The Totem

With the key in their possession, the Imperial scouts can proceed into the lower level in their quest to destroy the Dark Magi's totem.

The party divides into 2 waves. The first wave includes Basilius, Beast, and Raph. Ulveblod, Hephaestus, and an unnamed cleric form the second wave.

Using the key, Basilius opens the door. Two massive ogres confront the first wave!

A vicious melee erupts in the doorway. With each swing, the ogres inflict grievous wounds upon the legionaries. The scouts respond with flashing blades and a hail of missiles. The battle takes its toll. Our heroes fall, only to be healed and return to the fray.

Finally, the ogres collapse from their wounds. The first wave enters the room, only to face one of the Magi!

With dark incantations, he casts infernal spells - bolts and blasts of dark energy and webs to hold the strongest in place. Our heroes manage to dodge most of the spells. Raph and Beast advance, forcing the magi backwards. Basilius takes the opportunity to rush the totem. He strikes again and again, damaging the source of the dark mana.

But more ogres enter the fray, forcing the first wave back. In response, the second wave joins the battle. The cleric uses divine power to repel one of the ogres. Ulveblod engages the other, pinning it. Hephaestus takes the opportunity to rush past the beasts and the magi. He reaches the damaged totem. With a series of blows, Hephaestus destroys the totem.

There is a burst of arcane energy. The energy recoils upon the magi, consuming him in bluish flame. The ogres go mad and flee from the room.

Unharmed by the burst, our heroes look around at each other in wonder. They retrace their steps through the temple, but all enemies are gone. When they exit the temple, they see scores of ghuls lying motionless on the ground. Other monsters are fleeing eastward!

Game Notes

Essentially, I ran a "ring-the-bell" scenario for the legionaries. They had to succeed before they ran out of lives. I ran the scenario twice, with both waves succeeding. I combined the narrative of each run-through into a single narrative.

We experimented with a rule change. We used a hit point system instead of the standard hit location system. This meant that players did not have to lose a leg or arm. They just reduced their hit points. Humans start with 3 hit points. Armor adds to their points. The legionaries also had access to healing, so they could replenish their hit points twice. The enemies all had 10 hit points.

The Key

The Mission

Thanks to Ulveblod and Raph, the Legion knows where to find the temple with the Dark Magi's totem. They need to destroy the totem to stop the Dark Magi's army.

Comes Elias sends out a scouting party consisting of Basilius, Ulveblod, Raph, Beast, Hephaestus, and William. Their mission: enter the temple, find the totem, and destroy it.

The Temple

Once in the temple, they are beset by snake-like humanoids. Naga!

The party makes its way through naga-infested passageways, but finds that the entrance to the lower levels is locked.

"We need to find the key." Basilius announces. 

One of the other scouts informs the party that one of the naga had a key. The others chime in. Other naga had keys as well. What were they to do?

"Gather them all," commands Basilius. "Then we'll find the one that works."

The Hunt

The Legionaries begin scouring the temple for naga. Soon, the sounds of battle echo through the stone corridors.

Our heroes are quite successful. Nagas fall by the score, and the scouts scoop up the keys. Yet the naga keep coming, this time with poisoned blades. The insidious concoctions weakens any wounded scouts. They are unable to wield both weapon and shield. Yet their unwounded companions provide cover, allowing the victims to recover and return to the fight. The unstoppable force of the Legionaries soon clears the nagas from the temple.

The Key

Now that they have all the keys, the scouts return to the lower levels. They try all the keys. As it turns out, Beast has the one that worked.

Basilius puts the key into the lock and turns, opening the portal to the lower level. What will the Legion find there?

Find out next month!

Game Note: 

I turned the game into a raffle. The naga dropped a key when they were killed. The Legionaries then collected them. Keys were numbered and each acted like a raffle ticket. We used Siri to generate a random number. Ultimately, Beast won the raffle.

The Birds

A huge army of undead is marching on Aubastia. Comes Elias realizes that he cannot hold the town against this horde. Thus, he sends out scouts to look for the enemy's weak point.

