Vampire: Dark Ages (Vienna) - Chapter 2: East Gate

[Goatkiller666]

Wendell on his ass, with Sasha and Ekaterina on Sasha's new horse, leading several other horses each carrying dead bodies stop just shy of the hilltop. He says to the ladies, "Vienna is just over the hill there, if you want to take a look at it. I have to wait for the others, so they can don their armor and look human while walking into town."

Soon, the knights slink into sight from the woods around them, and shift back to human form. They unpack their armor and begin the process of putting it on, helping each other in pairs. Mauricio instructs Wendell in how the armor should be draped and buckled, though Wendell seems to already be proficient in the process and he quickly has his leader looking like a knight again.

Majid spends a few minutes inspecting the bodies on the horses, to be sure there's nothing overtly supernatural about them, and nods his permission. Then, each man takes his horse by the reins and starts to walk towards Vienna, each trying to look somber, as a funeral procession.

Up on the walls, Faelan and his group of five pauper knights are just arriving at the gate. The gate guards nod at them in recognition, well used to their frequent patrols and glad for the company.

"Good evening, my Lords. May God keep you safe."

The gate sentry calls out, "Riders. Wait, no. Horses, but being walked, not ridden." He points out into the night where the eastern road crests a hill a mile or so distant from the gate. "Looks to only be 8 mounts. I can't see how many walkers at this distance." The guard captain grunts, and the rest of his men all move to the walls. It would be a few minutes yet before walking men could get to the gates.

[Sasha]

I dismount too. Riding a horse hurts. Even though I heal very fast, it hurts fresh every time. And I still have no pants or anything, just this shirt.

It feels good to walk, too.

This is my first time in Vienna. It's my first time anywhere. So, I try to soak in the city in the moonlight. If I see anything interesting, I point it out to Ekaterina.

I walk over to Wendell and ask him to tell me about some of what I can see. Tall buildings or churches. The river. Whatever.

[Faelan]

Faelan orders his men to get into position. "be ready for anything. we dont know if these people are friendly or not."

[Goatkiller666]

Wendell describes some of what can be seen above the city walls. Mostly it is various religious structures that are so tall, or the Duke's palace. "I mostly keep myself to the lower parts of town, and you can't see those from here, I'm afraid."

The group approaches the East Gate, which is closed for the night. As they come within bow range, the guards on the wall tense up but do not yet draw. Their sergeant mutters to them, so that those below won't hear it, "Steady lads. We'll not have a repeat of today's foolishness so soon." He steps to the edge and calls down, "Stand and name yourselves for the Duke's men."

"I am Sir Mauricio Estefan del Tores, Knight. And these men are my sworn brothers, returned from the holy land. For some months, we have been in your Duke's fair city, staying with my cousin Sir Heidelgard on his estates. We have just returned from a trip of many days, bearing the bodies of these fallen warriors, for proper Christian burial. Will you allow us to enter?"

The sergeant looks to Faelan for guidance.

[Sasha]

I want to go inside and look around. I've never seen a city before. Or, I can't remember it if I did. [Curiosity flaw]

I say to the guards, "Won't you please let us in? It's chilly out here, and we've been walking a long time."

[I'm wearing a wolf's skin, if anybody notices.]

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Having finished my work in the colonies, in rodens form hiding in or near generic pile of trash near the gate outside of reach of the guardsmen if possible, listening to the goings on, thankful Wendell is still OK.

[Goatkiller666]

One of the guards jeers at Sasha's request, "Awww, are ye chilly lass? I'll warm ye up, dontcher worry." A few others laugh at the joke before their sargeant can hiss them to silence.

"What's that ye be wearing, girl? A wee slip of a thing like you, with a wolf's pelt an' little else? And arriving to our door so late at night?" At the man's mention of the wolf's pelt, the others get very attentive. A few knock their arrows, and prepare to draw.

Mauricio looks concerned. "What is this? Cannot a peasant girl in need of clothing come to your city at night, when guarded by several knights? We found her in the forest by these fallen soldiers, and we gave her what clothing we could. Sadly, we carry no dresses with us, or she'd be properly attired."

Wendell mutters at this point, "Shamus might need to pack dresses from now on." Yefim cuffs him in the arm for his insult.

"Ye found 'er with the bodies, eh? And she was naked as the day she was born, with a field of felled knights around her? And now she's got a wolf's skin over hers..."

