The Prelude... encounters are over, the good guys from the south have met the good guys from the north and so the circle is complete.
The last game was good, still way too much stuff on the table though. Tne heroes are very reticent still and don't seem keen to skirmish unless they have a unit of troops around them. I had a fair number of troops (but actually not as many as I should have had based on the dice rolls, but once I got to 70-odd CV...) and it got very untidy very quickly. I think I will roll up forces and then assign them to PEFs/Bodies rather than use the tables. In theory I could have had in excess of 140 CV which might work in Big Battles but would have been undoable in WHAA.
I need to take the initiative more often. In the last couple of encounters, when the good guys dithered and I just went hell for leather, much death and destruction ensued (on both sides). In the last encounter, when I let the good guys on the western side of the river go two knights decimated my warband. Bad guys have got to get stuck in.
Rules-wise, bad guys took more crisis tests, and more importantly correctly took crisis tests. Good guys less so (even though there were at least four OOFs/ODs). It's amazing how often the good guys remember that crisis test need to be taken when a bad guy gets hurt!
PEFs in line of sight aren't PEFs, they're bodies of troops, so they don't need to be hidden, and more importantly don't need to move randomly!
I've generated or lifted from the last encounter the personal warbands/comitatus of the main bad guys (the lich, the demon, the goblin, the wraith and the vampire) and from now on these will form the core of any encounters.
I've added the AC rule to the house rules page and updated some of the skills. See this post, House Rules, and this post, WHAA Skills, respectively.
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Kronin's Lament
(Again lifted bodily from Dave's email and used with o permission whatsoever...)
Gurhin, King of the Grey Peak sat brooding. News had just reached him that Kronin the Barbarian had sung his deathsong just outside Ailech. The Trollhunter had been unbeatable in his trade but this had been a tale of woe from the beginning.
Kronin’s comrade, the healer, had sent word of his end. The band were part of a mixed band of warriors withdrawing from the ruins of Ailech. Kronin had lost most of his band in this adventure and was depressed about his loss of reputation. In the end he had stood as the rearguard before being buried under a tide of Undead warriors. This action allowed most of his comrades to fight their way to safety although both the Men & Elves were much reduced.
For the time being Dokk the healer and Throrin the berserker remained in the group though they would be hard pressed to rebuild their band in such a place, not many dwarves dwelt in that region.
Gurhin made his decision; he needed to know more of these far off events. He must send a team of his own to gather information in case the last 2 dwarves perished.
Working in her herb garden Gudrun though of Dokk and hoped the amulet she had given him continued to offer him the protection of her ancestors.
Gurhin, King of the Grey Peak sat brooding. News had just reached him that Kronin the Barbarian had sung his deathsong just outside Ailech. The Trollhunter had been unbeatable in his trade but this had been a tale of woe from the beginning.
Kronin’s comrade, the healer, had sent word of his end. The band were part of a mixed band of warriors withdrawing from the ruins of Ailech. Kronin had lost most of his band in this adventure and was depressed about his loss of reputation. In the end he had stood as the rearguard before being buried under a tide of Undead warriors. This action allowed most of his comrades to fight their way to safety although both the Men & Elves were much reduced.
For the time being Dokk the healer and Throrin the berserker remained in the group though they would be hard pressed to rebuild their band in such a place, not many dwarves dwelt in that region.
Gurhin made his decision; he needed to know more of these far off events. He must send a team of his own to gather information in case the last 2 dwarves perished.
Working in her herb garden Gudrun though of Dokk and hoped the amulet she had given him continued to offer him the protection of her ancestors.
Prelude: Across the Redwake
After a cold night camped in what little cover was available, the refugees from Ailech have awoken in hostile territory close to the Erwach Bridge intending to break through the Goblin patrols to get to Fluchtdorf. The greatest fear is that the Undead will continue their pursuit and catch the fleeing refugees before they can cross the bridge. Meanwhile, word has reached Fluchtdorf and the local Baron, von Zarovich, has sent out a force to help the refugees across the Redwake River. Belinus mac Gadeon and his Seniirans had headed north to find another crossing fearing that overnight the opposition guarding the bridge may have become overwhelming.
