Aeon Flixx,
Chronomancer, peered through a gap in the rubble, crouching low as yet another
group of barbarian warriors sauntered down the ancient alleyway. Waiting until
the coast was clear, she beckoned the others.
Brunhilde squatted
awkwardly beside her, the apprentice’s large frame unsuited to such stealth. “More
of them?”
Aeon nodded. “I’m afraid
so dear. They’re definitely up to something.”
“Then we should follow
them!” Brunhilde, as up for the challenge as ever, began to crawl forward.
Aeon sighed – her apprentice
was much too keen for her liking. “Yes, yes I suppose we should…” She rose
stiffly to her feet. “If the old maps are correct, there’s an ancient stone
circle further on ahead. You can bet your life that’s where they’re heading. C’mon.”
She let her captain
Grey Leopard take the lead while the
others followed. They were a motley bunch, she mused – thieves, thugs and archers
in the main. She had read unsettling things about the stone circle, and the
strange bones her archaeologist colleagues had dug up there in the future –
would her warband have what it takes to face whatever lurked among the stones?
“Only time will tell,”
she muttered. “It always does…”
On to the second and final game of last week’s session and the next part
of the second scenario from Forgotten Pacts: Mortal Shells. The table was rejigged, with a
circle of mystical standing stones in the centre. Crackling with arcane energy,
the runes inscribed on these stones would have to be read by the spellcasters
(well, three of them, including the central one, at least). To complicate
matters, a pair each of barbarian berserkers and treasure hunters lurked in and
around the circle.
After the treasures were placed (3 each plus any Revealed
Secrets and Fool’s Gold) Aeon Flixx’s band deployed on one table edge and won
the initiative. Cautiously they moved forward with the demon hunter taking the
lead to attack a nearby barbarian and free up the treasure he was guarding.
On the opposite side of the table, Illusionist Shazzam!
appeared with his bunch of reprobates. Likewise they advanced; a nice line of
treasure lying invitingly before them. Both wizards were keen to clear the
table of barbarians so that they, or their apprentices, could get into the
centre and read those runes.
The general kerfuffle attracted a hungry ghoul on the right
flank. Thankfully this undead creature didn’t have much of a sense of direction
and spent most of the game wandering around the shadowy edges of the board.
Brunhilde and one of the archers shot down another
barbarian, clearing the way for them to move up towards the stone circle. For
her part, Aeon had cast Time Store, giving herself a handy extra action for
future use.
More treasure was taken, bringing forth a demonic Bile Hound
on the right hand side of the table. Sniffing around for victims, this creature
had a terrible acidic bite, which if successful would reduce it’s victim’s
armour. Best avoided!
But worse was to come in the form of a terrible frost giant!
This massive brute lumbered onto the field right behind Aeon’s warband and
turned it’s shaggy head to the nearest morsel – Brunhilde the apprentice!
Meanwhile Shazzam’s team were advancing to the edge of the
circle, engaging the nearest barbarian. Despite going in mob-handed, the
warrior was able to inflict a wound on their templar.
Aeon’s warhound decided to get a piece of the action and
launched itself at a barbarian treasure hunter. The warrior was too quick
however, and skewers the dog instead.
Brunhilde orderd a thief to get in between her and the
giant. He reluctantly did so, resulting in what was probably the most uneven
round of combat in Frostgrave history. Needless to say the end result was a flattened
thief within a giant-sized footprint.
Shazzam’s band continued to take on the barbarians and seize
treasure, enabling the Illusionist to read some of the mystical runes on the
standing stones. Each stone yielded 50 XP (2 stones max) while the central one
gave 75 XP, so a whopping total of 175 XP was available.
Other members of the Illusionist’s warband took on the Bile
Hound, which had wandered into line of sight. Luckily for them, the captain was
able to kill the beast before it’s bite to eat away at his armour.
With the thief dead, Brunhilde prepared to face the giant by
hurriedly conjuring up an Elemental Bolt. Succeeding, she launched it at the
monster and I rolled… a 20! I kid you not. But was it enough? +8 shoot + 20
dice roll - 15 giant’s armour = 13 damage. Double this due to critical hit =
26. Minus 25 giant’s health = a kill with 1 point to spare! Phew!
Grey Leopard the captain was also successful, shooting the
barbarian treasure hunter that had killed the warhound. By now Aeon had also
managed to read some runes, using her Time Store extra action to get to the
stone, read the runes and then get behind some cover.
But what was this? Throughout the game we had been rolling
for each surviving barbarian to see if the power of the stones changed them. By
now the only barbarian left was one under Shazzam’s Mind Control. Suddenly the
berserker’s body twisted and convulsed, changing into something horrible…
He had changed into a demonic Chilopendra! In the scenario there
are no rules regarding what happens to mutated barbarians under a spellcaster’s
control, so we rolled another will test. The creature passed, allowing the
Illusionist to temporarily add the demon to his roster. Looking on aghast, Aeon’s
band began shooting at this unholy alliance.
Brunhilde also began to shoot, blasting one of her opponents
with an Elemental Bolt, despite the dampening effect the stone circle had on
magic. This cleared the way for her to also move to the stones and read the
runes.
More treasure was picked up and a small construct in the
shape of a clockwork monkey clanked and clattered onto the field behind Shazzam’s warband.
With all the barbarians either dead or mutated, it was time
for the Chronomancer’s band to move forward. Grey Leopard shot an enemy ranger
as he advanced.
Both sides had picked up treasure and for once Aeon could
foresee and equal share coming to her. For his part Shazzam, having read all
the runes he needed, was beginning to pull his forces back.
Clearing the way for this withdrawal, the Illusionist’s men
spanked the monkey (sorry). Aeon now felt comfortable enough to read the runes
on the central pillar, thus also finishing her studies. Meanwhile Brunhilde
cast Control Undead on the still wandering ghoul, just in case an extra pair of
hands was needed.
Demon, hunter, captain and thug all ganged up on the
Chilopendra, which had advanced into combat but was unable to use it’s horned
charge bonus (which necessitated move and combat actions in a single turn). The
demon was swiftly banished, thanks to the magic weapons that the soldiers
carried.
With the field clear of perils, Aeon’s warband pursued
Shazzam’s retreating men as much as they could. As the curtain fell, an archer
fired a last-minute shot, cutting down an opponent.
And so the game finished with both wizards reading the required runes and claiming four
treasures apiece. However I won on points, having dispatched more barbarians
and the Chilopendra. It was a great game once again, made easier perhaps by the
fact that we dealt with most of the barbarians before they could mutate into
demons. Thankfully my treasure rolls were much better this time, allowing me to
tool up the warband for the coming confrontation…
Aeon grinned as her
soldiers admired the glittering sheen on their new magical weapons.
“Look at them – like kids
at Wintertide…”
Brunhilde grunted. “Huh,
baubles and trinkets!” She casually tossed one of her battle-wands, catching it
by the handle mid-air. “Give me a decent bolt any time.”
“Indeed,” chuckled
Aeon. “I saw what you did to that giant.” She raised her glass in a toast. “Bravo
to you dearie.”
She pulled the
recently-looted grimoire off the table and began to read. “Let’s hope your luck
will hold out for next time. I suspect we’ll need it…”
