Chapter VIII : The Offering - The Adventure

The scenario is here.

The initial plan was for Zoraya and the three Turanian guardsmen to make for the larger building, hopefully picking up some loot on the way. Brude was to pick the lock on the gate, and head towards the small temple.  Chimène was meant to fight it out in the middle.

That plan went rapidly pear-shaped, as Chimène was overwhelmed by incoming fire, the mercenary archers bounding forwards to seek her out behind the cover of the central wall.  Zoraya was forced to come back to help her, also sending in the loyal Turanians to help.  Whilst Brude continued his explorations, the two women gradually overcame all resistance.

One of the Emirs fled with his father, but Zoraya was closing in on the two remaining Turanian lords.  The Turanian spearmen fighting for the Emirs were brutally sacrificed to bring forth a Dynwocor and slow her down.  The beast charged into the fray, but the agile Turanian diploat was no easy target, and sustained only a flesh wound.

One of the Turanian soldiers hurried to assist her, whilst the diplomat headed for the Emirs.  She was joined by Brude a few seconds later, who cut one of them down.

The Hyperborean Emissary decided to use her ability to raise the dead - which actually had little impact - and reveal herself, mainly because the loyalist Turanians were almost upon her, and also because the Dynwocor was close to hand.  Chimène saw red, and leapt over the ruined mud-brick wall to engage her mortal foe.  The presence of the Dynwocor [restricting saturation to 2, ndlr] prevented her, however, from putting her all into the fight and she caused no hurt.

The Emissary managed to get over the wall, and join the Dynwocor.  The combination of Horror and Jinx seemed to be unbeatable, but ferocious attacks from both Brude and Zoraya severely wounded the Hyperborean [down to only 2 wounds, ndlr].

Time was however running out, leading the heroes to take desperate risks.  The Emissary's Pestilential Swarm caused a lot of damage, and the remaining Emir proved to be a deadly foe.  Brude was saved - twice ! - only by the chainmail armour he had found near the main gate of the fortress but even so had only one wound remaining.

The last attack by the Emir proved too much for him, and Brude went down.  Covered by the Dynwocor's rage and the heros' exhaustion, the Emissary was able to escape the fortress.

An exciting game, with a lot of hard choices to make, especially I found for the Overlord.  Choosing when to Let the Dead Rise, when to reveal the Emissary, and when to bring on the Dynwocor is not easy, especially as they all lengthen the River.  Having the Emirs flee costs a lot of time and also deprives the Overlord of a dangerous fighter, so no easy choice there either.  On the heros' side, the mistake was to leave Chimène too exposed, when a loyalist Turanian would have given the necessary protection, as he did thereafter.

A victory for the forces of evil, perhaps a critical one !

Zoraya and Chimene gain +1 XP, since one of the Emirs was slain. Zoraya ended the battle with an additional wound, bringing her up to 2.

Brude exchanged his shield for a chainmail shirt.  He was badly hurt, with 3 wounds.

One of their Turanian companions was killed during the fighting, leaving two for the final encounter...

Chapter IX : The Winged Horror

Number of heroes : 3

Difficulty : 2

The Winged Horror

The trail leads to a cursed place, close to the borderlands shared by Turan and Hyperborea.  None, except perhaps the Witchman, know what happened in this forsaken place so long ago, but it breathes evil. The surviving brothers are arrayed in an arc before an unholy altar; their father, their victim, lays upon it, already lifeless, sealing their pact with Hyperborea.  Many of the Turanian soldiers present are in a trance, as if they had sought to rebel against the horrors they were witnessing.  The Witchman is dancing before the altar, an alien dance of jerking movements and strange sounds, and before the adventurers' eyes, shadows coalesce into a horrific winged form, a winged demon of the abyss whose shifting form hurts eyes and mind.  Should he fully coalesce, the Witchman will unleash him on an unsuspecting world, beginning a reign of terror.  It will end only when one of the Emirs sits on a new throne carved out of northern Turan, as a puppet of Hyperborea, and a dangerous step closer to the Sultan's title.

Although they are too late to save the victim, the heroes might just be able to save Turan, and the wider world, from what the Hyperboreans are plotting...

