The Prince's Fate

Once the Legion earned permission to land on the West Isle, we were able to find the location where the dark elves planned to enact the ritual and open the World Portal.

We arrived at the temple that the dark elves constructed for the ritual. Blocks of moon granite concentrated magic, making their incantations more effective. I am grateful we stopped them from acquiring more.

Note: If the dark elves had acquired more, then I would have reduced the time required for the ritual.

I, Comes Elias convened a council of war and we made our plans for battle.

Conferring with the wizard

Entering the Temple

I led the first company in an assault on the temple entrance. A swarm of redcaps blocked our way. There was a mad melee. We had a new wizard helping us. His spells helped us push back the redcaps. Finally, we made our way into the temple.

Beyond us was another door, closed and guarded. I suspected that the dark elves' altar was beyond it.

"That way!" I cried, pointing with my sword.

While the rest of the company pushed forward, I led a small contingent on a flanking maneuver. We swung around the right and then made a beeline for the door. Some redcaps tried to stop me, but my armor kept me safe. Hacking and slashing, I made it to the door and flung it open.

The remaining redcaps retreated past the door.

The Inner Sanctum

While my company caught their breath, Ulveblod led the second company into the inner sanctum.

At the far end was a dark elf priest, chanting an incantation and holding a knife over a figure bound to an altar. Prince Henri!

Alas, between the Legion and the altar was a swarm of redcaps!

The Legion charged, hacking their way through the mass of goblins. They reached the altar and cleared away the redcaps.

One legionary tried to kill the priest. But the dark elf was protected by a magical field. The only way to stop the ritual was to recover Prince Henri.

Next thing I knew, Howl had the prince and was making his way to the doorway. But the goblins converged and cut him down. They grabbed the prince and carried him back to the altar. Fortunately, our healers were able to reach Howl and restore him to health.

A big scrum erupted near the altar. All the while, the priest chanted. Then Ulveblod ended up with the prince. But the redcaps swarmed around him and the priest's incantation was reaching a crescendo. Ulveblod was nearly out of time. There was only one option for him.

With a quick strike, Ulveblod killed the prince. As the royal blood spilled on the temple floor, the priest screamed in rage and frustration.

"Foolish mortals!" he cried. "You shall pay for this!"

In an instance, he disappeared through a portal. Then an earthquake shook the temple. The redcaps fled to the four winds.

"Hurry, let's get out of here!" I cried. Fortunately, someone had the presence of mind to retrieve the prince's body.

The Legion escaped as the temple collapsed.

The battle was over. The World Portal remained closed. The world was safe. But the cost was high.

GAME NOTES

And thus closes our third season. As usual, I embellished the account a little. Still, it is mostly accurate, at least from my perspective.

The Legion has triumphed again, but at a high cost. We were not able to save Prince Henri. What are the ramifications? We'll find out next season.

Thanks to everyone who attended today. We actually had 11 people show up. Besides myself, we had regulars Howl, Celer, Lionhart, Ulveblod, and Brian. It was good to see Xeno again. Thanks to Kenny and Beast for coming by. And thanks and welcome to the new blood - Blaine and Adrian.

Also thanks to Kenny for creating the first image. He based it on this photo he took.

The original photo.

As far as the scenarios:

1. This was a castle battle. Get through the door, make our way to a checkpoint. It was a quick scenario. We ended up playing it multiple times, but I recorded our first attempt.
2. The second was a heavy object game. The Legion had 5 minutes to rescue the prince from the altar and get him out of the temple. Adrian, a new player, arrived just in time to play the priest. Thanks! There was a caveat to the game. As established in our lore in previous battles, we could stop the dark elves from opening the portal by killing the prince ourselves. Ultimately, Ulveblod chose that option. An exciting and dramatic finish! Note that I initially gave the Legion one life. They got shattered so I granted them bonus lives. The game worked better with extra lives. I chalked it down to maesters doing healing.

I hope everyone enjoyed the scenarios and the season. If you have any ideas for improvement, let me know.

We will meet for practices for a few more weeks before convening for tabletop gaming during the summer.