The scouts fail to return, so Elias calls for Ulveblod and Raph.

"Our scouts are missing. We assume they've been taken by the enemy. However, I ordered them to note any findings and hide the notes under rocks. We need you to find those notes."

Ulveblod and Raph head across the plains and over the hills east of Aubastia.

They don't go far before they run into trouble - man-high, ill-tempered, carnivorous birds.

Our heroes see a scrap of paper under a rock. They try to retrieve it, but one of the monster birds attacks. Its razor-sharp beak rips into Ulveblod's armor and draws blood. He retaliates, swinging his massive great sword. The blade slashes through the bird's neck, severing its head.

Drawn by the blood, more of the monster birds converge. Ulveblod and Raph dodge and duck the vicious avians. They slash and hack, their swords drawing blood and leaving a pile of bird carcasses.

"Look! Another scrap of paper!"

There are more scraps scattered across the field. Our heroes rush madly back and forth, trying to gather all the scraps. Meanwhile, more birds chase them, pecking at them and causing additional wounds.

They finally gather all the pieces and return to camp.

Deciphering the notes, they realize that they need to find a temple that lies southeast of Aubastia. There, they need to destroy a totem. Presumably, this will break the Dark Magi's control over the undead.

The Final Fight for Aubastia

After the Legion's assault failed, Comes Elias calls for the archers.

"My lord!" one of his subordinates calls. "They have all fallen in prior battles!"

Elias mutters in frustration, but then a thought occurs to him.

"Then bring up the Tortugan mercenaries." 

Attack on the Death Knight

Elias gives the Tortugans instructions, then they advance to attack the death knight.

The death knight jumps down from the parapet and engages the mercenaries. His flail scythes through the ranks. The dead then rise again as ghuuls and join the fight on the death knight's side.

The Death Knight

But the Tortugans press forward. Their blades slice apart the ghuuls. They reach the death knight and strike, but his armor deflects the blows.

Reinforcements

From outside the citadel, the Legion hears the roar of a lion. Suddenly, a monstrous creature bursts through the gate!

Half man and half lion, the manticore rushes the flank of the Tortugans. Its claws rake into flesh, and unfortunate mercenaries drop.

Counterattack

But then one mercenary, Stone, launches a counterattack. He unleashes a flurry of arrows, which pierce deep into the beast's hide. Then he draws his blade and charges. He crashes into the beast. There is a flurry of claws and steel. But in the end, the manticore lies dead.

Meanwhile, the rest of the mercenary company press forward. They cut through the ghuuls and reach the death knight. Their attacks crash into his armor. Pieces of steel and leather break off. 

Finally, one of the leader of the Tortugans, Kleanos, slashes with his great sword. It slices through the death knight's armor and cleaves deep. severing bone and rotted flesh. The death knight collapses!

Aftermath

Aubastia is now in Legion hands. Just in time, because scouts arrive to report that a Dark Magi army is on the march toward the town. Elias gives orders to dig in.

Elias speaks to his second-in-command, Basilius. "Even if we fortify, I don't know if we can hold out against this approaching army. If only there is a way to disrupt the attack until our reinforcements arrive."

Basilius replies, "I'll send out some more scouts. Maybe they can find a way."

GAME NOTES

This is the report from our January 7th meeting.

Robb played the death knight and I was the manticore. H from South Tortuga Sea (the FAU Belegarth group) served as a ghuul.

The mercenaries were other visitors from South Tortuga Sea - Kleanos, Anna, Dio, and Stone. I don't recall who actually killed me. I think it was Stone but I apologize if I got that wrong. Kleanos got the final kill on the death knight.

Thanks to Robb and our visitors from South Tortuga Sea. It was an enjoyable fight!

The Citadel Stands

Previously, the Legion stormed the gates of Aubastia and secured the town. Yet a death knight still held the town's citadel.

Elias musters the Legion for an assault on the citadel.

The First Attack

Comes Elias chooses Daniel and Raf to lead the assault on the citadel.

