"Time to get set up then." As he moves towards his position, Atan grabs Yimris by the back of his arm, "A silver per head, loser owes the difference."

As the three Merek Lek settle into their ambush Atan asks Tagra, "Do you want to give the signal for attack? If so we will follow your lead."

[OOC:Takes 20 for Hide +7
Listen for Broo +6
Sense Chaos +3
Spot Broo +6]

Edited by: Halle Dunn at: 1/13/03 7:42:57 pm

Nrulias spins his horse around. "I have to make a pass through the northern farms before the broo arrive. Good luck my friends." The watchmen spurs his horse and gallops away.

Ruig and Draxim kneel down near the west wall of the house and pray. The priest utters a few words in dwarvish and those words are whispered by Draxim in reply. Then rising, they return to their positions.

All is quiet. The sky is still a medium gray. Both rain and sunshine seem unlikely. Madragar and Meneloss peer through their holes in the thatched roof, searching for signs of the broo. Below, the ambushers settle down into their hiding places. There is a light breeze but when that wind falters all can hear even the slightest sound: the merest creaking of a floorboard, the heavy dwarven breathing, the gentle hiss and pop of the roasting pig.

Outside the Merek Lek are kneeling down, deep within the wheat field. [Note: having the help of abundant camouflage and other people skilled in hiding resulted in a signifigant Hide bonus.] Three bows and three notched arrows lay in wait. They cannot see, so the woodsmen concentrate on their hearing, straining their senses to detect even the slightest sound. At one point Atan even whispers that he can hear Ruig breathing. The others snicker and then retreat into silence again.

Finally, Meneloss taps lightly on his rafter. He has sighted the broo, moving in two packs up from the forest. For a time they are merely dark figures in the distance, weaving in and out of the hillocks, ravines and small copses of pine trees. As they come within a few hundred feet of the house, the broo procede slowly, crouched low to the ground. They are clearly armed with a mixture of axes, spears and wicked glaives. In two groups they slip into the wheat field.

Madragar and Meneloss watch as the two packs move toward the house, one from the south, one from the southeast. From their elevated position, the Wizards can see the wheat pushed aside as the broo make their way slowly through the field. Nearly one hundred feet from the house, the pack moving in from the southeast stops. The southern group continues on.

Moments later the broo are at the edge of the wheat field. Madragar and Meneloss can see their thick, furred heads just a few feet from the clearing, their grotesque snouts twitching back and forth. Still, the second pack remains in the wheat field.

Then, without so much as a grunt, seven boarheaded broo break cover and rush the house. Three have long, iron-tipped spears while the rest bear crude axes. Their massive tusks protrude up from slavering, pink mouths. They are naked, clothed only in course brown fur and a few primitive bone fetishes. Two of the broo break for each side of the house, while the remaining three charge straight at the back/southern door. With a final savage roar, the lead creature hurls itself at the door.

The flimsy door not only comes off its hinges but explodes into flinders! The wooden bar breaks uselessly away as thin chunks of old oak are sent flying across the room. The first broo through the door, totally off balance, careens into the barricade and barely regains its footing. The other two are close behind it.

Gentlemen, you have surprise. Initiative order:

Meneloss
Atan
Madragar
Tagra
Sangraal
Draxim
Yimris
Kezib
Ruglan
Ruig

The combat map is here:

www.jubilex.com/moagara/combat.html

The broo are numbered so you can indicate who you're attacking, and the small letter lets you know what they are armed with.