The Leprechaun's Gold

Having retrieved one of the incantations, the dark elves are set to enact the ritual and to open the World Portal. If they do, they will plunge our world into war.

The Legion must get to the ritual site and stop the dark elves from completing the ritual.

To the Western Isle

We were able to use the magical orb to return to the Isles. However, the dark elves have erected a magical barrier on the Western Isle. That must be the location of the ritual site.

We sailed to the Western Isle, but were confronted by King Diarmid. He refused to let us land, unless we paid him 30 pieces of leprechaun gold. When we agreed, he directed us to a glen where the leprechauns live.

I, Comes Elias, tried to negotiate with the leprechaun leader, but he sided with the dark elves. With that, the hunt was on.

The Leprechaun Hunt

Scattered through the glen, the leprechauns carried gold upon their persons. The Legion just had to defeat each leprechaun in turn and take their gold.

We split into two wings, each one advancing along opposite flanks of the glen. Upon seeing us, the leprechauns swarmed to the attack.

The right wing included Ulveblod, Jayden, and Celer. They rushed into the pack of leprechauns, slashing away and taking the gold of the defeated. But more leprechauns arrived, forcing the legionaries to withdraw. Still, they had a nice take - with Ulveblod pocketing the most gold with 8 coins.

Meanwhile, Brian, Howl, Lionhart, and I advanced on the left. While the leprechauns focused om the right wing, we swung in on the flank, wreaking havoc on our target. This allowed us to secure heftier prizes. I garnered 7 gold and Howl had 12!

Ultimately, we had to retire. No deaths but plenty of wounds. Still, we achieved out goal. We had well over 30 gold, enough to gain access to the island.

I then sent scouts throughout the island, looking for the site of the dark elves' ritual. We will find it soon enough, and stop them!

GAME NOTES

• The bit about Diarmid and the leprechaun king is made-up backstory. For the event, we jumped straight into the leprechaun hunt.
• In reality, the two teams fought in sequence. Ulveblod, Jayden, and Celer were legionaries first while the rest were leprechauns. Then we switched.
  
• Leprechauns had 0 hp. Upon death, the leprechaun had to hand over its gold. We had a no backstab rule when a legionary was collecting gold.
• Howl gets the Eagle for the day with his 12 gp haul.
• After the scenario, we played some goblin ball.

A Visit to the Library

As we learned from Jayden, the dark elves need the incantation to open the World Portal. The incantation is on three scrolls. The Legion has one. The other two are in the Biblioteca [library] dell' Aurora in the Duchy of Valenova (part of Nevora).

There is a clue to identify the correct scroll. It will be in case with a symbol that matches the clue.

Heavenly bodies in the sky of night

Among them is one within our sight

This fair lady soars at great height

As the oceans below dance in her light

Using the magical orbs we obtained from the dark elves, I, Comes Elias of the Chimera Legion, send two detachments of the Legion to the library to retrieve the scrolls.

The First Scroll

The first detachment led by Howl and Brian arrive in a vault in the basement of the library. There, they meet the librarian, Fabio Librotelli.

They explain their need for the scroll. Fabio is adamant; the scroll must not leave the library!

Just then, the redcaps arrive and rush the stacks of scrolls. 

The Legion charges past Fabio to engage the redcaps and secure the scroll.

As swords clash and blood spills, confusion reigns. Which is the correct scroll case? To what symbol does the clue refer? Both sides grab scrolls, but they are the wrong ones.

Finally, the redcaps grab the case with a crescent moon. They rush to the portal, exulting in their victory. But they celebrate too early. The scroll falls out of the case. Howl grabs it and escapes through the portal. It is the correct scroll!

The Legion has secured one of the two scrolls.

The Second Scroll

Ulveblod and Jayden lead the second detachment. They arrive at a different vault in the library. There they meet Flabio, Fabio's brother. He also forbids the Legion from taking the scroll.

Again, the redcaps arrive. The Legion rushes into battle and the clash of swords echoes off the vault's stone walls.

Once again, confusion reigns. Neither side is sure which case holds the scroll. Multiple times, both sides make off with a scroll, but it is the wrong one. Finally, the redcaps grab the case with the crescent moon. They make a mad dash and escape.