Objectives
-  The Heros win if they slay the Demon before the end of the tenth turn.
-  The Overlord wins otherwise.

Game length
The scenario lasts 10 turns.  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 a place of forboding evil in the barren, cold, stony desert wastes of northern Turan.

 
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.  They also have the assistance of any Turanian soldiers converted to the cause during the previous scenario (2 in the current campaign).  Furthermore they have received unexpected, but most welcome, assistance from a member of the Watch named Kerim.

Brude (set up in G1)

Chimène (set up in G1)

Zoraya (set up in G1)

Turanian Infantry (set up in G1).  These allies can be commanded by any hero.  Galvanised by the dangers to their homeland, they have a permanent red gem (see House Rules).

Kerim (set up in G1).  [use the Kerim Shah tile, with 6 PV].  This ally can be commanded by any hero, and given his skill and experience, also has a permanent red gem (see House Rules).

All Heroes begin with 2 Energy Gems in the Fatigue Zone.  If any heroes are bearing wounds from previous adventures, the effects of this is now taken into account.  However, powerful healing herbs provided by the Watchman, allow two characters to heal up to 2 wounds each, but only before the scenario begins.

The Overlord
The Overlord's forces are as follows :

Hyperborean Witchman (set up in C6), with Hand of Death, Return of the Brave and Ymir's Rage

Winged Demon [use Thaug tile] (set up in C5), with Tears of Dagon, Dagon's Attack and Mind Control

 

2 Grey Hellbat Swarms [use Tentacles tile] (set up in C5, C5)

3 Blue Hypnotised Turanian Soldiers [use Pict Hunter tile] (set up in B5, D3, D6)

4 Green Hypnotised Turanian Soldiers [use Pict Hunter tile] (set up in B3, B7, D3, E4)

4 Grey Turanian Scouts (set up in B1, A6, E5, G5)

4 Purple Mercenaries (set up in A7, B3, C7, F3)

The Overlord begins with 13 Energy Gems in the Available Energy Zone, and 4 in the Fatigue Zone.  He or she recovers 5 each turn.

 

Ravens
When an Event is played, the Overlord can choose one of the following : 

Reinforcements : 5 Reinforcement Points

Sacrifice : The Overlord chooses all the figures from a same tile, and removes them entirely from the game.  For each removed figure that was within 2 hexes of the Winged Demon, he places a Hellbat Swarm in the Demon's hex.  The Hellbat Swarm have the same colour and position as the sacrificed tile.  This Event can only be played once.

The River

1 : Blue Hypnotised Turanians
2 : Green Hypnotised Turanians
3 : Grey Turanian Scouts
4 : Purple Mercenaries
5 : Hyperborean Witchman (6 wounds)
6 : Grey Hellbat Swarms
7 : Winged Demon (8 wounds)
8 : Raven


Reinforcement Zones
There are four reinforcement zones (A3, A7, B3, C7)


Equipment Cards
There are six Treasure Chests (A3, A7, B3, C7, F3, G7), but they are simple baskets needing a Simple Manipulation to open.  The Equipment Deck is made up of Scale Armour, Halbard, Bossonian Bow, Javelin, Explosive Orb and Life Potion.

 

Terrain

If the game is played on 3D terrain, the House Rules for this apply.

All doors are unlocked.

Doors are vulnerable to the Wall Breaker skill, exterior and interior walls are not.

Except where a door or a pile of rubble is present, the fort's walls are considered to be higher than anything likely to be represented on the board.  They are 12cm high and vertical.

Heros and Allies may not leave the board.

Other House Rules

If players are in agreement, any or all of the other House Rules may apply



SSRs

-  The Coming of the Darkness

The Winged Demon begins the scenario with 8 wounds.  At the beginning of each turn, including the first, he gains 1 wound.

 

-  The Swirling Vortex

Given the size of the Demon, but also of the vortex which swirls around him, the Demon and any Hellbat Swarm in the same hex may be attacked from any adjacent hex, as long as there is line of sight.

