after which Rolf tried to prevent. How about we say that Rolf moves 2-3 spaces in whatever direction is applicable?
Smilo pulls his dirk and advances on the body closest to him, then the next closest and so on...