Now, the dark elves have one of the incantations. They grow closer to opening the World Portal!

Feast

After the battle, the Legion enjoyed a Nevoran staple - pizza!

I did a make your own personal pizza, using some store bought crust and various toppings. We then cooked them on the grill!

GAME NOTES

As usual, I made some changes to the story for narrative purposes.

• We only had 5 players. So when I write that 2 players "lead" a detachment, I really mean that they were the detachment.
• I rearranged the order of events. Ulveblod and Jayden actually were first. 
• I also switched up some of the interactions with Fabio/Flabio. For the event, I only used Fabio. Then it dawned on me there should be two librarians so I changed the second librarian's name to Flabio.

The game was essentially capture the flag.

• In the center of the battlefield, there are 4 boxes filled with cardboard tubes. The tubes represent the scroll cases. Ten of them have astronomical symbols on them. One has the crescent moon.
• RJ created an incantation scroll, which we put in the moon case.
• The combatants are placed on opposite sides of the field.
• Redcaps have infinite lives. For the first run through, the Legion had 1 life. It was not enough, so I gave them some extra lives. The second time, I gave the Legion 5 lives. That worked better.
• Fabio/Flabio the librarian (played by me) is a wild card. He tries to prevent either side from getting the scroll. So he can fight on either side.

The scroll falling out of the case really happened! I love when unexpected events like this occur.

Defending the Moon Granite

To the Imperial High Command

From Comes Elias, commander of the Chimera Legion

I submit further intelligence from the Isles. I received this missive from Jayden Rannal, one of our scouts.

Armed with this information, I set up defenses around the moon granite quarry in the Isles.

I was with the defenders when the first attack came. The redcaps seemed to swarm out of nowhere, bypassing the ramparts we constructed. 

Celer and Howl led a counterattack, slaughtering the goblins by the score. I remained by the ore, cutting down any redcaps that managed to get by our forces. Fortunately, very few got that far.

Later, a new shift took over and I retired to camp to get some rest. Several peaceful hours went by, then the alarms sounded. Swiftly donning my gear, I led a detachment of reinforcements to the quarry. I arrived to a sickening sight. The quarry was littered with downed legionaries and scores of dead redcaps. Lionhart was one of the fallen. Fortunately, we have excellent healers, who restored him to health.

At the outskirts of the quarry  I found Ulveblod, bloodied and battered. He told me the tale of the night. The redcaps seemed to emerge from the very ground, cutting down the guards before any could react. Lionhart managed to slay a number of the goblins before he went down. Ulveblod then led the few remaining defenders who waded into battle, cutting swaths through the attackers. Some of the redcaps managed to grab the moon ore and fled. Ulveblod tried to pursue but they got away.

We have done an inventory. The goblins stole about half of the moon granite. We fear that they acquired enough for their temple. But it will be harder for them because we kept a lot of the ore out of their hands.

Through the Portal

Once Lionhart determined that passing through the portal was safe (sort of), I led the Legion through.

Our Arrival

I met with Donnell, laird of the MacGallivrey clan. We came to an understanding to work together against the Faedwyr.

While we were setting up camp, a swarm of redcaps attacked us. Fortunately, we were able to drive them off.

Concerned about the safety of the orb that we used to transport ourselves to the Isles, I entrusted its safety to Ulveblod.

Night Attack

By nightfall, our fortified camp was ready and sentries posted. The rest of the Legion sat about the fires, enjoying a meal and a few moments of rest. Donnell stayed with us and entertained the troops with stories about the wonders of the Isles. With his thick accent and the amount he drank, however, I doubt my men understood most of what he said. I decided to retire for the night.

My sleep was interrupted by alarms. I stepped out of my tent to the clash of arms of the sight of bloodshed. Redcaps!

I could hear those monstrous little creatures calling out "Get the orb! Get the orb!"

Grabbing a sword and shield, I waded through the fight, looking for Ulveblod. Then I saw him swarmed by redcaps. I tried to rush to his aid but more of the marauders held me up.

I saw a redcap rip a bag from Ulveblod's shoulders. Ulveblod pursued but got ambushed. A strike on the back of his head put him down. The redcaps ran off, screaming "We gots it!"

