Under Lock and Quay (a Flame On Mordheim campaign)

Oooh! Choices! Been awhile since Sartosa was haunted by the Fishmen...

That's two votes for the GRAND RETURN of the Fish Guys!

The Ultimate Pit Fighter Championship

Putrhid Putrhidson takes on Jolly Roger:



And kills him:



Bad Max gets pummelled by the "Minotaur" (unfortunately we didn't have a Mino model to hand so we had to use a proxy big-guy...)



Von Kurst and DeafNala - I love they way I ask "A, B or A+B?" and both you guys say "C!"

Uncanny ain't it!

23rd November the year ten
Boarders Away!
Streetfight at the Crooked Farthing

The Ogresuns came back to port, after a successful cruise in the Pirate’s Current and the Tilean Sea, with full pockets and a raging thirst. They had taken a couple of prizes laden with stores which had fetched a good price in Sartosa but they had run out of rum well before they got back to a friendly harbour. So their first objective ashore was the closest tavern!







Barring their way was a surly bunch of mud-spattered, rock-waving, grunting greenskins: The Lost Waaagh!



The Kommodore looked at his crew and said “Well me beauties – looks like we’ve got to give these upstarts a lesson in manners. Roight?”

The Orc Pirates roared with laughter and drew their cutlasses.

~~~



The small band of crudely dressed Orcs had a lank-haired Neandertroll with them but the first thing it did was thump one of their own group. The rest of the Cave Orcs split into two groups and ran towards the pirates. Kommodore Deffgit was charged by a couple of the hulking brutes but he avoided their slow and clumsy double-handed club swings. Dredger Zug and one of the Kabin Grots joined in the fray.



Mr Whalebelly rushed ahead of the other pirates and took on two of the Cave Orcs, sending one sprawling straight away. The rest of the pirate crew fired volleys of crossbow fire at the Neandertroll, but only inflicted a minor wound on it.





Deffgit was knocked down by a glancing club-blow but his shipmates finished off the Cave Orcs before he could come to any real harm. Dredger left his fallen opponent to be dealt with by Hogbreff and the Gobbo while he ran on to face more of the Cave Orcs. When the Lost Waaagh fled there was only one Boy and the Neandertroll in any condition to fight!





~~~

A Battle where an Orc Victory was ensured...HOORAY!
A FINE REPORT & WONDERFUL PHOTOS!

Speaking of which when are the town fathers going to build a proper grog shop? Ruined or not. Last Orders is the bomb for a swashbuckling good time.

Congratz on the return of the pirates!

Ug

zelophahad wrote:

Cave orcs got a good beating from Viktor today (although I think the rats were just toying with them)!

Cave orc boss - flint knife, 'uge club, sling, leader, strongman, leg wound, +1WS
Cave orc shaman - flint knife, spear, fooled ya, ledz go, nervous condition, +1T
Cave orc big'un - flint knife, two clubs, sling, +1Ld, +1Ld again, savage frenzy, deep wound (miss 2 games)
Cave orc big'un - flint knife, 'uge club, strongman, +1I, +1A
Neandertroll
Cave orc boy x1 - flint knife, two clubs, +1A, +1I, +1Ld
Rating: 157 (6 members, 25gc)

Breakthrough with 7 defending against 21!

Von Kurst wrote:

Speaking of which when are the town fathers going to build a proper grog shop? Ruined or not. Last Orders is the bomb for a swashbuckling good time.

Hmmm... not sure. We have two (ruined) inns in our terrain collection but neither can be used for that scenario. I'll add another item to the "To Do" list.

What were your variant rules for "Savage Orcs" again?

And the pit-fighters- that's a mini game you do on the side?

(BTW, I have to spend more time scanning your Flame On Threads, they're a huge inspiration.)

StyrofoamKing wrote:

What were your variant rules for "Savage Orcs" again?

http://flameon.co.uk/index.php?option=com_agora&task=viewtopic&id=3266&Itemid=59

StyrofoamKing wrote:

And the pit-fighters- that's a mini game you do on the side?

Yes - it started out as "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we each made a Pit Fighter so the Sold to the Pits serious injury result was a bit less anonymous - they could gain experience and skills and injuries and that..." and ended up as a whole campaign-within-a-campaign thingy.

StyrofoamKing wrote:

(BTW, I have to spend more time scanning your Flame On Threads, they're a huge inspiration.)

Thanks mate!

Two battle reports with photos and some more pit fights coming soon!

