04 Night's Watch.pdf - Chaos Bleeds

Chapter 2: The Wall & The GiftDireboarAgility 4 (Dodge 1B, Quick 2B), Athletics 4 (Run 2B,Strength 2B), Awareness 4 (Notice 3B), Cunning 1,Endurance 4 (Resiliance 2B, Stamina 2B), Fighting 4 (Gore 2B),Stealth 4, Survival 5 (Forage 3B), Will 2Combat Defense 12 ❂ Health 12Natural Armor: AR 2 ❂ Movement 8 yardsGore 4D+2B 4 damage Powerful, Staggering, ViciousTrample 4D 5 damage PowerfulFerociousA direboar can take Injuries to reduce damage to itsHealth.The Cure for What AilsThe maester is an invaluable part of the Night’s Watch. Part historian,part healer, part counselor, part teacher, he communicates with theoutside world, maintains the archives for posterity, and heals thosewho are injured or sick. When the maester falls ill, however, who seesto his needs? An apprentice or helper is not a maester, no matter howwell trained.Maester Aemon has fallen ill—perhaps from disease, perhaps simplyfrom the ravages of old age, perhaps from something else entirely.No one within the Watch has been able to treat him successfully. Ravenshave been sent to Winterfell, and Lord Eddard has responded,sending Maester Luwin to the Wall to help. The Watch must provideguards for the Maester within the Gift, however; Winterfell men willonly travel so far.Set UpThe Lord Commander has agreed to send a small patrol of men to meetMaester Luwin at the Last River and escort him to the Wall and homeagain, once Maester Aemon is recovered.ObjectiveTo retrieve Maester Luwin and see to his safety on the journey to the Wall.Known FactsMaester Luwin is being accompanied by five guards on his journeyfrom Winterfell. It will take three days of slow riding to get from TheLast River to the Wall. Maester Aemon seems likely to hold out forthat long, but additional delay would be unwise. Luwin and his guardsare expecting a like number to meet them, so that Luwin’s safety can beassured. While travel on the Kingsroad is as safe as can be expected, nojourney is ever fully guaranteed. That said, this is hardly onerous duty.TerrainThe Kingsroad is well paved, though any road is rougher through thenorth than its companion roads in more moderate climes. House Starkoversees its maintenance well, however, and there is little to slow travel.Toward The Last River, the road jogs around the southeast foothillsthrough the eastern arm of the Wolfswood.Unknown FactsA group of bandits has been gathering in the Wolfswood, preying onisolated farmsteads and travelers who leave the Kingsroad for monthsnow. Their leader is a man named Kuhl, once a knight to House Karstarkbut now forsworn.As slowly as Maester Luwin’s party travels, they have been trackingit for a day or two now, staying out of sight within the woods. They areunwilling to attack Winterfell men if they don’t have to—they have nodesire to force Lord Eddard’s hand any faster than necessary—but theMaester of Winterfell could fetch a good ransom from his chains alone.When the Watch takes possession of Maester Luwin, the bandits seetheir chance, knowing it will be days before anyone from either Winterfellor the Wall could even begin to track them.OppositionThere are ten bandits (see Chapter 11: The Narrator, under Antagonists& Allies, in the SIFRP core book); their goal is to kidnapMaester Luwin and wound or kill the characters so that they cannotbe easily followed. Kuhl would rather incapacitate than kill, knowing ofLord Stark, but not all the bandits understand such fine lines of justice.Kuhl’s opinion of the black brothers is biased, thinking them lesscompetent based as much on their origins as their current station. Hebelieves that numbers will carry the day. He is arrogant, but he couldbe frightened away given a show of strength. If the bandits are reducedto a 1-to-1 ratio of bandits to Brothers, they will abandon their planand flee.Possible ResolutionsIf the brothers manage to defeat Kuhl and take him prisoner, they candiscover his background relatively quickly. Maester Luwin, at the veryleast, recognizes the man from his time of service with House Karstark.Lord Karstark will gladly offer either a fat purse of gold as ransom forhis return, or an allotment of a dozen men to join the Watch, whicheverthe Lord Commander prefers. He intends to hang the man as anoathbreaker. In such a situation, ironically, Kuhl may attempt to take theblack himself out of desperation.StatisticsKuhl, Bandit Knight (Secondary Character)The forsworn knight Kuhl found his way into service with HouseKarstark. A grasping and jealous man, he quickly grew tired of watchinghis supposed betters live richly (at least, in his eyes) while he atelesser fare below the salt. So, he fled his oaths of service into the Wolfswoodand gathered about him men of criminal intent. In battle, Kuhlremains on horse with shield and lance as long as he can; he thenfights with the massive greatsword slung across his back, eschewingshield for its power.69