The heroes set out for the bridge but were noticed by a goblin patrol off to their left. Swift action by Bishop Guire's borderers and Greencloak's elves, dealt a critical blow to almost all of the patrol while the rest of the heroes forces pushed on. Critically a force that was suspected to be close to the bridge proved to be a false alarm and Altengard horns could be heard from the other side of the bridge. Hoping against hope the heroes realised that reinforcements had arrived. True enough, Altengard barony forces and some Borderers were marching eastward towards the bridge.
Hopes were quickly dashed though as from the east following the trail the heroes had taken the previous day another force of Undead (this time led by the Wraith, Azalin Ebonhaunter). A large force of infantry appeared hot on the heroes heels, while across the river a wraith scout found the flank of the Altengard reinforcements.
Again the heroes dithered and again the heroes were forced on to the defensive. With goblins ahead of them and skeletons behind things were looking grim and the fighting became more and more intense. After dealing with the wraith the Borderers and their Altengard allies pressed on towards the bridge, intercepting a large body of Goblin infantry along the way. The fighting became tense. A handful of elves and Throrin the berserk engaged the remaining goblins on the eastern side of the river. This patrol led by Rug Longtooth himself also had an ogre and some Black Moon goblins. The ogre got lucky against Throrin and laid him low which immediately resulted in a panicky attempt to get him clear before he got trampled under the feet of the relentless tide of greenskins. Meanwhile on the eastern ridge the Undead came on without their wraith leader in a slow but purposeful march held up only by the weakened Kronin and some of Guire's light troops. Their fate was to be no less than that of the wounded berserk. Kronin was cruelly stabbed and hacked by the scythes and pole-arms of the vicious undead, while the last of Guire's borderers was left bleeding in the dust. On the western side of the river, the Altengard reinforcements were driving back both the goblin patrol and the force of ogres guarding the bridge. Looking up, the beleaguered heroes realised the path to the bridge was clear and gathering up what injured they could, they made a dash for the bridge and safety. Greencloak's elves and Lord Erkenfried were caught at the lip of the bridge, and the elven archer bravely gave his life to help Erkenfried escape.
Escape had come at a cost though. Kronin was dead, Greencloak's elven band was seriously depleted and only a handful of Guire's borderers still lived. Fluchtdorf lay over the next rise and perhaps Baron von Zarovich could assist with reinforcements...
The heroes set out for the bridge but were noticed by a goblin patrol off to their left. Swift action by Bishop Guire's borderers and Greencloak's elves, dealt a critical blow to almost all of the patrol while the rest of the heroes forces pushed on. Critically a force that was suspected to be close to the bridge proved to be a false alarm and Altengard horns could be heard from the other side of the bridge. Hoping against hope the heroes realised that reinforcements had arrived. True enough, Altengard barony forces and some Borderers were marching eastward towards the bridge.
Hopes were quickly dashed though as from the east following the trail the heroes had taken the previous day another force of Undead (this time led by the Wraith, Azalin Ebonhaunter). A large force of infantry appeared hot on the heroes heels, while across the river a wraith scout found the flank of the Altengard reinforcements.
Again the heroes dithered and again the heroes were forced on to the defensive. With goblins ahead of them and skeletons behind things were looking grim and the fighting became more and more intense. After dealing with the wraith the Borderers and their Altengard allies pressed on towards the bridge, intercepting a large body of Goblin infantry along the way. The fighting became tense. A handful of elves and Throrin the berserk engaged the remaining goblins on the eastern side of the river. This patrol led by Rug Longtooth himself also had an ogre and some Black Moon goblins. The ogre got lucky against Throrin and laid him low which immediately resulted in a panicky attempt to get him clear before he got trampled under the feet of the relentless tide of greenskins. Meanwhile on the eastern ridge the Undead came on without their wraith leader in a slow but purposeful march held up only by the weakened Kronin and some of Guire's light troops. Their fate was to be no less than that of the wounded berserk. Kronin was cruelly stabbed and hacked by the scythes and pole-arms of the vicious undead, while the last of Guire's borderers was left bleeding in the dust. On the western side of the river, the Altengard reinforcements were driving back both the goblin patrol and the force of ogres guarding the bridge. Looking up, the beleaguered heroes realised the path to the bridge was clear and gathering up what injured they could, they made a dash for the bridge and safety. Greencloak's elves and Lord Erkenfried were caught at the lip of the bridge, and the elven archer bravely gave his life to help Erkenfried escape.
