[WFRP] The Bloody Crown IX

[-Sentinel-]

In search of someone else to kill, Elsa spotted the man with a huge axe trying to cleave his way to her. Two brave halberdiers were still fighting him off and standing in the way of her spells, so Elsa made a mental note to keep an eye on this fight as she looked for a better target. Astoria was battling Kelda and seemed to be having trouble. This was clearly no normal wolf that the Norscan woman turned into.

Ah well. I liked you when we first met, Kelda Wave-Born... but war is war.

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Just a Fireball on Kelda, nothing fancy. All those Tzeentch's Curses are starting to worry me.

Channeling: (d100)[4]
Fireball 12+: (3d10)[6][9][5](20)

Location: (d100)[91]
Damage: (d10+4)[14] - Fury confirmed in OOC, 22 damage

Location: (d100)[87]
Damage: (d10+4)[14] - Fury confirmed in OOC, 17 damage

Location: (d100)[53]
Damage: (d10+4)[6]

The power of the fireball that exploded out of her fingers scared even her.

[LCP]

Astoria didn't see the fireballs until they hit, blasting the wolf off her like a shot from a cannon. The huge animal struck the ground and rolled like a rag doll, its golden fur burning fiercely around the charred hole that had been chewed through its side. It wasn't moving.

Behind Elsa, a gruesome scream marked the end of the halberdier who had been standing before Rorik's axeman. Pushing through the back of their line, he hefted his bloody weapon, his gaze fixed on Elsa. Behind him, the thin line of Norten's men were buckling, the dense wedge of men that Rorik had led up the hill beginning to break through on their left flank. It could only be moments until the floodgates broke.

~

"You're good," he was forced to admit. He certainly couldn't imagine Sforza fighting on the front line like this. Despite his hatred for the Jarl and his raiders, he had a begrudging respect for that.

Rorik said nothing in reply - the only language the Jarl was speaking was violence. Evading the first blow, Sieghard almost walked into the next, a ringing strike to the head that left his world spinning inside his helmet. Staggering back, he almost lost his footing as Rorik drove his boot hard into his gut.

"Did your master buy you that shiny shell, southerner?" Rorik roared, pushing Sieghard inexorably back into the halberdiers. "All the money in his vaults isn't going to save you when I peel you out of there!"

[-Sentinel-]

"Astoria! Help me over here!" Elsa yelped, a bit embarrassed by the tone of panic creeping into her voice, as the axeman strode towards her purposefully. She had freed Astoria up from her fight, it was only fair that she got some help in return.

Elsa had only one weapon at her disposal, and she raised her still-functional hand to wield it again.


OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Fireball, Magic Focus (2x number of fireballs).

Channeling: (d100)[34]
Casting 12+: (3d10)[9][8][5](22)
Chaos die: (d10)[8]

Four fireballs on Scary Axe Guy, two on a random valid target who's trying to circle behind us.

Location: (d100)[63]
Damage: (d10+4)[6]

Location: (d100)[58]
Damage: (d10+4)[6]

Location: (d100)[69]
Damage: (d10+4)[14]

Location: (d100)[72]
Damage: (d10+4)[10]



Location: (d100)[94]
Damage: (d10+4)[9]

Location: (d100)[87]
Damage: (d10+4)[11]

Her first fireball hurtled towards the axe man. Her second, she threw at one of the hill men making their way towards the gap at the back of their formation, just to make the rest think twice.

[LeSwordfish]

"Help the halberdiers!" Ludo shouted, wondering if anyone at all could hear him. Over the noise of the fight and the roar of the flames - and his heartbeat, which at the moment sounded like a war-drum - he was surprised if anyone could hear anything. "Don't let the line break!"

Elsa's shout for help did break through, though, and he turned to see the massive axeman bearing down on her. He fired his crossbow - much too hastily, the bolt twanging off over the axeman's head without coming anywhere near a hit.

