[Phase 3] Harren's Oak [Act 3]

The boy is hardly a reliably source, perhaps half a dozen men, but this may be an exaggeration, no metal armor or great chargers like Roland has, but whether these are simple ruffians hired at some market town like those who killed septa Tyane or experienced sellswords that knows how to set a far more deadlier ambush the boy cannot tell. Most grown men would have little trouble overpowering a youth without a single hair on his chin.

Hugh insists that either they're rabble sent to trick Roland to be absent for battle, earning him a reputation as one who'll abandon his cause on a whim, and he will find nothing at the Oak for such men would not wish to fight him, nor would the Brackens wish for him to be a hero, or they're Bracken men, and then Roland is as good as dead if he shows, so then he will die, and the girl will die, and for nothing. Though the squire might just be saying that to try and keep Roland in tomorrow's battle.

Perhaps if he he were not a Blackwood and thus not so quick to suspect a Bracken plot behind it, or trained by a knight more shrewd in the ways of politics and intrigue, his suspicions may have fallen on others with far stronger motivations to target Ser Roland with either possibility.

---

The seven appears to give no hint as to any interest they may to the outcome. Since it is hard to predict when exactly Roland may be expected to show, odds are that if they are dangerous, they'll have set a watch starting long before he could possibly get there.

Courser speed is actually used for calibrating the happenings at the Oak for drama, but there's also a good possibility that the horse might be attacked, so more speed, less survivability is a reasonable tradeoff with it's own risks. Getting back in time is mainly a matter of ride tests methinks (But horse speed, fatigue/injuries etc are likely also a factor).

The sun is low in the sky as the old and massive oak comes into view, while none now lives here, the land is used for pasturage so it has not been completely overgrown, but the shrubbery along the route and surrounding the tree is still thick and tall enough to hide grown men in some places. At first there is nothing in particular to be seen, and one might suspect that this was all a ruse to bring him away from the battle, but if men are waiting, Roland must be spotted by now, a man atop a horse in movement can hardly hide. In another time, this might have been a good spot for a romantic rendezvous at a sunset that this day promises to have. Before Harren The Black, one could indeed imagine this spot being used for such a purpose.

This momentary tranquility is most savagely turned to nightmare by the wailing screams of a young woman pleading in utter terror, only "NO!" can be discerned among the desperate the words carried on a wind that other circumstances might be considered a pleasant summer breeze. Even more ominous is the shadowy silhouette of a willowy body being hoisted up by the neck, legs kicking wildly in the air, Roland notices three figures fastening the rope to a lower branch before dashing for nearby foliage.

Far more alarming than the anguished cries for help and desperate search for footing is the ghastly stillness that follows.

---

Saving the maid:
-Between Roland and the girl, there's effectively 1760 yards, sprint movement being 4*Movement-Bulk.
-Each injury/fatigue taken by the horse reduces sprint movement by 2.
-Once per 10 combat rounds, the rope makes an attack (3D) vs the girl's passive endurance, each DoS inflicts 1 point of damage, the most efficient way to stop the attacks is to cut her down (Smash TN 9 with a sword is the quickest solution, the fall isn't high enough to be threatening).
-Upon being reduced to 0 health, the girl continues to take attacks until cut down, and she takes an additional point of damage per round until successfully revived.
-All rope attacks will be tested for when Roland succeeds on a heal test (9 is sufficient for this if the damage should make the TN for revival more than that).
-Being a tertiary character, no injuries can be taken to avoid defeat, as a greater action (on the ground, cannot benefit from cautious technique or shield), Roland may attempt a healing test with a TN equal to 9 or the damage in excess of her health, whichever is greater.
-Roland may as a greater action attempt a TN 6 healing test to assess how far gone she is, learning the total amount of damage upon success.
-Extra time is allowed.
-If successful, her health is restored to 1.
-On a critical failure, 1d6 damage is inflicted to her.
-If the TN grows too high for success to be possible, the consequence is her death.

