The Final Battle

This is it, the final battle for the fate of the Empire. The Dark Alliance gathers their hordes and descends upon the Imperial capital. If they win, the Empire is doomed.

The Emperor has assigned us, the Chimera Legion, the honor of meeting the onslaught. Fortunately, we have gathered important resources from our earlier victories. 

• The villagers of Palmyra provided us bandages. 
• The dryads provided crucial intelligence on the enemy forces. 
• We previously reduced the enemy numbers by defeating the duergar.
• And our morale was high due to Howl's tournament victory.

I split the Legion into two wings. I led half that defended the northwestern approaches. The other half, under Jayden Rannal, protected the northeast.

The Northwestern Wing

My force included great warriors, like Bloodrose, Sprouts, Howl, Jesper, and Lionhart. We were ready for the enemy horde.

We saw them approaching us down the road from the west - a wave of red cap goblins and  Anubai, led by the dark elves. As they drew near, their archers let loose with a volley. Our shields protected us from the arrow storm.

Although numerous, they were scattered and ill-disciplined. I saw the opportunity to break them.

"Charge!" I commanded.

We rushed forward, smashing into the enemy. They buckled. The dark elves hit us with spells, breaking our shields and webbing us to a halt. Yet with heavy armor, I was able to push forward. Howl supported us with missiles while Lionhart and Jesper  flanked. The enemy could not resist us. They broke and fled back to their camp.

We pursued. The dark elves managed to rally their forces. I formed a shield wall with Bloodrose and Sprouts and we crashed into their line. The rest of our force rolled up their flanks. They could not withstand us; we swept them from the field.

The Northeastern Wing

This is a report from Jayden, who commanded this wing. This force also included Beans, Wren, Celer, Chris, and Louis.

While the Legion seized victory in the West, a battle raged in the East. The second section met the Dark Alliance forces in a clearing of the Eastern woods. The Dark Elf commander was strong in support magic. He strengthened his forces as well as himself before blades met. The Legion advanced cautiously, using offensive magic to wear down the massive shield the Dark Elf brought to the field, but it was not enough. The command was given for the Legion to charge the center and divide their forces. With the Dark commander separated from his forces, the legionaries slayed the red caps and Anubai. Their numbers thinned, the Legion encircled  the remaining forces. The field was theirs! The Dark Alliance retreated to their camp.

After using healing magic, the Legion pressed on. At the Dark Alliance camp, the Dark Elf commander recuperated himself and his forces and dug in for a defensive fight. The legion advanced. As the enemy came to meet them throwing twisted and blood stained blades and stone through the air, the Legion came back to back. Trying a new tactic, the Dark Elf commander tried to encircle the legionaries, but their numbers spread too thin, and the imperial warriors repelled and expanded, clamping the enemy in a crushing jaw of shaft and steel. At each turn the enemy took to face the legionaries, arrows would fly from their flank and strike true. The Legion's archer,  Beans, drew back her string and loosed each arrow with her honed skill. One by one they fell, each shot frustrating the enemy more. By the end, all the Legion stood, and none of the Alliance remained. The battle was over, the war won, and the Empire saved. Huzzah!

GAME NOTES

• In reality, the Empire outnumbered the enemy in the first part (NW) 6 players to 5. I describe the enemy as  hordes for dramatic purposes.
• The legionaries had their full array of hit points and special abilities. In addition, we got buffs based on previous victories during the war.
• 6 bandages capable of restoring limbs,  from saving the villagers
• Know what the enemy hit points are, from saving the Dryads
• 1 reduction of enemy respawn, from capturing the forts
• +1 HP from tournament victory
• The enemy included
• A dark elf leader had a full bag of spell balls plus 3 hp
• Red cap goblins with 1 hit point
• Anubai with 2 hit points
• One buff - the Amulet of Inara, which can restore a life by sacrificing a limb. The pirates captured this from Fort Rogers
• Basically, the scenario involved a series of mutual annihilation games for control of 3 checkpoints.
• The first battle was for the middle checkpoint.
• The winner then advanced to the enemy's camp.
• Victory in the enemy's camp secured victory in that wing.
• In both cases, the Legion was 2-0 on both wings, for a resounding victory.
• Thank you to all who participated this season. It was a blast.
• Special thanks to
• our departing comrades - Celer, Wren, Beans, and Louis
• our Battle Master for this season, Jayden, who crafted all these scenarios

The King Is Dead!

