Callum, Lira and Oliver Fitzwilliam were nearing the lookout. It was only another two days ride to Littlewater Point, the watchtower where the Mounted Rangers had last been seen. Littlewater had been erected centuries ago, in some long-lost war against Golinlund. It had sat in relative peace until it found new and pressing use against the current "northern troubles."

Hopefully the lost Rangers were just out of supplies, or sick, or dead, and the trio could ride back to the relative safety of some frontier village within the week. In the meantime, however, they needed to cross a bridge. And standing over that bridge were two mounted men, raggedly-dressed highwaymen living the old "toll" cliche. There were routes around this particular bottleneck, but it would add days to the journey. The bandits didn't speak yet, waiting for the party to approach within shouting distance. They were still about 100' feet away, with clear fields to the north, a stand of trees to the south, and the river and the bridge east. The road stretched back west.

[Keeping things very simple for now with a cliche bandit fight. We're starting in the thick of it with you guys already in the field, heading to the action. Iniatitive is 2d6+Dex, I don't see a reason to make it more complicated than that. The bad guys aced theirs, but players win ties. You can also try to talk, of course, nothing has actually happened yet.

Initiative:

Bandits: 13
Callum: 4]

Oliver had been in the lead, but had not seen  the men until his horse, Venture have a couple of snorts to alert him. He takes his lance out of it shoe and places it across his saddle as he continues to hailing distance.

"And what can we help you with Gentlemen ?" He asks while preparing for a frontal assault if it comes to that.


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Once the men had been spotted and a warning had been past down the line Lira cranes herself to the left to get a view of the men at the bridge. She then right herself and takes the catch off her crossbow as she waits for a response from Oliver's hail.

She glances at Callum from the back of her families old draught horse, Charger while trying not to look down at the height she was at. Something she still has not gotten use to since leaving the farm all those months ago.

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This message was last edited by the player at 02:04, Sun 07 Oct 2018.

One of the riders on the bridge, a man in a wide-brimmed felt hat that seemed to be the leader, answered Oliver. He road about 30' toward them as he spoke. "Lots of melt from the pass this season. Me and my brother here have maintained the bridge at great expense, and ask only a toll of..." he trailed off, sizing up the party for a moment. "Fifty gold marks. That's ten per horse, five per person, three for bridge maintenance, one to tax (long live the King) and of course another." He grinned with black teeth. "As a gratuity."

The bandit's voice dropped low. "And your gun," he said, dropping all pretense and gesturing with a nod toward the carbine slung over Oliver's back. It was at about this moment that Lira noticed movement about 80' to the party's south, in the treeline. A man was lying prone in the shade, the long barrel of a musket or maybe carbine partially hidden in the foliage. Lira heard the crinkle of Callum's leathers as he tensed up on his horse next to her; he saw him too.

Oliver, for his part, was too absorbed in the lead bandit's bluster. The man in the hat tossed aside part of his coat, revealing a pistol. He rested his hand on it threateningly, but did not draw it yet.

[OOC: Bandits are all only wearing thick clothing, 8 AC. Rather not reveal all their weapons yet. Combat isn't quite inevitable yet, but their intention is clearly to rob you.
Bandits: AC 8, Initiative 13 (HP 3, 5 and 7)
Callum: AC 5, Initiative 4 (HP 9)]

Oliver sat upright in his saddle having cocked his pistol in its holster at the side of his saddle as he used the movement of his lance with it brightly sewn pennant to disguise his action. A sigh escaped his lips of to many similar situations both in the distant and near past. "Yes, did a group of riders pass this way not a day or two past ?"

He said nothing more on the extortion effort.

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Lira slides off the left side of the large horse, putting it between herself and the musketman. She crotches next to the horses legs with her crossbow cradled in her lap waiting to see what the men to the front will do while watching the man in the shadows.

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This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Sun 07 Oct 2018.

The brigand in the hat seemed utterly uninterested in answering Oliver's question. "I said hand over fifty gold marks, your gun, and that pretty lance of yours," he sneers. The bandit leveled his pistol at Oliver, and over his shoulder the old cavalry commander could see the man on the bridge raising a carbine. The fool appeared set on shooting from the horse, however.

Callum looked like he wanted to ride forward a bit to whisper in Oliver's ear and warn him of the man in the brush, but he was afraid of setting off the trigger-happy men on the bridge if he did so. He waited for now, to see if Oliver would acquiesce to their escalating requests.

[Bandits: AC 8, Initiative 13 (HP 3, 5 and 7)
Callum: AC 5, Initiative 4 (HP 9)]

"Of course Gentlemen, your toil must be great to keep the road in such great condition." He throws a bag of coins from his saddle bags towards the men so that it dropped short and rolled in the dust.

When their eyes were averted elsewhere Oliver drops from his horse and from one knee fires on the man in the large hat.

Oliver Fitzwilliam rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Oliver Initiative.