They form up in a phalanx, shields up front and spears behind. 

The phalanx

They advance up the stairs to the parapet. The death knight meets them, and holds them back.

Pow! Suddenly a blast of fire hits the shield wall. One of the magi is behind the death knight, casting spells at the attackers. The blast and a series of bolts breaks the attackers' cohesion. They retreat back down the stairs.

They try again, but to no avail. The death knight and mage send them back in defeat. Finally, too spent to continue, the assault team must withdraw.

A Second Try

After the first assault failed, Comes Elias decides to lead a second assault. He forms up the troops and advances.

Once again, a barrage of spells slices into the attackers. Elias and UIveblod make it to the top and engage the death knight. It slashes with its sword, biting through Elias's armor, wounding him. Elias falls to the floor of the parapet. Likewise, Ulveblod suffers wounds.

Seeing their commander fall, some of the men grab Elias and carry him back down. The rest of the assault force retreats.

Aftermath

As medics attend to the attacker's wounds, the death knight hurls mockery and curses at them.

Fortunately, Elias is not too badly wounded. He shakes his head at the death knight's taunts. "Looks like we need more firepower," Elias mutters. He then calls to one of his aides. "Bring up the archers and casters!"

GAME NOTES

This is an account of our December 10th battle. Essentially, we played a bridge battle, with the death knight and necromancer on the bridge. The Legion had to kill the enemies, which was hard to do because the parapet restricted the front. No flanking!

I was the death knight for the first assault while Brett played the mage. Daniel and Raf whittled us down, but we won the scenario. We then switched. However, I got too winded and could not continue. In the narrative, I describe this as being wounded.

We'll have another go at that ***** death knight next month!

Assault on Aubastia

After the skirmish in front of Aubastia, Comes Elias draws up his legion and besieges the city. 

Challenges

The Legion must overcome some challenges to secure the city.

First, do you starve the undead into submission? You can't. Which means Elias has no choice but to order an assault on the city.

Second, how do you prevent the undead from rising again? The Legion's priests supply the answer. To maintain control over a large force of ghuuls, the Dark Magi rely on totems to amplify their evil magic. The totem is probably in the center of town. Destroy it and the necromancer will not be able to raise up any ghuuls beyond his physical reach.

The Plan

Elias prepares a two-pronged assault.

• Ulveblod will lead a diversionary attack on the main gate.
• Elias will then lead the main attack against the secondary gate.

Ulveblod's Attack

The Legion priests use divine fire to blast open the gates. Ulveblod then leads the assault.

But the ghuuls flood out of the gate, pushing the Legion back. Ulveblod's troops hack and stab, but the ghuuls keep coming.

"We must get inside and destroy the totem!" yells one of the priests.

While Ulveblod draws out more of the ghuuls, Raph launches a flank assault. He bypasses the bulk of the ghuuls and heads for the gate. But there are more in the gateway.

Raph strikes, gutting one of the ghuuls. His attack creates an opening. Raph leads a rush into the heart of the town.

Elias's Attack

Meanwhile, Elias dons his heavy armor and leads the main attack. His priests, led by Centarch Basilius, blast an opening. Elias rushes through. He is swiftly overwhelmed by hordes of ghuuls. They push his force back, but Basilius leads a flank attack that reaches the center of the town.

The End

Suddenly, resistance falters. Elias advances to the center. He sees the totem, smashed and lying on its side. Raph stands triumphantly over it.

One of the legionaries with Raph quips, "welcome to Aubastia, commander."

Elias smiles and offers hearty congratulations.

The Citadel

Elias surveys the town. All the ghuuls appear motionless. Perhaps they are finally dead.

Elias approaches the citadel, the former stronghold of Imperial troops. A chill voice calls out from above.

"Enjoy your victory while you can, Imperial." the voice calls.

Elias looks up. A death knight stands upon the citadel's ramparts. It continues.

"But as long as we hold the citadel, the town is ours!" The death knight laughs.