Escape had come at a cost though. Kronin was dead, Greencloak's elven band was seriously depleted and only a handful of Guire's borderers still lived. Fluchtdorf lay over the next rise and perhaps Baron von Zarovich could assist with reinforcements...
Monday, 5 March 2012
Prelude: Pursuit to the Bridge
Kronin, Bishop Guire and Greencloak had considered themselves lucky. As they had fled the city with Lord Erkenfried, in the confusion of the rescue and the continued chaos across the city, the Westgeat had proved to be unguarded. That luck didn’t last long. Although fewer in numbers the hero’s party was still too large to sneak through the besieging lines, and several patrols of Undead were quickly on their trail. Over the three or four leagues to the bridge they managed to stay ahead of their pursuers, even though there were a significant number of mounted troops. Once again, though, their luck didn’t hold as within sight of the bridge the pursuers caught up with the hero’s party.Taking stock the heroes realised that they were not alone. Coming from the south along the river another party of refugees appeared to be making their way to the bridge and it also seemed to Siriel Greencloak’s keen eyes that there were also refugees already on the bridge. Forming a solid line on the nearside of a close by hill the humans and dwarves prepared for the worst, while the elves formed a skirmish line in a wood at the eastern end of the hill. Their trepidation appeared unfounded as the Undead proved ponderous in their pursuit now that the heroes were clearly in sight. Taking advantage of the initiative the heroes dashed across the open ground to the bridge while shooting from the elves and the Borderers caster pinned down the approaching Undead. A brief melee ensued as the chariots leading the Undead pursuit engaged the heroes but were quickly torn apart with deft strokes from dwarven axe and elven steel. Thus began the slow but inexorable advance on the bridge. Wary of the Undead force behind which could surge forward at any moment even without the guiding force of the Wight leading them, but still uncertain of the safety of the way ahead the heroes were tentative in their manoeuvring.
As they approached within a few hundred yards of the bridge the heroes joined up with the other party of refugees. They proved to be a Seniiran war crew cut off when the river and sea started to burn and their ship sank in the maelstrom. Their leader, Belinus mac Gadeon had brought his men along the river hoping to find a crossing. As greetings were exchanged, the worst fears of the heroes became evident. From a nearby copse, two large, and above all, angry ogres burst through the underbrush, knocking aside the smaller trees and trampling bushes underfoot.
Reacting quickly, the elven archers and the archers and marines of the Seniiran crew fired all they had at the bellowing brutes. After two volleys one monster had fallen but the other crashed across the open ground thundering a warning. Events were taking a decided turn for the worse. An enormously ugly black moon goblin rose from the undergrowth of the opposite copse of trees. Looking straight at the gathered heroes he gave some signal with his colossal halberd and summoned, seemingly from nowhere, a band of goblin archers with cruel looking bows and a howling, slavering pack of wolf riders. Taking up positions the goblins exchanged a volley with elven archers, causing the more nervous of them to run away! The audacity of the goblins proved ill-advised though, as having revealed themselves and the Seniirans having picked of the remaining ogre, a hail of arrows descended on the copse, picking off several of the goblins and forcing many of the others deeper into the cover of the trees. Meanwhile the sneakier wolf riders had headed round some cover in a flanking manoeuvre, which was driving the heroes towards cover.