Our conflict with Sir Guy has escalated into a full-blown international conflict. Meanwhile, the Dark Alliance continues to grow in strength.

To alleviate the tensions, the King of Chevalia and the Emperor of Aurelia agreed to meet and discuss the situation. The King sailed to the Empire's western coast, across the gulf from Nevora. From there, he planned to proceed overland to the capital.

The Legion's Duty

The Chimera Legion was been tasked with protecting the king. One company would escort him from the coast to Fort Nero, an outpost in the center of the Aurelian peninsula. Then the second company would take over and escort him the rest of the way.

To Fort Nero

Per reports I received, this is what happened to First Company, under command of Celer.

First Company met the king at port. Then they began the arduous journey overland. Shortly after embarking, a gang of bandits, likely part of the Dark Alliance, attacked. They swarmed the company, trying to break through and reach the king.

Celer ordered the company to push forward, breaking through the pack of marauders.

The bandits pursued. The legionaries countered, hacking their way through. Despite the casualties, the bandits kept coming. And they slowly whittled the legion down.

Finally, an arrow struck the king, knocking him to the ground. A bandit broke through the lines, and hacked at the king with his glaive.

The remnants of the First Company managed to hold off the rest of the bandits. One of the maesters set off a flare calling for help. Shortly thereafter, they heard horns in the distance. Reinforcements from Fort Nero! The king was rescued.

To the Capital

This report comes from Jayden Rannal.

Second Company, under command of Lionhart, waited at the Fort for the arrival of the King, but grew nervous as the sun lowered in the sky with no sign of the King. Suddenly, a magic flare shot up to the clouds. Blue and red...the signal for help and that the King was wounded. Without delay, the legionaries departed from the fort toward the location of the flare. When they arrived, they found the first half of the legion fighting off bandits while the King leaned on a nearby tree. The Second Company took the King under its protection while First Company held off the bandits.

Immediately Second Company began to push forward to the fort. Unfortunately, some bandits found their way around the fort and met them before their swords could even be drawn. Though the legionaries tried their best to stay at the King's side, the bandits were clearly better trained than most. They broke the Legion's formation. The King attempted a rapid advance, but the bandits knew the lands and headed them off using a hidden pass.

Two bandits flanked the King. Two blows came at once and met flesh as the King fell to his knees. The legionaries managed to fight them off, but it was too late. Just two mere miles from the walls of the Capitol, the King drew his last breath. The King's last words left his lips like bits of his soul leaving our world, "Forgive me my Son. I failed. But at least now I come to meet you in death." 

Aftermath

The Legion brought his body to the palace and presented him to an enraged Emperor. But as they set him down, a note fell from his robes. 

It read thus:

What I do, I do as a father, not as a King. My family's honor demands blood for blood. As my Son's blood was spilled by the Empire, so shall the Emperor's blood be spilt by this cursed dagger. This be done by my hand, not the hand of Chevalia. And so too shall the dagger take my life, so let it be done and no further. 

Without a doubt, Chevalia will contest the letters authenticity, but it may be enough to prevent war. One thing is certain, we face the coming battle alone...

GAME NOTES

• Thanks to Jayden for the narrative of the second stage of the battle.
• This was an escort mission, which we broke into two stages.
• Stage 1
• I played the king. I was accompanied by Celer, Wren, Chris, Kisha, and Ky Lara.
• We were close to Fort Nero when I went down, due to Beans's archery and Louis's glaive.
• Stage 2
• The Legion had to rescue the king first. We explained this as reinforcements from Fort Nero.
• RJ was the king. Lionhart, Beans, Sprouts, Killjoy, Arya, and Louis joined him.
• The Legion failed both stages, which will hurt us in the final, climatic battle.

Sir Guy's Vendetta

From the Diary of Comes Elias Artocopus

The Third Day of the Third Month

I have received another report from Centarch Howl.

