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D&D One on One: Broken Vengeance

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XavierZeherisHarper

XavierZeherisHarper

Supernova
Joined
Oct 17, 2012
Location
USA
Starting Level 5, Gestalt Engaged, Fluocruz (Eberron based) Campaign.

In the world of Fluocruz, there is a land known as the Broken Wheel. This land is where 9 kingdoms reign, and the remnants of a tenth lay as a vivid reminder of the price of war. So instead the 9 kingdoms constantly snipe each other, taking advantage of any exploitable weaknesses.

The political climate is not pleasant at all, and constant attacks by monstrous raiders and pirates from another continent add to the turmoil. There are constant changes of leadership, and it is never clear who is on top, and for how long. This strife has been taken advantage of by mercenary companies, who work for various reasons at various amounts of efficiency.

Within the Broken Wheel Kingdoms, there is a mercenary band known as the Behemoths. This group will take any job, as long as the price is right. So far they haven't failed an employer yet.

Their current employer is Lord Bart Thalberg, a noble in the Noctade Kingdom. He hired them to attack a rival of his, Lord Herve Fier. They're currently on the march to an old fortress town that holds an important supply line for Lord Fier. If this town falls, it'll be much easier to force Lord Fier's hand, and Lord Thalberg hopes to profit from that. If Lord Fier's hand is forced, then Lord Fier might step down, and his successor might be easier to 'manipulate'.

The Behemoth Company is about an hour away from old Monquem, their target.
 
Marching in full plate armor is not an easy task, but the Behemoths are trained for durability. They towered above the regular infantries, walking silently and tirelessly. At the head of the band is the famed 'Gigant the Gate Breaker', a man who is the subject of many stories amongst mercenaries. He was well known for singlehandedly bringing down gates with his giant axe 'Siegebreaker'. Standing at 7 feet tall, Gigant can see eye to eye even with some of the cavalrymen and his aura of mysique can be sensed by anyone around him. They said that he can take an arrow to the neck and not flinch, recover from grievous injuries and shatter enemy weapons with ease. He is also known to be a violent man, one who kills anyone in his ways, whoever they are.

Silently, the heavy infantry of the Behemoth marched on, awaiting their orders. Gigant's eyes are focused however. The Fortress is his next prey.
 
About 30 minutes away, a man in a simple green outfit runs up to Gigant, slightly nervous but doing his job. "Lord Thalberg says that the enemy mage has been occupied, so as long as you don't delay, there should be enough time to take the fortress without magical problems. However, he can't guarantee that the mage will be permanently out of commission." The messenger stated.
 
A mage. A coward who does not have the strength to face his opponent. Yet cowardice is neither vice nor virtue in this world of constant war. It is simply the desire for survival.

"Company!" Gigant yelled. "Double time!"

His voice carried a through the air, loud and clear. Standing in the front of his squadron, Gigant began breaking into a jog, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground around them as he heads to the frontline.
 
The 41 Behemoths followed after him silently, his second Alviro close on his heels. The company knew better than to fall behind, and didn't wish to be throughly outdone by their leader.

About 2000 yards away from the fortress stood the front line defense of about 50 men. A trained eye spotted that they were mostly new recruits though.

"Go back or die!" Shouted a voice from the fortress wall.
 
"BEHEMOTHS!" Gigant roared, axe raised, a primitive animalistic method of intimidation using size. "CRUSH THEM UNDERFOOT!"

(crit intimidate for 31. Gigant also uses his stance, leading the charge, which gives him and allies +6 to charge damage)

It was a sight to behold, the gigantic men of the Behemoths stampeding forward like a surge of wild beast, a sight that has broken many formations before. With his axe raised high, Gigant prepared for impact.
 
The men in front of them shook in fear, nervously readying their weapons. The voice from the wall calls out, "Attack!".

Intimidate check success, all enemies take -2 for one round to all rolls.

Roll Initiative. If higher than a 13 go first.
 
(higher, yep. 16+1. Good way to start the campaign!)

The fear in their eyes are clear, like a great predator pouncing on it's prey, The Behemoths crashed into the line with a loud thunderous noise. His axe crashed down onto a man, the length of it is greater than the height of his victim. (29 attack roll, 23 damage+6 damage from the charge, total 29)
 
The front line folds when met with the Behemoths onslaught. With brutal power, Gigant cleaves the man from shoulder to hip, an instantly fatal wound. About 16 fall to the Behemoth's charge, including Gigant's kill. The remaining enemies desperately strike out against the Behemoth company, but between their terror and their level of skill, they only manage a few meaningless blows here and there.

