Event 13: The Tower And The Gift
Frerin bowed to Maethordan, looking him up and down. "A Ranger of the North. That is good." Frerin looked over his shoulder back at the ruffian base. "She is guarded. I just thought she was someone they abducted from one of their attacks on merchants. But, being tied just below the watch tower, tells me, she's important to them, perhaps? Ensuring that she is under constant vigilance. I suspect if it's the lass you're after, you're not getting her without a fight. There's a patrol that moves around their encampment. Two in the tower, six inside, and two that patrol the outside from what I have seen."
"We need to avoid engaging all of them at once. Maybe Dolly can draw a few away on a chase. What do you think?" Lodin patted Dolly affectionately. "With this moonlight I don't know that we'll get a good chance for the sneaky play and waiting too long leaves more opportunity for us to be discovered. Our best bet is to draw them out somehow. I've got an idea, if you'll hear it. I take Dolly around to the west and call out to them. I'll say something like "Hey Freddy, you lout! You in there? I brought that horse you bin wantin'!" And if 3 or more of them come out, we can shoot them dead and rush in to engage the rest. If less than 3 come out I'll handle them myself and you guys try to take down as many around the fire as you can before they get to cover. What do you think? Of course, Fay, you need to keep your distance, so the 3 of us will handle the hand-to-hand fighting. You support with your bow and words. Frerin, do you have any advice to give us, seeing as you're the most experienced of us? We could benefit from your leadership."
After some discussion, Frerin shared what he’d observed by watching them, waiting for dark to fall. Two patrol the outside, one in the southwestern corner stands on a shattered building as watch, two in the shattered tower, and at least four more inside the ruined keep.
“Let us take out the patrols,” Frerin said. “They’re far enough apart walking around the vast keep. Then take out the one in the southwest tower. With those two taken down, we can then move quickly to get closer.”
"Whoever can get to Miss Wintermoss first, should take her as their charge to protect her," Lodin nodded.
Arrows flew and the first patrol went down along with the guard in the shattered southwestern tower.
“Let’s move!” Frerin whispered.
However, the highway robber, positioned in the tower, turned, thought he'd seen something and called down, "Did you see anything over there?"
The Southern Raider peered out into the darkening field, "No. It's your imagination."
"Must be," the Highway Robber sighed on the floor above him. "I could have sworn I perceived something out there."
Using the cover of the night, despite the moon waxing gibbous and shedding light, Lodin, Maethordan, Fay and Frerin managed to find some of the fallen ruins to hide behind. Well placed arrows took care of one of the guards near the fallen wall and the next struck the guard on the small, thirteen-foot tower, allowing them to move closer and into the tower. Quietly they moved their way up a flight of stairs to where the guard had positioned himself. Lodin, Maethordan and Fay knew there was another guard, outside the tower, at the northwest who would be rounding the corner soon. From their position they launched a volley of arrows which struck him, his body falling with minimal noise in the night.
They waited to see if the two brigands whom they’d seen in the tower had been alerted by their attack and breathed a sigh of relief when no alarms were raised. Now there was the two in the sixty-foot tower to deal with and then the brigands in the ruins, which still numbered five.
Maethordan’s eyes caught sight of something passing over the luminous moon, but it was gone by the time he’d looked up. Then another shadow passed by and this time Frerin confirmed he saw something in a hushed whisper. And finally a third shadow passed over the moon, this time caught by both Maethordan and Frerin who were peering up at the moon, dreading what shadows may be passing on this night.
It was then – that the alarm in the tower rang.
Chaos erupted as a dark shadow of a giant eagle appeared near the top of the tall tower, where the alarm had been rung, and from there, massive talons pulled the brigand from the tower and flew into the air. Screams tear through the night and come to an end with a sickening thud. A second eagle captures the second in the tall tower, as he scrambles down the ladder to escape, his fate is the same as his companion, coming to a sudden end as gravity takes its toll. A third great eagle sweeps through the ruins, but the ruffians are able to avoid being picked up.
The brigands and ruffians inside the ruins, begin to fire at the Great Eagles, as the giant birds circle above them.
Initiative:
Highway Robber 06 – 20
Lodin – 18
Highway Robber 01 – 15
Maethordan - 14
Highway Robber 03 – 11
Southerner 01 – 10
Southerner 02 - 9
Highway Robber 04 - 8
Footpad 01 – 7
Footpad 02 – 7
Highway Robber 02 - 6
Highway Robber 05 – 6
Frerin - 4
Fay – 3
Beleram – Great Eagle
Baranthor – Great Eagle
Armanel – Great Eagle
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Fellowship Points:
4 (1 per player) + 2 (Gandalf) = 3
Fellowship Bonus: Gandalf
You can spend a Fellowship point to roll an additional d20 after a saving throw (but before the outcome is determined) and choose which of the d20s is used.
GUIDE: Fay
LOOK-OUT: Lodin
SCOUT: Lodin
HUNTER: Maethordan