WFRP - Felix Schaefer

[littlebottom]

you find yourself in the town of Dolberz, a small town south of middenheim. you turned up to the village to find it in disseray. the villagers are panicking and rushing around the streets one of the guards on the town gates comes over to you quickly and says in a unsettled voice "quick, get into the village, we are about to close the gates, our scouts have given word of an assault of beastmen from the woods, we sent a message to middenheim requesting help but we fear reinforcements wont arrive in time! and to make matters worse, our commander, of the guards, is away on business! we dont even have a leader, at the moment the villagers are just preparing themselves for the assault. they must have been watching us, waiting for their moment to strike, because if this was not a planned assault, then their timing is beyond unfortunate."

you see villagers finding themselves makeshift weapons from tools such as pitchforks and sythes. the guards number somewhere in the 30s, and the peasants in the 100s. but discounting the women and children that leaves only 50ish peasants willing to fight. a few arm themselves with swords and other weapons the local blacksmith hands out to them along with the odd leather armour or mail shirts that were spare.

the peasants are completely disorganised and the guards are only slightly better.

[-Sentinel-]

Beastmen. Oh, how I hate those wretched things.

Grimly, Felix Schaefer put on his leather skullcap and strung his bow. The only good things about beastmen were that they did not use ranged weapons and were rather unruly: therefore, a volley of arrows was a most efficient way to send them running for the hills (or, in this case, the woods). But did Delberz count enough competent archers?

He wished he could do something to restore leadership and order, but it was not exactly his area of expertise. So he went in search of a good spot from where he could rain down arrows at the raiders.

[littlebottom]

As you walk in, the guards look at each other and decide they had better close the gate now anyway, and shut it behind you. there is a simple wooden wall around the town, with the odd tower from which there are guards keeping a look out.

in the way of archers, you notice that the only people with bows are the guards on the towers. there are 6 towers spread around the walls, 2 by each of the 2 gates on opposite sides, and 1 on each of the other walls. in each tower is around 3 or 4 guards with bows. they make up a majority of the guards in the town.

the peasants are spread out over the town rushing here and there, nobody has told them otherwise, there are a few that are grouping by the now closed gates, but they still look a little lost.

[-Sentinel-]

Even outlaws have more discipline than those people, thought Felix with mild annoyance, glaring at the peasants near the gate.

There was not much he could do about it, he feared: he was not a leader by nature. Still, just to say he tried, he barked at them: "Find some building you can defend! You'll just get killed if you wait for them in the open. They're deadly in close quarters."

Charm test to convince them to move to a better position. With Fel 40, I can affect up to 4 people.

Target 40: [roll0] (...wow, that's an epic failure)

Then he strode towards one of the towers next to the gate by which he had entered. That's where he would take position, no matter what the guards had to say about it.

[littlebottom]

the peasants look at you. and instantly obay like new soldiers listening to a barking general. they may not have been overly persuaded by you as much as blindly followed the order in hope that the new stranger might have some tactical knowledge.

as you approach the tower, a guard goes to stop you, but he notices your bow and mearly says "... good luck to you. we appreciate the help. may sigmar bless us all. 'cause we certainly need it."

[-Sentinel-]

"Indeed we do," agreed Felix grimly. Although, today, he prayed for Taal and Rhya, the gods he had always favored as a man of the wilderness.

He had fought beastmen before: they were common in the woods where outlaws like him operated. If they broke through the gates, they would set the town on fire and butcher civilians indiscriminately. They had to be dispatched quickly and efficiently.

The demagogue nocked an arrow and waited for the beastmen to come into firing range.


(OOC: Ready and Load actions taken)

[littlebottom]

you hear from one of the guards up the tower, that the scout reported that they were about 2 hours away at the time, and its been an hour and a half.

time passes your bow out at the ready, the peasants defending various buildings, a couple have even set up a couple of traps on the other side of the gates shouls the beastmen get through.

all of a sudden, you hear a horn being blown from the woods to your side. and moments later beastmen stream out of the woodland at the side of the village, you can see them splitting roughly into 3 groups, one heading towards your gate, another towards the other gate, and the last group run directly towards the wall next to the tower at the side.

the first arrows from the side tower fly off into the crowd, a couple hit taking down a beastman each, one through the eye, the other pierced its heart. although more by blind luck than skill it seems.

you get your first attack now, aswell as enough time to relead and fire again before they reach the gate.