As the wolf riders broke towards the heroes position, Kronin yelled a war-cry and stepped into the path of the oncoming raiders. At the same time the ugly goblin war-chief had been driven into a rampage by the hail of arrows and charged out across the open ground towards the source of his anger, the elves and marines in the heroes' group. Even though several arrows pierced his armour he still came on in a rage and it took several of the heroes including the berserker Throrin to finally bring him down. Kronin's brave leap into the fray had done him little good as he was cut down by the lead wolf riders and it took a concerted effort from Guire's depleted and overstretched force to hold them at bay, while suffering under the arrows of the still advancing skeleton archers.
Things were looking decidedly grim when the crude notes of a war horn echoed out across the valley and as suddenly as they had appeared the remaining goblins disappeared back into the woods and copses they had originally emerged from. The skeletons also seemed less animated and they marched off southward under the command of whatever fell force animated them. The heroes breathed a sigh of relief and took stock. The bridge was easily within reach but darkness was falling, which could only serve the evil forces arrayed against them, so setting a careful watch they camped in the nearby woods. The morning would hopefully bring some better opportunity or at least a concerted dash for the bridge and the relative safety of the far bank.
As they approached within a few hundred yards of the bridge the heroes joined up with the other party of refugees. They proved to be a Seniiran war crew cut off when the river and sea started to burn and their ship sank in the maelstrom. Their leader, Belinus mac Gadeon had brought his men along the river hoping to find a crossing. As greetings were exchanged, the worst fears of the heroes became evident. From a nearby copse, two large, and above all, angry ogres burst through the underbrush, knocking aside the smaller trees and trampling bushes underfoot.
Reacting quickly, the elven archers and the archers and marines of the Seniiran crew fired all they had at the bellowing brutes. After two volleys one monster had fallen but the other crashed across the open ground thundering a warning. Events were taking a decided turn for the worse. An enormously ugly black moon goblin rose from the undergrowth of the opposite copse of trees. Looking straight at the gathered heroes he gave some signal with his colossal halberd and summoned, seemingly from nowhere, a band of goblin archers with cruel looking bows and a howling, slavering pack of wolf riders. Taking up positions the goblins exchanged a volley with elven archers, causing the more nervous of them to run away! The audacity of the goblins proved ill-advised though, as having revealed themselves and the Seniirans having picked of the remaining ogre, a hail of arrows descended on the copse, picking off several of the goblins and forcing many of the others deeper into the cover of the trees. Meanwhile the sneakier wolf riders had headed round some cover in a flanking manoeuvre, which was driving the heroes towards cover.
As the wolf riders broke towards the heroes position, Kronin yelled a war-cry and stepped into the path of the oncoming raiders. At the same time the ugly goblin war-chief had been driven into a rampage by the hail of arrows and charged out across the open ground towards the source of his anger, the elves and marines in the heroes' group. Even though several arrows pierced his armour he still came on in a rage and it took several of the heroes including the berserker Throrin to finally bring him down. Kronin's brave leap into the fray had done him little good as he was cut down by the lead wolf riders and it took a concerted effort from Guire's depleted and overstretched force to hold them at bay, while suffering under the arrows of the still advancing skeleton archers.
Things were looking decidedly grim when the crude notes of a war horn echoed out across the valley and as suddenly as they had appeared the remaining goblins disappeared back into the woods and copses they had originally emerged from. The skeletons also seemed less animated and they marched off southward under the command of whatever fell force animated them. The heroes breathed a sigh of relief and took stock. The bridge was easily within reach but darkness was falling, which could only serve the evil forces arrayed against them, so setting a careful watch they camped in the nearby woods. The morning would hopefully bring some better opportunity or at least a concerted dash for the bridge and the relative safety of the far bank.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Prelude... Commentary
A new set of players join the campaign... sort of. These players are/were in the city of Ailech at the southern end of the Redwake River. As the story progresses it transpires that Psammon has already put in motion a diabolical plan to turn all of Southern Altengard into a bastion of Unlife in alliance with Black Moon Incarnate demons and malicious Goblin tribes from the Western Mountains. The (new) heroes have so far had to eliminate enemy artillery bombarding the city and then rescue the Lord of Ailech, Erkenfried, from the clutches of Black Moon Demon Cultists.
