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

MORE PRETTY PHOTOS! God, Life, & the Flame On crew ARE good!

20th August, the year nine.
The Sarky Cutter, Vercuso.

Vermin and Vacillation

“Hmmm” said Barnacle Nog, as he peered through the rain. He wasn’t quite sure of the best course of action; as first mate of the Ogresun command decisions were not normally left to him but with the Kommodore and Wyrdtoof bedridden he was next in line. “Hmmm” he said again. Ratmen darted along the city walls and scampered over gangplanks into the upper stories of ruined buildings nearby.







“Roight!” said Nog at last, “Scupper: you get that sack from the pier, the rest of you go get any loot to be had from the buildings before those Ratboyz nab it all.” Dubloon Dreg stood his ground and started shouting as the others jumped to their tasks but Nog just ignored the old fool.

Both watches splashed forward through the gathering puddles as a light shower of sling stones rattled and pinged of the cobbles around them. None of the Orcs paid the missiles much mind and none found their mark. Skaven may be renowned for their sneakyness but this lot (who called themselves The Nezumi) weren’t going to be celebrated for their shootyness!





Scupper Lug grabbed the bag of merchandise from the wooden jetty but didn’t hang around over the dark water for long – he’d seen too many shipmates pulled down into the murky depths by tentacle terrors!







The Skaven quickly secured the valuables from the two foremost houses and got themselves into defensive positions. A few of the Ogresuns climbed the nearest ladder (after a brief fight about who should go first!) but they soon realised that the Rats were too strongly dug-in for it to be worth the reward.

The rain got heavier and heavier as the Pirates withdrew in relatively good order and the Skaven did the same, both parties keeping a careful watch on the other as they went. Later that day Salty Ogbad started sneezing.



~ ~ ~

Week Three News:

Prepare to Repel Boarders!

The weather may be cooling but the action is heating up! Several towns felt the sting of the factions falling upon one another in this thoughtless hunt for Rackham’s Treasure. Cargio changed hands twice as the Black Gulf Corsairs got there first and hoisted their flag over the town, but the Sufaga Swordwind took it from the Corsairs just days later. The Osso Hills were taken by Corsairs. Roba is contested by the Corsairs and the Naval Alliance, while Caprio has been reinforced by Corsair forces.



The storm that paralysed Vercuso has abated but a strange fever seems to be reaching epidemic proportions in the port town. We advise steering well clear of Slippery Jack’s habitat for the next few weeks if you haven’t already been exposed!

The blasted Black Gulf Corsairs found the third piece of Rackham’s Key this week. Roba is in uproar and it’s not clear at all who controls the little cliff town but the Corsairs hold a portion of it; they discovered the gold plate in a sack of loot being smuggled out of the town towards Sartosa City by a cowardly ship’s chandler. He claimed to be about to bring it to them anyway and escaped with his life but they say that his new hook hand will make chandelling a lot harder.



It seems like this here conflict is going to escalate before it is resolved – already there are slights to avenge and scores to settle. Don’t heave-to yet lads, there’s loot to be found!

21st August, the year nine.
The Sarky Cutter, Vercuso.

Noble Knights: Nautical Knobbling

“It’s getting late Boyz, we don’t have time to hang around,” yelled Kommodore Deffgit “we have to get to the Sarky Cutter before they call last orders!” The dreadful concept of the inn closing before they could get a drink spurred the Ogresuns on with desperate vigour – they picked up their pace from a brisk walk to a rapid jog. As the band of Bretonnians appeared round the corner the pirates saw no need to slow down!





Arrows rattled off the cobbles around them (chiefly around the Kommodore!) as they ran. Wyrdtoof summoned the power of Mork (or possibly Gork) and thin tendrils of inky green smoke curled around the pirate crew.

A couple of deck hands paused to fire crossbows at the peasants armed with longbows, high on the stone wall above them: a bowman cried out in gratifying response and fell to the parapet clasping the dart protruding from his leg.











Barnacle Nog leapt forward, accompanied by Scupper Lug and the Goblins; together they clashed cutlasses with the Breton swords. The burly first mates’ bulging muscles and fearsome cutlass-work drew the full attention of the Bretonnians, but the other pirates ended up doing most of the actual damage. Scupper Lug clubbed a squire bearing the band’s colours to the ground, one of the enemy knights fell under a barrage of blows and the Goblins pounced on both – stiletto knives doing the dirty work.









The Kommodore got stuck in too, but he kept a weather-eye on the overall situation and held back the pirates when the knights sounded the retreat: It was more urgent to get to the pub than finish the foreign devils off!