[-Sentinel-]

Narrowing his eyes, Felix chose his target carefully (a big dark-furred Gor in the group nearing the closest gate) and let his first arrow fly.


What's their distance? Am I at long range for the first arrow?

Aim and shoot at BS 49: [roll0]
Hit location: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

Reload
Shoot at the same target: [roll3]
Hit location: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

[littlebottom]

the first arrow goes astray but by sheer luck catches another beastman in the leg. the second arrow flies true, and takes down the beastman you aimed at who promptly gets trampled.

as they reach the gates, they begin hacking with axes and swords and ramming into the gates.

first of all, all of them are actually just ungors, because well.. i actually want you to win the fight. and im going to be killing them as if they were nothing anyway. second of all to determine hit location you just take your d100 roll and reverse it, so a roll of 17 becomes a 71 on the hit location, and a roll of 20 would become a 02 which is sufficiently randomized your gate will last for [roll0] rounds, you may let an arrow fly per round it takes. there are around 15 ungors left at your gate. its unknown how many are at the other gate. but it will hold for [roll1] rounds. and the tower will hold for [roll2] rounds.

[-Sentinel-]

"Oh no, you don't," hissed Felix with quiet, seething hatred. His nimble hands moving almost too fast for the eye to follow, he reloaded his bow and loosed two more arrows in quick succession at the beastmen trying to force the gate open.


Reload
To hit (BS 49): [roll0]
Location: [roll1]

Reload
To hit (BS 49): [roll2]
Location: [roll3]

[littlebottom]

you along with the other guards on the two towers by the gate manage to take out all but 7 of them as they smash the gate open and charge in. spreading out and heading for the peasants. although one heads to your tower and hacks at the wooden legs, another beastman does the same to the other tower the other side of the gate.

they spent their action breaking the gate and moving in, so its your go again, before theirs.

[-Sentinel-]

Cunning little bastard, thought Felix, casually aiming his fifth arrow at the beastman attacking the tower.

Reload
To hit (BS 49): [roll0]

[littlebottom]

The arrow sails straight downwards and clean through the top of its skull as it began to swing. over the other side the tower is giving way, and the first casualty has occured in the village when the beastmen ran and attacked the peasants defending the blacksmiths.

[-Sentinel-]

With a grunt, Felix hurried down the ladder to join the battle. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he raced towards the blacksmith's forge to help the peasants defending the place.

[littlebottom]

just as you reach the three remaining ungors, the gate at the far end smashes open, aswell as the tower and wall falling to your side. things are looking grim.

one of the ungors by the blacksmiths turns to face you while the peasents keep the other 2 busy.

it steps forward and takes a swing at you.

[roll0]
[roll1]

it hits and deals 6 damage, to area 52 (chest i believe?) so minus your TB and armour.

it just manages to scratch you with the tip of its sword.

[-Sentinel-]

With a hiss Felix dived at the Ungor, his blade flashing as it came down.


Dodge Blow (Ag 38): [roll0] (miss)

Swift attack (WS 36): [roll1], [roll2] (1 hit, 1 miss)
Damage: [roll3], [roll4]

The successful attack allows me to unleash Ulric's Fury... Does it matter, or are we still in instant-kill mode?

[littlebottom]

his going down eitherway but if ulrics fury goes off id be unclined to make it a gory death:smalltongue:

and now its gone 4 am so im off for some sleep

[-Sentinel-]

his going down eitherway but if ulrics fury goes off id be unclined to make it a gory death:smalltongue:
Worth it, then. :smallwink:


Another WS test: [roll0]

If successful, [roll1] damage is added to the total.


Edit: Wow, gory death indeed... I even get a third damage roll, since I got a 10. To avoid spamming, I won't use the forum's roller this time, but this one (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/dice/dice.htm).

Result: 6

Total damage 29, or 26 wounds inflicted. Basically, I made a fur coat out of the beastman's hide. Pity I can't save this for a more serious enemy...

[littlebottom]

was just about to shut down when i saw you post, you now just roll 10s over without the need for WS tests until you dont get a 10

[-Sentinel-]

(Okay, what now? It's the beastmen's turn.)