Things we have learned:
The games played well, although new players took some time to get used to the uncertainties of Test of Wills and Charge tests.
I've now realised that if a figure is forced to take a Control test and fails, the figures either side also have to take a Control test and so on... The rule was there all along I've just never noticed it!
After the disastrous magic from the possessed mages I either have to cabal my mages more wisely, learn the intricacies of the spell lists more carefully or go back to using Big Battle magic.
Some of the players were concerned about the way melee works when a nasty beast rolls against attackers. They were concerned that if the bad guy rolls well then all the opponents stand very little chance. I'm not sure this shouldn't be the way. If it was a Rep 6 star who rolled three successes and a shield die against a horde of Rep 3 Goblins, most of whom would be OOF or OD then there would be no issue but because the bad guy had the "good" Rep some questions were asked. I suspect this is supposed to be the way. See Sauron at the beginning of TFotR. If you don't have the Hardiness for it don't tangle with the Lord of Darkness!
Things we have learned:
The games played well, although new players took some time to get used to the uncertainties of Test of Wills and Charge tests.
I've now realised that if a figure is forced to take a Control test and fails, the figures either side also have to take a Control test and so on... The rule was there all along I've just never noticed it!
After the disastrous magic from the possessed mages I either have to cabal my mages more wisely, learn the intricacies of the spell lists more carefully or go back to using Big Battle magic.
Some of the players were concerned about the way melee works when a nasty beast rolls against attackers. They were concerned that if the bad guy rolls well then all the opponents stand very little chance. I'm not sure this shouldn't be the way. If it was a Rep 6 star who rolled three successes and a shield die against a horde of Rep 3 Goblins, most of whom would be OOF or OD then there would be no issue but because the bad guy had the "good" Rep some questions were asked. I suspect this is supposed to be the way. See Sauron at the beginning of TFotR. If you don't have the Hardiness for it don't tangle with the Lord of Darkness!
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Prelude: The Rescue of Lord Erkenfried
The heroes had been taken by surprise by the scale of the explosion. Not only did it seem that the enemy had somehow managed to get inside Ailech, but they had also struck a blow from which the defense of the city could not possibly recover.
A handful of refugees fleeing from the Westgeat hysterically described the enemy as monstrous and infernal, interested in nothing except inflicting pain, suffering and death to every living creature they could find. "Black Moon Incarnate", Bishop Guire muttered almost to himself, "I have fought their like before. The people of this city will need help, and soon".
A fleeing soldier described how strange winged beasts of flesh and stone had dropped from the sky to attack the guards on the Keep walls while inside the buildings an insidious fog had formed across the floor which inexorably rose until it was at knee height. Before anyone could comprehend the foulness of the corrupt magicks already being wrought an enormous explosion of green and blue fire crashed from the bowels of the Keep and ripped through the whole building levelling walls and caving in roofs and doorways. Lord Erkenfried himself rallied the defenders but something reached out of the fog, dragged him to the floor and stole off with him to the Western quarter of the city.
Rescue did not seem possible to the heroes. Demons were prowling the streets, a matter of hours would see the forces of Unlife within the city walls and any defence had already been destroyed or neutralised by magical corruption. However, Kronin had not been paid, Siriel feared for the souls of any elves still alive within the walls and Bishop Guire knew that if the evil could not be contained and then stopped all of Talomir would fall to the Black Moon. As Throrin put it, "Certainty of death, small chance of success... What are we waiting for?"
The demi-human warriors turned quickly to the ropes that had been left for their return from the mission to the enemy siege lines. The bishop and his retinue turned eastward along the wall seeking out a postern that he was certain he had seen earlier as they left the city. Climbing into the city proved harder than expected without the aid of the guardsmen on the wall. Thali proved to be the first casualty of Kronin's expedition as he fell from the wall with a sickening crunch. With Thali's death the others climbing the wall were more careful. Consequently, both the elven and dwarven bands ended up parted by the high city walls.