~ ~ ~

The Ogresuns

Boss: Kommodore Deffgit, T5, Ld9. 2x Club INFECTED
Shaman: Wrydtoof Hogbreff, Led'z Go! (9+). Club INFECTED
Big'Un: Barnacle Nog, Pit Fighter, Mighty Blow. 2x Club
Big'Un: Salty Oggbad, Pit Fighter. 2x Club INFECTED
Ladz got Talent: Bad Hook, WS4, BS4, I3. 2x Club, Crossbow
4 Orc Boyz: The Starboard Watch - Throg, Blind Fug, Dubloon Dreg and Floggin Morr INFECTED, BS4, I3. 2x Club, Crossbow
2 Orc Boyz: The Larboard Watch - Briney Duff and Scupper Lug, WS4, I3. 2x Club, Crossbow
3 Orc Boyz: The Waisterz - Poxy Uzbad and Fishgutz. 2x Club
3 Goblins: The Kabin Grotz - Dirty Morrgun INFECTED, Dread Pirate RogUrtz and Stormy Trug INFECTED, S4. 2x Club
2 Goblins: Da midshipGrotz - Harpoon Gig and Walker Plank, 2x Club

Treasury: 2gc and 1 Wyrdstone
WBR: 228

Lesson:NEVER, EVER come between an Orc or Goblin & their Grog.
WONDERFUL PHOTOS; COOL BATTLE REPORTS! What a GREAT way to start the day!

Very very cool battlereports!!!

Thank you for sharing, this is inspirational!!!

Even without the poetry the Tale of the Ancient Marmalader is an EXCELLENT read.

zelophahad wrote:
Gordo turned to look at the approaching weather system. It looked like they had another storm coming. "Okay lads, gather-up everything that's edible and let's get inside. By the looks of those fudging clouds, no ones going to be out fighting in Vercuso for at least another week!"

Oh, oh! Boss ya needs a key! Da Key of Wedder Modin'!

What we need is a Potion of Healing! Phil's having an operation on his pops-out-of-joint-too-easily shoulder this week. As soon as he's well enough to come back to work we are back to Vercuso. The five Luncheim games played last week and the Warhammer games due this week will have to tide us over until next week.

Hey Phil, here's to a SPEEDY RECOVERY! With all that down time I would imagine there will be more Tales of the Ancient Marmalader spinning through your head...along with all those pain killers. Be well, Amigo!

Yipes! hey Phil good luck with the operation and I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

CONGRATULATIONS, Lee! COOL photos & report!

Da Kronicles of Adm'rul Kurgan Grimjaw - Book 6

Skull Point, 27th August, the year nine.

Hell’s Bell and Buckets of Rats

The Ironfang Pirate Fleet landed on the south-western tip of Sartosa at dawn and swiftly moved inland. The Swordwind held this corner of the island but both the Corsairs and the Brethren of the Sea had set their sights on it today. A horde of filthy Skaven poured into the hills from their stronghold in Caprio into the mountain pass that overlooked Skull Point.

The hulking Adm’rul Kurgan took a swig of rum and passed the bottle to his first mate Grognog. They looked out over the approaching swarms as they formed up in a narrow mountain pass. With the small village of Knurt on the left flank and thick forests close in on the right, crammed into the already constricted cliff sides of a gorge, this place would be an ideal bottle-neck.

“This’ll do.” Rumbled Kurgan, “If’n we can hold them here they won’t be able to outflank us or scamper past without a fight.”

Grognog belched noisily as he nodded in agreement. At a wave of the portly first mate’s hand the pirate crews started singing their crude sea-shanties, taunting the Ratmen as they marched forward. The ship’s guns on the hill opened fire with a shattering crash.

~ ~ ~



























Powder smoke swirled in the mountain winds and mixed with the foul Warpstone-polluted exhausts of the Skaven machineries. The noise of the battle grew deafening as artillery from both ends of the gorge blazed away.

There were moments when things went monumentally wrong for the Ironfang Pirates - Adm’rul Kurgan called the Waaagh! a turn too early; later on the fleet’s battle-line degenerated into a squabbling, brawling, rabble for a few desperate minutes while the Troll dribbled onto its fist. The Skaven Assassin poisoned Broadside the Giant and headed for the artillery crew.















There were times when things could not have gone better - in a series of cataclysmic explosions the Skaven Warp Lightning Cannon blew up, a Rattling gun misfired and tore itself and its crew apart, the Greyseer miscast (losing some of his magical powers and wounding himself) and his Screaming Bell backfired, killing a handful of the Skaven pushing it. Hakkbar’s Squid Hoppers dealt with the Assassin just in time and save the Goblin gunners, but at the cost of three-quarters of the Squid!











Rukbadruk’s Boyz were beaten and overrun by two units: Screaming Bell and Stormvermin, they ploughed on into Mogrum's Boyz, only for the Adm’rul’s unit to leap forward in a frenzy of over-eagerness into the flank of the regiment pushing the Screaming Bell and Kurgan single-handedly wiped them out before they had the chance to attack Mogrum’s Ladz; the other overrunning unit, the Stormvermin, were held off at cutlass-point for long enough for Mogrum's Boyz to get organised enough to give them a proper kicking. The Greyseer got murderised by Mogrum’s first mate Morsnik and Murlok the Shaman had just a single achievement: Gork went on a stompy rampage and flattened the last big unit: the Skaven Slaves.