[Erulasto]

Surprise was far too mild a word, as Astoria recoiled from the Wolf as it was blasted by the rage of Elsa's magick. She staggered back, shielding her face from the sudden enveloping heat. Finally, peering down at the smoldering carcass, the young knight scowled.

"Good riddance."

She turned, seeking out a new foe to engage when she heard the Bright Wizard's impassioned plea for aide. It did not take long to locate Elsa, nor the axe-bearing Norscan who was stalking towards her with purpose.

With a dark expression, Astoria broke into a run, seeking to place herself between the Norscan and Elsa.

As she closed the last bit of distance, Astoria surged forward with a sudden burst of vigor as she sought to charge into the axe-man and use her momentum from the charge to lance him.

"You will not catch so worthy a prize today, Norscan! I will hinder you if I may." Sparing Elsa a small glance and a cavalier smile. "Apologies, my Lady. I would have been here sooner but that Wolf seemed much less inclined to be stuck with my spear than it did to be cooked." She offered a light, airy laugh that was filled with the exaltation of battle.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Charge!

(1d100)[45] vs 72 (62 WS + 10% charge, Fast trait)

Damage (1d10+5)[11]

Parry!

(1d100)[87] vs 72 (62 WS + 10% Shield)

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"You will hold!" Sieghard snarled, ignoring Rorik's taunting. He sidestepped another blow. "Push the savages back!"

Where the hell is the Iron Company? She said they were close... Surely they saw the smoke and heard the battle. How much longer would they have to hold out? Would they even be able to?

Spoiler

Show

First, a command roll. Let's try to give the Halberdiers a bit more of a push.
(1d100)[52] vs 49

And then, more swift attack.
(1d100)[83] vs 51
(1d10+6)[11] Damage

(1d100)[21] vs 51
(1d10+6)[9] Damage

[LCP]

It was hard for Sieghard to inspire Norten's men to push the raiders back when he was being so forcefully pushed back himself. Rorik didn't let up, blow after blow raining down on Sieghard as he ducked, dodged and blocked his way back from the relentless assault.

Behind him, the blinding flash of flames signalled Elsa turning her attention on the one-eyed axeman. Gritting his teeth through the fire, he only grunted as he took Astoria's spear in his side, the bright spearhead piercing dull mail to pull back wet with blood. Perhaps overconfident that her foe was beaten, Astoria didn't get her shield up in time - the Norscan's axe clove into her side with monstrous strength, cracking black armour and staining her white robes red.

More raiders were pouring in behind him, Norten's line finally thinned to breaking point. At Ludo's command, the Thorns rushed to plug the gap, about half remaining behind to face the hill-men coming around the eastern edge of the fires. Astoria and the fearsome axeman quickly vanished behind a scrum of struggling bodies. Looking to each other, Elsa and Ludo found they had a precious moment to breathe.

Barely audible above the clamour, a raven's cry drifted through the scorching air. Looking up, Elsa saw the tiny silhouette of Morrslieb, soaring up over the ridge behind them. Here, her familiar spoke urgently in her mind, here!

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Both named Norscans are now hidden in melee; Arne is still somewhere behind the curtain of flame.

[Erulasto]

Never had Astoria felt pain quite like the blow that tore into her side, grinding her armour and tearing into flesh. The axe-blow staggered her, and she felt the heat of her blood spilling down to stain her robes.

That was troublesome, to say the least.

She grit her teeth as suddenly she was separated from Elsa and the rest of her allies by the melee that had spilled out around her. At least the Axeman would not have an easy time of felling the Bright Wizard at this rate. That would suffice.