21st December, the year Ten
Holding Back the Waaaaghs
Breakthrough at the Wishing Well
The Ogresuns prevented the Lost Waaagh! from getting past them by the simple act of letting them bash each other!

~~~

"Roight," said Kommodore Deffgit "Me and Wrydtoof will stay in that there Watchtower taking pot-shots at the Cave Orcs as they come out o' the Walled Garden. The rest o' you hide in allies or up in the ruins either side of Redhill Street. Them Gitz ain't getting past us, my beauties!"

The Ogresuns nodded and rushed off to find a good place to lurk.









~~~

Out of the morning mists the small band of primitive Greenskins appeared in a squabbling, shouting mob.



The Waisterz pelted the Cave Orcs with crossbow fire from the near-by Pie Shop attic until Dubloon Dreg lost patience and charged down a ladder into a fight with the Cave Orc Shaman (accompanied by a couple of Kabin Grotz). The Grotz floored the Shaman and Dreg put the boot in, taking the Shaman out.





The rest of the Ogresuns lurked behind the Cultist's house, ready to ambush the Cave Orcs but they didn't come anywhere near them so they stood around arguing among themselves.



Because of infighting and the stupid Troll blocking their advance The Lost Waaagh moved away from their goal much more often that towards it and gave up after advancing just a few feet and taking three casualties!

~~~

"Well that was unexpectedly easy mates!" said the Kommodore, in a Tavern later that day.

A strange looking sailor, laden with his gear, approached the Ogresun's table with a pained look on his face.

"Kommodore, I don't know if you remember me... I am Mattius Caboteur, navigator and Warlock." he said in a heavy Bretonnian accent.

Deffgit shook his hand "Oh course I remembers ye, you joined me crew a couple o' years ago for a short while. Are ye lookin for work again shipmate?"

Much relieved, Caboteur relaxed a little and ginned - he thought to himself that dealing with Orc Pirates would never be a risk-free matter... but desperate times call for desperate measures.

21st December, the year Ten
Whisky Galore!
Treasure Hunt at the Slips.

~~~







Deffgit folded up his brass spyglass and turned to Fishgutz.

"There's four other warbands 'ere: the Hold Rats, the Albanians, the Lost Waaagh! and the Vercuso Watch. The news of the booze stashed here-abouts has obviously got out. This is gonna be tricky mate."











~~~

The Cave Orcs ripped into each other (as usual!) and swapped sling stones with the Skaven (though most of the stones went one way as the Cave Orcs had sold their slings to buy clubs - times were hard for Orcs who don't understand what coins do!)





The Albanian Barbarians flank-charged the Ogresuns, bowling-over a half dozen Orcs before they knew what had hit them!



The Goblins looking after the Ogresun's new Warlock fell first.



Followed quickly by the Kommodore's bodyguard.



The rest of the Ogresuns made a ill-advised charge at the Watch, suffering badly from a hail of crossbow quarrels. Mr Whalebelly, the Ogre Hire Sword, was shot repeatedly but still led the charge into the Blue ranks. He was mobbed and brought down by massed truncheons and beaten to death!

Kommodore Deffgit grabbed the nearest barrel of spirits and hid from the rapidly approaching horde of Barbarians!

