Band of Blades Chapter 2: Death on the Tigeria Part 1
Welcome back to Band of Blades! In this chapter, we continue the first mission in Death of the Tigeria.
Want to catch up from the start? Be sure to read here!
When we ended the first chapter and introduction, the squad Silver Stags were preparing to assault the bridge over the Tigeria to slow down the advance of the Cinder King’s army and buy the Legion a deserved break.
Generally, I’ll be rotating through each specialists in any given mission, to allow them to conduct actions and move the mission forward. To keep a narrative simple, some actions may take place “Off screen” as it were, if the soldier is doing independent action away from the squad.
We are in the shoes of Lieutenant Alikaich, the Zemyati leader of the Silver Stags. Riya Arani is the Bartan Medic, Arun Pakshi is the Bartan Heavy, and Blue Striking Iron is the Panyar sniper. They also have a squad of as of yet unnamed recruits. Everyone is currently assaulting the bridge except for Blue who is currently performing overwatch
There are also two clocks going. A Reinformcent clock for the undead with 0/6 ticks and a Bridge destruction clock with 0/10 ticks.
Let’s get into it
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With Arun in the lead, we charge the bridge. The huge Bartan engages the few undead who have already made it across the bridge.
Action Roll - Arun Pakshi - Skirmish to clear a way to the bridge - Controlled / Great Effect (support from the recruit squad)
2 dice - Highest Dice a 6! Arun easily churns the undead into mush
I watch from the rear as Arun smashes the skulls of a few hounds. With their eyes sewn shut, they don’t see the hammer blow that kills them. Well, kills them again. I see the recruits performing well, holding the hounds back with spears and keeping them from Arun’s flanks. So far so good.
Blue Stiking is looking for threats. She knows there is something out there but didn’t get word from Aliaich before she went to find an overwatch position. Does she spot the Oak Knight?
Action Roll - Blue Striking Steel - Scout for threats - Controlled / Standard Effect
1 Dice - +1 for Pushing herself (+2 stress) Highest Dice is a 5. I’ll say she spots the Oak Knight but it also spots her, giving the Reinforcement clock 2 ticks.
Undead Reinforcement 2/6 ticks.
With Arun smashing through the first of the undead, we’ve come to the first stone bridge support. Riya puts his casks of black shot down. The medic is sweating, she isn’t used to carrying a heavy load into combat. I put my cask down also and look over the side of the bridge. Damn, going to have to get under the bridge somehow.
“Arun, hold this position!” I yell at the big Bartan. He nods and barks orders to the rookies who fall in at his flanks.
“I’ll climb down. You hand me the casks and I’ll rig them up,” Riya says to me. I’ve heard that reassuring tone a dozen times across so many battlefields. I nod and Riya starts climbing over the side.
Action Roll - Riya Arani - Manouver down the side of the bridge - Risky / Standard
2 Dice +1 for Alikaich assisting (1 stress) Highest is 6!
Riya skillfully climbs down the bridge and gets to the stone pillars. “Throw down a casks and then you can rig it up.” I carefully drop a cask to Riya and start to rig the timed explosives.
Action Roll - Lt Alikaich - Rig the explosives - Risky / Standard
0 Dice (Flashback scene where the Quartermaster showed him how to use them) +1 Dice (-1 Stress) Highest is a 5. Not bad. The complication is it takes a while putting Arun at highest risk for his next move
2/10 Destroy the bridge clock
It takes a while but I remember the lesson from the quartermaster on the proper instalment of detonators. He always says, “Equipment used properly is equipment best used”. It’s a tricky device but I got it rigged up. On to the next one.
“Hey Alikaich! You done mucking around down there?”
I look up and see Arun and the recruits being pressed back by more and more undead. These aren’t just hounds now, but the Gaunt. I see the metal directly installed into their flesh. Damn, this just got harder.
“Arun, smash a hole, big guy. We need to get to the next pillar now!”
“Right boss. Rookies, keep on my flank and get ready to push these undead basterds back!”
Action Roll - Arun leading - Skirmish the undead back - Risky / Standard (with help from the rookies, and Alikaich)
For leading the group, Arun takes the highest of everyone involved but 1 stress for everyone who rolls a 1-3
2 dice for Arun - highest a 3 (1 stress), Rookies 1 dice - highest a 6, Alikaich 1 dice - highest a 3 (1 stress)
Arun took 2 stress but the highest dice is a 6
I form up with the rookies and lend my sword to the push. Arun is a professional at this and I defer to his tactical command here. It’s messy and these undead take a lot to bring down. In the end, it was the rookies who shinned. Every time Arun hit a gaunt, metal hammer ringing off installed armor, a rookie would stoop in and provide the coup de grass.
We make progress forward, slowly and step by bloody step.
Blue Striking Iron is still off camera but she takes a shot at the Oak Knight she spotted.
Action Roll - Blue Striking Iron - Shoot the Oak Knight to kill it. - Controlled / Great (normally limited, but using AIM and using a blackshot, both give greater effect)
2 Dice for shoot - 1 for a Devil’s Bargain (this is a mechanic of the game where you can make things worse for an extra die. This happens even if the roll fails). Highest dice is a 3 OUCH
The Devil’s Bargain was the undead now see Blue Striking and are bringing in weapons to attack her
I hear a loud crack overhead and then a thunderous angry roar. Looks like Blue took a shot at something. Surveying the battlefield I see there is an Oak Knight still heading at us. Damn. Even Blue misses sometimes.