[littlebottom]

fine ill roll over your ten again for you and edit a reply here [roll0] and just incase [roll1]

your blade slices the beastmans head clean off with blood spurting into the air and all over everybody surrounding, the head flies through the air, and the horns skewer another beasmans chest who crumples to the ground. the body still standing drops to its knees before dropping its blade and collapsing straightforward. the impact of the floor against its chest only served in causing more blood to squirt out of the stump where his head used to be.

[-Sentinel-]

I had already re-rolled my 10 and edited it into my last post (using another dice-roller to avoid spamming), but I guess it doesn't matter since the beastman is very much dead anyway.


Before the beastman's headless body hit the ground, Felix was running towards the other two, his bloodied sword ready to strike.

[littlebottom]

ok that was my fault, but i hadnt seen another post in the thread so i thought you hadnt done it :smalleek::smallredface: sorry

the beastmen slice through another peasant just before you reach them. you also notice smoke rising from a building the other side of the town. it seems the other beastmen who got in over there are winning their battles quickly.

the one beastman notices you coming for them and runs to meet you half way.

Charge action. [roll0]
[roll1]

it just hits dealing a total of 5 damage

[-Sentinel-]

Dodge Blow (38): [roll0]

Swift attack (36): [roll1], [roll2]
Damage: [roll3], [roll4]

Deftly dodging his enemy's blade, Felix ducked low and slashed at his foe's exposed belly.

[littlebottom]

you cut across it leaving a gash, but the beastman hardly notices as he brings his own weapon down with all its strength.

[roll0]
[roll1]

it misses and in doing so its blade gets stuck in the floor.

[-Sentinel-]

The outlaw seized the opportunity to counter-attack, determined to finish this quickly.

Swift attack (36): [roll0], [roll1]
Damage: [roll2], [roll3]

[littlebottom]

the attack slices the beastmans arm clean off then lodges into its side. with its one good arm it clutchs at the wound before the masses of blood flowing out of its side and lost limb is too much and it dies.

the peasants manage to kill the remaining beastman at the same time. but there is still beastmen about some who got through the gate at the far end, and those who breached the wall to the side. from this distance and not being on the tower anymore it is difficult to judge numbers. but it seems like the beastmen outnumber the remaining peasants in those two areas.

at that moment a volly of arrows comes flying over the distant wall. although catching a couple peasants, it manages to take down multiple beastmen, then you hear over the battle, the sound of a battle cry from possibly over 100 men.

[-Sentinel-]

Reinforcements, thought Felix Schaefer with relief. And not a minute too soon.

But the fighting was not over, far from it. Without taking the time to wipe the blood off his blade, the outlaw ran towards the breached wall to bring assistance to the peasants.


OOC: Sorry to nitpick, but you should edit that typo in the title.

[littlebottom]

as you head over to the beastmen a wave of soldiers come in through the northern broken gate and proceed to obliterate the beastmen. the beastmen on the side from the wall breach are small in number due to the volly. there are only 6 left, still fighting with a group of villagers, but as you head up towards them, the guards that were up the towers have now followed you.

the beastmen continue hacking at the peasants oblivious to your arrival.

[-Sentinel-]

Uncharacteristically putting his own safety aside, Felix threw himself headlong into the melee, drunk on battle madness.


the beastmen continue hacking at the peasants oblivious to your arrival.

Does this mean I get to strike first?

Swift attack (+10% WS = WS 46): [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[littlebottom]

yes, that it does

taking the beastman by supprise you bury your blade into its back. it turns to face you and as it does so the peasants take advantage of this. an arrow also flies towards it from your side.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

the arrow misses but the peasant manages to stab the beastman in the kidney, the beastman cripples on the floor but is still alive.

[-Sentinel-]

Felix brought his sword down in a deadly arc to finish off the Chaos abomination.


Swift attack (36): [roll0], [roll1]
Damage: [roll2], [roll3]

[littlebottom]

you hack the beastmans body into thousands of tiny pieces, repeatedly hacking and slashing till his body is little more than mush.

by the time you are finished, the invasion has been stopped, and the reinforcements hurry around trying to put out fires and help the wounded.

the commander of the reinforcements is going around asking the peasants how they managed without their guard captain. and the same thing keeps getting said.