Sir Guy, whom Howl defeated for the tournament championship, received a warrant for Howl's arrest from the King of Chevalia. The charge is witchcraft - specifically using a magically enchanted weapon during the tournament.

Howl and the other legionaries who participated in the tournament were marching to the coast, where they would take a ship back to the Empire. Sir Guy, with warrant in hand, managed to steal a march on them. On an isolated stretch of road, Guy and his retinue blocked the legionaries' path.

"Howl!" Sir Guy cried out. I have a warrant for your arrest on the charge of witchcraft. You will drop your weapons and come peaceably to stand trial!"

Naturally, Howl declined this invitation.

With his refusal, Sir Guy called his troops to charge!

Howl and the legionaries prepared to defend themselves. What followed was a bloody scrum. Both sides hacked and slashed with a fury. It seemed that whenever the combatants fell, they managed to pick themselves up and return to the fray.

Howl took some wounds, but his troops rallied to protect him. By this time, Guy was bloodied, and frustrated that he could not get at Howl. Guy challenged Howl to a one-on-one duel but the legionaries refused to let Howl fight alone.

Ultimately, Guy took a hard knock. Down he went.

A battered Sir Guy

With that, his minions fled. The Legion could continue its journey from Chevalia.

Aftermath

I do not know what this altercation bodes for the relations between Chevalia and the Empire. I fear that it will lead to bloodshed. Nevertheless, the Legion will never fail to protect its own.

GAME NOTES

• This was an impromptu scenario I devised, feeding off the results of the tournament. Our joke about his new, super-light great weapon is now official lore!
• The scenario was essentially Kill the King. Howl and I were "kings," each with 3 lives. Our comrades had infinite spawns, using their "king" as the spawn point.

The Championship in Chevalia

From the Diary of Comes Elias

23rd Day of the First Month

Even though we successfully reclaimed the dwarven strongholds from the Duergar, we still face doubts from our Chevalian allies. The King of Chevalia scoffed at our abilities. The Emperor retorted with assurance of our quality. This ultimately led to a challenge from the King. As a result, the Legion is sending its best soldiers to participate in the Thorned Rose Tournament. We shall see who is superior - the legionaries of the Empire or the knights of Chevalia.

I, Comes Elias, have been temporarily recalled to the capital to confer on strategy. In addition, Jayden cannot attend due to some familial entanglements. I leave Howl in command of the detachment sent to Chevalia. I have every confidence in the abilities of our representatives.

14th Day of the Second Month

I received word from Howl.

The Legion received a rude welcome from the knights of Chevalia. They mocked us, laughing at our defeat at the hands of the pirates. They dismissed our victory over the Duergar, saying that there was no honor in defeating half-sized men.

We did quite well at the tournament. Lionheart and Chris tied for third with a Chevalian knight. There was one knight, Chevalier Guy de Loimbard, who was particularly obnoxious. 

The perfidious Chevalier Guy

Guy defeated a number of our legionaries. Then Bentley humbled him.

This Guy was not humble for long. His victories saw him in second place behind an undefeated Howl. Then the two met with the championship on the line. If Guy won, he would have the same number of wins as Howl and become champion on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Howl rose to the occasion, taking out Guy's leg and then finishing him off. His victory secured the tournament championship and restored the Legion's honor. As a result, I have recommended Howl for the Order of the Eagle.

15th Day of the Second Month

I have received word that Chevalier Guy and the King of Chevalia have protested the tournament results. They claim that Howl used an enchanted sword, which is a crime equivalent to witchcraft in Chevalia tournament customes. Once again, our honor is questioned.

I do not know the ramifications of these accusations. I fear that our alliance with Chevalia may be shaky.

OOC GAME NOTES

• Comes Elias was not at the tournament because I played Guy. Jayden and Louis also played Chevalian knights. Howl, Lionheart, Chris, Wren, and Bentley represented the Legion.
• The Howl-Guy bout actually occurred in the middle of the tournament. I recounted it last for dramatic purposes. The stakes are accurate - if Guy had won, he would have won the tournament.
• Howl had a new weapon today - a great weapon with a carbon fiber core. Super light! This is the basis for the accusation of witchcraft.

