[WFRP] The Bloody Crown IX

[LCP]

Elsa, Ludo & Sieghard

Swooping back over the road, Morrslieb unleashed another volley of fireballs, setting two more fires among the carts. Even if it wasn't him casting the spells, Elsa could tell her familiar was enjoying himself. Rising up on the heat from one of the burning wagons, he turned towards the head of the caravan. As he turned he saw something, the briefest flash of alarm reaching Elsa through their mental link -

She felt a stab of crippling pain in her chest, enough to make her double over in the saddle. Looking towards the caravan, Ludo saw a black dot falling out of the sky, and heard faint cheers rising from the wagons. They'd shot Morrslieb down.

OOC:

Spoiler

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Dice say he's dead; if you want to burn Fate to save him that's OK with me.

[-Sentinel-]

"No!" yelled Elsa as she watched the bird drop. Her breathing came out in heaving gulps. Dead.

No.

Wait.

Not yet dead. The link was unbroken. But at the very least, her feathered companion was badly injured. He needed her. And some fools would not be getting away with this.

She forced herself to calm down and replace her worry with a cold, implacable determination. "We keep moving," she snarled. "They can't keep this pace forever."

[LCP]

Elsa, Ludo & Sieghard

The caravan hadn't stopped - with the threat posed by Morrslieb neutralised, they were quickly able to bring the fires he'd started under control. The company pressed on after them, eating up the ground as the sun dipped further below the horizon.

They found Morrslieb in a bush close to the road, a crossbow bolt stuck through his left wing. Gingerly scooping him up, Elsa cradled the semi-conscious bird in her arms, looking ahead into the dark to find the men who had shot him. The caravan had been gaining distance at first, but now as their initial frantic burst of speed wore off, the Thorns were making it back. Men could march further without tiring than horses; that much Sieghard knew.

The sun was down now, and the moons hid behind low clouds gathering in the west. The caravan carried no lights, and soon enough they had vanished completely into the darkness. Sieghard was pretty sure they couldn't stray far off the road - those heavy wagons would too easily get stuck or break their axles on uneven ground.

"What's the plan, boss?" asked Ingwald, jogging back to Sieghard from the front of the formation. Elsa noticed that he passed her straight by. "We keeping this up?"

"They must've driven those poor beasts pretty hard to get this far," said Nat. "Didn't look like they had reserves. They camp soon, we can catch 'em in the morning."

Ludo caught the hopeful tone in his weary voice. Their own men had been on their feet all day, and none of them would relish the idea of a night march.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"If we wait til tomorrow, they'll make it too close to Savonne. We'd have Alvarr's entire army chasing us," Sieghard grumbled. The entire thing had put him in a foul mood. "We'll stop here for a bit to rest, then we pass them in the night. Once we've captured the wagons and put some distance between us and Savonne again, you can have a full day of rest to make up for it." He paid Elsa no more mind than Ingwald had.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa looked a bit despondent as she sat to carefully pry the arrowhead out of Morrslieb's wing.

i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry

If the bird lived, she swore to give him much more time to himself and never send him to combat all by himself again.

She was glad Sieghard intended to push further. Her wrath at whoever had shot her familiar had abated a bit, but the near-miss made her all the more determined to make sure it was not all for nothing. That convoy could not be allowed to pass.

[LCP]

Elsa, Ludo & Sieghard

Breaking off their pursuit for long enough to catch their breath, the three militia companies rested their feet at the side of the road, breaking out rations from their packs. Sieghard got them back on their feet before they could get too comfortable, looping out the west side of the road in an effort to cut in front of their quarry.

With the sun down and the moons hidden from view, they proceeded by dead reckoning - Sieghard found himself wishing he still had Gustaf and Karlott with him. Without the sure footing of the road, the men stumbled and cursed in the dark, Norten's halberds particularly. It was a hard slog for no certain reward, and as fatigue set in Sieghard could feel the men's mood souring.

They rejoined the road by the side of a sprouting barley field, guarded by a drunkenly leaning scarecrow with a ram's skull in place of a head. Morrslieb had broken from behind the clouds, tinging the night with sickly green light.