Knowing that the situation was growing dire, Astoria sought to end the threat as swift as possible - hoping beyond hope, praying to the Eagle that her own blows would strike true. She lashed out with her spear twice more, perhaps a bit more conscientious of her own shield placement to stave off any counter attacks.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Swift Attack 1 (1d100)[79] vs WS 62
Damage 1 (1d10+5)[14]
Swift Attack 2 (1d100)[87] vs WS 62
Damage 2 (1d10+5)[8]

Parry! (1d100)[42] vs 72 (WS 62+10 Shield)

Good lord, Myrmidia is not with Astoria today. She's not particularly making a good show of herself this battle. Heh

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo followed Elsa's gaze, from the smouldering corpse of the wolf to Morrslieb overhead.

"You killed Kelda?"

"If Sforza's nearly here, we need to find Rorik before he can retreat. If we - well, you - can kill him here before he retreats... also, Sieghard's probably fighting him and might need some help. I'll see if I can find Astoria and get her to help too"

Ludo drew his sword again and began trying to worm his way through the press towards the last place he'd seen Astoria.

[-Sentinel-]

Here, her familiar spoke urgently in her mind, here!

Elsa roared in exultation. They could win the day. They only had to hold a little longer.


"You killed Kelda?"

"Seems like I did." Unless Kelda had only 'died' in her wolf form and would return to human form without a scratch. Elsa did not know much about werewolves and preferred not to make assumptions. "I'll have a closer look at her when this is all over."

"If Sforza's nearly here, we need to find Rorik before he can retreat. If we - well, you - can kill him here before he retreats... also, Sieghard's probably fighting him and might need some help. I'll see if I can find Astoria and get her to help too."

"The battlefield's a bit crowded right now," replied Elsa. "I'll kill whoever I can and we'll see." Even if the Iron Company joined the battle, Jarl Rorik seemed like the kind of man who did not back down easily.

She then addressed Morrslieb. Maybe you should stay away from this fight. They've got bows.

...Right. Morrslieb sounded nervous. I'll watch from afar.

Grinning, Elsa shouted: "The Iron Company is coming! Men of the South, do not falter now! For Sforza! For the Reaches!" She punctuated her call for renewed ferocity with a barrage of fireballs at nearby foes.

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Fireball, Magic Focus. I'm aiming at three nearby targets; preferably hill men standing between Elsa and Ulfgeir, but if there are Thorns in the way, I'll aim instead at any hill men trying to circle around the southern edge of the Curtain of Flames.

Channeling: (d100)[1]
Casting 12+: (3d10)[2][3][4](9) - Success thanks to Channeling! No Curse.
Chaos die: (d10)[1]


Target 1
Location: (d100)[16] and (d100)[46]
Damage: (d10+4)[9] and (d10+4)[5]

Target 2
Location: (d100)[59] and (d100)[17]
Damage: (d10+4)[6] and (d10+4)[14] Fury! Confirmed, but only +2 damage.

Target 3
Location: (d100)[81] and (d100)[93]
Damage: (d10+4)[13] and (d10+4)[13]

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

You had better be right, Elsa. He didn't dare take the time to try to spot them himself.

"Hold!" Sieghard shouted again, "The Iron Company is almost here! You will hold until they arrive!"

Spoiler

Show

Command.
(1d100)[93] Rerolled 22 OOC vs 49

Swift attack. Come on dice gods, I'm overdue for a good one.
(1d100)[89] vs 51
(1d10+6)[10] Damage

(1d100)[61] vs 51
(1d10+6)[7] Damage

[LCP]

The battered halberdiers behind Sieghard set their feet and held their ground, despite the waves of Raven Hills raiders pushing against them. Bellowing like a bull, Rorik smashed forward into Sieghard once again - he knew their resolve would break if they saw their leader fall. Battering through his defences, he hacked into his enemy's side with a powerful backhanded swing, striking the gap in the plate beneath Sieghard's arm. Chain links broke beneath the blade, and Sieghard could feel a trickle of blood running down inside his armour.

"You think Sforza will save you?" Rorik roared, pressing his attack. "Sforza spent five years hiding from me!"