Defeating the Duergar

No rest for us, even in the wake of a devastating pirate attack. We received word from High Command that we were needed in the Dwarven Mountains. The duergar joined the Dark Alliance and had seized a couple of dwarven strongholds. Our mission - oust the duergar and reclaim the strongholds for the dwarves.

Fort Ken'vi

The first of the strongholds was called Ken'vi.

The gate

I led the first century. Celer, Bentley, and a new legionary named Nathan were with me. Nathan and I went straight for the gate. Bentley covered us with archery while Celer skirmished on the flank.

At first, the attack went well. We pushed through the enemy, reached the gate, and began raising the portcullis. Then the duergar surprised us. They rushed from the stronghold, ran past us, and assaulted our camp.

We fell back but were not in time. They scattered our healing totem, leaving us vulnerable. Still, we were not ready to quit. We advanced on the gate. The duergar buzzed around us like flies. We struck down many, but they kept coming. Meanwhile, their attacks whittled us down.

I reached the gate again, but was beset by the enemy. I sustained many wounds and had to retire. The rest of the century joined me. Our attack failed.

Fort Nar'dall

Meanwhile, the second century assaulted the other stronghold, Fort Nar'dall.

Jayden led this century, with Sprouts, Wren, Lionhart, and Chris. The duergar tried the same trick - flanking them and destroying their camp. This time, however, the Legion was prepared. They were able to hold off the the raiders while still advancing on the gates.

Soon, the Legion had opened the gate. They pressed into the stronghold and cleared out the remaining duergar. Nar'dall was ours!

Fort Ken'vi again

The victorious second century joined us at Ken'vi and we planned another assault on the duergar. Hampered by wounds, I stayed behind, leaving leadership to Celer.

Celer followed the same strategy that worked at Nar'dall - protect the camp and send the rest of the Legion forward against the gates. Again, the duergar harassed the Legion mercilessly. But Celer's century held them off, drove forward to the gate, and pried it open.

Soon, legionaries streamed into the stronghold. The Legion's blood was up; they cut down the foe wherever they found them. Finally, Ken'vi was in our hands!

It took some effort, but a successful mission for the Legion!

GAME NOTES

• Welcome to new player Nathan!
• Congratulations to Sprouts, who was awarded the Order of the Eagle for her efforts against Nar'dall and the second assault on Ken'vi.
• Sorry, I don't remember who else was on the Legion side during the second attack on Ken'vi.
• The game was essentially mutual annihilation. Both sides had unlimited lives until their respawn point fell. For the Legion, it was our camp - represented by the Flame of Justice (my torch). For the duergar, it was when the Legion raised the stronghold's gate.

The actual gate. The tarp rolls up like a portcullis.

• In the first run, the Legion was outnumbered 5-4. I think that made a difference as we did not have the numbers to attack the gate and protect our camp. The Legion had a 5-4 advantage in the second battle. We decided to try a third time with even numbers. I sat out. The Legion succeeded, which I report as the second assault on Ken'vi.

The Legion gathers

Pirate Attack

"Back to the ships!" I, Comes Elias, commanded once we returned to the coast of Palmyra. "Now we are needed in Nevora."

We were ordered to man the defenses at Fort Rodgers on the Nevoran coast. The fort protected a precious artifact - the Amulet of Inara. Pirates in the service of the Dark Alliance had designs upon the amulet.

A Rough Passage

The Legion crossed from Palmyra to Nevora in two ships - an Imperial galley and Sol'rithen's ship. On the way, we got caught in a storm. The galley, my flagship, managed to plow through the waves and make it safely to Nevora. Sol'rithen's ship was blown off course.

Thus, we were shorthanded when the battle began.

The Initial Attack

The remnant of the Legion that made it took up positions in the fort. We had two powerful ballistas to drive off the enemy ships.

The pirates hove into view. We could see from their flag that they were the notorious Silver Swords. We knew we had a tough fight on hand.

Suddenly, gouts of flame issued from the ships. They were using one of the latest infernal weapons, bombards!