"there was this man who turned up in town just before the invasion."
"yeah, he was the only one who seemed to have a clue."
"he was the one who told us all to defend the buildings."

eventually the commander gets pointed towards you and he strides up and extends his arm. "what is your name? i hear you have helped a great deal here on this day."

[-Sentinel-]

Felix Schaefer was not the kind of man who liked to be the center of attention, but it was clear that there was no escaping it.

"Name's Felix," he said curtly, wiping his blade against the fur of a fallen Beastman. "Did only my duty, sir. I'm no soldier, only a traveller."

[littlebottom]

"a traveller you may be, but a leader and inspiration you are to us all! i hereby place this successful defence against the beastmen under your name, and your name only!"

"you are a hero! me and my men may have come and helped at the end of the battle, but i suspect that had we been 5 minutes later, you would have succeeded without us anyway. you will surely be rewarded handsomely for this event."

the commander is clearly a charasmatic fellow, whom all of his men are proud to serve under. this lends to whatever he says goes, and if he says your a hero, then you are, in the eyes and ears of all who saw and heard it.

[-Sentinel-]

Felix did not like this turn of events. He would rather slip back into the shadows before someone learned his true identity. Still, he decided to make the most of his situation: perhaps his newfound fame would allow him to recruit would-be outlaws more easily.

"I am honored," he told the commander, bowing. "For now, all I require is a good meal, a bed and a bath."

[littlebottom]

"come now that is too modest, you have saved all of these peoples livelyhoods. you deserve more than that."

you hear him mumble some ideas "money", "young lady", "nighthood", and "statue" can all be heard through his mumblings

[-Sentinel-]

What have I gotten myself into?

Felix briefly thought about asking for amnesty for his past crimes, but quickly dismissed the idea: doing so would mean admitting that he was an outlaw, and he had too little knowledge of the legal processes involved. Probably not worth the risk.

"Well, if you're looking for me, I'll be at one of the inns," he said with a shrug, heading off.

[littlebottom]

"ok good sir. i shall return and report this happening to my superiors back in middenheim. they will decide a suitable reward for you. are you likely to travel on or stay in this town?"

[-Sentinel-]

Felix thought about it.

"I'll stay for a bit, I think."


OOC: I'll now move on to an inn, if it's alright.

[littlebottom]

the commander nods and turns on his heel to help his men sort the town out

in the inn is the inkeepers wife, crying "oh its you" she sniffs and tries to dry her tears although not suceeding very well "come in take as much as you want on me" she quickly breaks down in tears again and mumbles "help yourself behind the bar" she then rushes off through a door unable to keep her tears down. another fellow walks in from the back "sorry about my sister, she lost her husband in the fighting"

[-Sentinel-]

another fellow walks in from the back "sorry about my sister, she lost her husband in the fighting"

"Oh." Felix just nodded. He found nothing to say about it. "I'll have a hot meal, please," he told the innkeeper's wife. "And if possible, I'll take a bath while it's cooking. Fighting beastmen is messy business."

[littlebottom]

"yes of course. will you be staying the night sir, the sun will be setting soon"

[-Sentinel-]

"yes of course. will you be staying the night sir, the sun will be setting soon"

"Yes, I may even stay a few days. I trust you have a spare room?"

[littlebottom]

"we do indeed."

the meal is served. by this time all the soldiers are gone except some left to help fortify the city until the gates can be fixed.

[-Sentinel-]

After his bath and his meal, Felix left the inn to visit taverns frequented by locals, preferably the lower classes, to talk about politics and everyday life. How high were their taxes? Were they satisfied with their standards of living? Did the nobility do enough to protect them?

One step at a time...


Gossip test at +10% (target 60): [roll0]
Re-roll with a Fortune point if failed: [roll1]

[littlebottom]

the locals are a bit edgey at first but soon calm down and chat in a relaxed manner.

in reply to your questions you get some mixed answers. some saying that life is alright, and others still (understandably) upset due to the recent battle. the odd person says that the taxes are crazy and too high. but most recon they are not that bad. their standard of living is well... standard.

but at the mention of whether the nobility protected them, they all go off saying stuff like "if it wasnt for our own guards, then we would have no protection at all! and it didnt help that just when we needed him, our commander left us."

[-Sentinel-]

but at the mention of whether the nobility protected them, they all go off saying stuff like "if it wasnt for our own guards, then we would have no protection at all! and it didnt help that just when we needed him, our commander left us."