A dozen yards away, Astoria and the axeman were still trading blows, the big Norscan moving out of the path of her spear with short, economical steps. His axe was too cumbersome to match the speed of Astoria's strikes, so he waited for his moment - but when it came, the heavy axehead moved like a bolt of lightning. Wriggling between the men fighting around them, Ludo saw Astoria get her shield up just in time, the axe making it ring like a cathedral bell.

Behind them, Elsa was sending more bolts of fire spinning into the fray, the smell of brimstone permeating the air. Men were falling, burning, but all around her she could see the militia giving ground. Sieghard and Astoria could only be in so many places at once, and the hill-men simply had more numbers. On the left, the group Kelda had led with the younger Norscan had found the edges of her wall of fire, and were now pouring in from either side.

A bugle sounded behind them, and a brief lull opened in the fighting as men looked up to see. A black and gold banner was rising over the ridge, showing a brace of spears fanned out behind a castle wall. As the standard rippled in the breeze, an armoured figure on a white horse rode out ahead of it, a forest of pikes slowly rising behind him. The Captain was here.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo had had little love lost for Sforza personally, but to see him ride over the hill at that moment, the Iron company at his side... he whooped in glee. The sound of Ulfgeir's axe hitting Karlott's shield woke him though, and he turned to charge in against the big man, sword swinging. "Hey, down here! If fighting a woman's too hard for you, maybe try a halfling instead!"

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Charge attack! (1d100)[52] to hit vs 58 (+20 outnumbering 3:1, +10 charge), (1d10+2)[3] damage which doesn't matter unless its a fury.

Clank.

[-Sentinel-]

What is that fool doing? thought Elsa as Ludo wove through the melee. He'll get himself killed!

But then again, he was nimble, and he had survived a lot. She worried more about Sieghard, who by the sounds of it was still battling the huge Jarl. She had no idea how that fight was going, but the mere fact that it was not over yet meant Sieghard could use some help. Gauging Rorik's position to the best of her abilities, she attempted to make him drop his sword.

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Channeling: (d100)[81]
Casting 4+: (2d10)[1][1](2) - Aw crap. Double 1 (auto-fail + possibility of Insanity Point) and Curse.
And this is the part most likely to fail, Rorik's WP: (d100)[25]

The wind of Aqshy whipped hard across her mind, like a bowstring grazing an archer's arm. It almost felt like punishment for asking too much.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"No one is hiding from you!" Sieghard spat, swinging again.

Spoiler

Show

Good attempt. I like the way you think. Sieghard isn't likely to win this one in straight attrition. Rorik's got the lead and had the advantage going in anyways.

Swift attack. First one is a disarm attempt, second depends on the results and will be rolled OOC
(1d100)[76] vs 51 WS
(1d100)[40] vs ?? (Rorik's parry)

(1d100)[57] vs 52 (Sieghard's agility)
(1d100)[40] vs 38 (Rorik's agility)

Edit: Sieghard missed the first and even if he hits the second attempt, Rorik will parry it. I'll not bother rolling further.

[Erulasto]

She felt the vibrations reverberate up her arm from the latest stroke of the Norscan's axe. This fool simply would not die, and he was slowly breaking her down through the tremendously powerful blows raining one after another.

The trumpets and horns that signaled the arrival of Sforza and their relief forces were a balm to Astoria's soul, and she allowed herself a small moment of jubilation - though when the valiant little Halfling leapt into the fray to join her in combat against Ulfgeir, she pulled her focus back to grim determination.

"Welcome, Master Stubbs! I am sorry to announce that I won't be collecting that gold from you. It seems our Wizardly friend decided to kill the wolf herself." She grunted, trying to find a moment of levity in the din of the battle.