Crossing the field with the first of the Thorns, Ludo looked back along the road. With his keen eyes, he could make out a cluster of dark shapes less than a quarter of a mile north of them. Those had to be the wagons. They were drawn up into a rough square, perhaps as some kind of improvised fort. With no lights burning inside the caravan's camp, it was hard to tell for sure.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"See anything?" Sieghard asked, joining Ludo. He gazed north when Ludo pointed out what was most likely the wagons. "It should've gone differently," he said, his mood not improved any since earlier. "I bet they feel real proud of themselves shooting down the bird. Come morning they'll see we've got more than just the one trick."

Spoiler

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(1d100)[96] vs 36 Perception
(1d100)[28] reroll.

Not Sieghard's strongest skill, but he does have Night Vision as well, so his sight should be as good as Ludo's. Can Sieghard see anything to confirm that we are indeed looking at the wagons? Shadows of men or horses moving around or even just the fact that they're stock on the road itself.

If Leswordfish wants to get a conversation going, Sieghard will talk for a bit for a bit before moving on. If not or once they finish, he'll go back to help guide any stragglers and make sure everyone is accounted for.

[LeSwordfish]

"Hmm." Ludo said. He was a sprinter, not a marathoner, and had hobbled his way to Sieghard's vantage point on sore legs. "We've already missed one thing, and now we can't scout them properly. I don't like this. The red company was too easy, and this will be harder."

OOC

Spoiler

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Perception test: (1d100)[46]

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"They don't want a fight," Sieghard said. "They know they're outmanned. They may bleed us, but most or all of them will die and they'll fail to get the wagons through. It's why they fled when their scouts first spotted us."

"They think we're still behind them; They'll keep most of their scouts watching for us there. With a bit of luck, they won't realize the mistake until it's too late. Once the wagons are stopped, they'd be fools not to surrender."

[LeSwordfish]

"Hmm." Ludo said again. "I hope so."

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Something bothering you?" Sieghard asked.

[LeSwordfish]

"I just have a bad feeling about this." Ludo admitted. "Nothing solid but... look, if you send out scouts, let me go with them. I want to see them with my own eyes. I'm worried."

Ludo had been wearing his carefully dispassionate mask all day, and in its own way it had been as tiring as the forced march. "I don't like any of this."

[LCP]

Sieghard, Ludo & Elsa

Sieghard could make out no signs of movement behind the dark, blocky shapes of the wagons on the road. Without campfires or lanterns, the thin moonlight revealed the campsite only as a single mass of shadows.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"In the morning," Sieghard said. "Catch what sleep you can, we're going to start early tomorrow."

[LeSwordfish]

"Now we have all this food we really need to start spending more time on breakfasts." Ludo joked feebly, and retired to his bedroll.

[LCP]

Sieghard, Ludo & Elsa

The rest of the company settled in uneasily to wait 'til morning. The barley field gave them a little cover, but not much - once the sun came up, it would be difficult to remain concealed in this open country.

---

Festag, 29th Pflugzeit

It was well before sunrise, with the sky just beginning to lighten in the east, when one of the Thorns watching the road came creeping back to find Sieghard. Cold and cramped from lying in the open, he stirred himself to come see what the sentry wanted him to see.

In the pre-dawn light, the outlines of the wagons were clearer. They were still drawn up in a defensive square, but shapes were moving among them - the caravan's outriders, awake and mounted. As he watched, two broke north along the road, perhaps riding back to see if they were still being pursued. More were saddling their horses - if they came this way they couldn't fail to see the company lying in wait.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa blearily awoke and noticed to her embarrassment that she had fallen asleep with her head resting on Sieghard's shoulder. Her wounded raven was still in her lap, conscious but weak. She delicately tucked him inside the saddle bag hanging off Bastard's side. If the bird had made it through the night, he would probably live; whether he could ever fly again was another story.

It would not be long before the caravan spotted them. Let them. Once ruses and tricks were out of the picture, it was numbers that prevailed, and it was clear on whose side the numbers were.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"Start rousing the men," Sieghard said, rising and beginning to put his armor on. "The crossbowmen first."

