The morning sun lends a rose gold sheen to the Thames. The stands have been set up so that the assembled notables can see the boats of the boating parties set out across the breadth of the river, their strong crews eagerly awaiting the signal to depart. A hundred conversations and appraisals are taking place, and even some money is changing hands as wagers are made. Carried on the morning breeze, you can hear one old man rasp out a question: "do you think death might possibly be a boat?" A sobering thought, but one that must be put aside. For today, you will prove the prowess of the seamen of England, and the proud tradition that has come down from Alfred's time.

There is a sounding of trumpets, and the Lionheart stands up from his great chair at the river's edge to bellow:

"GET ROWING!"

The race, it seems, is on.

This is a Boat Race event for teams of up to 3 consisting of 3 stages with a bit of a twist at the end. Be prepared for anything!

Stage One: The Race!

A) Wrestling with the Current
The Thames is a mighty river, and its currents can be tricky. Making use of them can help you pick up speed, but a wrong tack can spell disaster.

1) One team member (the pilot) should make a Boating check to maneuver your vessel to take advantage of the currents. If successful, gain +10 glory.

2) The other team members ought to make Strength checks to power your vessel downriver with your mighty oars. If the pilot was successful on the previous roll, make your Strength check with a +2 Bonus. If they were critically successful, take a +4 bonus. If they failed, -2. Each successful rower earns +10 glory for their team

B) EELS!!?!
The Thames is famously stuffed with eels. Great, big, slimy, wriggly, well-muscled, funny-looking eels. You're in their world, now, and every time you stroke it feels like you're smacking into the irksome bulk of another one of the tube-fish. It is seriously cramping your style, particularly when an oarstroke sends one flying into the air to land in the bottom of your boat (or perhaps the side of your head) with an audible 'thunk!' It will take great skill to get through this mess.

The team's pilot must make a boating check at a -2 penalty to avoid disturbing the teeming swarms of eels. On a success, you pass this stage and hurtle down river, earning a +2 to your boating checks in stages C and D and +5 glory.

On a failure, every member of your team must attempt a Dexterity check to dodge the eels kicked up by the churning oars. Should you fail the Dexterity check, you are clocked by a flying eel. Take 1d6 damage and a -2 penalty to all checks in Stages C and D. Teams that successfully dodge all eels earn +20 glory for their feat.

C) Ben-hur on Boats [Optional]
Having finally hit a clear patch of river, the thoughts of some teams may naturally turn to violence. This is an opportunity to wreak some havoc, and perhaps even some scores. Players that pass a Reckless Trait Check (or a Vengeful Trait check if you are targeting one who is known to have done you wrong in the past), may have their team's rowers attempt Strength checks at a +2 penalty to reach ramming speed! against a boat of your choice.

You may only select one opposing boat. The pilot of that boat may make an opposed Boating check against the average of your Strength checks to attempt to maneuver out of the line of fire. If they do so, they are able to slip downriver without incident. If they fail, their boat is destroyed, and the characters in that boat must make Swimming checks to swim to shore, or they will be in serious danger from the current.

Characters who destroy an opponent's vessel lose 10 glory from the total they have accrued during this event for Bad Form. Characters whose vessel is destroyed lose 15 glory for their ignominious defeat.

Players who are forced to swim for it may not participate in phase D of this event.

D) The Chain. Wait...the Chain!?!

Things are proceeding apace when your eyes catch a fearful sight as your proud vessel nears London bridge: a glint of metal stretches out in the shadows beneath the structure. As you draw nearer, you can make it out more clearly: someone has drawn a heavy length of chain across the river. It might have something to do with the grim-faced crowd gathered along the banks and on top of the bridge. A peasant rabble, to be sure, but there are an awful lot of them...

You are jerked from your musings on the nature of the danger to come by the sudden realization that A GREAT BIG CHAIN HAS BEEN STRETCHED ACROSS THE RIVER! YOU NEED TO GET YOUR BOAT TO SHORE RIGHT NOW!!

Teams have three attempts per character to make 7 successful rolls (Boating and Strength make the most sense here, but feel free to get creative) to get their boat to safety. Failure indicates that your boat becomes entangled in the chain. Players must make a successful swimming test to get to shore and participate in Stage Three, or take 1d6 damage and end up here. Teams that save their boat earn +15 Glory.

When you have completed the Race, please make careful note of your Glory totals, then, if you saved your boat, join this thread here.

“The hell you are!” A voice yelled out from the infirmary tent. “You are less than a day removed from unconsciousness and still several days from being up to any seriously strenuous activity. I forbid it brother, as your physician, as your kin and as the only person here who genuinely cares about you. I forbid it.”

“But I promised the…” William starts to argue before being interrupted by a loud clatter of something being thrown from inside the tent.

“I don’t care what you promised the de Clare’s. If you head out on that river it’s a death sentence. I may as well just drown you in your water bucket here and save you the effort. You may be the eldest, but you are not yet my Lord, and at the moment even I could take you in a fight, so don’t even think about it.” Giles throws open the flap of the tent and steps out into the sunshine.

