Five Leagues, Turn 9 - Looters!

Village actions saw our heroic adventurers forage some healing herbs and gain some gold marks through some successful gambling by Robert Fitzwilliam.  A Wandering Scholar (random village event) came through the village but no one learnt a new skill.

Following on from the border raids last turn, news reached the town of looters roaming the countryside, preying on those bodies left on battlefields, and empty homes and farmsteads.  Our heroes duly strapped on weapons and armour and headed out.

This turn's enemy would be a total of nine looters, including a Lieutenant, one who was 'Manic' (ignores morale results), and one 'Craven' (roles an extra morale die).  The engagement would take place when the party stumbled upon them while traveling along the road, and close to an Old River.  The party's objective would be to 'eliminate' the opposition (kill or knock out at least four).

The party caught up with the looters close to a ford across the river.  With their backs to the water, the enemy had no choice but to try and fight their way out of trouble.

 

 

The opening turn saw the adventurers roll up a bumper crop of activations.  Will drew his bow and immediately dropped one of the looters, while Jocelyn and Thomas raced ahead to block the way to the ford.  The rest of the band advanced into the wood, to meet the advancing looters.

 

My dice rolling is not normally this good!

The looters' leader led the craven towards Jocelyn and Thomas, hoping to clear the way across the ford, only to be felled by a bolt from Jocelyn's crossbow, while Thomas charged and killed the Craven.  Finan and Oswald were the first to reach the main body of looters.  An inconclusive fight followed, but two looters still fled the scene.

Will's bow took another, meeting the party's objective, while swords and hammers clashed in the main fight.  Robert and Guy each claimed a looter, but Finan was less lucky and fell to the ground when his enemy's sword found a gap in his armour (this was a stupid mistake on my part, I had forgotten that Finan's armour had been damaged in the last turn, and hadn't got it repaired or replaced in the town).

 

It was all too much for the last looter, who fled the field, never to return.

Oswald and Guy lifted a dazed Finan to his feet, as he cursed his torn armour.  Will looked at the body of the looter he had felled with an arrow, his face thoughtful.  Thomas laid a hand on his shoulder, "Never should be easy, taking a life".  "That's the thing though, I pulled that string without a second thought" said Will, "but he wasn't doing anything I haven't done myself".  "The wheel turns Will, never know which side you might find yourself on one day to the next.  But the choices you make when you're there?  They're your own.  We can only hope to make better ones on that day than these poor souls did".

Finan proved to only be knocked out (again!).  Looting the looters (!) the party found a large quiver (user can't run out of arrows in a battle) and a potion of Bear Draught (gives extra toughness and a bonus against armour).

XP was awarded, and Guy gained +1 agility and Jocelyn a new skill.

The success in this battle meant that the Outlaw threat in Winterbourne was finally reduced to 0, the first one!