~~~

(We ran out of time at this point so we needed a quick decider: Only the warbands who weren't shaken by their losses (taking rout tests!) were allowed to roll-off to see who won. They added the number of Loot Counters found to their dice roll. The Barbarians won, even though they had found no Loot!)

~~~

Sold to the Pits

Fishgutz awoke and found himself in a dark cell but he knew exactly where he was instantly. The noise of the crowd and the stench of the place were very familiar. He was in the Lock and Quay fighting pits.

The guards soon came and pushed him at spear-point into the dark tunnel leading to the pit. His weapons were lying on the cobbles ahead of him as the iron gates closed behind him. He knew that the only way out was to kill whoever was put in front of him. He picked up his sword and grinned to himself.



It didn't take long.

OH BABY! ...A DOUBLE FEATURE WITH A CARTOON!
Well okay, it wasn't a cartoon, but the pit fight came close.
All the War Bands looked TERRIFIC & the scenery was had it's usual CINEMATIC ATTRACTION. Not bad.

The Monster Forecast

And now the Monster Forecast issued by the Pirate Prince's Office, on behalf of the Sartosa Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 1725 CPT on Thursday 23 December The Year 10 for the period 1800 CPT Thursday 23 December to 1800 CPT Friday 24 December The Year 10.

There are warnings of Kraken in Reikland Bight Commercio Pearls Tobaro Wight Portland.

The general synopsis at midday:
Leviathan 150 miles west of Rockall 1016 moving steadily northwest, filling and losing its identity. 'Auld Yeller northwest Skull Point 1024 expected central Skull Sands 1027 by midday tomorrow. Vast Squig Whale South Tilean 1015 slow-moving, sinking 1018 by same time.

The area forecasts for the next 24 hours:

Skull Point North Tilean South Tilean Forties:
Sea Dragons southeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 except in Forties, decreasing 4 at times. Mainly moderate, occasionally rough in north Skull Point. Squabbly.
Good, occasionally very poor.

Castello Luccini Remas:
Northerly Giant Serpent 4 or 5, occasionally 6. Mainly moderate.
Good, occasionally poor.

Pirates Current:
Mainly northeasterly Huge Squid becoming variable 4 or 5, occasionally 6. Moderate or rough. Angry Wrecking.
Good, occasionally poor.

Black Gulf:
Easterly Swordnose 5 to 7. Moderate or rough. Hull piercing.
Good, occasionally poor.

Reikland Bight Commercio Pearls Tobaro Wight Portland Sirens South Tilean northwesterly Swarms of Massive Jellyfish at first in Tobaro, otherwise northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally fierce 8, increasing severe 9 at times in Tobaro and Wight, decreasing 4 later in Commercio, Sirens and South Tilean. moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in Commercio and Pearls. Serious risk of stinging.
Good, occasionally poor. Light spawning for a time in east Reikland Bight.

Da Rotmoons - Under the Black Flag

This is my fluff for the Animosity 5 campaign, so there are lots of references to Estalia in it!

~ ~ ~



Swords Crossed

Steel rang against steel on the quarterdeck of The Gift, the black-and-gold-clad pirate Da Leeva towered over the ship's captain. They circled one another looking for an opening, the Gift's captain was much smaller than his opponent, he was a well dress man of Estalia; A merchant captain, but an experienced one. Da Leeva was slower but much, much stronger. The towering Orc Kapitán changed his grip on his cutlass slightly and attacked once more. The merchant parried again and again but he was tiring. The sheer weight of his opponent's sword was terrifying, and the fact that of the seven or eight cuts and thrusts, that had found their mark on the Orc, did not seem to have harmed the pirate.

Down in the waste the small crew of the Gift had been forced back and had retreated below decks but they would not surrender – they fired handguns at any Orc or Goblin pirate that tried to follow them down the hatch. The crew of Da Rotmoon were more numerous and cared little for casualties but they didn't fancy being the first one into the dark hold.

Kapitán Da Leeva stopped playing with the unfortunate merchant captain and kicked him, hard. The merchant doubled over clutching his groin, and slumped to the deck gasping for breath.

“Grenados!” called the Kapitán.

The pirates chuckled and one jumped the gunwale back into Da Rotmoon, he returned a minute later with a sack of the black iron spheres. He handed them out to the pirates on deck who lit the fuses and tossed them down into the hold.

The Gift's captain saw this and despaired he could do nothing to warn his crew, who came spilling out of the hold to be captured, or slaughtered, by the Orcs. They few who remained below decks were obliterated by the grenados. He tried to stand and reached for his sword but Da Leeva stepped on his hand, crushing his fingers.

Kapitán Alunzo da Leeva, Estalian Orc Pirate Captain of Da Rotmoon looked down at the merchant, watched him for a few seconds... then separated the man's head from his shoulders.

~ ~ ~



Masthead

Sea birds circled the lone sloop Da Rotmoon, calling incessantly, scavenging among the jetsam being thrown overboard by the Orc and Goblin crew. Kapitán Alunzo da Leeva paced the small quarterdeck, watching his crew as they cast empty casks, barrels, bottles and even the odd body-part, the remains of last night's meal, over the side. The rancid and rotten remain would feed the crew for a further week were they out in the wide ocean, but this close to shore there was no need to eat such poor rations. There were rich pickings all along the coast.

From the masthead the lookout called “Sail ahoy!” and the rest of the crew suddenly froze and looked up expectantly, they all lived for the chase. Lived for the heavy of the deck and the thrill of the leap between ships. Lived for the noise and chaos of battle; the crash of the great guns, the snap of pistols, the roar of the swivel and the ring of the cutlass; the smell of black powder smoke and blood; the screams of the injured. The shine of plundered gold in the evening sunlight.

