Harold Blackhoof
Drop your weapons. The hold is mine, and your blades are already broken.
A lithe figure
The minotaur is wounded, but his strength is still unnatural. This contract is not worth a death in the dirt.
A lithe figure
The Spider Queen pays for gold, not for martyrs. My life is worth more than this failing tower. Run while you can.
The lithe figure kicks a heavy stool toward Harold to distract him, then leaps through the shattered window into the darkness of the forest.
Harold Blackhoof
Let him go. My ribs burn with every breath, and the eggs are the only thing that matters tonight.
Yuz
He is gone, Captain. We held the line, but the door will not stand another siege like that.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the siege of the Brass Shield
“I tell him we must aid the others and make sure the hold is completely purged of intruders”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Harold Blackhoof
Check the perimeter, Yuz. We hunt the stragglers down before they regroup.
Yuz
Understood, Captain. The others are falling back toward the eastern barracks. We can corner them there.
Harold forces himself upright, ignoring the sharp protest of his ribs. He catches his breath, his eyes scanning the smoke and shadows for any remaining movement.
Harold Blackhoof
The eggs are safe for now. If I can flush these vermin out, the Brass Shield might actually survive until the supply boat arrives.
Yuz
The hallway is clear, but I hear boots near the armory. Do we take them head on, or do you have a plan to flush them out?
Harold Blackhoof
Yuz is eager, but his adrenaline is masking the fatigue in his legs. I need to decide if we push the momentum or secure the inner sanctum first.
“I listen for loud escalations and head to the nearest one”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +3)
Harold Blackhoof
Silence, Yuz. My ears catch more than just the wind.
Harold tilts his massive head, his nostrils flaring as he filters the metallic tang of blood from the distant, rhythmic grinding of heavy iron.
Harold Blackhoof
The armory. They are forcing the lock on the heavy weapon racks. If they get their hands on our surplus crossbows, this hold will be a tomb by dawn.
Yuz
Captain? You have that look. The one that means we stop playing defense.
Harold Blackhoof
They want our steel, Yuz. Let us see how they handle a minotaur who has run out of patience.
Harold charges down the corridor, his heavy boots shaking the dust from the ceiling as he descends upon the armory doors, which groan under the impact of a desperate enemy battering ram.
+ Scene Quest Added
Prevent the theft of the surplus crossbows
− Scene Quest Removed
Survive the siege of the Brass Shield
+ New Item Acquired
Pirate musket pistol
“Shotly before engaging the threat i use a small medicine vial on myself and the other half to yuz”
FAILURE (Great Health, rolled -1)
Harold Blackhoof
My ribs flare with every breath. I need us both upright if we are going to hold this hallway.
Harold Blackhoof
Catch, Yuz. Drink quick. We have work to do.
Yuz
My hands are shaking, Captain. The glass... it slipped.
The vial clatters against the stone floor, shattering into useless fragments before either of them can take a drop. The restorative liquid seeps into the grout, lost.
Harold Blackhoof
Useless. My fingers are as clumsy as a fledgling's, and now we face them with nothing but raw grit and aching bones.
Yuz
They are breaking through the timber, Harold. What is our next move?
“I give him a spare musket pistol and we defened with them”
SUCCESS (Great Ranged Combat, rolled +1)
Harold Blackhoof
The medicine is gone. If the door yields, we will be fighting through the pain until we drop.
Harold Blackhoof
Forget the potion, Yuz. My coat holds a spare. Take this pistol and aim for the lead silhouette.
Yuz
A firearm, Captain? I have only ever used a spear, but I will make it count.
The wood groans as the iron-tipped ram impacts again, sending splinters showering across the stone.
Harold Blackhoof
Steady your breathing. When that door finally gives way, we fire in unison.
Yuz
He is in agony, yet he stands like a mountain. If the Captain can hold, then so can I.
“We fire when best”
SUCCESS (Great Ranged Combat, rolled +0)
The armory door screams under the final strike, the lock assembly twisting until it tears completely from the frame.
Harold Blackhoof
Now, Yuz. Fire!
Yuz
For the Brass Shield!
The thunderous crack of the pistol fills the narrow corridor, the lead assailant dropping instantly as the splintered wood collapses inward.
Harold Blackhoof
One down, but the hallway is still choked with the rest of them. My ribs feel like they are grinding against each other with every heartbeat.
Yuz
Captain, more are climbing over their fallen comrade. They are not stopping!
“I tell him keep firing and i keep firing”
FAILURE (Great Ranged Combat, rolled -2)
Harold Blackhoof
Keep your aim steady, Yuz. Do not let them breathe!
