More heavy turrets are being relocated to the main gate, moving along a track system at the top of the wall. A rail charge from Arvus' hiding place takes one out as it moves in, but the rest get into position.
The Officer misses Melkor again with a poor roll, meaing the Fortune point is wasted on Melkor's defense. Melkor returns the favor with a 19 and a 6, hitting for 8 damage.
Janus wounds a soldier, whom Skrall picks off along with another.
Casualties are heavier when the turrets let off their cannonades, but resistance on the wall is thinning...
---
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Palace Walls- Top
Officer: 15/12
Erengardian Soldiers x18: 0/15
Turrets x3: 0/16
Melkor: 0/14
Palace Walls- Midlevel
Erengardian Soldiers x21: 0/15 (Cover 1)
Palace Walls- Gate
Skall: 0/13 (Armor 1)
Janus: 0/13 (Armor 1)
Stormtroopers x35: 0/13
Turncoat Soldiers x38: 0/13
---
Main Gate is CLOSED
Arvus fires off his rail charges again, taking out a turret, then blows away more cover from the gunnery slots to better expose them.
Commander Skrall stops briefly to fix something onto the end of his pistol- a rifle grenade. He launches it at one of the turrets and destroys it.
Janus shoots down a pair of soldiers, and casualties are heavy amongst the defenders. The remaining turret has pinpointed Arvus' position in a nearby house, and tears apart a wall with its fierce rapid firing.
With his Fortune expenditure, Melkor hits the Officer solidly for 16 damage on his double-shot! Well done. The Officer shoots back but to little effect; he keeps rolling 2s.
---
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Palace Walls- Top
Officer: 31/15
Erengardian Soldiers x10: 0/19
Turrets x1: 0/20
Melkor: 0/17
Palace Walls- Midlevel
Erengardian Soldiers x16: 0/19
Palace Walls- Gate
Skrall: 0/18 (Armor 1)
Janus: 0/16 (Armor 1)
Stormtroopers x33: 0/16
Turncoat Soldiers x34: 0/16
---
Main Gate is CLOSED
No need for the Fortune spend, as the Officer is a Supermook and only takes 35 damage max; Melkor finishes off the Officer with one last shot that catches him squarely in the chest, having rolled a 16. The Officer got off a shot first, but it missed on a 1. They must not have trained him very well in the Army...
Skrall uses another mounted grenade to destroy the last turret, and Arvus has come out of hiding to join the rest of the forces.
With the Officer gone and the remaining forces trying to hold the wall, Melkor is clear to open the gate.
---
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Palace Walls- Top
Erengardian Soldiers x3: 0/23
Melkor: 0/20
Palace Walls- Midlevel
Erengardian Soldiers x4: 0/23
Palace Walls- Gate
Skrall: 0/23 (Armor 1)
Janus: 0/22 (Armor 1)
Arvus: 5/21
Stormtroopers x29: 0/22
Turncoat Soldiers x33: 0/22
---
Main Gate is CLOSED
The soldiers do not have the opportunity to drop their weapons; Janus and Skrall blast them down, leaving Melkor alone atop the wall. A rail charge from Arvus smashes into the midlevel section, and the walls are taken.
Melkor gets to the controls (a unit that command the security systems for the wall) and opens the gate. The stormtroopers start to move in, still disguised in their civilian garb. A fair share of them lay dead before the palace gates, but sacrifices must be made to ensure that the Empire's faux invasion has no cause to become a reality...
From Melkor's vantage point, he can see that Erengardian soldiers are setting up defensively in the courtyard in front of the Palace of the Castellan.
---
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Palace Walls- Top
Melkor: 0/23
Palace Walls- Midlevel
Clear
Palace Walls- Gate
Skrall: 0/25 (Armor 1)
Janus: 0/25 (Armor 1)
Arvus: 5/24
Stormtroopers x19: 0/22
Stormtroopers x10: 0/22 (inside gate)
Turncoat Soldiers x33: 0/22
---
Main Gate is OPEN
There are some side entrances to the Palace, but you imagine that the security systems would have put the blast doors in place and possibly the laser traps- the only entrance that lacks those things is the great wooden door of the Palace's main entrance. It is old-fashioned and bars will have been drawn across to lock it, but that will not keep out the determined soldiers of the Empire.
Is Melkor going to descend the wall and join the others?
Unfortunately so.
As Melkor moves down the wall, he is joined by loyal soldiers who have scaled the wall and climbed in where Arvus blasted through.
Arvus and Janus and Skrall move in through the gate with more of the soldiers while the opposing guard of the Palace has gotten into position. This force is much lighter, but led by three Officers and (mostly) benefit from cover dotting the Palace Courtyard- low walls, hedges, statues, grand fountains, overturned benches.
