DF Novices, Team-A, Session 70 - Doran's Log

     There was no game yesterday due to most of the team being unwell. Hopefully everyone will be back to normal next Tuesday. In the meantime I shall post another of the backlog of summaries. Session 70 was the last stage of the unexpectedly long, four-session fight for liberation from their captors.

Session Date:    Tuesday 19 March 2024

Party roster:

Ben, half-ogre barbarian, 176 points (PC)
Doran Longbeard, dwarf warrior (knight), 202 points (PC)
Eleanor Bayley, human thief, 233 points (PC)
- Dagne Timar, human priestess of Metallys (cleric), 147 points (NPC Hireling)
Erizax Ofaris, human wizard, 232 points (PC)
Randall, human veteran (knight), 157 points (NPC)
Maximilian "Stout" Grupher III, goblin cleric of Ishtanna, 121 points (PC)
Merrill Tangled Tail, cat-folk martial artist, 139 points (PC)

Campaign Date:    6 December, Year 645 of the Vycenaean Empire.

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Doran's Log

It became clear that keeping hold of the bowman wasn’t going to do much damage. The two of us had been going at it one-on-one for ages and it got me separated from the group (something we all know is a bad idea*). So, I let him go and ran as fast as I could towards the nearest pile of bodies.

The hope was I’d find either an axe or perhaps a knife on one of them and be able to get back to the pack and actually defend my friends. Once I reached the first body I noticed a pile of abandoned stuff behind the tree stump.

As I was making my way towards the pile of stuff a familiar archer started running parallel to me. The guy shooting people down has been Fenn all along! Just seeing him made me feel better about the situation but as soon as I put my hand into said pile of stuff I felt even better. 

After all those hours hanging out at Gramps’ shop, I’d know the feeling of an axe handle in my hand any day. I managed to pull out a hatchet from the pile. No idea if it’s mine or Ben’s or just a random one but it’ll certainly do the job. 

It was like all my training and general fighting instincts kicked in at once and the first swing I made knocked the guy down in one! After feeling so helpless throughout this battle it felt bloody good to make a hit. 

The second hit wasn’t so good, but they always say the third time’s the charm and it took 3 hits to knock the next guy out. Frustratingly, after 2 easy battles I came up against a guy with a nice sword and he knew how to wield it. It was hard to get any traction on him no matter what I tried. Eventually, he got away but considering how many bodies there were around us I don’t think that really matters much. 

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* As the GM, I am glad that the group seems to be learning this. Positioning in GURPS is essential for success and survival in tactical combat :-)