Unable and, to be honest, unwilling, to attack Chimène frontally, Gawayn chose to turn the folk of Ardon against Zoraya. There is little love lost between Brythunians and Turanians, after decades of border skirmishes and atrocities.
Hence it was relatively easy for Gawayn to suggest that Rudraige's wife was being manipulated by the Turanian spy, into causing strife and weakening the Pillar of the North. Before Zoraya could be spirited to safety, she was captured.
Word has reached Chimène that her friend has been savagely beaten and left to die. Ardon's rightful Lady will certainly not let that happen, even if she has to interrupt Gawayn's crowning ceremony in his keep, weapons in hand....
Objectives
- The Heros win a minor victory if they get Zoraya out of the keep on turn 10, or if Zoraya is killed by one of the Overlord's henchmen. A major victory is won if Zoraya is evacuated before turn 10, or if Chimène is killed.
- The Overlord triumphs otherwise.
Game length
The scenario lasts 10 turns, but ends as soon as Zoraya leaves the battle zone. The Heroes play first.
Scenario Map
The playing surface is 7 x 7 hexes, gridded A to G (columns) and 1 to 7 (rows). It portrays the long hall and outbuildings which make up the Lord's inner sanctum.
Heroes
In the campaign setting, the following heroes take part in the adventure, with any equipment they had or have acquired, and spells selected using the campaign game method.
Chimène (set up in A4)
All Heroes begin with 0 Energy Gems in the Fatigue Zone. If any heroes are bearing wounds from previous adventures, the effects of this is now taken into account.
The Hero begins with a Life Potion and with a Zingarian Breastplate.
The Overlord
The Overlord's forces are as follows :
3 Grey Brythunian Infantry [use the Bossonian Guard tile] (set up in D3, C4, C7)
3 Grey Brythunian Crossbowman [use Kothian Archer tile] (set up in E2, G4, G6)
1 Brythunian Captain [use Captain tile] (set up in E4)
The Overlord begins with 2 Energy Gems in the Available Energy Zone, and 4 in the Fatigue Zone. He or she recovers 3 each turn.
Ravens
When an Event is played, the Overlord can choose one of the following :
Reinforcements : 2 Reinforcement Points
Panic ! : the Overlord can move up to three guests, two hexes each, ignoring any hindrance.
Grab her ! : the Overlord chooses two of his troops, and immediately moves them up to two hexes each, ignoring any hindrance. The pursuit galvanises Chimène, however, who immediately moves 2 Energy Gems from her Fatigue Zone to her Available Energy Zone.
Surprise Guests ! : the Overlord can add two additional guests, in a zone which already contains a guest. This Event can only be played twice during the scenario.
The River
1 : Grey Brythunian Infantry
2 : Grey Brythunian Crossbowmen
3 : Brythunian Captain (4 wounds)
4 : Raven
5 : Empty
6 : Empty
7 : Empty
8 : Empty
Reinforcement Zones
There is one reinforcement zone (B4)
Equipment Cards
There are six Treasure Chests (A7, B3, F4, F5, G4, G5), each needing a Complex Manipulation with 1 success to open. The Equipment Deck is made up of 2 Explosive Orbs, 2 Life Potions and 2 Javelins.
Terrain
If the game is played on 3D terrain, the House Rules for this apply.
All doors are locked, and require a Complex Manipulation with 2 successes to open. Overlord figures can unlock a door for the cost of two movement points. Once unlocked, a door is no longer a hindrance to movement.
Doors are vulnerable to the Wall Breaker skill, exterior and interior walls are not.
Heros and Allies may not leave the board by any board edge zone, but if Chimène reaches her entry point with Zoraya in tow, they are assumed to leave the battle zone, even if Overlord troops are present.
Other House Rules
If players are in agreement, any or all of the other House Rules may apply
SSRs
- For Old Time's Sake
Chimène is aware how important it is to the future of the North, to rescue Zoraya. She therefore has an extra energy gem for the scenario, as well as the Feline Grace skill, which is inactive if encumbrance reaches 7.
- She cannot perish !
Gawayn does not want Chimène dead, for a whole lot of reasons. His men can attack her, but should they move all her energy gems into her Wound Zone, the scenario ends immediately with a defeat for the Overlord.
- The Turanian Spy
At the beginning of the scenario, the Overlord can choose to place Zoraya in either F4 or F5 - both of these are rooms or outhouses with locked doors.
As soon as Chimène enters the room in which the badly beaten Zoraya is laying, she can help her up.
Grievely hurt by the beatings she has taken, Zoraya has a number of wounds equal to 10 minus the current turn, and then falls unconscious. Zoraya counts as 4 Encumbrance if still conscious, 6 if she loses
consciousness (ie. on turn 10). Zoraya cannot move by herself, cannot be attacked, and
cannot use Life Potions. Her PV serve only to indicate her slow agony and add extra narrative depth to the scenario.
The Turanian's torturer is still around : as soon as Zoraya is revealed, add him to the hex and place his tile [use the Zaporavo tile] at the beginning of the River. He has 6 PV.
- The milling guests
Place 9 markers symbolising Gawayn's guests, in B4, C3, C7, D3, D7, E3, E7, G3 and G7. They are townsfolk, and the sudden and wild appearance of Chimène startles them into panic.
Guests cause Hindrance to all figures, whether they are Heroes or the Overlord's troops.
They cannot be activated, but they can be attacked by both sides; they have a Passive Defense of 1, 1 PV, and Counterattack; both sides can spend Energy Gems to defend them or give them rerolls. They can be moved only with the Panic ! event.
- Friends in the crowd
Chimène has come to the festivities almost without preparation, and without warning her friends. There are however many among the crowd who are ready to be swayed to her cause.
The following heroes are present :
Kerim (D3) [5 PV; use Kerim Shah tile]
Rashar (D7) [4 PV; use Skuthus tile, and pick three spells from his list using the Campaign Rules]
Ygritte (E5) [5 PV; use Balthus tile]
Chimène can try to convince one (only) of these three to help her, is she is in their hex. It needs a Complex Manipulation requiring 3 successes.
An ally can be activated freely once per turn, even if Chimène is Resting.
Heroes who are not allies of Chimène are considered as Guests (see above), but use their own tiles and PV if attacked.