We’ve know combatants at the top of their game. Whether that be from the stories we’re told around the hearth or campfire. Or we have even had the pleasure of witnessing the awe inspiring feats for ourselves during the bi-weekly bandit raid. I guarantee we’ve all used a tea towel as a cloak and a broom as our instrument of death to play pretend at some point or other. But we’re always faced with the knowledge the almost super being-like abilities these heroes possess are way beyond our grasp. Or are they? We sat down with Ignacious Granavo, expert adventurer and retired privateer to hear about his swashbuckling deeds and what he really thinks of combat.
“It’s a thing of glory: the rush of adrenaline you feel just before a battle. The way the heart pounds. The knowledge that your friends are by your side to the death. And the look of both fear and rage in your enemy’s eyes as everyone waits for that moment where someone, almost arbitrarily, makes the first move.”
“Then, all of a sudden, everything springs into action. The wizard studies the enemy to pin point any weaknesses and shares the information before volleying spells to both give us the advantage and hinder the enemy. The monk moves almost like lightning to engage with furious precision. The rogue steps into the darkness to pick to pin point the the most effective area to attack and does so with deadly precision. The cleric call down aid from the gods themselves to smite our foe. I draw my rapier and engage my enemy with daring flourishes and witty repartee. All of this whilst evading our enemy’s most ferocious attacks. Those first 18 seconds of combat are nothing short of glorious”
We then asked Ignacious about what happens after those first 18 seconds:
“Erm, yeah, it’s fine. You know, it’s all good. Pretty cool, even. So, are you thinking about advenuring? Here, look at my rapier.”
Noticing the reluctance to share, we decided to stress the point a bit more and try find out what he really thinks of combat:
“Fine. You win. It’s shit, ok? After those initial couple of exchanges, we’ve pretty much figured out what works the best. After that, it’s just rinse and repeat until something, or someone dies. I mean, you get it right? the whole objective of the encounter is to win so, if we see something that’s more effective, then why bother trying anything else? It’s the same for the enemy too. Once they’re in postition, they don’t really move around the battle field all that much until they really have to or one of us is down. And that’s another thing. How in the gods’ name are these creatures and evil-doers perfectly healthy until they’re dead? Sure, they may be bloodied up and what not but, even on death’s door, they’re just as dangerous as they ever were. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love fighting. This is what all my training has led me to but, to be fair, after that first short amount of time it just becomes a war of attrition and, weirdly, one minute feels like hours”
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