I was furious. "How did they get into the camp?"

Donnell came over to me, nursing a series of wounds. "Magic," he replied. Great, how do we defend against that?

But I had more immediate concerns. I called for my officers. "We have to get back the orb! Gather the men for pursuit!"

"Nae, laddie, no need for that." Donnell said. He pulled his hand into his sporran and pulled out the orb!

And that was our first day in the Isles. What will happen next?

OOO GAME NOTES

As typical, I have exaggerated for narrative purposes. The game was not at night. I was not sleeping in a tent when the redcaps attacked. Actually, I was one of the redcaps.

The switcheroo was real, however. I gave the bag with the orb to Brett (Ulveblod). As a redcap, I stole the bag from Brett and ran off. Once the scenario was over and I was proclaiming victory for the redcaps, Robb (Donnell) came over and pulled the orb from his bag. Well done!

We had 6 fighters today - me, Ulveblod, Donnell, Celer, Jayden, and Howl.

The Scout

The Portal

Last time, we recovered a magical orb from the orc's den. Our mystics inform us that the orb is a key that can open up a portal.

I, Comes Elias, order them to open the portal. Then I turn to my legionaries.

"Who will be the first through the portal? I ask.

Lionhart steps forward.

Legionary Lionhart

I give him his orders. Go through the portal, determine what's on the other side, and report back.

Lionhart steps through. Then, unexpectedly, the portal closes!

"Get him back!" I command the mystics. But they are unable to reopen the portal.

"We can't, Comes." they explain. "Someone has locked it from the other side!"

"Unlock it!"

They try various incantations without success. In frustration, they begin consulting various mystical tomes, looking for an answer. Then suddenly, the portal opens and Lionhart steps through.

💀💀💀

Lionhart's Report

Lionhart tells me that he appeared in a clearing and met a man wearing a kilt. The man introduced himself as Donnell, a laird (lord) of the local clans.

They were conversing when a swarm of redcaps, murderous goblin-like creatures, appeared.

A redcap

They managed to fight off the monsters, although each took some wounds. Fortunately, Donnell had a healing potion to negate some of damage.

Lionhart told the laird of his predicament. Donnell knew of a way. There was a dark elf nearby that had an orb. Retrieve it and Lionhart could return. Donnell offered to show Lionhart the way.

Along the path, more redcaps ambushed the duo. Again, they drove off the creatures.

Finally, they found the dark elf lord. 

Haughty and proud, the dark elf lord mocked them then cast a web upon Donnell. He then attacked Lionhart. His wicked elven blade sliced deep into Lionhart's arm. But Donnell escaped from the web and joined the fray. The dark elf used magic to blast Donnell, knocking him off his feet. Lionhart took this opportunity to attack. Soon, the elf was down.

Lionhart tended to Donnell's wounds, bringing him back to consciousness. He also searched the dark elf's belongings, finding an orb! Using it, Lionhart returned to the Legion.

What We Now Know

From the information we got from Donnell, we know that the dark elves are in force in the Isles, which lay northwest of Chevalia. However, some of the local clans are fighting back against the dark elves, whom they call the Faedwyr. Sounds like useful allies.

We still do not know the location of the lost prince. But it seems likely that he is now captive on the Isles. The Legion will pass through the portal to find out!

OOC Game Notes

Lionhart told us that he would miss the December event, so I created an end-of-the-year quest for him. This is his story.

Thanks to:

• RJ for the picture of Lionhart
• Gencraft AI for the other pictures
• Robb for his magnificent portrayal of Donnell
• Ryan and Neath for playing redcaps

Into the Orc Den

Ever since the Feast of Flowers, the Chimera Legion has been scouring the wilderness looking for any sign of the kidnapped prince.

Our scouts manage to find an orc den. The tracks match the raider's - this must be the place.

The First Assault

I, Comes Elias, split my troops into 2 companies. The first is led by Wyktor and Celer. 

Wyktor

They storm the den's entrance but meet stiff resistance. Wyktor uses shadow walk to sneak by the defenders and into the interior of the den. There he spies two heavy sacks. Surely the prince must be in one of them.