No time to stop, we need to forge ahead. We make it to the next pillar and Riya gets ready to go over the side without me having to say anything. I get ready to hand the casks of powder to her.
Action Roll - Riya Arani - Manouver down the side of the bridge - Risky / Standard
2 Dice +1 for Alikaich assisting (1 stress) - Highest is 3 again. The dice have turned against me.
The consequence is Riya slips and a cask falls on the ledge below.
Riya slips on the entrails of an undead as I go to hand the cask of powder to her. It goes tumbling but the gods were with us that day because it fell on the ledge. Damnit though! This will take longer to do.
“Arun, hold this position. I’ll be right back!”
Without thinking, I vault over the side of the bridge to the ledge below.
Action Roll - LT Alikaich - Maneuver to the cask - Desperate / Standard
1 Dice +1 for Riya helping (1 Stress) - Highest is a 4. Alikacich does it but he winds himself on the jump.
Level 1 Harm - Winded.
4/10 Destroy the bridge clock
And I almost go into the raging river below. Riya grabs my helmet from above and I swing back into the bridge, hard. It knocks the air out of me. I try to take deep breaths as I rig up the cask for detonation and climb back up. The situation has gotten a bit worse. Arun and his rookies are getting pressed back hard. We have one more cask and then we need to hightail it back to detonate the bridge. It’s going to be bloody work.
“Big guy! Punch a hole to the next pillar!”
Arun looks at me, concern in his eyes. “Boss, it’s getting heavy.”
“I know!” I managed to get out. “But if we don’t get to the next pillar, we can’t bring this bridge down!”
Action Roll - Arun - Skirmish a hole through the undead, use a point of Anchor - Risky / Standard
2 dice for Skirmish - Highest a 4. He punches a hole but receives level 1 harm - Bleeding. He will have less effect on physical activities
The big man roars and throws himself at the group of undead in front of him, smashing and crushing. The rookies look on in amazement, and so do I. But I don't have time to lollygag.
“Rookies, on my ass. Protect me and Riya. To the next pillar!”
Off camera Blue Striking Steel is now being targeted by undead siege weapons. She can stay there and take another shot but she will be under a lot of danger. Instead she will move closer to the action and hope they won’t risk hitting the bridge.
Action Roll - Blue Striking Steel - Manouver to the bridge - Risky / Standard
1 Dice - a 4 - Blue Finds a new position but is exhausted from the effort.
Charging to the next pillar we come face to face with an Oak Knight. I knew it would come to this, it could never be so easy. An Oak Knight isn’t undead, not really. They are somewhere in between, dying but not dying. They are also a hideous mockery of a legionnaire.
The rookies start to waiver. I don’t blame them, not really. Had it been the first time I’ve come head to head with one, I’d probably turn and run also. But I can’t run. We can’t run. We have a job to do or the Legion will suffer, maybe die. I rally the rookies.
Action Roll - LT Alikaich - Marshall the rookies - Risky / Standard
1 Dice and 1 for pushing it (adding 2 stress, Alikaich is at 5 stress now. One more before he gets trauma) - a 5 highest - The troops are marshalled but it will be 2 more ticks of the undead reinforcement clock.
Undead Reinforcement 4/6 ticks.
“Steady troops!” I yell. “One more pillar and we can get the fuck out of here. What’s one more monster to kill right?” I even see a smile from a rookie. Good, they are with us. I look at Arun as he is sizing up the Oak Knight. Even the huge Bartan Heavy doesn’t come to the monster's shoulders. Still, Arun is game to take it on.
I look back at the rookies, “On three we charge the beast. One. Two. Three!”
Arun is in the lead, of course, his war hammer already swinging in a wicked arch. The rookies and I take up flanking positions again, keeping clear of Arun’s hammer and getting ready to jump in with swords and spears when there is an opening.
Action Roll - Arun leading - Skirmish the Oak Knight - Risky / Great(with help from the rookies, , Alikaich and his fine weapon)
For leading the group, Arun takes the highest of everyone involved but 1 stress for everyone who rolls a 1-3
2 dice for Arun - highest a 6, Rookies 1 dice - highest a 4, Alikaich 1 dice - highest a 3 (1 stress)
Arun took 1stress but the highest dice is a 6
Arun’s war hammer comes sweeping up and smashes the Oak Knight’s metal face plate. The face that is revealed isn’t human, or at least not anymore. Hideous, malformed, oozing. It needs to die. By the gods, the hit Arun gave was monstrous itself. We see our opening and close in. Spears and swords flash between the Oak Knights's massive armor joints. After a few minutes we are covered in blood, bile, and other worse things, but the monster has stopped moving.
While we were taking that thing on, Riya has taken on herself it to grab the cask and attempt to get over the side of the bridge by themselves.
Action Roll - Riya - Maneuver over the side of the bridge WITh a cask in hand - Desperate / Standard (for attempting it while holding the cask)
2 dice for Maneuver +1 for pushing (2 stress) - Highest a 6
6/10 Destroy the bridge clock
The spindly medic makes it over the side and places it by themselves. Makes me wonder why we were helping them this whole time! Right now we have to light the fuses and get the hell off this bridge before it blows or we get swarmed by undead and monster knights.
--
Wow, that was intense! Check back in next week for the conclusion of the first mission, Death on the Tigeria Part 2!
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