Things were not going to plan, Kronin could see Black Moon horde moving towards him and the sharp eyed Siriel was certain that something large and winged was moving through the maze of damaged and ruined buildings. Still there was no sign of Bishop Guire.
Demons came forward through the rubble and a minor demon revealed himself as the leader of the horde closest to the Westgeat. Raising a great clawed fist and speaking in the guttural tongue of the Black Moon Cant it cast a bolt of infernal flame into the midst of the dwarven band. The warriors scattered but not before two more dwarfs were slain, their souls burned from their mortal forms.
Suddenly, the Bishop's men arrived from the eastern end of the quarter. He quickly moved to intercept those demons that could be seen. They seemed to be led by an abomination, part man, part demon. The freakish monstrosity cast a spell exhorting his horde to charge the Border Kingdoms retinue. The spell worked as the horde of brutish horrors let out a roar of defiance and rushed forward but only their possessed master made it to the line. The remaining humans reacted quickly and surrounded the possessed mage. The combat was short and resulted in the isolated mage being cut down. Before they could reorganise to meet the oncoming threat, an inhuman demon strode across the ruins and fired a ball of diabolical flame into the midst of the retinue. Several men fell, especially among the poorly armoured Borderers but nobody panicked. The Bishop let out a roar praising the power of the Red Sun and charged towards the demon. Sensing the righteous wrath within the Bishop the demon fled.
Back at the western end of the city quarter the dwarves and elves had prepared themselves to meet the demonic forces arrayed against them, even pre-empting the charge of the horde and bringing down several of them with axe and longbow. The minor demon screamed in rage and leapt into the fight cutting down another of Kronin's band and injuring one of the elves. Driving the demon off momentarily the elves used the respite to fire a volley of arrows, one of which luckily found its mark. The demon screamed in pain and seemed to be consumed by the same green flame it had used only minutes before against the dwarves.
As the Bishop and his retinue finished cutting down the last of the horde, the warbands split up to search the buildings for the hopefully still living Lord Erkenfried.
The Bishop found the Lord held at dagger point by another of the possessed cultists. Attempting to cast his malevolent magic against the Bishop and his retinue, a misplaced word or gesture resulted in utter failure and the cursed mage paid the price as he was dragged screaming beyond the Veil into the Unlife.
The heroes worked their way back to the unguarded Westgeat and made their escape along the Fortrenn road. Hopefully the bridge would still be there...
A handful of refugees fleeing from the Westgeat hysterically described the enemy as monstrous and infernal, interested in nothing except inflicting pain, suffering and death to every living creature they could find. "Black Moon Incarnate", Bishop Guire muttered almost to himself, "I have fought their like before. The people of this city will need help, and soon".
A fleeing soldier described how strange winged beasts of flesh and stone had dropped from the sky to attack the guards on the Keep walls while inside the buildings an insidious fog had formed across the floor which inexorably rose until it was at knee height. Before anyone could comprehend the foulness of the corrupt magicks already being wrought an enormous explosion of green and blue fire crashed from the bowels of the Keep and ripped through the whole building levelling walls and caving in roofs and doorways. Lord Erkenfried himself rallied the defenders but something reached out of the fog, dragged him to the floor and stole off with him to the Western quarter of the city.
Rescue did not seem possible to the heroes. Demons were prowling the streets, a matter of hours would see the forces of Unlife within the city walls and any defence had already been destroyed or neutralised by magical corruption. However, Kronin had not been paid, Siriel feared for the souls of any elves still alive within the walls and Bishop Guire knew that if the evil could not be contained and then stopped all of Talomir would fall to the Black Moon. As Throrin put it, "Certainty of death, small chance of success... What are we waiting for?"
The demi-human warriors turned quickly to the ropes that had been left for their return from the mission to the enemy siege lines. The bishop and his retinue turned eastward along the wall seeking out a postern that he was certain he had seen earlier as they left the city. Climbing into the city proved harder than expected without the aid of the guardsmen on the wall. Thali proved to be the first casualty of Kronin's expedition as he fell from the wall with a sickening crunch. With Thali's death the others climbing the wall were more careful. Consequently, both the elven and dwarven bands ended up parted by the high city walls.