Maybe with Ludo here it would prove distracting enough for Astoria to find her way through Ulfgeir's defenses. Hopefully it wouldn't be at the cost of the Halflings life.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Swift Attack 1 (1d100)[32] vs WS 62
Damage 1 (1d10+5)[11] + Fast
Swift Attack 2 (1d100)[39] vs WS 62
Damage 2 (1d10+5)[9] + Fast

Parry (1d100)[75] vs 72 (WS 62+10 Shield)

[LCP]

Something wet was seeping from Elsa’s nostril. Tasting its metallic tang on her lips, she wiped her hand across her face, and saw it come away sticky with blood.

All around, the terrible pressure on the militia’s lines was beginning to ease, Rorik’s tribesmen pulling back as they caught sight of the Iron Company appearing above them. They might have the advantage over Sieghard’s men, but even without the militia, the Tileans in their heavy armour would clearly have outmatched the ragged hill-men.

Bugles blew again, and Sforza spurred his horse back out of view, lines and lines of pikes advancing steadily over the hill. They marched rather than ran, weapons held at the ready. Across the rocky shelf where the militia had been holding out, the raiders began edging warily back from the fight, shields raised against reprisal.

“What are you doing?” roared Rorik, rounding on his own men as they tried to retreat. “Are you men, or gutless boys? Stand and fight!”

Swatting a parting blow from Sieghard aside with his shield, he stepped back to better see what was happening. Even his one-eyed axeman was backing off from Astoria, retreating to avoid being left behind by the tide of men flowing back around him. Astoria’s spear had cut a new gash in his leg, but he was still standing.

“Oro e sangue!” cried a voice from up the slope – Carraciolo’s voice. The Iron Company shouted it back as one, levelling their pikes and quickening their pace...

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Ulfgeir Disengages as the rest of the line retreats, leaving him 8 yards from Astoria & Ludo.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

“Are you men, or gutless boys? Stand and fight!”

"Are you?" Sieghard spat after him. "Don't turn your back to me, we aren't done." He grabbed his crossbow and sent a bolt into the dirt at the Jarl's feet.

Spoiler

Show

Quickdraw crossbow. Load. Shoot.

(1d100)[75] vs 59 - 10 (shield)
(1d10+5)[9] Damage

[LeSwordfish]

"Yeah, go ahead and run!" Ludo shouted, buoyed up on adrenaline."Not so tough when the Iron company's here! We've got your wolf's head on a pike and we're coming for Rorik's next!"

He scanned across the line of retreating hillmen, making sure they weren't dragging off any prisoners.

OOC

Spoiler

Show

Assuming nothing like that stands out, only ready and load crossbow.

[Erulasto]

Astoria watched Ulfgeir withdraw from the engagement warily, eyes never leaving the one-eyed Norscan. The arrival of the Iron Company had won the day, but though they were worse for wear - they had held. They had not broken.

It was a bitter victory, but a victory none the less.

With the wild men of the Raven Hills withdrawing, Astoria finally let the weariness and pain of her wound catch up to her. She drove the tip of her spear into the earth, and used it for support, leaning heavily upon it. A gauntleted hand was pressed to her side where Ulfgeir's axe had bit deep, and with a hiss of pain, it came away red and sticky.

"I doubt we will have seen the last of Rorik and his ilk. The Norscans will lick their wounds, and they will remember this day. For better...or for worse." She said, perhaps to herself. The young knight was prone to moments of strange reflection when her battles were done. Perhaps it was insight....or perhaps it was just blood loss.

[-Sentinel-]

Wiping her bleeding nose, Elsa kept a watchful eyes on the enemy archers, ready to duck if any sore losers tried to shoot her as they fled. She glanced over her shoulder at the advancing Iron Company. Did they intend to finish what the Thorns, the Volunteers and the militia had started? If so, Elsa would contribute some more of her magic to the effort. If not, it was not worth it.


OOC

Spoiler

Show

Doing nothing in particular this round. Defensive Stance, maybe?

[LCP]

Rorik raised his arms to the retreating hill-men, but even his baleful glare could not keep them in place as the Iron Company advanced steadily towards them. From out of the mass of his own men, the young Norscan appeared, gripping his Jarl's arm and shouting something in his ear.

