Topic: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... (Read 1,583 times)
crusssdaddy Level 5 Thaumaturgist member is offline
Joined: Nov 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 329 Karma: 20
(1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Thread Started on Jan 9, 2011, 3:59pm »
Captured by slavers! How many days ago was it? Impossible to tell anymore, as it seems like you've been penned in this wagon forever, stacked like cordwood with a dozen or more unlucky captives of various races. A couple Goblins are already dead... sloppy work by these slavers to put the little guys on the bottom.
The human property-mark branded onto your chest means you can never return to your tribe for a hunter to become prey is a disgrace impossible to cleanse, your mates would have you in the stewpot as soon as look at you.
Time to take a leak... the guy beneath you is not pleased. Hours drag on endlessly. The road is bumpy. A gentle rise perhaps? Probably bound for the hills to the north, where captured humanoids are worked to death in the gem mines. Not a good place to go.
You are awakened by the crash of breaking glass, and then a flicker of light & heat. The wagon is on fire! Burning lamp oil drizzles in through a knothole the smell of singed flesh, panic, and now everyone is pounding, flailing, kicking, trying to escape. The wagon creaks under the strain. Shouting from the guards outside, horses afright, the clash of steel, screams of fury & battle.
The wagon shatters with a loud crack. You scramble out into the cold air and roll away from the burning wreckage. A Kobold skitters away and breaks into a run. Ten steps, and a shadow pivots forward from behind a dead horse with one smooth thrust, the Kobold is run through with a spear. Your nightvision is partially spoiled by the nearby flames, but the attacker is small... a Gnome perhaps? Only a handful of the human slavers remain they ignore the captives and are locked in battle with the attackers, who seem to number at least a dozen... yep, it's Gnomes.
You are surrounded by death, destruction, flames, an unknown number of enemies, and a precious few of your fellow captives...
Ghorevek: A huge Ogre is next to you. Four spear-armed Gnomes are fairly close at hand, poking at two human slavers each armed with a hand weapon. You could charge any of them and open battle. Further ahead in the darkness, you hear more shouting and battles.
Ogre Torturer: A rather shaggy Bugbear is standing next to you. Four spear-armed Gnomes are fairly close at hand, poking at two human slavers each armed with a hand weapon. You could charge any of them and open battle. Further ahead in the darkness, you hear more shouting and battles.
Bloodmane: A Gnoll is standing next to you, an Ogre and a Bugbear are standing a bit off to your right. A single human with a light crossbow is facing you down, but he's looking wildly left and right, on the lookout for more Gnomes. A dead Gnome lies on the ground between you, a shield and a hand axe next to it. The burning corpse of a Xvart lies at your feet.
Ghoul-Biter: A Bugbear with blood-red fur is standing next to you, an Ogre and a Bugbear are standing a bit off to your right. A single human with a light crossbow is facing you down, but he's looking wildly left and right, on the lookout for more Gnomes. A dead Gnome lies on the ground between you, a shield and a hand axe next to it. The burning corpse of a Xvart lies at your feet.
Blue Tongue (if you're playing): You are hidden beneath the collapsed front axle of the wagon as far as you know, you are unnoticed by all. There are two dead human guards laying nearby, but you would have to break cover to examine the bodies you can tell already that one has a light crossbow, the other a spear, and at least one helmet lies next to them. The nearest enemy you can see is a Gnome that has its back to you as it struggles to pull its spear from the body of a Kobold. There is also a small chest in the wreckage next to you, which you could examine while remaining hidden.
Your adventure begins!
[OOC: Please feel free to improvise whatever background you like for your PC that accounts for their capture tasty details could be worked into future adventures. Bearing a human brand is a massive disgrace for any Gnoll, Bugbear, Ogre, etc., so you'll want to be wearing a shirt if you talk to other humanoids in the future. And please feel free to ask lots of questions about rules, setting, etc. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this game goes!]
Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 94 Location: A stale, dusty library Karma: 1
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #1 on Jan 9, 2011, 8:22pm »
GHOREVEK clears the cobwebs of sleep and confusion and surveys the area. His first thoughts are on survival and his second thought is on a meal of human and gnome flesh.
He peers around the area, looking for an opening for escape, hiding, and an eventual ambush of the losers of the human and gnome battle.
OOC: Of the 4 gnomes and two humans close by, how close are they? Are any of them facing Ghorevek?
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #2 on Jan 9, 2011, 10:09pm »
OOC: Were we restrained at all while we were in the wagon? Are there any ropes, or chains, or manacles lying around?
Ghoul-Biter's stiff joints ache as he tries to rise to his feet. He smells the scent of roasting xvart from the corpse burning in front of him, and for a moment he regards it with hunger. Then he turns his attention to the distracted human standing before him. He's wielding a crossbow. Those take a while to reload, especially under these conditions.
Ghoul-Biter looks questioningly to the red-furred bugbear to his right. He looks back to the burning xvart before him. If Ghoul-Biter's magic were a little bit more powerful, he could turn the smoldering corpse into a flaming zombie and send it after the man. While the man is reloading his crossbow, the bugbear would surely tear him to pieces. Got to work with what you have on hand though.
The burning corpse might still make for a good distraction though, giving the bugbear a chance to strike.