Harold Blackhoof
My musket misfires, the priming pan hissing uselessly against the humid mountain air. Damnation.
Yuz
The trigger is jammed, Captain! My powder is soaked in this wretched dust!
The intruders surge forward over the wreckage, their curved blades glinting in the dim light of the flickering wall torches.
Harold Blackhoof
Drop the dead weight! Draw your steel before they reach our reach!
Yuz
They are too many, Harold. If we do not retreat to the main stairwell now, they will flank us!
“I head for the main stairwell”
FAILURE (Good Athletics, rolled +0)
Harold Blackhoof
Back to the stairwell, Yuz. Move, move!
Harold Blackhoof
My ribs flare white hot as I pivot to bolt. My boot catches on a loose floor stone. A heavy, jagged scrap of the shattered door frame snags my cloak, pinning me in place.
Yuz
Captain! They are closing in!
Harold wrenches against the snagged fabric, but the weight of his armor and his own injury anchor him to the debris. A hulking assailant in dark, greasy leather lunges through the smoke, a jagged dagger aimed straight for the exposed gap in the minotaur's chestplate.
Harold Blackhoof
I cannot reach my sword in time. If this blade bites deep, it is finished.
Yuz
Get off him, you gutter rat!
“I fight with the biggest splintered board from the carnage”
SUCCESS (Great Strength, rolled +2)
Harold Blackhoof
My cloak is caught tight on this splintered ruin. I need to break free, but the wood is thick and stubborn.
Yuz
Captain, look out!
The hulking assassin raises his blade, but Harold is faster. With a roar of agony, the minotaur tears his cloak free and yanks a jagged, massive plank of oak from the floor debris.
Harold Blackhoof
Not today, scavenger!
Harold swings the heavy timber with a thunderous force. The wood connects with the assassin's chest, the impact sending the attacker flying backward through the haze of gray smoke and splintered wood.
Harold Blackhoof
He is down, but more shadows are moving behind him in the hallway. Do I use this opening to scramble toward the stairs, or do I press the advantage and charge into the smoke?
+ New Item Acquired
Jagged wooden board
“I usher for yuz to give me his pistol and i attempt to fix both of ours”
FAILURE (Good Reasoning, rolled -1)
Harold Blackhoof
Yuz, toss me that pistol! I can clear the chamber and set the spring while they are dazed.
Yuz
Catch it, Captain! My flint is snapped, but yours might still have a spark.
The musket slides across the dusty floor, its metal frame hot and fouled with soot. Harold catches it with his massive, furred hands, fumbling for the jammed mechanism.
Harold Blackhoof
The spring is bent beyond repair. I am trying to force it, but the pressure is too much for this rusted frame.
With a sharp metallic snap, the firing pin shears clean off, rendering the weapon a useless club. Through the lingering smoke, a pair of glowing yellow eyes narrows, watching Harold discard the broken weapon.
Yuz
The smoke is thinning, Harold. More of them are emerging from the barracks. What is the order?
“I charge them using primarly horns and harsh rushes”
SUCCESS (Great Strength, rolled +0)
Harold Blackhoof
The musket is dead weight. I have no time to fix it, and the hallway is crawling with them. It is time to rely on my own nature.
Yuz
Captain, wait! They are grouping up in the archway, we should hold the flank!
Harold Blackhoof
Move aside, Yuz. I am going to break their line before they can recover.
Harold drops the useless musket and lowers his massive head. He lets out a guttural, earth-shaking roar that echoes off the stone walls.
The minotaur surges forward like a living battering ram, his hooves tearing gouges into the floorboards as he slams into the lead attackers.
Bodies fly into the dark corners of the hallway. Harold stands amidst the ruin of his own charge, his horns stained and his breath ragged. Two more figures emerge from the shadows, drawing long, jagged daggers.
“Without a pause i hit them horns first”
SUCCESS (Great Strength, rolled +1)
Harold Blackhoof
My horns are the only steel I can trust now. These thieves have no idea what it means to be hit by a charging bull.
Yuz
They are bracing, Captain! Do not run into a wall of blades!
Harold Blackhoof
Let them brace. It will only make the impact more satisfying.
Harold lowers his head, his white horns glinting in the dim torchlight. He lunges, his muscles bunching as he transforms into an unstoppable force of fur and fury.
The hallway shudders. Harold slams into the pair of dagger wielders, his immense weight crushing their formation instantly.
The assassins crumple against the stone masonry, gasping for air as their weapons skitter away across the floor. Harold stands over them, his chest heaving, waiting to see if they have the courage to stand again.
Quest Complete
Prevent the theft of the surplus crossbows
Attribute Upgrade: Strength Great→Superb