Rorik snarled and pulled his arm away. Looking down at the crossbow bolt at his feet, he lifted his gaze to Sieghard and the ragged line of halberds reforming behind him. Even the Jarl knew he couldn't fight an army alone.

"This isn't over, Sieghard No-One's Son!" he said, raising his sword to Sieghard. "You and the witch will die by my blade! You hear me?" He began to walk backwards, keeping his eyes on his enemy. "I swear it on the blood of the Hound, I will have your head!"

Turning his back, he nodded to the younger Norscan. Unhooking a horn from his belt, the fair-haired man blew a long, mournful note, and the retreat began in earnest, the raiders running back down the hillside faster than the Iron Company could follow. Their archers held position to cover their retreat, arrows nocked to bows as they watched to see if the militia would pursue.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard looked back towards Elsa. Her face was a bit bloody, but he was relieved to see she looked unharmed otherwise. "<Get your pet behind them. They don't get to just walk away from this.>" he said in Tilean.

He reloaded his crossbow. "Real scary from a man whose running away," he said firing off another shot that bounced off Rorik's shield.

Spoiler

Show

If he's going to keep talking, I'm shooting him again.

(1d100)[64] vs 59 - 10 (shield)
(1d10+5)[10] Damage

Dice roller, why do you hate me?

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa was sorely tempted to blast some more fireballs at the retreating Norscans, but decided against it unless Sforza explicitly ordered her to. It seemed to go against the unwritten laws of war and would only ensure she could expect no mercy in the future. She could not help but grin at the Sieghard No-One's Son line, and even wider at the Jarl's promise.

Oooh, it's personal now. It seems we've made our mark in the Reaches.

She gave Rorik a cheery wave. If they met him again, she hoped she and Sieghard would get to fight him side by side, as they had battled Magog. And I'll finish what I started with this other one, too, she thought, briefly meeting the axe man's one-eyed gaze before he turned away from the battered, bloodied Astoria.

"<Get your pet behind them. They don't get to just walk away from this,>" hissed Sieghard.

Elsa gave Sieghard a hard gaze, a tad annoyed that he would refer to Morrslieb as a pet. <I might have him follow them, but I'm not sending Morrslieb into battle again. Sforza is right, he's too precious as a scout and messenger. And I'd like our enemies to keep believing him dead.>

Almost as an afterthought, she dismissed the curtain of flames to keep it from setting fire to the whole countryside. She then walked over to Kelda to see if she was determined to stay dead.

[LeSwordfish]

The adrenaline ebbing away as Ludo realised he was no longer in danger, he felt suddenly tired. It was tempting to simply sag down and rest - but he was uninjured, and there were very many that were not. "Hanna! Ingwald! Nat! Get your men doing what they can for the wounded, the surgeon will be here soon."

[Erulasto]

Gathering herself once more, Astoria slung her shield over her back and used her spear to lean on as she began to pick her way towards the rest of the Company.

She gazed about at the wounded, and finding some of the worst, she began to do what she could to help get the men and women patched up enough to await the Company's side. While she was pained from her own wound, there were more that needed the attention first.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

A few Heal checks!
(1d100)[16] vs INT 41
(1d100)[96] vs INT 41
(1d100)[7] vs INT 41

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"<Another fire wall could cut off their escape long enough for the Iron Company.>" Sieghard told Elsa without taking his eyes off Rorik.

OOC - Important

Spoiler

Show

This is an IC suggestion from Sieghard, not one I actually recommend doing. Too much risk.