Things were not going to plan, Kronin could see Black Moon horde moving towards him and the sharp eyed Siriel was certain that something large and winged was moving through the maze of damaged and ruined buildings. Still there was no sign of Bishop Guire.
Demons came forward through the rubble and a minor demon revealed himself as the leader of the horde closest to the Westgeat. Raising a great clawed fist and speaking in the guttural tongue of the Black Moon Cant it cast a bolt of infernal flame into the midst of the dwarven band. The warriors scattered but not before two more dwarfs were slain, their souls burned from their mortal forms.
Suddenly, the Bishop's men arrived from the eastern end of the quarter. He quickly moved to intercept those demons that could be seen. They seemed to be led by an abomination, part man, part demon. The freakish monstrosity cast a spell exhorting his horde to charge the Border Kingdoms retinue. The spell worked as the horde of brutish horrors let out a roar of defiance and rushed forward but only their possessed master made it to the line. The remaining humans reacted quickly and surrounded the possessed mage. The combat was short and resulted in the isolated mage being cut down. Before they could reorganise to meet the oncoming threat, an inhuman demon strode across the ruins and fired a ball of diabolical flame into the midst of the retinue. Several men fell, especially among the poorly armoured Borderers but nobody panicked. The Bishop let out a roar praising the power of the Red Sun and charged towards the demon. Sensing the righteous wrath within the Bishop the demon fled.
Back at the western end of the city quarter the dwarves and elves had prepared themselves to meet the demonic forces arrayed against them, even pre-empting the charge of the horde and bringing down several of them with axe and longbow. The minor demon screamed in rage and leapt into the fight cutting down another of Kronin's band and injuring one of the elves. Driving the demon off momentarily the elves used the respite to fire a volley of arrows, one of which luckily found its mark. The demon screamed in pain and seemed to be consumed by the same green flame it had used only minutes before against the dwarves.
As the Bishop and his retinue finished cutting down the last of the horde, the warbands split up to search the buildings for the hopefully still living Lord Erkenfried.
The Bishop found the Lord held at dagger point by another of the possessed cultists. Attempting to cast his malevolent magic against the Bishop and his retinue, a misplaced word or gesture resulted in utter failure and the cursed mage paid the price as he was dragged screaming beyond the Veil into the Unlife.
The heroes worked their way back to the unguarded Westgeat and made their escape along the Fortrenn road. Hopefully the bridge would still be there...
Saturday, 28 January 2012
A Dwarfen Eye View from the Siege of Ailech
Written by Dave 'Kronin' McClumpha and used without any permission at all :-)
Gurhin, King of the Grey Peak dwarf realm, waved his visitor to a chair. “Greetings Kronin, you have news for me, Eh” Although Kronin and his band were frequent visitors it was rare for Kronin to seek out the King. Usually he collected his Troll bounty from the steward, did some minor business and went on his way.
“Aye Gurhin, news and none of it good”. Few called the King by his given name without any honourific. For Kronin this was a meeting of equals, he was chieftain of his band and Gurhin was chieftain of Grey Peak. The matter of size was not relevant. “We were hunting down South, they were having problems with hill trolls. We went to Ailech to collect the bounties and the city came under attack from an Undead army. This was 23 nights ago that we left, I expect the place has fallen by now.”
“My steward tells me you were in a raid there, what happened?”
“Boys work! The prince there asked us to join some men & elves in a night raid on the siege engines. We did the job with hardly a scratch on us. Once Throrin got into their earthworks it was all over”
“What about your allies?” asked the King.
“Ach, the manlings were brave enough, some even got into the trench with us after our healer patched them up. The rest tried to stand against cavalry, they died well.”
“And the elves?” prompted the King.
“Huh, elves are fine enough with a bow and some can use a sword neatly but they dance about in the open and go nowhere. Their lord was far too noble to duck when a catapult shot came his way, last we saw of him he was flying into the river.”