 

-  I do have some clue what is going on

Each clue to the ritual recovered during the Abandoned Village adventure [5 in the current campaign] reduces the Winged Demons passive defense by 1

-  Feed the beast

If the Hyperborean Emissary was killed during The Offering scenario, the Winged Demon loses 1 attack die.  If the Emisary was captured, the Demon loses 2 dice.

 

-  The parricides must die !

Five objects are required for the ritual, and only the acolytes of the ritual - the Emirs - can manipulate them.  If some of the Emirs have been slain, the others will have to bear a greater burden, which also makes the ritual riskier.

Place the remaining Emirs in the following hexes, beginning with the first in the list : A3, D4, B3, C5, B4.  The player who controls the Heros now decides how the ritual objects are distributed among the Emirs, which must be done as evenly as possible [in the current campaign, only 2 Emirs have survived].

A Hero in a hex with an Emir, can break all the ritual objects he holds by a Complex Manipulation (3 successes), or an Attack that obtains five symbols (no defense possible).

Each ritual object that is shattered immediately causes a wound to the Winged Demon.

-  Did we save the North ?

If the Heroes win, thus having slain the Winged Demon, each of them, even those who have all of their Energy Gems in the Wound Zone at the end of the scenario, gain +5 XP.

Chapter VI : The Abomination (Part II) - The Adventure

The scenario is here.

The company descend into the catacombs, torches held aloft.  The webs are thick here, and the tunnels and halls that have been carved out of the bedrock are infested with spiders.

The first wave of giant spiders took everyone by surprise, and both Shevata's and Cadmendin's veins were burning with venom when it was over.  The Giant Spider took advantage of the confusion to drop right onto Cadmendin, but the warrior monk fended it off.  A spray of sticky web tangled up Zarese, however, and the undead advanced on her to tear her apart.

Marotte was carving an ichor-strewn path through the tunnels, however, and managed to find the ring.  The others followed in her wake.

A trembling in the earth - what others horrors were now stirring beneath this cursed temple ? - led to the roof to cave in, catching Marotte, but the warrior nun did not suffer too great a harm.  Whatever it was, it galvanised Cadmendin into action, and a mighty blow with his mace smashed the Giant Spider to pulp !

The adventurers had been using their torches to good effect, dropped or thrown, and had by now burned off all the spiders' eggs.  When Cadmendin leapt over the intervening boulders and brought his mace crashing down on the remaining two arachnids, the fight was over.  Shevata picked the lock on the last chest, and brought out the grimoire.  The company escaped througha narrow tunnel, which although cloying with spiders' webs, finally led out into the open air and freedom.

All that now remained to be done, was to use ring and grimoire against Thugra Khotan.  As the company travelled back home, news reached them that a certain Conan, a Cimmerian, had been appointed General of the armies of Khoraja by their Princess, Yasmela.  He was said to be mustering an army that he intends to lead to the Shamla Pass, hoping that the forces of Thugra Khotan and Kutamun will break upon it.  The company turn north to join him...

Victory through and through for the heroes.

Each hero gains +1 XP, except for Cadmendin who gains +2 XP for slaying the Giant Spider.

Zarese has acquired, for one use only, the Halo of Mitra spell, whilst Shevata has a one-use Guerison of Mitra, and also picked up a Staff of Mitra.  Marotte has the Ring of Binding, whilst Shevata carries the Grimoire that contains the spell that will activate it.

The heroes made haste on their journey north, but passing through a couple of small towns on the way, were able to heal their wounds.  They also had enough antidote on them to flush the remaining spider venom out of their systems. 

Demon (Winged)

Monolith Conan Equivalent : Winged Demon Tile

Movement :8

Passive Defense :3

Combat (Die / Reroll) :

Red / Yes

Red / Yes

Ranged Combat (Die / Reroll) :

-

Skills :

Flying

Evasive

Wounds : 12

Reinforcement Cost : -

......