"By all that's holy, move away from her. She's a monster in disguise." At Mauricio's confused look, he shouts again, "Move your arse, man!" Then, to his men, he calls "Shoot her down!"

Two of the guards fire arrows. One flies wide, while the other speeds true. Sasha moves aside at the last moment, and the arrow impacts into the dirt where she was standing.

[Ekaterina]

Spend a rage to shift to Glabro, and another for extra action....one full action will be Dodge, splitting it against however many incoming attacks there are, second action will also be split pool, 2 swings with nifty sword...one at each who fired at Sasha...

"You are the true monsters! Rapacious, insolent, male SCUM! What hope has a woman save another when such as you hold power?!?!"

[Faelan]

Faelan orders his men to attack with their special arrows.

He spends 3 blood points 2 in stamina and 1 in strength.

He draws his sword and enters the fray shouting "Deus Vult"

[Goatkiller666]

[I think there's been a bit of confusion here on where people are.

Faelan, his men, and the city guards are on top of the city's fortified walls. They're maybe 40' tall, with your standard crenelations along the time. There's a 20' wide moat around the city. This one section has a a gate in it, which has a fortified draw-bridge. The draw-bridge is currently down, but the gate's doors are closed. These are solid wood / iron doors, with no peep-holes or anything.

Mauricio and his knights, plus their horses carrying corpses, Sasha, and Ekaterina are outside the walls, either on the drawbridge near the doors / walls, or on the ground outside the moat. There are no buildings this close to the city walls, just some small cultivated farmland and the road that runs to the gate.

They've all been shouting back and forth from the ground to the top of the wall, etc.

Kaldrenzi is in rodens form, and is on the drawbridge or in the moat (who'd notice another warf rat?) or on the ground outside the moat.

What this means is that the guards were shooting because that's all they can do. And it means that Ekaterina could not have made any kind of sword attacks at any of the guards from where she was. And that Faelan cannot join the fray without vaulting over the walls and dropping 40' into combat.

So, with all of that in mind, what is everybody doing here?]

[Sasha]

I move forward to the gate. They can't hit me with arrows if I'm in the doorframe.

I use Open Seal on the gate.

While it opens, I call to Ekaterina, "Bring my horse! Hurry!"

[Ekaterina]

I dash forward, bringing the horse along, and cursing under my breath about ignorant males, typical mindless violent response....

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Being just another rat atr the drawbridge, and seeing that the damned dogs are about to be pierced, I do what any other Ratkin would do.

Move to other side of the moat, being night the shadows should hide me nicely.

Get into the shallow water on the other side, away from the city. [Spend 1 gnosis to Shroud a 7' tall, 5' wide, 4' deep area] Place it on the other side in the place I am now occupying just in the shallow part of the moat, my feet, er paws in the moat. It should blend in with the night. Shift to Crinos within and get my supply of daggers ready for hurling next round.

At the dogs.

[Goatkiller666]

[Damned combat. Grumble grumble. Twenty-one freakin' combatants, only four of which are NPCs. Me and my big mouth. So, for a better view of what the scene looks like, I pulled the following picture off the Interwebs. This is not from actual Vienna, but that's the basic structure of the gate / walls / bridge. Only, imagine there's actually water in the moat, as well as all that muck.]



Faelan and all of the city guards are colored X's (x).
Mauricio's pack are colored circles (●).
Everyone else is a colored square (■).
Each of the small squares is 1yd.
Those on the walls are 10yds above the bridge. Crenelations provide them cover from ranged attacks.
Those in the moat are 1yds below the bridge.

■ 15 - Kaldrenzi
● 14 - Gotzon
● 12 - Yefim
x 6 - Faelan
● 5 - Mauricio
● 4 - Majid
■ 4 - Sasha
x 4 - Guard #1
x 4 - Guard #2
x 4 - Guard #3
x 4 - Guard #4
● 3 - Eric
● 2 - Constantin
■ 2 - Wendell
x 2 - Sergeant
■ 1 - Ekaterina
x 1 - Faelan's #1
x 1 - Faelan's #2
x 1 - Faelan's #3
x 1 - Faelan's #4
x 1 - Faelan's #5
■■ 0 - Horses

Round 0 (Surprise Round)

Two guards fired arrows at Sasha. They missed.
Sasha ran forward to the closed door. She used Open Seal to cause the gate to open.
Ekaterina leads Sasha's horse towards the opening gate.
The rest of those on the gate mostly react in surprise.
Faelan orders his men to attack as well.
Mauricio orders his men to "take cover".
Kaldrenzi moves to the moat's shore and activates Shroud around himself.