We responded with our ballistas. We managed to sink a few pirate galleons. But their bombards struck back, blowing up one of the ballistas.

The Pirate Assault

Suddenly, the bombardment ended. The Silver Swords must have run out of ammunition. Instead, they decided to rely upon their namesake - their silver swords. The pirates launched boats and rowed to shore.

The Legion put up a brave resistance, but sheer numbers proved decisive. The Silver Swords smashed through the fort's gates, rushed the second ballista, and cut down the crew.

The Final Stand

With the pirates in the fort, I had no choice but to order the Legion to retire to the keep.

The Silver Swords used more infernal bombs to blow open the keep's gate and rushed in. We had our hands full just defending ourselves. This allowed the pirates to hold us off while others searched the castle for the amulet. The found and seized it, then rushed back to their ships. 

Unfortunately, I must report that the amulet is now in the hands of the Dark Alliance. We await further orders.

OOC GAME NOTES

Due to the end of the school term, our numbers were light. We only had five participants (Elias, Jayden, Howl, Sprouts, and newcomer Usa). I use the story of the storm to explain the missing legionaries. Don't worry, they will make it back to the Legion.

The scenario was essentially a mix of ring the bell and capture the flag. The Legion had to drive off the pirates by sinking their ships.

Here are the actual ships (each about 3 feet high).

We could sink them with bow and arrows (acting as ballistas). Usa, Sprouts, and I defended first. I don't remember if we sank anything.

Howl and Jayden were pirates in the first round. They would win by seizing the amulet, hidden in a tower (a bucket). They could destroy a ballista by either hitting it with cannon fire from a ship or by assaulting it. We used spell balls as cannon balls. An assault essentially worked like ring the bell - we used more buckets to represent the bastion. Ring it to destroy the ballista in the bastion, although one of the 2 bastions was indestructible.

Howl and Jayden quickly managed to find and seize the amulet. We switched sides and the pirates won handily again.

We had fun so we tried to scenario a few more times, tweaking the rules as we went. We ditched the amulet and just played an annihilation scenario - destroy the ships or the ballistas to win. Later, we moved the ships closer to the ballistas, which resulted in more sunken ships. Note that I switched events around in my narrative - essentially the initial attack in the narrative represents the later run-throughs.

The scenario was designed for more people and probably would have worked better if we had a full 10-12 people. But we adapted.

In hindsight, I think we could have split this into multiple scenarios.

1. The initial attack by the pirates - the Legion needs to destroy the ships and the pirates need to eliminate the ballistas. This could represent the pirates breaking into the fort.
2. Search for the amulet - have 4 or more buckets on the field. The pirates need to find the amulet and escape with it. I would give each side a life count. The Legion would need to wipe out the pirates before they steal off with the amulet.

Regardless, I had fun with the scenario. I especially enjoyed playing artillerist and shooting (throwing) the cannon balls.

Thanks RJ for putting this together. The pirate ships were fantastic!

Peril in Palmyra

Reading the missive, I let out a sigh of frustration.

“What is it?” Centarch Ulveblod asked.

“Now they’re sending us to Palmyra.” Palmyra, only a couple thousand miles away.

Here is the letter I received.

The Voyage
Immediately, we set off, marching through the forest and occasionally fighting off marauders. We marched with minimal rest until we reached the city of Rivoltus on the coast.

Here we secured passage on a ship captained by a seafarer named Soulrithen. We also took aboard Pontifex Marcellus and the Eyes of Pandora, two powerful artifacts that we need in our quest. Marcellus used his powers to conjure up a wind that sped us on our journey.

Arriving in Palmyra, we met with another priest, Pater Tiberius. He agreed to assist us with our mission.
We then sailed down the Kemi River to the town of Panria. Here, we expected to meet our next foe.

The Anubai
The Anubai, jackal-like humanoids, had joined the Dark Alliance and plotted to invade Palmyra from the desert wastes. We learned that they planned to cross the Kemi at the town of Panria, whose bridges were the only crossing for hundreds of miles.