Aarah

Monolith Conan Equivalent : Zenobia

Energy
Quantity / Aggressive Recovery / Cautious Recovery
10 / 2-3-4 / 5-6-7

Movement
Free / Saturation / -1 / -2
2 / 4 ------------   6 / 8

Stats
Die / Reroll / Saturation
Combat  : Orange / No / 4
Ranged Combat : Orange / No / 4
Active Defense : Orange / No
Manipulation : Orange / No / 3

Encumbrance Limit
11

Skills 
Name / Encumbrance Level
Swim 6
Leap 7
Feline Grace 7
Elite Shooter 8
Precision Shot 8
Climb 8
 

Standard Equipment
Bossonian Bow
Dagger

Background :
-  Quote.

 
Background.

Chapter VIII : The Offering

Number of heroes : 3

Difficulty : 2

The Offering

Thanks to the clues gathered in Arkamir - and especially the one passed down by the dying brother, in his final breath - the adventurers have a far clearer picture of their enemy's intentions.  They know the location of the abandoned fort where the Hyperboreans and the treacherous Turanians, and their victim, are meant to meet.  They also know that if they intend to save the Witchman's intended victim, this will not avert the ritual itself that the Witchman has already begun preparing.  The demon will still rise, and an appropriate substitute will be needed to appease it, lest it break its bonds and go on the rampage.  The Hyperborean Emissary is the perfect candidate to feed to the beast, but even taken by surprise, she will be no easy target...

Objectives
-  The Heros win a minor victory if they kill the Emissary before the end of turn 8.  They win a major victory if a Hero manages to carry the Emissary off-board within the same time frame, as this will help them greatly during the final showdown.
-  The Overlord triumphs if the Emissary is on-board and alive at the end of turn 8.

Game length
The scenario lasts 8 turns.  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 a crumbling mud-brick fort and way-station, abandoned to the elements for over a decade.  The exterior walls are intact in places, and pierced with high wooden doors, but in other sectors they have been reduced to rubble.

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.  They also have the assistance of any Turanian soldiers converted to the cause during the previous scenario (3 in the current campaign).

Brude (set up in B1)

Chimène (set up in B1)

Zoraya (set up in A2)

Turanian Infantry (set up in A2).  These allies can be commanded by any hero.

All Heroes begin with 5 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 Overlord
The Overlord's forces are as follows :

5 Grey Turanian Scouts (set up in B2, B4, C2, C3, D4)

4 Blue Turanian Infantry (set up in B4, C2, C5, E3)

4 Grey Mercenary Archers [use Kothian Archer tile] (set up in B5, C7, E2, G4)

1 Grey Emir [use Captain tile] (set up in E5)

The Overlord begins with 6 Energy Gems in the Available Energy Zone, and 6 in the Fatigue Zone.  He or she recovers 5 each turn.

 

Ravens
When an Event is played, the Overlord can choose one of the following : 

Reinforcements : 4 Reinforcement Points

The Construct : the Hyperborean Emissary sacrifices the lives of her men to bring a mighty Dynwocor out of its drug-induced torpor.  The Overlord chooses a tile, which is replaced by that of the Dynwocor (8 wounds).  All the figures belonging to that tile are removed from the board (but may be summoned as reinforcements).  The Dynwocor appears in the same zone as any one of the removed figures.  This event may only be played once, and does not require the Emissary to still be in the game.

Let the Dead Rise ! : Assisted by her master, the Witchman, the Hyperborean Emissary raises an army of the dead.  Each dead figure on the playing surface is replaced with a Mummy.  A Hero, an Emir, or the Dynwocor is replaced with an upgraded Grey Mummy, the others by an ordinary Grey Mummy.  The corresponding Mummy tiles are positioned at the end of the River.  This event may only be played once, and is not available if the Emissary is at 0 PV.

 

The River

1 : Grey Turanian Scouts
2 : Grey Mercenary Archers
3 : Blue Turanian Infantry
4 : Grey Captain (6 wounds)
5 : Raven
6 : Empty
7 : Empty
8 : Empty


Reinforcement Zones
There are two reinforcement zones (A2, D1)


Equipment Cards
There are seven Treasure Chests (D1, F2, D5, E4, A7, D7, G7), each needing a Complex Manipulation with 1 success to open.  The Equipment Deck is made up of Chainmail, Two-handed Sword, Zingaran Bow, Parrying Dagger, Explosive Orb, Life Potion and the spell Mitra's Healing.