"Not much hope of avoiding their scouts," he said to Elsa once sentry had gone. "They can't be allowed to report back until the wagons are headed south again. Otherwise the caravan may just try falling back towards Alvarran." It would stop them from reaching Savonne, but without capturing the wagons, there was nothing to stop them from trying again later.

[LeSwordfish]

"Will do." Ludo said, and hurried off to rouse the crossbowmen, thinking wistfully about the many kinds of breakfast they'd captured and abandoned.

[-Sentinel-]

"Not much hope of avoiding their scouts," he said to Elsa once sentry had gone. "They can't be allowed to report back until the wagons are headed south again. Otherwise the caravan may just try falling back towards Alvarran."

"Well, fireballs are rather noticeable from a distance," Elsa pointed out, "so it's best if I don't help you with that part."

She was not too concerned about the wagons falling back. They were unlikely to outrun the Thorns in the long run.

[LCP]

Ludo, Sieghard and Elsa

As Sieghard watched, six more horsemen left the wagons. Two headed east, two headed west, and two headed down the road toward their position.

Their horses ate up the distance in no time at all. Nat and Norten's men were still stirring themselves when the lead rider drew his horse to a halt, about sixty yards up the road. He had clearly seen something - the paltry cover of the barley field wasn't enough to conceal a hundred men.

Gesturing for his companion to hold position, he rode a few places forwards and shouted: "Who goes there?"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard's breath caught in his throat. Without moving anything else, his eyes darted back towards the wagons. Not moving yet... They needed more time...

"Please, we don't want any trouble," he called back, "You already burned our farms. We don't have anything else, please just leave us be."

[LCP]

Ludo, Elsa & Sieghard

Motioning for the other to stay put, the scout rode cautiously closer. Forty yards now.

"We're travelling from Alvarran," he called back. "We've burned nothing. Show yourselves!"

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

"No further," he called out, gesturing Ingwald, Hanna, and Ortwin over as he did, "We heard about what happened to the folk who didn't leave before the burning started. We'll defend ourselves if we have to." He paused a moment then continued. "You want us to do what you say, prove you aint with them first."

"All Thorns, crossbows loaded and take aim. No one fires til I say. Your men at him," he whispered to Ingwald. "Yours and yours at the one further back. Half at the riders, half at their horses." If he couldn't fool them, he'd have to chance the rest wouldn't notice them dying at this distance.

Spoiler

Show

Sieghard also readies, loads and takes aim.

[-Sentinel-]

Elsa was quiet but tense as Sieghard gave his orders. This was not her moment yet.

[LCP]

Sieghard, Elsa & Ludo

There was a lot of whispering behind Sieghard as Ingwald started relaying his instructions. There were a lot of instructions to relay.

The riders on the road looked to one another and exchanged some brief hand signals - they clearly weren't inclined to prove anything to the voice in the barley. One of them split off to the left, the other to the right - both leaving the road to try to circle round and get a better look at these unseen strangers.

[LeSwordfish]

Before Sieghard could act to stop him, Ludo had scrambled forward, shrugged off his swordbelt, and emerged from the edge of the field. His voice raised in an unexpected replication of Sieghard's gravel, he raised his hands and stepped towards the two guards.

"Are you with the tilean or not?" Ludo asked. "We ain't coming out 'till we see who you are."

[LCP]

Ludo, Elsa & Sieghard

The nearest of the two riders reined in his horse when he saw Ludo emerge out of the field.

"We're with the Duke!" he said. He gestured to himself, then back down the road. "Don't you see us plain?"

The second outrider hadn't stopped riding. He seemed to have spotted something - before Ludo could reply, he gave a shout of alarm, waving for his comrade to get back. The two of them turned their horses together, kicking the animals into a gallop back towards the wagons.

[TheSummoner]

Sieghard

Sieghard watched, surprised into silence as Ludo did his impersonation... Which was apparently convincing enough to fool the scouts. He tensed as the second man made his way around the field and knew the trick was over.

"Fire!" he shouted.

[LeSwordfish]

Ludo was almost certain that crossbow bolts aimed at men on horseback would pass harmlessly over his head, but he threw himself prone out of the way just in case.