This interested Felix intensely. Maybe he could find a good use for his newfound reputation as a warrior...

"You should take your protection in your own hands, then," he advised. "I saw many peasants fight today, and they were brave; but, no offense meant, I think they sorely lacked discipline and training. I'm no drill sergeant, but I believe I can give them the basics. This way, when the beastmen come again, the citizens will be ready."

[littlebottom]

any villagers whom you say that to, suddenly their eyes brighten and they thank sigmar or other such things. "are you of noble blood? im sure we could do with you in charge around here" one of them asks.

[-Sentinel-]

Felix chuckled at that.

"My blood is perfectly ordinary, and it is neither my wish nor my right to be in charge. All I want is to provide some of your able-bodied volunteers with basic training. I'm a very good archer and a decent swordsman, and I know something of hit-and-run tactics in the woods. Sharing my knowledge is really the least I can do..."

[littlebottom]

before long, word is spread that you are willing to train some people. and a boy approaches you with a sheet of paper with a list of around 20 names on of men who wish to volenteer for some training. the boy drops the sheet infront of you and rushes out without a word.

[-Sentinel-]

With satisfaction, Felix takes a long look at the list.

"I'd like to start tomorrow morning at the ninth bell," he declared. "I know there are corpses to bury and walls to rebuild, but the first drill will take only an hour. Can someone provide us with a field to practice in?"

[littlebottom]

there is some space in the town center, either that or going outside the town walls there are some fields around used for farming or such but they are all open to the woods on either side of the town.

[-Sentinel-]

"The fields outside the town walls will be perfect. We will need a scarecrow or two for target practice. The men should bring their own weapons; even if some have nothing but rusty swords and pitchforks, that will do. I'm not planning to create an army."

Yet.



OOC: My character will now go to sleep, unless some of the would-be militiamen have questions.

[littlebottom]

no, go right ahead.

The next morning the bell strkes 8.

you have an hour until its time to train them.

[-Sentinel-]

(OOC: I regain one Wound as per natural healing rules, right?)


Felix Schaefer got up early that morning and dressed in his full combat gear. After a quick breakfast, he went to the village market to buy a score of apples for swordplay practice.

[littlebottom]

there is a small shop that sells various fruits and veg, you manage to find plenty of apples.

yeah you get 1 wound back if your lightly wounded, if your heavily wounded, its 1 wound per week

[-Sentinel-]

there is a small shop that sells various fruits and veg, you manage to find plenty of apples.

(How much are they? I'm buying 20.

Also, my sister needs the computer, so that will be all for this evening.)

[littlebottom]

its only 3 coppers per 5, todays special offer! :smalltongue:

[-Sentinel-]

Felix gave a silver shilling to the merchant and put all twenty apples into his slingbag. Then he walked to the practice field to meet the men.

[littlebottom]

when you arrive there are several people here early and waiting setting up some scarecrows and such. before too long almost everyone who put their name down is here. in the distance the 9 bells begin to chime.

[-Sentinel-]

"Good morning, brave men," Felix Schaefer greeted the volunteers. "I am here to make sure that, from now on, you no longer have to rely on a standing army to protect yourselves. I cannot make you mighty heroes of legend, and such is not my intention. I merely want to give you the necessary skill and discipline to ward off attackers... because clearly, when beastmen attack, heroes are busy elsewhere."

He pointed at the scarecrows.

"I will start with archery, since bowmen are a village's first line of defense. All those who brought bows, I will ask you to share them with those who don't. I don't expect many of you to become sharpshooters, but I can give you the basics. Who volunteers to shoot first?"

[littlebottom]

one man gingerly steps forward "ive used a bow a few times, im not great though..." he mutters.

[-Sentinel-]

Felix smiled at him.

"Well... first off, let's see how well you hold your bow. Then we'll see your marksmanship."

[littlebottom]

his stance is roughly there, maybe a little slouched maybe he needs to raise his elbow a little but in essence its there.

[-Sentinel-]

"Not bad," noted Felix.

He corrected the man's stance and commented it aloud for the benefit of all who listened. "See, elbow higher. Yes, like this. Good. Now let's see you shoot. It's not too bad if you miss, you'll improve."