It was a close-fought battle, the advantage swung back and forth a few times but the Skaven were left with just two Jezzails, three fleeing Globadiers and a jammed Ratling gun. The Ironfangs had two strong units, a cannon and three weakened, but still capable, units. The pirates held Knurt, the forest and the heights either side.

~ ~ ~

A win (even a Massacre!) for the Brethren of the Sea of the blasted Cors

HOORAY, VICTORY! GORK or possibly MORK is with us!
Congratulations, Saul. The Cunning Plan FINALLY worked out.

DeafNala wrote:

HOORAY, VICTORY! GORK or possibly MORK is with us!
Congratulations, Saul. The Cunning Plan FINALLY worked out.

And since luck was against me for most of it I'll call it a victory through my tactical genius!

Week Four News:

Heads or Tails? The Fast Fish Takes the Bait.

Great sea-beasts have been the staple of fire-side tales all over Sartosa since time immemorial but they have never been told with such earnest fear as those circulating of late. The waters around our little haven must be fair teaming with monsters if half of them are true!

Regardless of that danger, the Naval Alliance took charge the Bay of Wrecks early in the week while Roba and Dead Man's Point fell to the Corsairs a day or two later. The Cave of the Damned is now contested by the Corsairs and The Sword Wind, but no doubt that particular matter will be settled in the days to come. Skull Point was captured by the Brethren of the Sea, in a dawn landing that surprised even the other Brethren. Vercuso was quiet again as more storms wrack the east coast.

The Corsairs found the forth and last piece of Rackham’s Key buried on the beach at Dead Man’s Point. They were led there by a blind man who had been wronged by the Pirate Captain who hid it there a few weeks ago. Spite can be a powerful motivating force in a community of buccaneers, brigades and pirates: ye be warned. They now hold three of the four fragments and may be able to begin working out its meaning… Or maybe not; we will have to wait and see.



The other factions will now most likely turn against the pernicious Black Gulf Corsairs in a concentrated effort lest they get the Lost Treasure!











Don't forget to check out the interactive Map

~ ~ ~

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

The Ropewalks, 3rd September, the year nine.

Walloping Wall of Whopping Wrongdoers

“I want to get over to Cheapside for the night. If we take a short cut through the Ropewalks we can be there before dark.” said Deffgit as he chewed on his pipe.

“I ain’t sure what’s going on Kommodore, but we shouldn’t hang around with all these lubbers shiftin’ about,” said Wyrdtoof Hogbreff the Shaman “I got a bad feelin’ about today.”

The Kommodore looked up at the darkening sky, the sun had dipped below the hills on the western horizon and the sky was all fiery reds and oranges. The wind was picking up and veering north; a few dead leaves were whirling round the cobbled streets.





The Orcs advanced in a ragged line, cautiously as there were many warbands in the area and not all of them were friendly. While the friendly ones were liable to stab them in the back, the unfriendly ones would happily stab them in the front too, so right now they were more worried about them. In the twilight large shapes moved among the ruins and the pirates tensed, shouldering arms and drawing cutlasses.

“You ain’t comin’ through dis way lest we invite you to dinner!” shouted an Ogre wearing a ridiculous hat as he appeared in the distance and the Orcs answered his challenge with a couple of crossbow bolts.











Barnacle Nog and Salty Ogbad rushed into the shelter of a small house as the Ogre’s chief came pounding down the street. Ogbad was smashed aside immediately, bounced off the wooden pillar and fell in crumpled heap on the road. Nog fended off the Ogre’s attacks for a few seconds but was knocked on the noggin and stunned. Bad Hook rushed to his rescue and was swatted away for his trouble. Nog then received a brutal kick to the ribs to make sure he stayed down. It worked.

“What you a doin’ of now?” yelled Briney Duff at Scupper Lug. “I was watching Mr Hogbreff’s back,” cried an indignant Lug. “Which, I was a’doin’ it already!” raged Duff. Wyrdtoof rolled his eyes and left them squabbling and charged the Ogre Chief while several Gnoblars swarmed around the Orc deck hands nearby. The Shaman’s feeble assault was laughed off by the Ogre Chief and the return blow left Wyrdtoof in a pool of his own blood.

On the flank the Starboard Watch bested an Ogre Runt while a couple of Goblins tried unsuccessfully to break through the Ogre lines. Kommodore Deffgit faced with a charging Ogre and a rapidly diminishing crew called for a hasty retreat.

~ ~ ~

Back in the Cod and Cutlass Inn – the wrong side of the harbour – the Ogresuns nursed their wounds and sneezed frequently.

~ ~ ~