This is the same scenario with the same terrain as in my previous report. However, this time there are more orcs and I am using my campaign warband, whom you can find described in this post on the Thrappled Lemmings. It is still a training scenario, so the warband cannot gain experience or wealth from it but it gives me a chance to try them out.
The Thrappled Lemmings had arrived in Utavoll. Not where they had intended, but somewhere on the coast. As they marched towards where Fulrad the Guide swore the nearest settlement should be, they encountered an orc patrol. The orcs were a group of seven that were clearly up to no good. You could tell by the way they were lurking in the woods. So, the Thrappled Lemmings chose to do the same and ducked into the cover of the nearest woods. The orcs advanced towards them.
One of their archers shot at Sir Thiebault, who had carelessly let himself get ahead of the rest of his warband. Fortunately, his expensive armour caused the arrow to ping off. An orc charged Fulrad who pushed it back.Wido and Fulrad pushed the next orc back as it charged the pair of them. The remaining orcs charged forward to form a ragged line of spears facing the adventurers. Fulrad took the opportunity to put an arrow through the offending orc's ears, cleaning out all its earwax in the process. The orc that had attacked him fell dead. Onesipe shot at another orc but missed. Sir Thiebault let out a might roar and charged one of the orc archers, who pushed him back, leaving him wounded and stunned. Drogo charged the same orc archer and cleaved it in two with his axe.
"That's how you do it, Sir Thiebault!" he sneered.
Wido charged one of the spear orcs. His own spear took it through the arm, leaving it stunned and wounded. Unfortunately, he was unable to take advantage of this as the other orcs sought to protect their spearmate.
Lysanthir moved to Sir Thiebault.
"Poor baby, poor baby, poor baby," he began to chant.
As he chanted, the air around him shimmered and Sir Thiebault's wound closed.
Seeing his companions cut down, the largest of the orcs fled the battlefield.
Onesipe and Fulrad let loose another volley of arrows. Onesipe hit a spearorc, leaving it stunned and wounded. Fulrad bravely skewered a tree. Sir Thiebault charged one of the orc archers, using his willpower to overcome his natural desire to let others begin the carnage. The orc was cut down, its head rolling in one direction and its body in another. Not to be outdone, Drogo charged into the fray, and promptly retreated as the orc turned the tables and knocked him silly with a violent blow. Fortunately, Drogo's armour protected him from worse harm than seeing stars. Lysanthir, like Sir Thiebault, had a healthy regard for letting others lead from the front, but he overcame this with pure will power to charge into the fray himself. Then he retreated quickly as neither he nor the orc could gain the advantage in the melee. Instead of following up Lysanthir, the orc turned on Wido, who skewered it after a quick exchange of blows that saw each gaining the advantage in turn. The orc that Onesipe had wounded decided that now was the time to get its revenge. A quick flurry of blows led to Onesipe pulling back wounded. The final orc attacked Drogo with renewed fury. He was unable to withstand its blows and was pushed back by the orc, bleeding from a nasty wound. Wido saw his chance and pushed in to wound the orc in its side, but was driven back in turn by the orc's battle fury. Despite the loss of their comrades, the remaining two orcs chose to fight on.
Seeing his chance while the orc was focused on Wido and Drogo, Sir Thiebault charged and bravely cut the spearorc down from behind. Lysanthir liked this idea, but the orc pushed him back immediately. The orc decided that Fulrad was a softer target, so it attacked him and got a knife in its belly for its pains. It expired messily.
The orc force was vanquished.
"Hah," exclaimed Sir Thiebault, "My saga gains another heroic episode. I thank you, my sidekicks, for bearing witness to my great actions."
"Yes, yes," muttered Lysanthir, "and more importantly, maybe we can now get on with finding this Evil Temple and looting it, if you are quite done wading in orc guts."
Well, they won. It was less one-sided than the previous game as the orcs scored some wounds on my team. However, as noted at the start, this is still a training scenario and the only thing that can be gained is a Story Point. Story Points are used to help the narrative, be it by allowing me to shape the story being told (e.g. encountering a specific enemy in battle) or by providing a bit of luck when a favourite character is hit or ensorcelled through permitting a reroll of the dice. That means the warband will start the campaign with 4 Story Points. Now all they need to do is roll successfully to find their jumping off point for the whole campaign and get there in one piece.
And, of course, now I need to read the campaign rules in detail. Once I have done that, I shall be back to see what misadventures the Thrappled Lemmings get into. I don't suppose this campaign will be played at a rapid rate of knots, but an intermittent campaign is better than none. That reminds me that i need to get back to poor Broneslav. He has been waiting months for me to create the map of the area he is about to enter.
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