Scenario 1 - The Laughing Columns

For the past two weeks, the soldiers of Alladore have lost nearly every battle and skirmish they have fought against the forces of the Jungle Deep. The army has been forced to fall back along nearly the entire front and almost every beacon tower has been lost. While giant spiders, Hu-Mans, and undead continue to pour up out of the shadows, it is not their number or their fighting prowess that has caused these defeats, it is something else. There is dark sorcery at work that is sapping the strength and the will of the soldiers.

In all of these battles, soldiers have reported a few creatures carrying ‘shields’ of polished glass. These creatures stay behind the front lines, slowly waving these shields back and forth. Thankfully, after one skirmish, a brave group of rangers recovered one of these shields and sent it back for study. 

Eventually, the answer was found deep in the library of The Cascades. The shields were ‘spell mirrors’. Somewhere within the Jungle Deep, an evil mage used these mirrors to see and cast his spells during the battle. Although the wizards of The Cascades could find no way to counteract these mirrors, they did discover a spell that could track the evil sorcery back to its original location.

The next time the forces of Alladore and the Jungle Deep met in battle, a conjuror stood nearby and waited. As soon as she saw a cultist carrying one of the mirrors she cast her spell, and received a vision of a long, dark road, leading to an earthen mound with a dark cave entrance. Inside the cave, everything was madness and confusion and the conjuror could understand nothing more. Still, before exhaustion overwhelmed her, she wrote down everything she had seen and drew a rough map of the road. 

This precious map has just been given to you. Your captains have tasked you with taking a small team down in the Jungle Deep in an effort to find this mound and to locate and destroy the sorcerer who must dwell within. Your mission is crucial to the war. If you fail, then there is little doubt that the forces of Alladore will continue to suffer defeat after defeat.

 

Scenario 1 - The Laughing Columns

Despite the losses suffered in recent weeks, there are still a few roads down into the Jungle Deep that are accessible to the rangers. Along with your team, you descend beneath the jungle canopy, impenetrable to the sun, down into that twilight world. The map leads you over a long rocky stretch that has few plants and animals and very little water. Thankfully, patrols also seem a rarity. The journey takes nearly six days of rough travel.

Eventually, after much toil and hardship, the party comes within sight of the mound and sees the dark opening in its side. After a quick scout around, you discover no signs of any guards or of any other entrance to the mound. There seems no choice but to proceed directly into the cave mouth.

Inside the cave, the darkness quickly becomes absolute, and you are forced to uncover your lanterns. Although this may announce your presence, it is better than allowing some creature to sneak up on you in the dark. From the entrance, a tunnel leads down at a gentle angle. You walk for nearly ten minutes, seeing nothing but more tunnel and hearing nothing but the soft tread of your companions’ feet. Then, the walls to either side of you disappear. Apparently you are in some kind of chamber. As you take a few more steps, you make out the shadowy outline of heavy stone columns reaching from floor to ceiling. A little further and you see even more columns, stretching out in every direction, organized in neat rows.

Suddenly, bright runes flare to life on each of the columns, perhaps offering some clue to this strange complex. Then, a whispered laugh echoes from all around, and then another, and another. As you turn about, trying to locate the source, the columns seem to move and shift positions about the chamber.

Probably this is just some trick of the light, but it is enough to make you dizzy and confused as to direction. Suddenly a new sound comes to your ears, heavy footsteps. Figures advance out of the gloomy darkness, wicked double-handed swords in their hands.

I added a Challenge Level to the scenario : 2 additional Temple Guardians, and the Will Roll had to made each turn until it was actually successful.  Very challenging indeed !

 

 

It was quickly obvious that the room was crawling with guards, although what they were could not be made out in the gloom.  Thankfully Aka's survival skills had allowed the company to find some food and water before entering the cave, meaning all were ready for whatever lay ahead.

Nonetheless, half of the company were heavily disoriented by the shifting columns and the endless, disconcerting laughter.  Angadrême, carrying Shika in her pocket, quickly enchanted Ruairidh's sword.  It proved a good choice, as the hedgehog clansman would cut down four temple guardians during the fighting, whilst being the first to unlock the mysteries of a set of columns.

Enemies were swarming thick and fast.

When Angadrême bent down to swiftly examine one of the corpses, she recoiled in horror - these were Hu-Mans.  Yet they were nothing like the more primitive peoples the Elaïn were used to encountering.  Where had such an obviously advanced civilisation suddenly sprung from ?

The mouse had little time to dwell on it, as a yelp from behind her told her that Aka was down, swamped by seemingly endless waves of these strange temple guardians.  In the flitting shadows, she had already briefly crossed Kruxakhor's path, and the giant had informed her that Nicolan had been badly wounded, and that Shika had disappeared.

Avoiding a wickedly concealed trap, the hedge witch opened another set of columns, revealing a set of doors not far away from the bulk of the company.  With a sigh of relief, everybody ran for the way out.  Not until they had crossed the threshold of the door did the nerve-wracking laughter finally cease.

The company was in pretty bad shape, with almost everyone wounded.  After a few moments of stifled fear, there was a sigh of relief as Aka stumbled through the doorway, bleeding profusely but alive.  He had Shika tucked under his arm.  Praying he hadn't been followed, the company waited a little longer, and was rewarded with the sight of Nicolan, minus his silver sword which he had lost during the fighting.

The only moment of comfort was Edguin producing a flourish of precious gems with his typical mocking smile.

 

Aka, Nicolan and Shika all had their Health reduced to 0.  It turned out ot be a Close Call for Nicolan (who loses his silver sword picked up in the previous scenario) and Shika, but Aka was Badly Wounded.  This means he will start the next scenario with only 3 Health, not good at all....

The Ranger adds up his XP (our special rules for this do not apply, as there is only 1 Ranger on this mission).

Aka Morumotto and his companions took out nine of those deadly Temple Guardians, and a pair of wandering ghouls.  They also managed to activate seven columns, and four of them got through the door.

This means a total of 66 XP, but Aka Morumotto does not yet reach Level 2.

All Companions gain 2 PP, except Nicolan and Shika (1 PP).  We also have another House Rule : for each 5 XP (FRD) a Companion brings in for his Ranger, he receives an additional 1 PP.  This benefitted Kruxakhor (+1 PP), Edguin (+1 PP) and above all Angadrême, who activated four columns (+3 PP) and Ruairidh, who rained down carnage (+3 PP).

No Companion changes level.

All Heroic Abilities and Spells used are regained.

Edguin acquired some treasure, which turned out to be Gold and Jewels (+10 XP for Aka).

The company did not redistribute any gains from the scenario or previously.

This is the end of a scenario, so no reorganisation is allowed.