Oliver Fitzwilliam rolled 10 using 1d20+2.  Attack with pistol.

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Lira fires her crossbow at the musket man

Lira rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Lira Initiative.
 Lira rolled 4 using 1d20+1.  Attack.

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[OOC: Okay, since Oliver didn't really know the musket guy was hiding in ambush, we're going to treat this as a surprise round where everyone but Oliver can act.

Initiative order is:

Bandits 13
Oliver 11 (skipping due to surprise)
Lira 9
Callum 4]

The greedy bandit's eye follow the purse for a moment, but as soon as he spots Oliver trying to get off his horse, he fires instinctively. The shot goes wide, however, carving a sizzling divot into the dirt a few inches away from where Oliver crouches.

A second gunshot, more distant, rings out from the south, and Callum hears a musketball whiz past his head. The man on the bridge makes a shot as well, which unsurprisingly goes wide. There's silence for a moment, then a clatter of guns as the bandits largely abandon their spent weapons. Lira discharges her crossbow into the treeline to no effect, the bolt lost in the tangle of branches.

Callum, for his part, spurred his horse into a sprint, drew his saber, and tried to interpose himself between Oliver and the man in the hat. Oliver would still have time for his shot, however, as Callum had been a bit slow to react, and wouldn't be there in time to cut the bandit leader down.

The man in the hat pulled a worn-looking side-sword from a scabbard, charging forward to hack at Oliver. The rider on the bridge opened his horse up into a sprint as well, charging in Oliver's general direction. The brigand in the felt hat was still much closer, however, and he was about 20' away when Oliver saw his moment to take the shot... there was a loud crack of gunfire, but then nothing. The bandit leader continued charging at him; Oliver had missed!

[OOC: Don't forget to roll Pierce die and add AC to your hit rolls, but in this case a Pierce would only offer a +1 to the AC to bring to 19, still 1 short.]

Meanwhile, Lira saw the man hiding in the trees abandon all cover and all attempt at stealth, breaking from the trees and heading toward the road to assist his brothers-in-arms. He had no mount, but was moving at a dead sprint and fumbling to retrieve a pistol from his hip. He had managed to get about 20' away from Lira and her horse in the time before she'd be able to reload a bolt.

[Bandits 13 (already went)
Oliver 11 (already went, just went with your stated action of dismounting and shooting the leader)
Lira 9
Callum 4]

Lira moved the string back on her crossbow, puts another bolt into the grove and then puts the weapon to her shoulder. She aims at the man who had begun to run across the field leading her shot slightly.

Lira rolled 22 using 1d20+10.  Attack Bonus +1, DEX +1, Armour +8. Just making sure I have added all the bonuses I should have.

Lira rolled 10 using 1d10.  Damage
Lira rolled 7 using 1d8.  Pierce.


This message was last edited by the player at 01:39, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

Oliver was distracted by the shot from behind and turns to try and catch a glimpse of the person who fired it while taking his eye off the leader. Then realising his mistake he turns back to be confronted by the man running towards him.

When he realises what a position he is in Oliver begins to swing his carbine around on its sling to bring it to bear on the fast approaching enemy. As he does so his left hand scraps the dirt to the side of him taking up a handful of dust, dirt and gravel.


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This message was last edited by the player at 01:48, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

The man running across the field pulls his pistol clear, but too late. He stares in astonishment at the bolt protruding from his chest before he falls to the grass, dead. Pulling back the string on the crossbow, Lira glances north to see Oliver moments from being run down by the bandit leader. But at the last moment, Callum and his steed crash into the bandit, the mailman's saber cutting deeply into the bandit, inflicting a grievous wound!

The momentum and ferocity of Callum's charge knocks the bandit off-course. Pulling desperately at the reins with the bloody remnant of his right arm, the bandit hacked ineffectually at Callum, completely driven off and distracted from taking advantage of Oliver's vulnerable position.

Callum was now in trouble, however, as the other rider from the bridge had finally joined the fray. The second mounted bandit drew a cruel-looking warhammer from his side, and nearly used it to cave in the Golish survivor's head. Callum heard the beating hooves of the second rider's mare at the last moment, however, and ducked out of the way, the heavy weapon missing his skull by inches.

The remaining bandits circled their horses, preparing to charge again. It seems they didn't intend to run...

[OOC: Lira's attack looked exactly right!

I made a morale check for the bandits, but they astoundingly made it. Bandits are in it to win it even though they've whiffed all of their attacks, I guess. The bandit leader is still up, but barely, at only a single hitpoint. Callum jacked him up good.

Bandits 13
Oliver 11
Lira 9
Callum 4]
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:43, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

Oliver aimed and cocked his carbine and took aim at the rider who had just joined the melee, He placed the gold bead of his front sight on the mans chest and pulled the trigger.

Oliver Fitzwilliam rolled 12 using 1d20+5.  Attack.


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