[Sasha]

Once the gate is open, I climb onto my horse. "Let's go!"

I ride into the city. I don't know how to ride well, but I try to go as fast as I can anyway.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

Spending 4 Rage for various and sundry things.

My action takes place after Gotzon and Yefim, holding it until then.

Draw my Packslayer blade, use shadow throw [1 rage of 4], and throw it at Majid. [Willpower for 1 autosuccess]

[Faelan]

Faelan fires an arrow at Sasha if I can get a clear shot. If I cant get a clear shot at Sasha then I will shoot at Mauricio

[Ekaterina]

Luna's Armor, and run through the opening gate with sword out....dodging as needed.

[Goatkiller666]

Round 1

Gotzon activates Visage of Fenris. He draws his axe and shouts up at the archers. He walks backwards, leading his horse with the other hand.

Yefim turns his horse around on the bridge and then smacks it on the rump so it'll move out away from the attack. Then he turns back around to face the arrows coming his way.

Kaldrenzi throws Packslayer at Majid. It hits him cleanly in the back. [5 agg] Mauricio and Majid both scream in pain.

Faelan fires his bow at Mauricio. (Sasha is behind cover.) He hits. [3 agg]

Mauricio falls to the ground, incapacitated.

Majid doesn't notice his friend fall, since he himself had just gotten stabbed. He steps into the Umbra, leaving his horse unattended next to Mauricio's horse and his body.

Sasha rides her horse through the now-opened gate. There are still people in the courtyard past the gate, surprised to see the gate opening, and jumping out of the way of the charging horse.

The regular city guards lack a good shot at Sasha or Ekaterina. Instead, they fire at the others on the bridge. Two shoot for Gotzon, both hitting him. [3 agg & 0 agg] The other two shoot for Mauricio, the arrows impaling his fallen body on the ground.

Eric also activates Visage of Fenris. He draws his sword and also leads his horse backwards.

Constantin activates Luna's Armor. [4 successes] He turns his horse around and smack's its rump to send it running.

Seeing the gate starting to open, Wendell steers his ass forward next to Sasha's horse and Ekaterina, so he can go through to safety.

The sergeant fires at Gotzon. The arrow hits. [3 agg]

Ekaterina activates Luna's Armor. [3 successes] She runs through the gate with Sasha, having little trouble keeping up with Sasha's poorly guided horse.

Faelan's guards fire their arrows as well, three at Gotzon, two at Eric. One arrow hits Gotzon [2 agg]. One hits Eric [3 agg].

After being hit by three arrows, Gotzon falls to the ground. He shouts "Silver!" as he does.

During the rage / celerity actions:

Mauricio does manage to rage up, healing enough damage to barely not be dead. He also frenzies, and changes to crinos form. Which has conflicts with his armor. Some of the leather straps break, or the chain links snap. But others hold, as his body suddenly tries to grow an extra 3' in height. He only manages to get to his hands and knees before collapsing in pain. His arms and legs are changed and have broken their bounds. But his chest is being crushed by the metal of his breastplate. He is feebly reaching for his throat, where he is being choked against the neck section.

Gotzon fared better, manages to stand again and maintains control of his emotions.

Kaldrenzi, still in crinos form, leaves his concealing shadows, climbs the moat's bank and then climbs onto the railing of the bridge. He runs along that, then drops to the bridge itself, picks up his dropped weapon, stabs Mauricio (killing him), then dives off the far side of the bridge in to the moat. The Packslayer successfully activates, dealing also [5 agg] to Gotzon. This is enough to kill him as well.

[Kaldrenzi Culls-The-Chaff]

First rage action from last round: Haul tail to the bridge and jump up.

Second rage action from last round: Dash low across the bridge and snag my blade hoping no curs notice me too closely.

Third rage action from last round: Passing by the frenzied cur on the ground, seeing a target of oppotunity finish him off with the packslayer blade, and dive off the side into the moat and swim for it.

First action for second round: Head for nearest entry to the tunnels in/near the moat, shift to rodens form to be tons harder to see, and make my getaway smoothly.