As Wyktor grabs one of the sacks, the orcs realize what happened. A swarm of orcs leave the defenses and rush to the back room. There they confront Wyktor, forcing him to retreat without a sack,

Our first attempt fails.

Company B

I lead this attack with Howl. We fight our way into the den and I come to the sacks. I drop my shield, grab one, and throw it over my shoulder. Howl covers me with his polearm, forcing orcs to scatter. I am able to escape with the sack.

We open it up. It's just a bag of bones. But mixed in with the bones, we discover a crystal ball. What could this be?

Celer's Lightning Strike

With one more sack, we decide to try again. This time, we take another approach. Our mystics weave a powerful explosive that blasts the orcs at the den entrance. Then Celer, imbued with superhuman strength from another spell, rushes into den, past the guards, and grabs the second sack. He then fights his way through a pack of orcs and out.

Alas, his sack only contains more bones. No prince! Where could they have taken him?

The Mystery Unveiled

I have our sages study the crystal ball. They inform me that it is a key to open a portal, like the ones we saw Henri go through.

"Open it," I tell the sages.

"But Comes, we have no idea where you will end up."

"Wherever it leads, the prince is likely there. Open it."

I call for the Legion to prepare. We are going through the portal. But where will it take us?

The Plot Thickens

The Feast of Flowers was a disaster. Though the party that answered the call of the Duke was able to rescue one of the King's sons, they were unable to recover the other. 

I, Comes Elias, after an unfortunate delay, finally arrived at Duke Etienne’s castle after this incident. I found that the drawbridge was closed and the Duke was ensconced inside. Just then, Jayden Rannal, one of our scouts, approached me.

This is Jayden's tale:

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I was approached on my journey back from the Feast of Flowers by an old friend, a female dark elf from my childhood. As my loyal mustang approached my home, her figure emerged from the tree line. As the rain fell, each drop was an explosion compared to the uncomfortable silence between us. 

"Haven't seen you in a while....", I said without turning my head and unpacking my horse. Still, she stood and said nothing. I continued to remove my bags and carry them to the house. I turned to look at her, standing in the gentle shower. "Well? Was there something you wanted?" 

She turned and began to walk back into the forest. I shrugged and turned to walk into the house when I heard her say, "They were hired..." 

I froze, my mind spinning at the possibilities opened by those words. "By who?". 

"...by us," her words stung into I and I turned only to find wet trees. Orcs, hired by the dark elves. But why? Ransom? Negotiation? I walked into the house and dropped my bags on the floor. As I walked deeper inside, I found a wrapped item on the table. I stepped towards it and picked it up. It was lighter than he expected. Was it empty? As I untied it, all I found was a symbol, which looked like a magic circle of some kind. I placed it in my pocket and left the house. Mounting my horse, I rode through the rain. Each drop felt like a thorn on my cheek. Luckily, the Duke's carriage was still near after the Feast and rescue. I road until I caught up to them. As I approached, the guards turned to stop me. 

"Duke! They were hired by the dark elves!" I yelled so that it could be heard in the carriage. The Duke opened the door. "Let him approach," the Duke ordered the guards. I approached and entered the carriage. I saw the Duke with concern in my eyes, and my rescued nephew wrapped in a blanket next to him. "What do you know?" I handed him the wrapping with the symbol, "The orcs were hired by the dark elves. I'm not sure why, but it has something to do with that marking." The Duke opened it and his eyes grew wide, "The seal!" I didn't know what it meant, but I knew it was something important. I did not ask, as it was not my place. "His blood, they need the King's blood to break it. But if they do...they can't be allowed to!" 

The Duke looked up and proclaimed, "We must take action now!" 

"But your grace, your nephew is most likely in an Orc den. That's if we are lucky. If we are not, he could be anywhere. Going into a den is dangerous. That's why we normally set fire to the entrance and kill them as they come out escaping the flames." 

"It doesn't matter how dangerous it is. The alternative is unthinkable." 

The Duke stood and leaned out of the carriage, calling for Gaston, his right-hand man.