“You are the next Lord of Bramber,” he calls back over his shoulder. “You are the future of this house. If this oath you made is so important that it must be fulfilled even at the chance of death, then so it shall be. But not at the cost of all the eggs Father has put in your basket, no. You will see that your decisions have consequences, that for your rewards there are serious risks. Maybe next time you will think twice before trying another of these gambits.”

Giles grabs a nearby page boy by the collar. “Get me a boat.” He snarls before stalking towards the river.
D9 LM Passion Loyalty TN15 Boating: 1d20 12
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The start is far from auspicious and Giles has difficulty figuring out how to manoeuvre the craft falling well behind the other ships.
D9 LM Step A Boating TN10: 1d20 18 FAIL

But by the time he encounters the eel infested section of the waters, he has managed to get the hang of it…or so his pride allowed him to think.
D9 LM Step B EELS! Boating TN8: 1d20 3 SUCCESS +5 Glory, +2 to subsequent boating checks

(Not actively engaging in the ramming, but roll is below if targeted)
D9 LM Step C Ben Hur (resisting only) TN12: 1d20 19

When he saw the chain pulled up, he knew he was out of his depth and his boat crashed against it hard, getting shredded quite badly.
D9 LM Step D The CHAIN! Boating TN12: 9#1d20 14 20 8 19 3 7 11 19 10 FAIL

In the end a soggy and very sad looking scholar pulled himself out of the water coughing up half the Thames from his lungs.
D9 LM Swimming TN1: 1d20 3 FAIL
D9 LM Swimming damage: 1d6 3

It is a supreme effort for the drowned rat to be able to even spit out a few words as he crawled before Richard de Clare. “For William de Braose.”

(declaring 5 earned glory to de Clare on behalf of his brother)

Wrestling with the Current:
The young Richard steers his boat with elegance. Boating, tn 18, +5 for Redvers Family trait: 1d20+3 11 (10 Glory)

The Redvers knights pull manfully on the oars. Or at least one does, the other just cannot get in sync, and ends up struggling to pry a piece of vegetation off the keel. https://orokos.com/roll/915553 Just 10 Glory.

Eels:
The Devonshire skiff zips along, the eels flying overhead as the oars turn them over, but Richard's mastery over the tiller sends them all safely downstream, no concussions sustained. +2 Boating checks, +5 Glory.

Ben-Hur on Boats:
While Richard is something of a Daredevil, the utter lack of cruelty in his nature and the relative weakness of his family's position at court causes him to think twice about ramming anybody. Not worth it. The skiff gathers speed as it courses down river.

The Chain:
To say that young Redvers was surprised at the chain would be an understatement, but he steers the boat aright., shaking out of his momentary stupor to turn her toward shore. 3 successes.

Straining at the oars, the knights are able to assist their lord in saving the boat and their lives. They end up on shore, only to look into the eyes of the throng of peasants, who, perhaps weirdly, don't seem happy to see them. (+15 Glory)

House de Redvers earns 35 Glory.

The Earl of Essex's boating skills are nowhere near the peerless artistry of de Redvers, but his people are also a people of rivers, and very familiar with the lower reaches of this river in particular. He manages the current excellently. (10 Glory)

The knight of Essex pulls like a dog, carrying the boat forward. (10 Glory)

William de Mandeville wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 01, 2021 6:21 pm

The Earl of Essex's boating skills are nowhere near the peerless artistry of de Redvers, but his people are also a people of rivers, and very familiar with the lower reaches of this river in particular. He manages the current excellently. (10 Glory)

The knight of Essex pulls like a dog, carrying the boat forward. (10 Glory)

Geoffrey takes command of his own oar and propels the boat forward alongside the knight from Essex.

D9 LM, strength check tn 10: 1d20 9
Success, +10 glory

Although the eels made life a challenge, Mandeville was able to dodge the worst of the shoals. +2 boating, +5 Glory.

It doesn't occur to Mandeville to try to take anyone out (not Reckless, not Vengeful).

The Chain
Mandeville successfully steers to avoid the Chain. 3 successes
The Essex knight struggles, but ends up freaking out a bit too much. 1 success. The Chain Looms!

Geoffrey once again takes firm control of his oar. Seeing the immediate danger he raises the it then dips it sharply into the water with force enough to cause it to bend, getting a sharper turn from the boat.

D9 LM, 3 strength checks tn 10: 3#1d20 10 4 15
1 crit, 1 success, 1 fail

Looks like it's swimming checks for the Mandeville team.

The Earl successfully swims for it.
As does the man of Essex.

Richard seems more confident that his men will be able to at least swim to shore if the ships all sink in harbor. But will Geoffrey of Tournemine make it? Or will he be swept down to London?

Geoffrey gets hit by the chain and fails to fight the current.

----

D9 LM, swim, tn 5: 3#1d20 16 8 3
Fail

D9 LM, damage: 1d6 3

35 Glory to Team de Mandeville, of which Geoffrey de Tournemine receives 13.