The voice from the wall calls out, "Archers, ready yourselves!"

Let's see... Does an unmodified three it? No. Does a modified 1 hit? No. Is it a dismal fail roll? Yes.
 
(btw, i'll have mountain hammer x 3, then recovery strike x2 in that order)

Splattered in blood, Gigant felt the arrows bounce off his armor. Kicking the corpses aside and walking over half-dead men, he began making his way onto the gate. "Give me room!" he demanded, pulling his axe back. An axe is a very elegant device, a simple application of physics and engineering that amplifies the force of a man's arm onto one deadly point. Inhaling, he swung and showed why he is called Gigant the Gatebreaker

(31 damage ignore DR hardness to the gate)
 
Gigant's men obliged him by clearing a path. With the screech of metal on metal, Gigant's smashes his axe into the iron gate, causing a massive dent and a gash to be opened. It isn't able to be used as an opening yet, but the metal is badly warped.

Gigant's men continue to dominate the melee, with only a few of the enemy putting up a decent fight. But those few are holding their own surprisingly well. The casualties have increased on the enemy side, but there are now wounded on the Behemoth's side.

"Archers, Fire!" Comes the shout from the wall. Arrows rain down upon Gigant's men as the enemy stands up, visible on the wall. The archers some to be poor as well, with under half hitting the Behemoth Company. Some of the shots hit their own comrades.
 
Death will occur here, there is no doubt of that in Gigant's mind. Even behemoths fall when swarmed by many smaller foes, that's the way it is. He knows however that while his men will fall eventually, he will endure. Like an implacable engine of destruction, he pushed against the gate with his leg, dislodging the monstrous axe. Pulling back as far as he could, Gigant braced himself, and with a roar smashed against the gate once more

(This time 27 damage from mountain hammer, ignoring DR and Hardness, he will also activate a different stance, giving him dr 2/- and +10 against bullrush and trip)
 
The gate is distorted even more, and is barely impassable. One more blow should wreck it open.

The first of the Behemoth's members have fallen, as more arrows pour down. This time they are far more accurate, but still manage to wound their own. At this point though, most of the enemy frontline has fallen, and the remnants are against the wall and severely out number. Several men are standing clear of Gigant's range, waiting for his passage.

He was their leader, and preferred to lead by example. Further, his mercurial nature meant most of his men avoided trying to piss him off as much as possible.
 
In a fit of violent rage, Gigant's axe struck the gate again. Even when one of the Behemoth lay dead beside him, he showed no emotion. They know the risk of this work. The only thing that bothers him is that finding a replacement would be hard. Only someone of great size and strength could join the Behemoths, and they're getting harder and harder to find. "Where's the enemy commander?! I demand his head!" he yelled, putting his entire weight into the strike.

(29 damage from mountain hammer, and i'm out of hammers)
 
The gate crashes down, broken off the hinges. "Gate Breached!" Calls out the voice that's been giving orders. Inside, there is a wide open area with cramped homes and stalls for the outlying peasants and their animals. It's mostly empty at the moment, suggestive that they fled, or hid within the keep.

The keep itself lies straight ahead, a plain stone cube affair. The fortress has towers at each point of the pentagon it's made of. With no stairs in sight, it's suggestive that the stairs to reach the top of the wall are in the towers.

The Behemoth company readies itself to invade further, and capture this fortress. Archers on the wall continue to fire down, this time without hitting allies. If only because there isn't any left on the ground.

Listen check to pinpoint officer's voice.
 
(natural 1 on the listen check, not trained either)

Standing in the middle of the open ground, Gigant was dissapointed by the fact that the enemy commander isn't here to fight him. These little arrows are nothing more than bothersome for him, but they will take his men down bit by bit unless stopped. "GO FOR THE KEEP!" he commanded, charging forward once more

(change to the charging stance)
 
Sweeping aside the debris in the way, the Behemoth company charged forward, harried by the archers on the way. (Assuming you have no movement bonuses, running is times 4 base movement, so at 120 feet per round...)

15 seconds later, Gigant crashes through the keep's iron door, with his men behind him. An older man stands a few yards away, standing next to a magical device. Upon Gigant's entrance, he sighs, and shouts, "Final Assault!", before turning and drawing his weapon. Wearing fitted full plate, and carrying longsword and shield, he seems far more experienced then the other men Gigant has fought here.

