Sartosa 4: Dark Waters (Flame On campaign - summer 2009)

HOORAY FOR THE LADS IN GREEN! There; that about sums it up.

The Ogresuns

Boss: Kommodore Deffgit INFECTED, BS5, T5, Ld9. 2x Club, Step Aside, Crossbow, Lucky Charm, Light Armour
Shaman: Wrydtoof Hogbreff II INFECTED, A2, Oi! Gerroff! (7+), Led'z Go! (9+), 2x Club, Lucky Charm.
Big'Un: Barnacle Nog, BS4, A2, Pit Fighter, Mighty Blow. 2x Club, Crossbow
Ladz got Talent: Scupper Lug INFECTED WS4, BS4, I3, Eagle Eyes. 2x Club, Crossbow
Ladz got Talent: Bad Hook, M3, WS4, BS5, I3, Pit Fighter, Scale Sheer Surfaces, Leg Wound. 2x Club, Crossbow
Ladz got Talent: Fishgutz INFECTED, S4, Sprint, Dodge, Hardened (Immune to Fear). 2x Club, Crossbow

2 Orc Boyz: The Starboard Watch - Throg and Blind Fug INFECTED, BS4, I3, A2. 2x Club, Crossbow
1 Orc Boy: The Larboard Watch - Briney Duff INFECTED, WS4, I3. 2x Club, Crossbow
2 Orc Boys: The Waisterz - Poxy Uzbad and Dubloon Dreg II WS4, BS4. 2x Club, Crossbow
5 Orc Boyz: The Defaulterz - Lubber Snag, Bilge Badlug, Capsize Naz, Boathook Og and Maroon Grub Ld8, 2x Club, Crossbow

2 Goblins: The Kabin Grotz - Dirty Morrgun INFECTED and Dread Pirate RogUrtz, WS3, S4, Ld6. 2x Club
1 Goblin: Da MidshipGrotz - Harpoon Gig INFECTED, I4, Ld6, 2x Club

Treasury: 2gc and 1 Wyrdstone
WBR: 305

Congrats on the win, Boss! Those treasure chests are kinda like a box of chocolates...

Seriously, do the clubs work? I've been thinking that if I model pistols on to my orc pirates they represent clubs, but I likes ta give 'em a taste 'o the cutlass. So most of my heroes have swords or axes.

My new tack is to Weapons Master some blunderbusses into the band. Give those poxy rat packs a surprise!

And hows Blessed Knight doing on his ship combat update?

BK's naval stuff: http://www.flameon.co.uk/sartosa4/Yarrpocalypse.pdf (a HUGE PDF I'm afraid!)

Clubs do okay - if the Orcs work in twos (and threes!): one knocks 'em down the other takes 'em out!

Nice work! I really suggest you post this in the Seahammer thread on Da Warpath. And I would add a request for a 3 mast ship with a 4 gun broadside for all those Black Pearls out there...

Week Eight and Nine News

Deluge and Despondency

The weather has closed in on Sartosa again; everyone has battened down hatches and taken refuge below decks. There are signs that the storm will blow over soon and the swashbuckling will resume but for now most buccaneers are riding it out safely in port.



Vercuso has seen a recent upsurge in Corsair aggression; the picaroons have muscled in on four key areas of the shattered harbour, squeezing the other factions out somewhat and wresting control of the majority of the port from the Brethren of the Coast.

The gap in the weekly updates is due entirely to the storm and has no connection whatsoever to the rumours that I am on trial for smuggling Warpstone off of the island to Estallian traders. These baseless accusations will very soon be proven to be simply the wanton vindictiveness on the part of my enemies. I am in no danger of being hung for treason at all. In any way. Nor am I writing this update from a cell beneath the Fortress of the Pirate King.

The Host of Elanesse

zoglug wrote:

Everybody thought the threat of the Wood Elves had diminished. After two crushing defeats at the hands of the Corsairs, and a brutal battle to ward off the Beastmen of the Swordwind, all trace of the Elves of Athel Loren had vanished.

Rumours had surfaced that the bloodied remains of Elanesse had been found in the Howling Marsh. Others believe the ‘weak’ leading lady had been banished by the elders of the forest, dismayed by her poor leadership. However, only the foolhardy would believe these tales of myth.

During the lull in action, Elanesse’ force had be growing, pulling strength from the 4 corners of the Island, ready to unleash on an unsuspecting foes. Raiding parties quickly reported back to the host, tales of mass weapons of destruction located in Caragio. Short, fiery men, known to be part of the Corsairs, Elanesse sensed retribution.