Our Mission

We had two missions to complete:

• Assist settlers on the far bank to make it across the river before the Anubai slaughtered them
• Most importantly, assist Pontifex Marcellus and Pater Tiberius in placing the Eyes of Pandora on the bridges and activating them. Activating both will create a powerful storm that will shield Palmyra from the Anubai.

I split the Legion into two forces, each covering one of the two bridges.

First Century

The first century (company) went to the north bridge. This company, led by Howl and including Lionheart, Izzy, and Chris, were tasked with protecting Pontifex Marcellus.

The Anubai reached the bridge first. They poured across, overrunning the settlers struggling to get across the bridge. The settlers either dove into the water or were cut down.

Then the Anubai reached the east end of the bridge. The century charged, smashing into the Anubai. A vicious melee ensued. Hacking and slashing, our legionaries cut through the hordes of the enemy. Marcellus bombarded the enemy with bolt spells. Our losses mounted but the enemy seemed to keep coming.

Suddenly, our troops broke through, pushing the Anubai back across the bridge. Pontifex Marcellus reached the center. Placing one of the Eyes of Pandora, he began chanting an praying. The Eye activated.

The rest of the century rescued a wagon train that had been abandoned in the middle of the bridge. It was laden with food for the hungry refugees.

Second Century

Meanwhile, the second century quick-marched to the south bridge. A similar scene awaited them – panicked settlers fleeing from the horde of Anubai.

Pater Tiberius blessed the legionaries, giving them some protection from harm. The century, led by Celer with Wren and Soulrithen, then joined the battle.

Again, it came down to a vicious melee, but the Anubai seemed more numerous on this bridge.

Celer reached a wagon and tried to make off with it. It got damaged, but he still managed to drag it across the bridge.

Tiberius cast Shadow Walk on himself, then confidently strode among the Anubai, whistling as he went. Confused, the Anubai lashed out but could not strike him. Then, they began to ignore him. Tiberius took this opportunity to strike a few down from behind. Then, reaching the center of the bridge, he placed the Eye and began the incantation, The Anubai did not notice him, and the Eye activated.

The End of the Anubai

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound. The river itself reared up in a gigantic wave. It crashed upon the western shore, sweeping away the Anubai reserves. Pandemonium reigned on the bridges – the Anubai fleeing in fear and the legionaries retreating with alacrity.

In a matter of minutes, it was all over. The waves tore away the bridges and surged into the town of Panria. The townsfolk and the Legion retreated east, safe from the waters and the Anubai.

Meanwhile, the river shined with magical power, keeping the remaining Anubai at bay. The Legion was victorious, saving Palmyra.

Commendation

The entire Legion fought well. I consulted with the officers, and we decided that Wren deserves the Order of the Eagle for this battle. Her glaive work cleared out space, allowing the Legion to advance.

OOC NOTES

Above is an in-character account of our November 8 lore battle. As usual, I embellish in places.

RJ played Marcellus and I played Tiberius. We welcomed Steve aka Soulrithen and Izzy to our ranks. I hope they enjoyed themselves.

I was too engrossed in the battle, so I did not catch what other people did. Feel free to post in the comments about your contributions or the contributions of others.

Essentially, this was a bridge battle with a heavy object objective. We used my hand cart as the wagon. It started in the middle of the bridge – the Legion needed to rescue it. Meanwhile, the priest had to reach the middle, place the Eye, and recite an incantation.

The Legion had 3 lives. We used a bucket as a marker. Essentially, it was a Well of Life – sort of doing the work of a Maester.

The Anubai had 2 hp and a howl ability that froze an enemy. The Anubai leader had 4 hp and spells.

As Tiberius, I kind of cheated. I went to the middle of the bridge using Shadow Walk. Then, when the Anubai passed, I quietly began the incantation. While I was doing this, the Anubai kept running past me. They did not know I was out of Shadow Walk. Currently, there is no rule saying you have to state you are out of Shadow Walk (which differs than Amtgard). We did this on purpose to allow people to make sneak attacks out of Shadow Walk. I probably should have been incanting loud so people would know that I was visible. Next time we’ll make that a rule. Sorry for being a cheating bastard. 😉

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the battle. Thanks, RJ, for creating the scenario.