Other listeners may have felt that Kronin was bragging but Gurhin knew better. The Wild Kin were aggressive & proud but their word was Iron-true. If they told the steward they had killed 17 trolls then they were paid for 17 trolls. It had been generations since any dwarf had asked for proof.
“So you saved the city?”
“We did what we were bid to do, but the city was doomed anyway. As we returned to the ropes we used to come out some foul magic blasted their greatest tower apart. The few elves left returned to their kin inside. The manlings came with us for a while then turned away for their homes.”
“What do you plan to do Gurhin?” asked the Wild Kin chief. “If you stay here to wait they will come to you one night.”
“My mind is clear, we must send aid to the South while we prepare here. What about your folk, will you go South again with us,or join us here?”
“No offence Gurhin,but manning a rampart or standing in a line waiting for an attack isn't our style. Besides, the seasons roll on and it's time to hunt Ice Trolls. Just because the Undead are rising doesn't mean the trolls can wait.”
“True, well do you have all you need and has the steward paid the bounties?”
“All done and sworn, I just need to root out our healer, no doubt he's trading herbs and potions with the Lady Gudrun, she seems to like him.” Kronin stood up, “Farewell till our paths cross again Gurhin.”
With that Kronin left the chamber leaving the King to plan for war while he tried to rid his mind of the idea of Gudrun liking anyone.
Gurhin, King of the Grey Peak dwarf realm, waved his visitor to a chair. “Greetings Kronin, you have news for me, Eh” Although Kronin and his band were frequent visitors it was rare for Kronin to seek out the King. Usually he collected his Troll bounty from the steward, did some minor business and went on his way.
“Aye Gurhin, news and none of it good”. Few called the King by his given name without any honourific. For Kronin this was a meeting of equals, he was chieftain of his band and Gurhin was chieftain of Grey Peak. The matter of size was not relevant. “We were hunting down South, they were having problems with hill trolls. We went to Ailech to collect the bounties and the city came under attack from an Undead army. This was 23 nights ago that we left, I expect the place has fallen by now.”
“My steward tells me you were in a raid there, what happened?”
“Boys work! The prince there asked us to join some men & elves in a night raid on the siege engines. We did the job with hardly a scratch on us. Once Throrin got into their earthworks it was all over”
“What about your allies?” asked the King.
“Ach, the manlings were brave enough, some even got into the trench with us after our healer patched them up. The rest tried to stand against cavalry, they died well.”
“And the elves?” prompted the King.
“Huh, elves are fine enough with a bow and some can use a sword neatly but they dance about in the open and go nowhere. Their lord was far too noble to duck when a catapult shot came his way, last we saw of him he was flying into the river.”
Other listeners may have felt that Kronin was bragging but Gurhin knew better. The Wild Kin were aggressive & proud but their word was Iron-true. If they told the steward they had killed 17 trolls then they were paid for 17 trolls. It had been generations since any dwarf had asked for proof.
“So you saved the city?”
“We did what we were bid to do, but the city was doomed anyway. As we returned to the ropes we used to come out some foul magic blasted their greatest tower apart. The few elves left returned to their kin inside. The manlings came with us for a while then turned away for their homes.”
“What do you plan to do Gurhin?” asked the Wild Kin chief. “If you stay here to wait they will come to you one night.”
“My mind is clear, we must send aid to the South while we prepare here. What about your folk, will you go South again with us,or join us here?”
“No offence Gurhin,but manning a rampart or standing in a line waiting for an attack isn't our style. Besides, the seasons roll on and it's time to hunt Ice Trolls. Just because the Undead are rising doesn't mean the trolls can wait.”
“True, well do you have all you need and has the steward paid the bounties?”
“All done and sworn, I just need to root out our healer, no doubt he's trading herbs and potions with the Lady Gudrun, she seems to like him.” Kronin stood up, “Farewell till our paths cross again Gurhin.”
With that Kronin left the chamber leaving the King to plan for war while he tried to rid his mind of the idea of Gudrun liking anyone.
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