Message for the Duke (2) - the delivery ?

 continued from the previous post ...

A bright summers evening, no much going on at the Ducal palace, a couple coming in from a walk and the guards for the evening taking their place. It was still reasonably light ....

Mlle Givenchy, Hofler and Hagen, carrying the dispatches for the Duke, moved cautiously through the grounds ....

A group of men sent to intercept them arrive by the edge of the formal gardens ....

as they move into various places to lay in wait; Givenchy, Hofler and Hagen approach the river..

rather than go across the large bridge they head off to one side and cross by a small footbridge ...

The make it into the formal gardens but their pursuers are catching them up ....

The captain of the guard sees the group down by the fountain and orders an officer and soldier to go and investigate, as a precaution he orders more guards to be called.

Hofler and Hagen are attacked from behind

Their pursuers close in ....

the two guards challenge the interlopers, shots are fired ....

Hofler and Givenchy have beaten their attackers and Hagen chases off the other one who is wounded.

The guards kill one and wound another, two more hold their ground ....

Givenchy tells the officer they have dispatches for the Duke from the King of Wittenberg ...

The remaining interlopers make a last ditch attempt to stop them reaching the Duke; they try to get past the guards....

The attempt fails, although one gets through wounding the officer but is then brought down by a deft sword thrust from Givenchy, the soldier chases the surviving attacker away...

The noise of the encounter outside had disturbed the Duke and his guests, the Duke had come outside onto the terrace to find out what was happening.  The officer escort the messengers up to the palace....

Mlle Givenchy introduces herself, Hofler and Hagen to the Duke ..."we have urgent dispatches for you from your brother-in-law King Leopold"

They are taken inside and hand the dispatches (which had been hidden the lining of Hofler's coat) to the Duke...

---oXo---

Schema for activation of each group, using pack of cards

Hearts - The messengers

Diamonds - Fenwick ducal palace guard (and civilians)

Clubs - the baddies following the messengers

Spades - the baddies waiting in the grounds for the messengers

Each group moved on a card from its suite being turned over, others could not move but could defend themselves; combat using my to&fro 'simple combat rules' with no saving throw for a hit - a hit equalled a wound.   Decisions on routes to take done by using a dice.

Cards ran well for each group, advantage to each group with runs of cards and some singles; oddly the last move for handing the message over was the Ace of Hearts..