OOC: I don't think we need to go through all the details. Felix will spend about half an hour teaching the volunteers the basics of archery.

[littlebottom]

OOC: fair enough, i wasnt sure, from the way things were going...

half an hour later, most of the people leave a little more confident, and they all leave looking forward to it again.

[-Sentinel-]

"Come back!" shouted Felix. "I'm not done." He spilled his twenty apples on the ground. "I still need to teach you basic swordsmanship."

[littlebottom]

OOC: my fault i thought you were done.

they all turn and march back to you in excitement

[-Sentinel-]

Felix led the volunteers to the edge of the woods, where many tree stumps testified of the landowner's recent effort to extend his field. He put an apple on top of one of the stumps.

"We will now cut apples," he declared. "Not easy targets: they're small, and if you strike them with a glancing blow they'll just roll aside. Don't be surprised if it takes you a dozen tries or more. Again, I will ask of those who have swords and axes to share them with those who don't. Each man has an apple; once you cut it, you get to eat it. Got that?"



OOC: We can time-skip again. Felix will show the volunteers how to hold their weapons and such.

[littlebottom]

this goes reasonably well. some men hit it well on their first or so try, but most do take multiple hits before success.

[-Sentinel-]

"I am impressed... if not by your skill, at least by your dedication," declared Felix Schaefer with one of his rare smiles. "Your training is only beginning, but you're made of the right stuff. Tomorrow, same place, same time, I will show you more. Thank you for coming."

[littlebottom]

they all nod and generally agree, most of their chatter back to town is about the training, and its all posative from what you can hear.

[-Sentinel-]

Satisfied, Felix walked back to the inn. Those militiamen did not know it yet, but some of them would one day become the first members of his outlaw band. He just needed some time to tell which ones were the most naïve, the most eager and the most loyal to him... in short, those who would follow him without question if he ordered them to attack a rider or a coach. He had to choose his accomplices carefully, though.


OOC: Felix is planning to spend about one more week training the volunteers an hour a day, gaining their trust and testing their loyalty. The rest of his day will be spent socializing around the village, giving a helping hand in various tasks, etc. He's not expecting a big change in routine during that time, but of course it's up to you to decide...

[littlebottom]

ok, how many people do you approach and what do you say to them?

[-Sentinel-]

OOC:


ok, how many people do you approach and what do you say to them?

Of course I won't ask them if they want to become outlaws... The sixth or seventh day, I will select half a dozen men for a special two-day training session in the woods. Just wanted to know if you were okay to fast-forward one week.

[littlebottom]

since your paths have not crossed yet, i could just say that the game started a week or so earlier than the other players in game time.

these men you ask, gladly accept although a couple are aprehensive as to why so few.

[-Sentinel-]

At the end of the sixth morning, Felix Schaefer made an announcement to the militiamen.

"I am very proud of your progress. You have what it takes to become a potent fighting force, as long as you keep training. Now that you have the basics, we might want to specialize a bit. We have fought beastmen a week ago and we will most likely fight them again. Those abominations are at home in the woods. Therefore, I wish to prepare some of you for forest warfare, scouting, wilderness survival and ambushing."

He walked among the men and selected six of the youngest and most loyal. He then dismissed the rest.

"Tomorrow morning," he told the chosen few, "we will go on a two-day expedition in the forest. I will teach you how to find your own food, how to set camp, how to hide and how to move silently. In short, you will be trained to fight the beastmen in their own element. No more will you be afraid of what lurks in the woods: to the contrary, what lurks in the woods will be afraid of you. Meet me here at dawn with your weapons and survival gear."


Not much to do for the rest of the day. I wish to buy 3 bottles of wine for a cost of 3 shillings. Their purpose will soon be revealed...

I will also buy a mask (10 shillings) and 20 arrows (4 shillings).

[littlebottom]

you find the items you are looking for at afore mentioned prices, the men await you eagerly. chatting between themselves they all seem excited on the face of it. but one or two show a minor amount of fear for that they know the beastmen lurk in the woods.

[-Sentinel-]

Felix took the men into the woods in order to teach them how to find clean water, how to identify edible mushrooms, how to move without leaving tracks and many other things any scout should know.


I intend to spend the whole day training the men in wilderness survival, stealth and such. At night we set camp.