As Basilius approaches, Elias remarks, "Looks like we have some more work to do."

THE GAME

This is an account of our battle from November 12. As always, I took a few dramatic liberties.

The scenario is a castle battle. The attackers have to power their way through a gate (two trees) and then reach an objective point in the defender's rear.

Brett (Ulveblod) and Raph represented the attacking legion. Robb and I were ghuuls. Raph bypassed Robb, stabbed me, then rushed to the objective for the victory.

For kicks, we reversed the scenario. Now Robb and I attacked. I describe this in the narrative as a two-pronged attack. Once again, the attackers won.

To Aubastia

After the Legion defeated Kraxius, Elias received word from the capital.

His orders read "War has begun. Advance into enemy territory and secure the town of Aubastia."

Aubastia, more commonly known as Bastion, once was an important stronghold of the Empire. One of the Legions garrisoned this town on the borderlands. Its troops kept watch for the enemy, until the day the hordes overran it.

Now the legions would return, with the Chimera Legion in the lead.

"Pass the word," Elias called to Basilius, his second-in-command, "we march in the morn."

💀💀💀

A week later, Sage, Rowan, and Daniel found themselves on patrol. They were ordered to advance on Bastion and scout for the enemy.

They passed through a dead land. The grass lies brown. Twisted and stunted trees thrust from the dust. Not a bird, not a creature stirs. Death surrounds them.

As our heroes approach the town, the gate creaks open. A sole figure walks out.

"Fools! Begone. Return to your camp and enjoy the last few hours of your life. For your end is nigh!"

Rather than turn and run, our heroes attack.

They swarm the death knight, but their blows glance harmlessly off its armor. It strikes, drawing blood from the heroes.

Then one of the heroes stabs. The point finds a gap in the creature's armor. It plunges deep into the knight. It falls to its knees. Its head droops forward. Is it dead?

But no, the death knight lifts its head.

"Fools! We the servants of the Dark Magi do not die!"

It rises to its feet and attacks. Its blade strikes Rowan. She collapses, badly wounded.

Sage grabs her and and begins to drag her to safety. The death knight pursues.

"Daniel!" Sage cries out. "Cover us!"

Daniel intercepts the death knight. They begin to spar, allowing Sage to pull Rowan out of the fight. But now Daniel is hard pressed. Blows rain upon him and his blood flows. He knows he cannot last much longer so he retreats from the fray. The death knight does not pursue, but its mocking laughter follows after them.

💀💀💀

Game Notes

Saturday was our scheduled lore day. Alas, we did not have the numbers to pull it off so I simplified the scenario. We were running a mutual annihilation with the death knight (me) against the rest of the players. I had heavy armor and some spells to even the odds.

I lost one life but I don't recall who killed me. Then rain interrupted the game. 

We had a Halloween lunch (ghoul-ash) before resuming. By this time Sage and Rowan had to leave. Daniel and I then sparred a bit. 

I declared the scenario a draw and fictionalized the results as an inconclusive skirmish with the death knight. We'll try for a full-fledged battle next time.

Confronting Kraxius

"You have a choice, Elias...and days to make it.  How many die due to your hubris? How many lives wasted in folly and arrogance?"

The necromancer grins derisively and continues to speak.

"My ghuuls will dispatch your weakling Legion. To the man, to the bone..."

The necromancer again chortles before dipping his gloved fingers into the waters of the mirror.

"FIGHT & DIE...I will see you all to the grave. Submit and be spared! We will let you die and remain thus. Fight the will of Erlich, god of death, and we will raise you.

 You'll serve the master's will and slaughter your brethren in his name!"

The necromancer laughs in contempt once more.

"I AM Kraxius the Corpsebinder, the left hand of damnation and YOU WILL SERVE...or YOU WILL DIE to serve again, paladin."

Elias woke with a start. It was just a dream. He was still in his cot at the Legion's camp in the Crescent. Still, a foreboding of danger filled him.

Elias got up and rushed out of the tent, calling for his adjutant.