“Gaston!” the Duke commanded, "Blow the horn and gather the troops. Whoever answers the call will have to do."

"To rescue your nephew, your Grace?" asked Gaston.

The Duke looked back with a mix of fear and shame in his eyes, "To stop the Dark Elves. If you can save him, do it, but his death may serve us better. In the meantime, I must protect Omri"
With that, the Duke ordered his carriage to proceed back to his castle. With a crack of a whip, the carriage was off.

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After Jayden gave his report, another scout approached me. Someone they tracked down the orcs involved in the raid and found their den. I am not sure what the dark elves are up to, but we now have a target. I shall prepare my men for a raid on the orc den. Hopefully, we can rescue the prince.

OOC NOTES

This story is a prelude to our event next Saturday.

Jayden's tale is courtesy of RJ. I made some minor tweaks to fit it into the planned narrative (specifically to allow Elias a role).

Fearsome Feast

I, Comes Elias, commander of the Chimera Legion, have received this report from Brother Lucius, a priest of Daeus assigned to the Legion.

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The Legion is still searching for the lost prince to no avail. However, I received word of strange happenings occurring as the Feast of Noctus Mortum approaches. The dead are rising from the grave as unholy revenants. I set out with a detachment to investigate these reports.

We arrived at one graveyard and found a chilling sight. A necromancer was raising the corpses. I ordered the Legion to attack and destroy the necromancer.

I stayed back, planted a totem, and used the power of Daeus to combat the foe. The necromancer took a similar action, although he called upon the powers of dark gods.

"Destroy the necromancer's totem!" I commanded.

The legionaries rushed at the necromancer, but the undead barred their way. Soon, the clash of weapons against bone and the screams of soldiers pierced the air. Battle was on!

One legionary reached the necromancer and struck the totem. It pulsed then faded briefly. The necromancer uttered some spells and the totem flared with a new burst of power. We would need greater effort to defeat him.

Then a wave of the undead rushed me, attacking my totem. Once then twice they struck and damaged it, but I was able to restore it. My comrades rushed to my aid and drove off the abominations.

The undead kept falling to our blades, but the necromancer kept bringing them back. Meanwhile, our men were suffering grievous wounds. I used the power of Daeus to restore them as well as I could. They continued to fight on.

Finally, our men broke through. A legionary named Howl struck at the totem. Once, twice. It exploded in a blast of power. The undead collapsed and the necromancer began to fade from view.

But as he melted away, the necromancer scoffed at us. "You may have won this battle, but you can't get rid of me that easily. I, Kraxius, shall return to plague you another day!" Then with a cackle, he was gone.

A picture of Kraxius. From RJ

Searching the battlefield, we discovered a magic item - the Shroudwalker's Talisman. Presumably Kraxius lost it. I have awarded it to Howl for his heroics on the battlefield.

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GAME NOTES

• The Feast of Noctus Mortum is our game world's version of Halloween. I wanted to do something in a Halloween vein so I brought back Kraxius.
• Robb played Kraxius and I played Brother Lucius.
• The other players were
• Howl and Lionheart as legionaries
• Celer and Jayden as the revenants
• The game was essentially ring the bell. We played best of 5.
• Robb and I were both injured so we did not fight. Instead, we just cast spells. Rather than attacking us, the other players had to strike our our "totems," which essentially were the bells.

The Rescue

As I, Comes Elias, mentioned in my last report, the Duke returned from the castle after the Feast of Flowers with dire news.

"My royal nephews, sons of the king, have been kidnapped by raiders!" the Duke announced. "We must rescue them!"

The attendees of the feast divided into two retinues - one led by Gaston LaCroix, the Duke's right hand man and the other by the Duke himself.

The Raiders

From the reports, we learned that the nephews of Bertrand VI, Omri and Henri, were taken by hideous pig-faced monsters. Orcs!

Gaston's Retinue

The Duke and Gaston lead their men into the woods, hoping to cut off the orcs. The trail splits; Gaston takes the right path. 

Soon, Gaston's retinue sees the orcs with one of the boys struggling in a sack. They pursue.

Howl webs the orc with sack. The rest of the retinue converge and cut the orc down. They have rescued Henri!