[LCP]

The men behind Sieghard whooped and jeered as the raiders retreated, throwing taunts after Rorik to go with Sieghard’s crossbow shot. As it became evident the hill-men were in full retreat, the cheering grew louder and louder – the exultant sound of men overjoyed and perhaps a little surprised to be alive. Before Elsa could reach the spot where Kelda had fallen, four of the militia had seized her and lifted her up on their shoulders, the others flocking around her to cheer their saviour. Sieghard and Astoria could have been forgiven for feeling a little forgotten in the sudden rush towards the wizard. “Did you see her?” Ludo heard Roth’s exuberant shout. “Did you see her?”

The wild celebrations died down – though not entirely – as the black-and-gold banner of the Iron Company came near. Riding out from the disciplined ranks of the pikes, the Captain raised his visor and ran an appraising eye over the field of battle. Smoke still rose from the blackened swathes where Elsa’s spells had struck, the scorched bodies of her victims scattered like leaves around them. Even Sforza couldn’t help but look impressed.

“So,” he said, when Sieghard approached him through the throng. “The mad dog is off his chain.” He looked again to the marks of Elsa’s sorcery. “I thought you said you needed reinforcements?”

Sieghard was pretty sure that was a joke.

“He must have driven his men hard to catch us unawares,” the Captain continued, lifting his gaze to Rorik’s retreating force. “They will be tired. Giovanni! Set our scouts on the Jarl, see where he makes camp. We’ll finish him here.”

Carraciolo snapped off a smart salute, and began issuing rapid-fire orders in Tilean. As the tight formations of the Iron Company began to break apart, Sforza swung himself down from the saddle, grasped Sieghard by the forearm, and shook him by the shoulder.

“Good work, commander,” he said. “You make your Captain proud.”

If Sieghard had been expecting more than that, he was disappointed – Sforza was already striding past him, heading to where the militiamen still gathered around Elsa.

~

Picking over the detritus of the battlefield with the assistance of Hanna and Ingwald’s Thorns, Ludo tried to take stock of the butcher’s bill. Nat was unable to assist on account of being among the wounded himself – sitting with his back to a stone, the old toll-keeper was doing his best to staunch the bleeding from a deep spear-wound in his leg. When Ludo came near he tried to stand, but it quickly became clear that that was a very bad idea. Astoria quickly took over the job of bandaging his wounds.

By Ludo’s count, eight of their company had been killed, and another seven incapacitated by their wounds. The number of walking wounded was much higher – but even counting all of them, it was clear that Rorik’s men had come off far worse in the exchange. Now that the frenzy of the fight was ebbing away, the stink of cooked flesh from the bodies they had left behind was beginning to grow sickening.

Kelda still lay where she had fallen – still a wolf, still very much dead. Noticeably larger than a wolf ought to be, the beast lay with half-human eyes staring blankly up at the sky, a charred hole burned clean through her ribcage. Human blood still speckled her muzzle.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Casualty count:

Halberds – 5 dead (including Meiner), 4 seriously injured, 10 walking wounded.
Volunteers – 3 dead, 3 seriously injured (including Nat), 6 walking wounded.
Thorns – 1 dead (thanks Kelda), 5 walking wounded.

~

“Good to see your bird back in the air again, signora,” said Sforza, the celebrating Thorns parting around him as he approached Elsa. “It seems you’ve had quite the battle.”

He gestured around them at the devastation Elsa had wrought. Elsa could see no shock or horror in his expression – only the reflection of her own fires dancing in his dark eyes. He had seen what she was capable of, and was hungry for more.

“She broke ‘em!” broke in one of Roth’s comrades from the Savonne dungeons, too excited to contain himself. “They’d have had us if it weren’t for her, your highness. She burnt ‘em all to pieces!”

“So I see,” said Sforza. Raising an eyebrow, he looked back to Elsa. “Do you think you’re ready to show Alvarr?”

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa tried to fight down a grin as the Thorns lifted her up. Act like it was nothing, she told herself. Just a wizard doing what all wizards do. But she smiled in spite of herself. She did like the adulation.

Sforza brought a swift end to the celebrations: “Giovanni! Set our scouts on the Jarl, see where he makes camp. We’ll finish him here.”