"Organize a scouting party. I have a bad feeling."

💀

Soon a scouting party headed toward the caves a few miles from the Legion camp. Sage was the senior member while the rest were new recruits like Olveblod and Raf. They arrived at the caves and the stench of death welcomed them.

They peered in and saw a lone figure cloaked in black surrounded by corpses.

Kraxius laughed and bid them welcome. “Come, legionnaires. Join my army of the dead!”

Kraxius raised his staff and spoke an incantation. The corpses began to rise! They grabbed rusted weapons lying upon the ground and advanced on the party. Soon the cave echoed to the ringing of blade upon blade. But the ghuuls, the reanimated corpses, pressed upon the legionnaires, driving them back. The party took a stand in the cave mouth, which funneled the ghuuls into a killing zone. Soon, none of the creatures moved.

Again, Kraxius laughed. “Do you think you can win that easily?” He raised his staff and the ghuuls rose again.

“We must kill the necromancer to stop the ghuuls!” one of the scouts shouted. They began hacking their way through the ghuuls toward Kraxius.

One of the legionnaires reached Kraxius. He sliced at the necromancer, who muttered an incantation. The legionnaire’s blade passed harmlessly through thin air. He could see Kraxius’s shadow, but the necromancer was gone.

Kraxius’s laughter echoed through the cave. Suddenly, he appeared on the other side of the cavern. Again, he raised his staff and the ghuul rose. They attacked anew, and the Legion began to suffer casualties.

A tall Rhuunish mercenary named Olveblod positioned himself near a pile of the ghuuls. Whenever Kraxius re-animated them, Olveblod cut them down again. Meanwhile, his fellow legionnaires carved a path through ghuuls toward Kraxius. Olveblod took advantage and charged the necromancer. He struck. The blade sliced into Kraxius’s flesh, and he collapsed to the ground.

With the fall of the necromancer who controlled them, the ghuuls slumped to the ground, their moldering corpses still once again.

After verifying that the enemy forces were all dead, the scouting party left the cave and headed back to camp. They did not hear the echoing laughter that filled the cave.

“Fools,” the voice said. “They think this minor skirmish is a major victory. This is just the beginning. The have no idea what horrors face them!”

💀

OOC Notes

Above is an account of our very first lore battle in the Olden Wyrld setting. We fought it on September 10.

The initial part of the narrative came from Robb's preliminary post on our Facebook page. It set the stage for the battle.

Sage, Brett, and Raf played the legionnaires, Elias and Daniel were ghuuls, and Robb was Kraxius.

Essentially, the scenario was mutual annihilation, except that ghuuls had infinite lives but needed Kraxius to raise them back up. Kraxius had several powers. I won't reveal them here because the Legion may face other necromancers in the future.

Thanks to all the participants. It was a very enjoyable game. I'm looking forward to more. Stay tuned!

The Dark Magi

For centuries, the Aurelian Empire warred against the kings of Sarsia for control of the lands of the Crescent. Victory wavered from one to the other, until the Empire won a devastating victory and its legions arrived at the gates of the Sarsian capital itself.

With hope lost, the leaders of Sarsia turned to the Dark Magi, acolytes of the malevolent god of death.

These necromancers raised an army of undead, which they unleashed upon the Imperial legions. Overwhelmed, the Empire’s armies retreated from Sarsia to the very straits that divided the Crescent from Imperial homeland. Here the legions made their stand.

It was on that shore where heroes were made. Mercurius the legionnaire struck down a chimera and gave heart to his comrades. Callinicus unleashed the dragon’s breath, a powerful explosive, that burnt the undead hordes to a crisp. And the Patriarch’s prayers countered the arcane powers of the Dark Magi. Their efforts turned the tide, allowing the legions to regroup and counterattack, expelling the hordes from the northwestern section of the Crescent.

Since those days, intermittent warfare has broken out between the Empire and the Dark Magi, with no clear victor in the ongoing struggle. This means that the legions must ever be alert for incursions of their enemies.