But more orcs swarm. They drive off Gaston's group and recover the sack. One particularly stealthy orc grabs the sack and carries it through a magical portal.

Henri is gone!

The Duke's Retinue

Meanwhile, the Duke is in hot pursuit of the other band of orcs. His men spot the raiders and rush into the fray.

The Duke following behind, notices the magical portal. Realizing that the orcs mean to escape through the portal, he rushes to block the way.

The rest of the warriors converge on the orc carrying the nephew and cut the bestial creature down. Ulveblod then picks up the nephew and carries him towards safety. The orcs are distracted and focus on fighting the Duke's men. This allows Ulveblod to escape with his charge. Omri is rescued!

GAME NOTES

We really need someone filming the lore fights. I don't see all the action so I may not be giving someone proper due. I just report what I saw and remembered. Feel free to post a comment with your own perspective on the fight!

The scenario is essentially heavy object, with a large stuffed burlap sack representing the royals. I used driveway markers to represent the portal.

A couple notes from the fight.

• Raph (aka Xeno) was the stealthy orc that made off with Henri.
• Ulveblod earned the Order of the Rose from the Duke for rescuing Omri.

On Pig Faced Orcs

I wanted to do some costuming for the orcs, but I did not want to shell out a lot for masks or use makeup. Pondering the dilemma, I had an epiphany. Pig-faced orcs!

For those not familiar, pig-faced orcs were the standard depiction in old school D&D. Take this picture from the 1977 AD&D Monster Manual.

While not in color, it is easy to imagine them with pig-flesh skin rather than the modern ubiquitous green. That means we don't need to die our skin! Costuming becomes simplified. To represent orcs, we just need pig noses, which I got cheap from Amazon.

What about Robb's excellent orc kit?

Robb's orc on the right

Robb has his own take on the lore, which I will post when I get the time. In my mind, though, orcs are products of twisted magical experiments melding men and beasts. So why not have different types of orcs? But I think the pig-faced orcs will be most prevalent in the Olden Wyrld.

The Feast of Flowers

Due to complications on our journey, I, Comes Elias of the Chimera Legion, was not able to attend the Feast of Flowers. I sent ahead a delegation under the command of Ulveblod and Xeno. They represented the Legion at the feast and sent me a report. This account is based on that report.

The Tournament

The festivities began with a tournament, presided over by Duke Etienne himself. Reportedly, these were some of the greatest warriors in the Olden Wyrld. Here is a list of the participants.

• Ulveblod of the Legion
• Xeno of the Legion
• Ryan
• Caio
• Lionheart
• Jayden Rannal of Chevalia
• Howl
• Gaston LaCroix, one of the Duke's retainers

The Duke split the combatants into two pools. They fought all others in the pool. The scenario was unusual - the Duke called it the Disks of Death. There were a series of disks placed into a helmet. Each combatant drew one of the disks. Upon each disk was a symbol representing a different weapon combination - sword and shield, great weapon, spear, or Florentine. The combatant had to use the selected weapon combination, although all combatants could also wield a dagger. The Duke explained that a great warrior should be able to win with whatever weapons he or she has at hand. This scenario tested that ability.

The Duke gave every combatant a bag. The Duke gave each winner a gem. This served as a way to keep score.

One of the bags filled with gems.
Below are the disks of death

Two combatants emerged undefeated from their respective pools - Howl and Ryan. They then faced off in a dagger duel. Ryan emerged victorious!

The Feast

We then sat down to our feast, prepared by Chef Pierre de Magnifique. Beef Bourguignon with French bread and garlic butter. 

There were drinks, including cider, and some raspberry cookies for dessert.

Disaster Strikes!

At this point, the Duke retired to the castle to check on things. But he rushed back in a panic.

"My royal nephews, sons of the king, have been kidnapped by raiders!" the Duke announced. "We must rescue them!"

* I will complete the story of our rescue attempt in the next installment. *

OOC NOTES

I played the role of the Duke and Chef Pierre. Robb played Gaston. Everyone else played their characters.

RJ (Jayden) took some nice videos of the fights. You can find them on our Facebook page. Here are links to the champion match.