Elsa nodded in approval. The beast was wounded, exhausted and demoralized, and it could not be allowed to recover. Some like Sieghard or Astoria might be forgiven if they chose to sit this one out, given their injuries, but Elsa fully intended to take part. She would no doubt be expected to. This had been the first time she unleashed such power on the battlefield, and the result impressed even her.

I am a battle wizard now, not just a wizard who takes part in battles.

She knelt by Kelda's body and closed the wolf's eyelids, wishing they had at least traded some words before the battle. Something solemn and bittersweet, like 'I regret that it has come to this', or 'Perhaps we'll share a drink in the afterlife'. Or maybe just a look and a nod of mutual respect. But the Norscan woman had most likely not even known what hit her.

Actual rivalries did not always play out as they did at the theater.

"Make sure to burn her with the others," Elsa instructed nearby Thorns. "I met her a couple of times before, and she was a person. She even reminded me of myself. Anyone tries to make a fur coat out of her, I'll make a skin coat out of them." She cared not what others might think of her respect for Kelda. The wolf-woman was dead, anyway.

---

"Good to see your bird back in the air again, signora. It seems you’ve had quite the battle."

"I did," said Elsa casually, putting on a mask of slightly overdone false modesty. "I tried out a new spell. I'd call it a success."

"Do you think you're ready to show Alvarr?"

She grinned wolfishly. "That, I am." She paused. "Did you see my fool of a horse run past you earlier?"

[Erulasto]

When the Knight had done all she could for Nat, she clapped the man on his shoulder with a grim smile.

"Morr shall not be dining with you in his gardens tonight, soldier. You, like the others, have done well! Get yourself to a surgeon to finish tending those wounds. It would not do for you to have survived here to be felled by infection later."

With a grimace that she tried to hide behind that tight-lipped smile, Astoria rose once again and picked her way through the carnage, offering kind words and praise to the Thorns who had held, despite the odds. Hanna and Ludo's valiant defense against the Norscan would be another tale told 'round the fires tonight she suspected.

When she had found a spot that would not be in anyone's way while they worked, she slumped to her knee's and began to unbuckle her breastplate - a task made all the more difficult due to her wound. All the while, her lips moved as long-drilled words came to mind.

"Great Lady, you guide my blade and buoy my spirit and my shield. I thank you for the watchful gaze that protects me. I thank you for the wind under your wings that stokes the fire of courage in my breast. I thank you for the gifts you have given me; a strong arm, a strong body and a strong mind. Per la gloria di Mirmia, ora e fino alla morte."

When her breastplate was set reverently aside, she began to bind her own wound as swiftly as possible. If Sforza sought to press his advantage against Rorik and the Hill-men, he would undoubtedly want to utilize Elsa in the attack.

Her knowledge of magicks and the ways of Wizards was....limited...to say the least, but the young knight had seen the blood on the Bright Wizard's face. Pushing herself to unleash such devastation was, Astoria thought, dangerous. There was a reverence in Astoria as she thought back to the cataclysmic power the young woman unleashed. She was like a living weapon, and that was perhaps as dangerous for her well-being.
There was a resolve that the youthful Estalian knight found; a well-spring inside her that reaffirmed what she had been coming to believe already.

When the wounds were bandaged and tended to the best of her ability, Astoria began to once more don the breastplate and secure her armour in place. Copper eyes sought out the Capitano.

"Capitano Sforza. You have my thanks for the timely intervention." She smiled at him, giving a stiff bow. "Your men fought valiantly. It was an honour to have fought at their sides. You are fortunate to have such men and women in your employ. But..." Astoria paused for a moment, and scratched her chin.

"I would beg of you a favour, if you would allow it. I am in desperate need of a horse."

If Elsa was to be Sforza's weapon, then Astoria would be the shield that protected her from harm.

But she was going to need that horse first.