Pendragon

Sir Geoffrey and his Northmen allies prepare for battle as the Frankish footmen approach.

Opponent	Combat Information	Armor and Shield	Hit Points	Major Wound	Unconscious	Glory
Frankish Footmen	Spear 13 (4d6) Axe 14 (4d6)	12; Leather (6), Shield (6)	30	14	8	30

Allies	Combat Information	Armor and Shield	Hit Points	Major Wound	Unconscious
Northman Warrior	Axe 14 (5d6)	12; Leather (6), Shield (6)	30	14	8

You form a loose line, giving the Northmen plenty of room to swing their axes. The approaching Franks, seeing that you have no intention of fleeting, approach carefully. They apparently, and rightly, view Sir Geoffrey as the greater threat, and two of them pair up on him. Not exactly chivalrous behavious, but these are merely footmen, after all. In moments, battle is joined.

Character	Roll	Opponent Roll	Opponent	Result
Sir Geoffrey	11 (success)	8 (success)	Frankish Footman #1	inflict (25-12) 13 damage
Sir Geoffrey	-	8 (success)	Frankish Footman #2	take (12-10) 2 damage
Northman #1	12 (success)	15 (fail)	Frankish Footman #3	inflict (15-6) 9 damage
Northman #2	12 (success)	8 (success)	Frankish Footman #4	inflict (21-12) 9 damage

Sir Geoffrey ignores one of soldiers fighting him, and scores a solid hit against the one on the left. He receives a blow from the other Frank, but his armour absorbs most of the damage - the wound is barely an inconvenience. To his right, the two Northmen land some solid blows on the Franks.

[Actions?]

Status
Sir Geoffrey 32/34
Northman #1 30/30
Northman #2 30/30
Frankish Footman #1 17/30
Frankish Footman #2 30/30
Frankish Footman #3 21/30
Frankish Footman #4 21/30

It's going to be a lot of work to get there, and some significant time, but you see what you can do about picking your way into the rear of the enemy position.

You withdraw down the marshy creek, and move to the north up a wooded hill, hoping the trees give you cover. Your Northmen scouts seem a little tense, but they grit their teeth and follow you.

You manage to make your way up the flank of the Frankish force. From this vantage point, it looks like the Franks have chosen their ground well. Sir Cedwyn will need to cross the marshy creek in order to engage. There might be some way to force the Franks to pivot, but it looks like Sir Cedwyn will need to either engage them frontally, or try and bypass them, leaving an enemy to his rear.

You move forward farther, keeping to the wooded hills to the north of the battlefield. From here, you spot more banners, about a mile behind the Frankish line. That's probably where their camp is located. Getting through to that spot is going to be rough - there appears to be a fair amount of activity in the intervening space.

As you are contemplating the best way you might get closer, you see a group of 4 soldiers not far away. One of them points where you and your Northmen are crouches, and all 4 of then start making their way towards you at a quick trot. It seems you have been spotted.

[Actions?]

It looks like 4 footmen, militia or poorly equipped men-at-arms. They are certainly not knights.

[They're not ready to move - they've set up for a confrontation. Sir Cedwyn will not have a lot of time to form ranks,  unless he slips in under cover of darkness. The enemy camp is not visible from here, and you cannot tell which of the banners might represent a leader.]

Picking your way carefully, working up a bit of a sweat, but managing to keep your head. Once or twice, one of the northmen curses as they trip, but a glare from you silences them.

You make it to the edge of the wooded area, knee-deep in a slow-moving stream, and catch your first glimpse of the enemy.

They are clearly arrayed for battle, slightly below the line of a hill. Their plan, likely, is to advance and catch Sir Cedwyn's forces unprepared, forcing them to scramble to form ranks. The enemy is not numerous - about a hundred soldiers, but they all appear to be fairly well kitted. The Irish knifers in your ranks won't stand much against these troops, but even discounting them, Sir Cedwyn has a small advantage in numbers.

Sir Geoffrey counts half a dozen banners in the opposing force - Frankish, as a best guess, though he does not recognize any of them.

The numbers reported by the Northmen appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

[OOC: Unless my math and memory are way off, you guys have about 250 troops, with about a third of that being knifers. The enemy numbers about a hundred, and perhaps six knights.]

Arne is back and ready to roll more 20s.