[littlebottom]

during the day you track down some deer and such, and they are all learning as quick as they can, some quicker than others of course.

the name of the most promising man is oliver, and he seems to get everything right on his first try, or near enough. he is a reasonably large man with muscles to match, but his supprisingly quick.

[-Sentinel-]

As dusk fell, Felix ordered his men to stop and set camp. Around a small campfire, he told them tales of his days as a poacher. They were peasants, so surely they could understand (if not approve of) a man who had to break the baron's law to feed his starving family...


(OOC: After that, it would be bed time.)

[littlebottom]

mostly they nod and agree some general chatter debating it comes and goes, largely around the fact the baron was obviously cruel.

[-Sentinel-]

(Can we move on to the next morning?)


At dawn, Felix Schaefer woke his men and let them have breakfast from the remains of yesterday's deer.

"You're fast learners," he told them. "Allow me to reward you for your dedication to your training."

Grinning, he produced the three bottles of wine and passed them around the six men. Half a bottle each: not enough to make them drunk, but enough to make them brave.

[littlebottom]

5 of them gladly accept, but the other doesnt drink, so he doesnt have any.

they chat about the day before and how eventful its been, thanks to you!

[-Sentinel-]

"Today I'll teach you about stealth," Felix told the men.

Although he inwardly admired the militiaman who didn't drink on duty, he hoped he would not cause problems later, when came the time to enact the risky part of his plan. But now was too late to turn back.

He led them to a patch of mud.
"Smear your faces with this, to blend with your surroundings." Felix put on his brown leather mask. "Later, you can invest in something like this. Same result, but mud is cheaper."

[littlebottom]

the men smear the mud on their faces and hands, a couple go as far as to try and cover every bit of flesh that happens to be showing at all. they all await your judgement as to if it was sufficient.

[-Sentinel-]

"Good enough," said Felix critically. "Now follow me."

He led the militiamen through the woods to the nearest road.

"All right. You, you and you, go to the other side. The others, stay here with me. The goal is simple: don't be seen by people who pass."

Soon would come the risky bit, the one that could lead him to the hangman's noose if he had misjudged the men's loyalty. He intently watched the road, waiting for a coach or rider worth robbing.

[littlebottom]

the men waited uncertainly. "what are we waiting for?" a while passes and nothing comes down the road, but eventually a small group of 3 come walking down the road, they dont look that big, and they are carying decent sized backpacks.

[-Sentinel-]

Motioning his men to follow him, Felix drew his bow and stepped on the road, his mask concealing his features.

"Good morning, travellers," the outlaw greeted the three passerbys as he nocked an arrow. "There's a tax on this road. You can pay it in gold or in blood... your choice."

[littlebottom]

your companions look at each other with shock on their faces... but not as shocked as the travelers. "y-y-yyes, certainly... how much is the tax my g-good sir?" the traveler asks

[-Sentinel-]

Felix smiled underneath his mask, but kept his arrow pointed at the men.

"We'll see. Empty your bags and purses on the ground."

There was no sense in stealing more than their valuables, if they had any. Felix may be an outlaw, but he would not rob a poor man of his last copper; only the nobility did that.

[littlebottom]

the three men look a little weak at the knees, but they pull out money pouches and empty them as requested. theres around 1 and a half gold between them all. "its all we got! we need it to travel, please dont do this!" the man begs.

[-Sentinel-]

Felix cursed himself. He should have waited for rich travellers before taking such a risk...

"Keep your money, I want to see what's in your backpacks."

[littlebottom]

they reveal the contents of their back packs, this largely includes tents and sleeping or cooking equipment, changes of clothes, tankards, food and drink aswell as a few odds and ends, like an eyeglass, and a locket.

roll me a perception roll

[-Sentinel-]

Perception (Int 29): [roll0]

Re-roll with Fortune point if failed; this sounds important: [roll1]

Darn.

[littlebottom]

if you have more than one fortune point you can use it

the men stand before you awaiting their judgement.

[-Sentinel-]

Visibly annoyed, Felix Schaefer dug into his purse and threw a gold coin to each traveller.

"Nothing happened," he grumbled. "Apologies for the inconvenience."

[littlebottom]

the travelers graciously accept the money and get moving along the path at speed.

your trainees ask you questions like "what was that for?" and "can you explain whats going on" most of the men seem confused by what just happened.