 

The spell Mitra's Healing may be cast once by the Hero that finds it, be he or she a magic-user or not.  It may only be cast during the scenario, and is lost beyond it.


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.

Except where a door or a pile of rubble is present, the fort's walls are considered to be higher than anything likely to be represented on the board.  They are 12cm high and vertical.

If rubble is present in a zone, it is considered to fill the entire zone, which thereby requires an additional 1 movement point to leave, but not to enter.

Heros and Allies may leave the board by any board edge zone.  This costs 1 movement point.  The Hero or Ally may not return.

Other House Rules

If players are in agreement, any or all of the other House Rules may apply



SSRs

-  Holed up

At the beginning of the scenario, the Overlord places markers numbered 1 to 8 on the tabletop, and then secretly writes down one of the numbers.  This represents the zone that the Emissary is holed up in.

The Emissary is uncovered and placed on the board if a Hero or Ally enters the designated zone; if the event "Let the Dead Rise !" is played; if the Overlord decides to activate the Emissary.

Her tile is placed at position 1 of the River.  The Emissary has 6 Wounds, and the spells Recall, Yajur's Awakening and Pestilential Swarm.

 

-  So much for diplomatic immunity

Every time the Heroes reduce the Emissary to 0 PV, they may choose to kill her.  This ensures them a minor victory, but will make things much harder in the final showdown.  Alternatively, the heroes may knock her out.  She is now an object of Encumbrance Level 6.  Her tile remains in the River and may not be dredged.  A Hero carrying the Emissary who receives at least three wounds in hand-to-hand combat, must drop the Emissary.  She immediately comes to, with 3 Wounds the first time, then 2 and 1 thereafter.

Should the Emissary have 0 PV at the end of the scenario, but still be on the board, she is considered to have been killed.

-  Here they lay

Any figures killed during the scenario are left laying, unless they are brought on as reinforcements, or until the "Let the Dead Rise !" event is played.

 

-  Two down, three to go

The Grey Captain tile represents the three remaining Emirs.  At the beginning of the scenario, place a "3" marker next to the figure.  The first time the Overlord activates the Grey Captain, he must choose, as the tiles only action, to have one of the Emirs escape, taking the demon's victim with him.  Reduce the score on the marker by 1. The next time the Overlord activates the tile, he may choose to have one of the Emirs escape.  If it reaches 0, remove the Captain from the tabletop.

Each time the Captain reaches 0 PV, this represents one of the Emirs being killed.  Reduce the score on the marker by 1 as above.

When the Captain attacks, roll an additional red die for each additional point on the marker beyond 1.

Losing the Emirs, or having them escape, does not affect victory conditions for the Overlord, but the less emirs escape, the greater the advantage the Heroes will have in the final scenario.  Should none of the emirs escape, the heroes have recovered the father they intended to sacrifice.  This does not end the adventure, as the ritual must still be stopped, but the Heroes will have a very significant advantage in the final confrontation.

-  Staunch allies

If an Ally is killed during the scenario, roll one yellow die for him at the end of the game.  If no hit is showing, the ally was only stunned, and will be available for the following adventure.

-  You shall pay for your crimes

Every Hero, except those who have all of their Energy Gems in the Wound Zone at the end of the scenario, gain +1 XP for each Emir killed

Daidabarotchi

Monolith Conan Equivalent : Olgerd Vladislav Tile

Movement :2

Passive Defense :3

Combat (Die / Reroll) :

Red / Yes

Red / Yes

Ranged Combat (Die / Reroll) :

-

Skills :

Circular Strike

Blocking

Wounds : 12

Reinforcement Cost : -

Apparently native to a large archipelago off the east coast of Khitai, in whose language the name of the creature means "giant", the Daidabarotchi supposedly travelled to Hyboria as Khitai magicians' companions.  They are at home in only the densest woodland or jungle, whom they seem to preserve and guard, and are quite rare.  Tireless and possessed with fabulous endurance to hurt, they are less vulnerable to fire than some legends would have it.