As the Elves descended on Caragio, thunderous booms could be heard for miles around. Through the clearing, lumbering dwarves could been seen with all manor of contraptions. Elaborate stone throwers, propelled rockets and large bolt throwers protected the surrounding area. This didn’t phase Elanesse.

A hail of arrows rained down from the skies above on the unsuspecting stunties.. Wardancers weaved and swirled, striking blow after blow upon any enemy within their range, whilst the wild riders and glade riders caused havoc bringing the battle from the rear. The Dwarves fought back though, giant bolts struck down many a horse, slaying them in an instant, as great rockets fell from the sky splattering Elves where they stood whilst Dyads appeared as if from nowhere, ripping through the armour of the Dwarves.

The battle raged on for day and night, hanging in the balance as each general commanded their army. As the dust settled in Caragio, both sides had took casualties. But whilst the dwarves trudged from the battlefield, it was Elanesse who stood victorious, living to fight another day. She knew however, this would only infuriate the leaders of the Corsairs and rather than remain, she, and her army slipped back off into the surrounding woods out of sight and sound.

The Naval Alliance have taken Caragio from the Corsairs! :yarr!:

I've just spent the last 2 hours reading all the posts! I just needed to find out what happened and how the diffferent gangs fared. Seems like you guy had a wicked gaming campaign.

Great scenery and models too.

Two events are planned for tonight!

At the Mill there is going to be an evening of Mordheim (well, Vercuso) action with Frog, Dazza, Andy and Davespaceman battling it out, and at the local GW store The Hogwasha is sailing out to face Blessed Knight's Ironprow II in watery combat!
Ye hear that Von Kurst?

Loud and clear Adm'url! Loud and clear! Fair winds!

Week Ten News

A Lucky Cut!

The Naval Alliance pulled off an inadvertent triumph over the Corsairs this week. In a cutting-out mission they stole a Corsair ship from its anchorage. Under the cover of darkness Alliance sailors in several ship’s longboats rowed into Dead Man's Point and crept aboard the ship, Hangfire. The small watch was quickly over-powered and the ship was taken out to sea with the land breeze as dawn broke. In itself a fairly small success, but for one fact! In the Hangfire’s strongbox there was the third piece of Rackham’s Key!





Vercuso was strangely quite this week – it seems like a bad batch of rum has put-pay to the boisterous buccaneering that normally fills that little corner of Sartosa with noise and nonsense has reduced the population to just the nonsense part. Strange things are happening in wharf-town but none of it is any of yer actual warfare.



No long now ‘till the winter storms will completely close down the campaigning season – if’n no-one has stepped up to stop ‘em, there is a good chance the Black Gulf Corsairs will have had away with the loot of the Lost City… If they ever find it that is!

~ ~ ~







http://www.flameon.co.uk/sartosa4/

A CUTTING OUT EXPEDITION!...Hornblower would have been proud!

15th October, the year nine

No tactics: Just head right at ‘em!

The familiar cry of “Sail ho!” rang out from the mast-head and the deck thundered beneath the Hogwashas’ feet as they rushed to the gunwales and swarmed into the rigging to see.

“Back to ye posts, ye lubberly dogs!” roared Kap’n Mogrum and the Orc Pirates reluctantly went back to work. “Where away?” he called to the look-out.

“Nor-nor east Kap’n” came the reply, “Boss, it looks like the Ironprow to me.”





“Prepare to wear ship Mr Grognog; we’ll go meet this newcomer: Say hello all polite, like.” said Mogrum, Grognog grinned a malevolent, toothy grin.

Mogrum gave the crew one last searing glance to make sure they were jumping to their duties before he put his one good eye to his spyglass. The bright white sails of the Ironprow showed clear against the horizon. The Alliance ship had the weather gauge – the wind at her stern - and she was bearing down on the Pirates. Within minutes she was hull-up and a great bow-wave was visible at her prow, Mogrum estimated she was making about 14 knots by the look of it.




A puff of smoke appeared at the Ironpow’s and swiftly dissipated in the wind. The booming report of the cannon was followed a fraction of a second later as the Hogwasha’s deck was shaken by a splintering double crash and two lines of Orc Pirates were smashed into a bloody pulp as the two heavy cannonballs from the Ironprow’s stern-chasers came aboard. The cries of the wounded were quickly drown-out… literally.





Mogrum cupped his hands to his be-whiskered mouth and yelled over the waters to the smaller ship that followed the Hogwasha “Ahoy the red cutter! Stay in our lee until we close, then board ’em in the smoke of our broadside!”

“Aye!” came the answering roar from the ten Orcs in the small ship.



The wind picked up and veered a point or two, so Hogwasha had to turn to port so it wasn’t heading right into the wind: Ironprow now had the wind dead astern.