---
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Courtyard- Left
Erengardian Soldiers x15: 0/24 (cover: 2)
Officer B: 0/24 (cover: 2)
Courtyard- Center
Erengardian Soldiers x15: 0/24
Officer C: 0/24
Courtyard- Right
Erengardian Soldiers x15: 0/24 (cover: 2)
Officer D: 0/24 (cover: 2)
Palace Walls- Midlevel
Melkor: 0/26
Turncoat Soldiers x10: 0/25
Palace Walls- Gate
Skrall: 0/28 (inside gate, A1)
Janus: 0/28 (inside gate, A1)
Arvus: 5/27 (inside gate)
Stormtroopers x19: 0/25
Stormtroopers x17: 0/25 (inside gate)
Turncoat Soldiers x23: 0/25
---
Main Gate is OPEN
Officer C is going to shoot at Melkor, having noticed him on the wall. Everyone else is embroiled in the thick of the fighting.
Officer C misses Melkor, who then fires back with 8 and 17 on his Double Shot. The first is the a miss, the second hits for 9 damage. Officer B misses his shot at Janus, but Officer D hits the Commander for 9 damage.
Casualties are light for the defensive soldiers, making good use of their cover. Out in the open, the stormtroopers fair less well.
---
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Courtyard- Left
Erengardian Soldiers x13: 0/28 (cover: 2)
Officer B: 0/27 (cover: 2)
Courtyard- Center
Erengardian Soldiers x11: 0/28
Officer C: 9/27
Courtyard- Right
Erengardian Soldiers x12: 0/24 (cover: 2)
Officer D: 0/27 (cover: 2)
Palace Walls- Midlevel
Turncoat Soldiers x10: 0/28
Palace Walls- Gate
Skrall: 9/28 (inside gate, A1)
Janus: 0/28 (inside gate, A1)
Arvus: 5/27 (inside gate)
Melkor: 0/30 (inside gate)
Stormtroopers x9: 0/28
Stormtroopers x19: 0/28 (inside gate)
Turncoat Soldiers x3: 0/28
Turncoat Soldiers x7: 0/29 (inside gate)
---
Main Gate is OPEN
Cover can be moved past or Eagle Eye'd, if that's what you mean.
The Officers fire first; B on Janus, C on you, D on Skrall. None quite muster a shot that hits any of you, but in return your shots miss too! Your allies, however, decide to back you up. Janus takes a Double Shot of his own and hits twice, for 18 damage. Skrall and Arvus then launch their heavy weapons- the rifle grenade and rail charge respectively- into the midst of the soldiers, taking out Officer C in the blast.
"Forward!" Skrall shouts to his men. The stormtroopers rush forward while firing, moving into the Courtyard Center. The defending soldiers concentrate their fire on the advancing troopers as a result, sparing your more valuable turncoats this time around.
---
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Courtyard- Left
Erengardian Soldiers x9: 0/32 (cover: 2)
Officer B: 0/30 (cover: 2)
Courtyard- Center
Stormtroopers x22: 0/32
Courtyard- Right
Erengardian Soldiers x6: 0/32 (cover: 2)
Officer D: 0/30 (cover: 2)
Palace Walls- Gate
Skrall: 9/32 (inside gate, A1)
Janus: 0/31 (inside gate, A1)
Arvus: 5/30 (inside gate)
Melkor: 0/30 (inside gate)
Turncoat Soldiers x2: 0/31
Turncoat Soldiers x18: 0/32 (inside gate)
---
Main Gate is OPEN
Sweeping into the left courtyard means that the cover of the defenders there is negated as you rush past it. Your turncoats fire rapidly with their Imperial blasters, mowing down most of the defenders. Melkor takes his shots at the Officer and Janus goes with him, putting in a great deal of damage between them. The Officer shoots at Melkor, for 9 damage as a bolt glances off a nearby tree, spraying Melkor with burning splinters.
Skrall and Arvus with their heavy weapons and supported by the stormtroopers clear out the right side of the courtyard. Officer D expires in the heavy weapons fire.
BATTLE OF MAURENBURG
Courtyard- Left
Erengardian Soldiers x3: 0/36 (cover: 2)
Officer B: 23/33 (cover: 2)
Melkor: 9/34
Janus: 0/35 (A1)
Turncoat Soldiers x8: 0/36 (inside gate)
Courtyard- Center
Skrall: 9/38 (A1)
Arvus: 5/34
Stormtroopers x22: 0/35
Turncoat Soldiers x10: 0/36
---
All of your forces are now in the Courtyard with minimal resistance remaining. Officer B is going to shoot at you again.
The Officer shoots first, one last desperate action, giving Melkor a sting for 8 more damage.
Between Melkor and Janus blazing away, Arvus' railgun, and forty skilled soldiers, the left side of the courtyard is subsequently obliterated by a torrent of blasterfire. The fountain is blasted apart, trees and hedges are set alight, statues fragmented. The Officer bucks and rattles as bolts strike him repeatedly, and he goes down.
The courtyard is now silent.
"Break down the door," Skrall commands the stormtroopers. "We need to move quickly. Are you okay, Esgabath?"