Ok, I made a forum account just to share this. This is the tale of the first encounter an axedwarf, Utred IronCraft. He was a dwarven hero, nothing crazy, but his first fight was quite remarkable. Sorry if this is long, but I enjoy the recounting.
Before doing anything else, our hero asked for a quest in the hamlet he found himself in. A skinner told Utred to head a half-day's march southwest and kill a Lasher who was the leader of a band of outlaws. Once our diminutive protagonist was on his way, he felt a feeling of unease twice, but found no foes awaiting him.
The campsite was located no more than 8 clicks (squares) away from a nearby hamlet, so Utred made sure to approach from that direction in case a hasty retreat was appropriate. Upon arriving at the bandit camp, Utred spied a crossbowman sentry. Blocking several bolts, he charged towards his opponent. However, a Spearman, Pikeman, Hammerman and a Lasher moved forward as reinforcements. Utred decided to retreat to the nearby hamlet and see if another quest would be given that had slightly better odds of success. No such luck. This small village wanted the same foe dead. Apparently, he was a scourge for many. Resigning himself to his fate, Utred decided to help the poor villagers, even in the likely scenario of his own bloody demise.
Returning to the encampment, the same Crossbowman was still on watch. Circling around to the south, Utred attempted to draw out a few of his foes at a time. The baiting tactic worked, and surely enough, a Spearman and Pikeman approached. Hefting his steel battle axe, Utred drew first blood hacking into the Spearman. Charging recklessly, he buried his blade into the Spearman's skull, shattering it and severing much connective tissue. Did the Spearman die? NO! Did he fall over? NO! He fought on like the wound had never occurred. Bouncing off of the somehow upright Spearman, Utred was charged by the Pikeman, who pierced his left hand with his silver weapon severing many nerves and causing Utred to drop his Axe from his now (permanently) useless paw. More reinforcements began rushing towards the fight. At this point, I gave Utred up for dead, but decided to keep fighting, rather than quit. Charging at his foe, they fell in a tangled mess. Bashing at both enemies with his bronze shield Utred fought on, mostly ineffectually. Blocking or scrambling away from over a dozen blows, Utred made his way to the first Spearman, who had collapsed from the pain of the first axe-blow. Mustering all of his rage, Utred smashed the lip of his shield down, caving in his skull for the last time. By this time, two Wrestlers had joined the fight. Trading a flurry of blows back and forth, the fight was deadlocked. Until Utred decided to get creative. Catching his foe off-guard, Utred bit the Pikeman that had crippled him in the arm. Ripping and tearing with his teeth, he managed to sever enough nerves to cause his enemy to drop his silver pike. "Axedwarf has entered a martial trance!" BEAST MODE FUCKING ENGAGED. Kicking his enemy in the chest and fracturing a rib, Utred bit the throat of the Pikeman and tore out an artery. Drenched in his foe's gushing blood. Whirling around to face another enemy, Utred caved in a Wrestler's skull with a well-placed strike of his shield. After ripping out the throat of the other Wrestler with his teeth, Uhtred knocked him down and dispatched him with a resounding curb-stomp.
Kill Count: 3
Coming out his martial trance, Utred stooped to pick up his Steel Battle Axe with his right hand (the same arm that was supporting his shield). Properly armed once more, Utred squared off against a female Lasher. After bashing her in the chest with his shield, he set about promptly disarming her. The first pendulum fall of his axe found her right hand, separating it from it's owner neatly. With another flash of steel, the Lasher's left leg was removed. Swinging the flat of his axe at the now prone human, her spine was smashed. After another quick strike, her guts spilled upon the plain where she quickly bled out. Getting a taste of the newfound ease with which he could dispatch his foes, Utred rushed to meet the next group of opponents, who were already rushing his position. Sidestepping a charging Hammerman, a blindingly fast blow lopped a foe's head from his shoulders. Hacking into an Axeman's hand, Utred wrenched out his death-dealer to sever his adversary's arm at the elbow. Further crippling him, the next blow severed his remaining hand. With this challenger sufficiently disarmed (haha, get it?), a Hammerman felt blows from Utred's axe in his upper and lower body and had his leg severed at the femur, which caused near-immediate death from bleeding. Slipping over the drenched ground, Utred prepares for his next assault.
Kill Count: 6
Seeing a charging group of a Lasher, two Axeman, a Hammerman and a Pikeman, Utred hefts a maul dropped from one of his previous foes. Hurling it end over end, it smashes into the Pikeman, exploding several of his ribs. In a flurry of blows, arms, legs and heads go flying, leaving tell-tale trails of crimson in their wake. Striking down his last foe, Utred is struck in the thigh with a copper bolt from behind. Ripping the offending missile from his flesh, our hero begins a mad charge into the largest group of opponents yet, in an attempt to strike down his assailant.
Kill Count: 11
Diving at his foes, Utred reminds an Axeman of why it's not a good idea to lose your head. Sending streams of crimson through the air, a Maceman has his legs cut out from underneath before his screams of pain are silenced by a shield strike to the face. A Wrestler loses an arm and a foot before the crowd parts to make way for a towering Swordsman. Unimpressed by his rival, Utred charges at the foe, severing his head from his quivering body with a single blow. Another Axeman is swiftly disembowled and yet another Wrestler falls against the endless onslaught of steel. A Lasher is swiftly decapitated while a Maceman succumbs to blood loss, probably due to a lack of legs. A Pikeman receives a crushing blow to the chest and is incapacitated, barely breathing. Finally catching the offending Crossbowman, a blow from the flat of an axe paralyzes him from the neck down. As an act of final revenge, Utred raises the very bolt that pierced his leg and jams it into the eye socket of his prone enemy. Leaving it there, the Crossbowman dies a slow death. Another Pikeman charges Utred and misses. With a single axe-strike, he is clove in two, his upper body heading west, and his lower body heading east. Two more Pikeman and a Maceman make a final assault, but are all dispatched easily, showering the field with body parts. Finding the first pikeman that made his a cripple, Utred severs his other leg and rips out his eyes before the bastard succumbs to blood loss.
Final Kill Count: 20
Exhausted from the slaughter, Utred retreat to the nearby hamlet to rest and drop his loot. Note that all of this is without even seeing the Captain he is supposed to kill. Pretty impressive for a started hero with no previous experience that was crippled at the very beginning. First time I've ever seen a character named without killing an enemy that can be reported to townspeople.
He'll be headed back in the morning to finish the job...
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Topic: What's going on in your adventure? (Read 2019121 times)