“Fire as they bear!” roared Kap’n Mogrum and the Hogwasha’s broadside of carronades thundered almost simultaneously, but both shots fell short of the rapidly approaching enemy ship.

As the Ironprow came into pistol-shot range the crew of the Hogwasha got over excited and started firing their black-powder weapons inaccurately and largely ineffectively. Grognog did his best to restrain them until he saw Mogrum blast away with both of his ornate (and stolen) duelling pistols. The over-sized first mate shrugged and fired-off both of his pistols too! The return fire of crossbow bolts and handgun bullets exacted a heavier toll.



“Boarders ready!” Mogrum roared then turned a big toothy grin on the quartermaster at the helm and in a lower tone said “Give it a spin to starboard”, and the Orc hulk turned back towards the Ironprow, hit on the starboard prow and ground along, gunwale-to-gunwale with the Alliance ship, removing a good deal of the pristine paintwork.



“Boarders away!” the order was almost unnecessary as the Orc Pirates were already swarming up the side of the larger enemy ship. A ferocious battle erupted on the deck of the Ironprow as the first wave of pirates forced their way aboard, the fallen of both sides were trodden under-foot as the second wave of Orcs leapt aboard and pushed their ship-mates forwards. Pistols banged and cutlasses clashed, heads were split open and blood washed over the deck.







The red cutter swept round the Hogwasha and pulled up alongside the waste of the Ironprow. The additional weight of numbers was brought to bear on the middle of the enemy ship – effectively cutting the defenders into two groups. The Alliance captain was isolated from his reserves and his men were shaken. When the casualties among the Ironprows were clearly outnumbering those of the Hogwashas and more Orcs seemed to be flow inexorably from the Pirate hulk the Alliance captain saw no alternative and hauled down his colours.











~ ~ ~

Mogrum laughed so hard he had to hold on to the Hogwasha’s gunwales to keep himself standing. Grognog wiped a tear from his eye and tried a third time to give the order to make sail. The noise from the Hogwash’s crew, the red cutter’s and the handful of Orc Pirates who formed the prize crew over on Ironprow hadn’t quieted-down as the three ships moved away from the small island, so even when the ships were still hull-up but far, far away the taunting cries of the Orcs were still ringing in the ears of the marooned ex-crew of the Ironprow II.

AAAARRRGGH! VICTORY AT SEA! WELL DONE, Adm'rul Sir!
Von Kurst is going to LOVE this sucker!

EPIC! did ya'll make those ships yourselves?

Aye Deaf, ye have the right of it! 'Tis a rare pleasure ta seez da ladz in action! Well fought Adm'rul! Well fought!

(And thankee for takin' the time ta record it all fer posterity!)

Yarr!

Kommodore Deffgit and The Ogresuns - the further misadventures...

20th October, the year nine

Cheapside Chumps Challenge

“Whatssat?” yelled Kommodore Deffgit, in his normal slightly-too-loud voice.

Barnacle Nog sighed slightly and repeated the news “Cheapside has been abandoned by one lot of Ratmen – them Hold Rats of Skrikit's have moved out. If’n we jump soon we can grab it for ourselves!”

The Kommodore brightened – a sparkle in his one good eye. “Roight! Ladz we’m headin’ to the other side o’the harbour!”













~ ~ ~

“We’ll those bilge-swabbing picaroons don’t get any less sneaky do they?” said Deffgit in annoyance as the Ogresuns made their way back to the Cod and Cutlass inn. Nod shrugged and steadied Wyrdtoof on his feet when he wobbled slightly – the Shaman had taken a heavy blow to the noggin but was mostly unharmed. New Boy Capsize Naz had been less lucky; he was still stretched out on the cobbles in Cheapside.

Wyrdtoof waved Nog off and tried to stand unaided, he didn’t want to crew to think he was some weedy git! After taking a few steps forwards and looking pretty collected he staggered sideways two steps, over-compensated the opposite way and crashed through a half-closed door.

When the Ogresuns had stopped laughing they realised that Wyrdtoof hadn’t come out of the house. They pushed the door open again and looked inside, fully expecting to see the Shaman on the floor just inside. What they actually found struck them all dumb for a few second before they fully comprehended it.

There was no floor! There was also no basement beneath where the floor should have been either. A deep dark hole – an entrance to the near-mythical Vercuso catacombs!

An angry voice drifted up from the darkness “Oi! Don’t stand there gapping like a bunch o’ guppies - help me up, ye lubbers!”

That was a GREAT bit of narrative at Poor Old Wyrdtoof's expense...the Boyz weren't the ONLY ones laughing.