Outside the keep, armed men pour out from various houses, while crossbow archers reveal themselves off the roofs. Though fewer than the men that were outside the gate, far older, and outnumbered, all of these men show signs of skill.
 
"You're the leader here" Gigant said, walking forward, putting his large frame between his men and the enemy leader. "You're outnumbered and my men are better equipped. I give you three choices" he said, axe lowered. "You can surrender now and i'll let you all live. You can duel me to determine the outcome of this battle. Or..we can butcher all of you, and your bodies will be displayed for your loved ones to see. Make your choice old man..One way or another, you will submit"

(intimidate of only 15)
 
Making his choice in a moment, he shouted into the device, "Cease!", and turned back to Gigant. "I accept your challenge." The older man said with dignity, before readying himself. To Gigant's eyes, the man knew nothing of ki, and the only style the armored man had was a style born of battle and experience.

Outside, the men of the keep ceased their assault and advance, and waited. Behemoth Company ceased fighting as well, eager to see their leader crush yet another man in single combat. It was almost always a spectacle.

Roll Initiative. If above 11, go first.
 
(initiative at 16. Moving first. Mountain hammer x2 recovery x3)

Pushing off, Gigant charged at the man, using the momentum formed from the combined weight of his body and his armor to violently crash into the man. "DIE!" he roared out. He used to stand eye to eye with grown men, even as a child. Nowadays, Gigant can only look down upon other men and they look so small from where he is standing. With every intent of crushing his foe with his heavy axe, the giant swung down.

Roll(1d20)+13:
20,+13
Total:33 (omg omg omg)

Roll(1d20)+13: (confirming)
11,+13
Total:24

25 damage, 75 if crits
 
(Either I forgot to address this in the Rules post, or it's just been a while since you've looked, but just for future's sake, I don't confirm criticals. If it Criticals below twenty, as long as it hits that counts. A 20 always hits, and always is a critical (unless said weapon doesn't critical AKA spells.)

Gigant's axe sunders shield, armor, and man in one smooth swing. The Behemoth company cheers at Gigant's show of strength, while the men of the keep that can see are stunned and demoralized. A few drop their weapons in shock at the display of raw power.
 
(oh right! sorry, i forgot, and that was actually my biggest reason for choosing the axe over the greatsword)

And so another foe has fallen, reduced to something that is less than a man by Gigant's horrific might. Raising his axe towards the people on the walls, he took off his helmet, a foolish move perhaps, but he knows when victory is secured. Right now, these men do not want to be his enemy. "Lower your flags! From now on, the Behemoths claim this fort for Lord Thalberg!" he declared, banging his gauntleted fist on his armoured plate, bellowing out a victory cry. This is what winners do, they boast their superiority to ensure submission of their defeated foe. A crude, primitive tactic, but one that remains effective for both civilized men and savages.
 
The remaining enemy soldiers lower their weapons, and begin to quietly talk amongst themselves. A few are stoically silent, while others are barely holding themselves together from fear. There is a small amount that still seem hopeful. A distinct crackle is heard, followed by a flash of light away from any living thing. After the light fades, a man in black robes is visible. After taking in the view, and noticing the Behemoth company still armed, he sighs. "So the fort fell in my absence, huh?" He asks quietly.
 
The enemy mage. In the chaos, Gigant forgot about him. "Crossbowmen!" he yelled at the men on the roof. "I offer you a chance. Aim your weapons at this man and take him out! There is a reward in gold and freedom for those of you who ends him! Choose now where your loyalty lies, in the victor, or in the man who abandoned you to yourselves while he ran off on his own!"

It was a gamble, but Gigant knows firsthand just how dangerous a mage can be. The last thing he want is for this mage to get a spell off to somehow give the defenders another chance. For now, he will have to rely on the greed of men.

(rolled a 16. If diplo then 21, if Intimidate 24)
 
The mage grunts in annoyance as several arrows slam into a purple shell of magic. "I was busy with another mage. But I see there's no point in staying here." He says, taking note of the men who had fired upon him, both Behemoth and not. With another crackle and flash of light, the mage is gone.

Some of the keep's men look disgusted at those who fired, while others are resigned. Those that fired are fearful. None of them are talkative now. Gigant's men are excited, thrilled about yet another completed mission, and the likely spoils. The few casualties on the Behemoth's side are hardly mourned. Death was expected at some point, and most in the company took it as a failure to be tough or strong enough.
 
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