Routes and Routs

Session Report: Wolves Upon the Coast 04: Skeleton Rout 2 Supernatural Unhealing Wounds Boondoggle-oo.

Date: 20260331 Attendees: 4

This party has been designated the Blues, contrasting with the other party, the Greens.

The party is introduced to an updated combat system and resumes in media res fighting the bandits, who are arrayed either side of a ruined stone farmhouse: The bandits are cut down, fail morale, and rout: A few parting shots into their backs as they run, but no pursuit. The farmhouses are searched, Bandit II (I pick mostly by accident, should've used I): 700sp in coin and, coincidentally, 700sp in wine. No sign of the missing scouts and raison d'etre for this diversion. Dead bandit leader Ultan has a treasure - presumably that of the merchant in Dorbog - I roll in &treasure and get a censer.

Return to boats, travel upriver, overnight without incident. Next day brings fog. I decide sunrise is 6:00 and roll 1d6 for how many hours til it burns of. Come noon it burns off and they continue upriver.

They land some distance west of the ruin complex (Ruislip, 03.10, Awoken King), boats hid from the ruins by a curve in the river, march to the forest, travel through, and espy mummy+4 on the causeway dismembering a deer. (The rest of the 12-total skeletons are out hunting).

The party bifurcates: Melee combatants charge, while ranged attackers remain behind and attack with shortbows (light piercing weapons). These are highly ineffecacious against the skeletons, who take max 1 damage from such weapons, and the mummy, who has heavy armour and supernatural HP. Hemingr is obliged to step away from the table and fades into the background - in his absence, a number of the hirelings are slain, the remaining are routed alongside their ally, Niall's, troops.

Cerball (despite her boast) provides desultory bow fire from long distance then retreats. Gormlaith retreats. Niall + comrades are driven north by pursuing monsters, away from the boat.

Hemingr exists his fugue state amidst this disaster, boasts that he will recover some of the fallen hirelings, and I have him make a dodge check to bypass the pursuing monsters and double back: He prevails taking only one attack and his new HP eats the damage, the monsters prefer to keep hacking at the fleeing people and turn around for one. Hemingr finds the comrades still alive and they pass their death saves and are restored to mobility, all flee and link up with the others at the boat.

The sizzling quality of wounds made by the mummy is noted, the sizzling described as slightly irridescent and suggestive of the canny. Per &M, wounds by the mummy never heal (I take this to mean a reduction in permanent HP + diegetic scarring).

The boat stands off from the shore, hours later some of Niall's people and comrades return, the boat lands and takes them up, then returns to the middle of the river to wait out the night. I consider Celborn's boast pending, rather than shirked, as this is a tactical retreat and further attempts might be made.

Come morning eight skeletons, returned from hunting, stand silently at the bank of the river watching the boats. Their bony hands are covered in fresh blood.

Glad I selected players who would put up with the constant ruleset changes. This was the sort of session I don't prefer - almost all combat, minimal RP. I am hopeful, however, the the speeding resolution of combat and increasing connections to the world will lead to more interesting sessions in future.

The tactics of the group are dubious: A repetition of the failed frontal assault and use of bow piercing weapons against enemies who take minimal damage from that. The comrades will, I expect, completely lose faith in the party thus leading to an interesting decline in their capabilities. Starting with 12 reasonably loyal people for free is a boon to early Wolves. Shall next session bring declasse ex-shipowners marooned in Dorbog?