Ghoul-Biter looks to the bugbear, then looks at the guard, then at tbe burning corpse, then back to the guard, then to the bugbear once again.
Joined: Aug 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 599 Karma: 17
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #3 on Jan 9, 2011, 10:12pm »
Bloodmane lunges for the handaxe and the shield, frothing at the mouth and rolling his eyes while he does so! In Goblin: "Bite 'em, Crush 'em! Blood and skulls! Raaarghhh.....!"
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #4 on Jan 9, 2011, 10:21pm »
"He's going for it" Ghoul-Biter thinks to himself. That makes things easier. Picking up a burning corpse and trying to throw it at a man? What a stupid thought. There's no way Ghoul-Biter is strong enough to do that. He would just burn himself trying. Ghoul-Biter watches, and waits for an opportunity to make a break for it.
crusssdaddy Level 5 Thaumaturgist member is offline
Joined: Nov 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 329 Karma: 20
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #5 on Jan 9, 2011, 11:33pm »
Almost forgot:
Ghoul-Biter had one spell memorized, dating from before his capture: Magic Missile. All he needs is a skull to cast it... probably ripping the head off of something is close enough to do the trick.
Bloodmane's God does not like to see his subjects treated thusly - he overlooks the disgrace of slavery and grants him immediate use of a single spell... unfortunately it is Detect Magic.
OOC: Of the 4 gnomes and two humans close by, how close are they? Are any of them facing Ghorevek?
The two Humans are about 10' away, with their backs to you and unaware. The four Gnomes are about 15-20' away, and can see you but are focusing on the Humans.
« Last Edit: Jan 9, 2011, 11:38pm by crusssdaddy »
OOC: Were we restrained at all while we were in the wagon? Are there any ropes, or chains, or manacles lying around?
None of you were restrained - you were simply packed into the stout wagon so tight atop one another that there was no means of escape. When you were originally captured you were shackled briefly before being loaded into the wagon - there may be shackles nearby, in the wreckage of the wagon or at the belts of the Humans. You don't see any at the moment, however.
« Last Edit: Jan 9, 2011, 11:41pm by crusssdaddy »
Bloodmane lunges for the handaxe and the shield, frothing at the mouth and rolling his eyes while he does so! In Goblin: "Bite 'em, Crush 'em! Blood and skulls! Raaarghhh.....!"
Quote:
As the bugbear lunges for the weapons, Ghoul-Biter lunges for the smouldering head on the xvart corpse and tears it off.
Both of you leap into action, and the human quickly decides that the frothing Bugbear is the greater threat (if he had a moment to think about it, he would be really confused as to why the Gnoll choose this moment to molest the burning Xvart corpse!). He fires off a shot at Bloodmane, but misses badly - poor nerve trumps the extreme close range. If Bloodmane even saw the shot he makes no indication, as he gathers the shield in one hand and hefts the axe in the other.
Ghoul-Biter tears off the Xvart's head with a juicy *snap* - such thin necks these little blue creeps have. The head is heavy - this Magic Missile might hit with a little extra thump!
The Human goes wide-eyed at his miss and throws aside the crossbow - it's anyone's guess whether he will draw the short sword at his belt, or flee combat...
Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 94 Location: A stale, dusty library Karma: 1
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #10 on Jan 11, 2011, 8:56am »
Hearing the battlecry of a fellow bugbear shoves all thoughts of escape from Ghorevek's mind. His blood begins to boil and his hunger for flesh consumes him. His battlerage takes over and he charges into the human closest to him with a roar.
OOC: I will use Ghorevek's berserk "skill" for this battle.
« Last Edit: Jan 11, 2011, 9:03am by Professor P »
crusssdaddy Level 5 Thaumaturgist member is offline
Joined: Nov 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 329 Karma: 20
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #11 on Jan 11, 2011, 11:44am »
Ghorevek's successful hit is almost a foregone conclusion (3+ HD monster, raging, attacking a lightly-armored opponent from behind), and sure enough the savage Bugbarian delivers a crushing blow to the Human. Ghorevek delivers a quick stamp to the neck as an afterthought, but the Human is already quite dead.
Two Gnomes turn and attack the obviously lethal Ghorevek, who emerges unscathed from the exchange by batting away the shaft of one spear, and dodging the other.
It's our Ogre Torturer's turn next, then the remaining Human and Gnomes. miked, you out there...?
crusssdaddy Level 5 Thaumaturgist member is offline
Joined: Nov 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 329 Karma: 20
Re: (1) Out of the Frying Pan... « Reply #12 on Jan 13, 2011, 3:01pm »
Not sure if miked is coming or not, but I'll autopilot his Ogre Torturer (OT) for now. ATTAAAAAAAAAACK!!!
OT goes straight for the Human Slaver before him, eager to avenge himself of this humiliating captivity. Like his pal, this Human didn't really have a chance. OT claps his hands around the human's head and yanks violently - the head doesn't come off completely, but there's little more holding it on than some stubborn skin. OT contemplates keeping what he has killed.
The two remaining Gnomes lunge toward OT with their spears - one misses cleanly, but the other makes a skilled (lucky?) stab and hits... the wound would be substantial on one of their own kind, but to an Ogre it is a mere scratch.
Please declare actions for the next turn.
« Last Edit: Jan 13, 2011, 3:02pm by crusssdaddy »
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