• Part the First
• Part the Second

Note that we used our hit point system for the matches. Each participant started with 1 hit point and received an additional hit point if wearing garb.

Thanks to Howl for bringing drinks and cookies!

By the way, here is the recipe for the Beef Bourguignon.

The Invitation

Following the orc attacks, reinforcements arrive on the border. Preparations begin for an offensive against the orcs.

I, Comes Elias, commander of the Chimera Legion, attend a conference with the other legion commanders and the Strategos, the overall commander of the offensive. As he distributes assignments to the other legions, he asks me to stay behind.

Once the conference ends, he turns to me.

We have a special assignment for your legion. Most will remain as garrisons for the border towns.

I was aghast. Stay behind the lines? I wanted the Chimera Legion to have the opportunity to retaliate against the enemy that inflicted losses upon us.

I began to protest but the Strategos stopped me. He handed me this card.

"I don't understand," I asked, confused.

"This is your assignment. Take a company with you to Chevalia. Attend the feast. Speak to the Duke and enlist his aid in our war."

I selected a company of our finest solders and began the trek to Chevalia.

Burning Down the House

After defeating the demon and saving the Emperor, the Chimera Legion received a well-earned rest. But as autumn approaches, fell tidings arrive from the northern border. Raiders are sacking the frontier settlements. The Emperor sends the Legion to deal with the threat.

Note: As usual, I took a few artistic liberties when telling the story.

A Settlement Struck

The Legion sends detachments to some of the remaining settlements to defend against attack.

Not long after arriving, alarm bells ring out at the town of Drakovar. A swarm of hideous, monstrous creatures rush the settlement, clambering over the walls, and destroying everything in site.

One of the bestial creatures - a pig-faced orc!

Basilius is onsite with a detachment of legionaries. Accompanying the detachment is a scout named Jayden Rannal, recently hired to help locate the raiders.

Basilius forms a shield wall, which holds back the raiders. The legionaries then step forward, their sword stabbing and slashing, dropping orcs left and right. Meanwhile, Jayden shows off his archery skill, picking off the enemy in droves.

But there are just too many orcs. They hammer against the shield wall. Legionaries fall until there are gaps in the formation. The orcs surge through the gaps and into town.

Soon, it is an orgy of slaughter and arson. Panicked, the townsfolk flee through the southern gate. The remaining legionaries act as rearguard, protecting the survivors. The orcs are too busy stealing the town's crop of turnips to interfere.

Scout and Retrieve

The next day, a company led by Ulveblod arrives. He tracks the raiders into the wilds beyond the frontier. He catches up with a band of orcs, burdened by plunder from the town.

Ulveblod orders a charge. His men rush into the orc camp, hacking away at the enemy. In the heat of battle, Ulveblod is seriously wounded. His men falter. But then Ulveblod calls upon the power of the amulet awarded by the Emperor. This artifact instantly heals him.

Rejuvenated, Ulveblod leads a fresh attack. Victory looks imminent.

But then they hear the sound of a horn. An orc horn! Reinforcements are coming.

Ulveblod orders his men to grab sacks of the plunder, especially the prized turnips, and retreat back to Imperial territory. The orcs rally and pursue, but the Legion stands firm and drives them off.

After a harrowing journey, Ulveblod's company arrives at the nearest settlement, where refugees from the destroyed town huddle miserably. At least they will have some food to get them through the winter.

NOTES

As mentioned, I took some artistic liberties. We only had 4 players, so I exaggerated for dramatic sake.

We actually ran Ulveblod's scouting mission first. I scattered a bunch of spell balls around. Brett had to gather them while Robb and I, as orcs, tried to stop him. He managed to return all of them to safety. He did use an amulet he received for saving the Emperor. This allowed him to finish the job.

We played the attack on the settlement afterwards. RJ arrived, we sparred one-on-one with him a bit, then decided to do a 2v2 scenario. I came up with the settlement attack on the spot. It is essentially a ring the bell scenario for the orcs. Robb and RJ defended while Brett and I were orcs. We actually ran the scenario twice and the orcs won both time.

Once again I forgot to take pictures. Pity, Robb looked really good.