It's a trap:
-Roland ought to know that this one is coming, once he gets within 90 yards of the tree, he can expect that archers will open fire (counterattack actions, all sprint movement up to this point will be at maximum movement allowed), it's how he'd set an ambush.
-If there are enough men, they will probably be set up on both sides of the tree, 25 yards from one side and 35 from the other. Gaining cover from one group is thus possible while staying at the tree.
-Any ranged attacks from the cover of the shrubs gains the continued benefit of +1D, +2 damage, as if successfully using the ambush action, this does not apply for any enemies that Roland manages to close the distance to.
-When sprinting (mounted or otherwise) and making healing tests (including taking extra time for them), Roland cannot gain any benefit from wielding a shield or using the cautious technique, but he gains the benefit of a shield against enemies that he sprints directly towards (applicable if going straight for them, but not when riding towards the general direction of where the girl is).
-If defeated, Roland will certainly not be in shape to participate in Battle Valley, and the villains most likely have no intention of letting him live (but defeat remains possible without any of them having the chance to deliver the finishing blow).

Gallant Bravery:
-True Knight very obviously applies for this scene until the girl is either safe or with the seven.
-Ignoring damage works in the fashion that Roland may take injuries and wounds as normal, but ignore any penalties to tests (taking too many wounds will still kill him outright).
-He may also simply let his health go to 0 and thus take defeat with consequences delayed until the girl's fate has been resolved as noted.

Narrator Notes:
-I did some research about death by hanging and how far away Roland could possibly make out what happens, I ended up with deciding that if the distance needed to be covered does not make sense, then rough terrain, upward slope and such as that will slow down the horse sufficiently to make it take that long to traverse. For the rest, drama comes before any breaks with reality.
-Some rules have been bent specifically for this scene in order to make  a band of tertiary characters a threat to Roland.

I figured out a way to make it irrelevant how far Roland "starts" fromt the 90 yard-mark (I hope), so we can proceed until he gets to 90, first volley incoming, then take it from there.

Hmm, yes, it's just +1, which works out with the solution of giving them slower firing Heavy Crossbows, so damage per shot remains the same that way. More piercing power, but half the number of hits to worry about but them doing 2 each instead of 1 each does in theory add up to the same.

Not sure where those +3's comes from?

So how it works:
Roland crosses 90 yard mark, they shoot.
Roland sprints and ends somewhere between 10 and 50 yards from the tree, they reload.
Roland may ends between 0 and 10 yards from tree, probably can cut the girl down, they shoot.
-I guess going Nova on fatigue may make him get himself in cover from half the enemies, but that has it's own trade-offs (True Knight does nothing against getting tired).
Roland cuts down girl and/or tries to revive girl, something like that, they reload.
Roland does whatever he does next, they shoot.

Since it's the horse doing the running, any bonuses would come from extra ranks for being superior, Roland gains +1 to animal handling involving it, and the horse does not have true knight benefit, so I think the modifier is just the -1 to fatigue.

May be prudent to just make a single roll and have it apply for all sprint actions until the one getting across the 90 yard line.

As he nears the Oak, there is no way to tell if the girl is alive or not, her movements grew still sufficiently long enough ago for even the swaying of the rope has ended. "Open Fire! comes the commmand from Roland's left, followed by the unmistakable thwack of crossbows and then the bolts slams into Roland with savage force, his plate holds up, but Roland has taken body blows in the joust that hurt less. Cloudstepper, however, does not have the benefit of plate and fares far worse. Most likely, The Sand Steed must be sacrificed to save the girl. The sort of knight unwilling to make that trade would likely not have come in the first place, but still, even gallant ones might balk at such a choice.

Lord Walgrave would have snorted that this is why a knight should not name his horses and leave them for the squire to take care of. He would also disapprove heavily over going alone on this fool quest of gallantry, even if it wasn't on the eve of a battle.

---

So 39 per round, 1670/39=42.8, so 43*39=1677, 83 yards to the 3.
Round 43: Open fire (at 90 yards).
+1D from ambush, -1D because sprinting target.
3 Bolts for Roland, 3 Bolts for Cloudstepper: 3#6d6k4+1 17 16 16 3#6d6k4+1 20 14 20
6 Damage per DoS, piercing 2, so 3x2 damage to Roland, 9, 2 and 9 to Cloudstepper, looks like 3 injuries to me and a TN 9 Ride test as a lesser action, which with rules of "steeds movement instead of your own" would require fatigue to also go for sprint. Kinda looks like Roland will have to cover the last bit on foot.

Round 44: They will reload, so Roland can do sprints for 44 and 45, Cloudstepper will take fatigue to ignore AP if attacked if he has any, may require actions to control the steed.

6 Brigands:
CD: 9
AR: 1
Health: 9
Heavy Crossbows: 1 out X shots used.
Maces and Knives