“Where away?” called the Kapitán.

“Broad on the port beam! Two sail now, three!” replied the lookout.

“Stand by to come about!” called the Kapitán as he climbed the ratlines to the crow's nest. The ropes creaked and strained a little under the weight of the young Orc pirate. He heaved himself onto the platform at the top of the mast and the lookout passed a spyglass and pointed the sails out. Da Leeva squinted at the horizon then put the glass to his beady red eye:

Blue sea, blue sky with three tiny whitish triangles - just nicks in the sky at this range - at least ten miles distant.

The Kapitán stared without blinking for a full minute and in that time the nearest of the three became distinctly larger and a dark smudge of hull appeared below it. Da Leeva recognised that shape. It was Hogwasha!

~ ~ ~

Jetsam

The ship lurched uncomfortably and the Orc crew started yelling incoherently as Twist-Offal Troll-Umbus skidded across the deck. The great stupid oaf’s slimy feet clawed at the timbers and dragged splintered gashes across them. The Orcs ran to heave on the ropes than held the Troll in place on the deck but the lashings were wet and worn, the fibres frayed and rotten… one by one they snapped, causing the Troll to shift about the deck even more.

De Leeva shook his head and tried not to watch the pitiful display of seamanship. In a few minutes the creature would destroy half the deck - it was time to chuck him overboard and make him swim for himself.

“Run out a tow cable over the weather quarter, cut the Troll’s lashings and push him over the side!” he roared over the howling winds. Carrying Troll-Umbus on deck was a terrible idea: he was a Sea Troll for Gork’s sake! Surely he could manage in the open ocean well enough?

“Hang on to the big rope!” said El Doctoro, frantically pointing at the end of the cable as it was lowered into the green waters. Troll-Umbus looked at the tip of El Doctoro’s finger.

“Oh zog it!” the small Orc said to himself “Hold this!” he yelled and dragged the rope over, putting it into Troll-Umbus’s barnacle-encrusted hands. The Troll stared at it for a moment then clamped his hands shut around the heavy rope… just in time as the crew shoved the huge beast off the Rotmoon into the sea.

The ship’s uneven rolling eased off as Troll-Umbus drifted away. When the rope pulled taught the Rotmoon slowed a little but not enough to bother the Kapitán. The crew watched the Troll for a while but they were soon satisfied and wandered off, returning to their proper tasks.

The shaman walked aft and stood next to Da Leeva, “We have to get to port” said the Kapitán to El Doctoro, “The idiot will forget to hang on soon.”

~ ~ ~



Shipwreck

Green water came over the prow in a great wall and swept the foredeck from port to starboard. The Rotmoons clung on for dear life until the worst of it ran off then scrambled back to lashing down the tattered remains of the main sail. The ship was running before the storm but they were taking the battering of a lifetime, they had already lost the bowsprit and the main mast looked decidedly unsafe – the jury-rigged shrouds were already separating.

Someone shouted a warning that was lost in the howling gale. A great tearing noise was followed by a succession of thudding sounds as the last of the hastily tied ropes parted. The main mast leaned over at a horrible angle then shattered where it pierced the deck. A great mass of sailcloth, rope and timber raced over the side, smashing everything in its path. Cargo, great guns, half a dozen Orc and Goblin crew were all lost in a second.

The ship lurched sideways, turning to meet the dragging mass of wreckage trailing behind it. Another wave came at that moment and slammed into the broadside – rolling the small vessel almost onto its side.

“Land ahoy!” screamed one of the crew – but no one knew who.

The yells of the Orcs and Goblins aboard were lost in the tempest as timbers of the hull split on the razor sharp rocks of the Estalian coast.

~ ~ ~

Da Rotmoons - Under the Black Flag



Flotsam

The battered coastal town was silent except for the cries of seagulls. Da Leeva looked at his little group of survivors from the shipwreck: pitiful! There were probably others from the wreck that hadn’t drowned but he and his group had been washed ashore a long way down the coast - far from the rocks that had taken his ship.

He sighed as he looked at the remains of his crew, only those that had been with him on the quarterdeck were there: El Doctoro the Shaman, Dragante the Big’Un, Geedo the gunner, Pez the fishy one, Deestro the swordsman (swordzboy?) and Trollumbus the Sea Troll. Ironically it had been the tow-rope the Troll was clinging onto that had saved his life! He’d to shouted at everyone nearby to grab it as the ship broke up and somehow managed to get the Troll to swim to shore.

He anticipated meeting up with most of the rest of the Rotmoon’s crew sooner or later: he knew where to look for them since they always gathered in the same sort of seedy places. Places not too fussy about their clientele. Places that pirates haunted.

~ ~ ~



Pestilence

During their journey to the unknown town Kapitán Da Leeva had spoken to a few of the locals and picked up a rumour that a couple of other survivors from the crew were drinking in the Donkey and Anchor taberna. Having come ashore without any working ranged weapons (their black powder was soaked through and ruined) the tiny band of Rotmoons advanced cautiously through the harbourside area; they tried to keep out of sight as much as possible.





As they got close to the taberna they found their way was barred by a band of Skaven Plague Monks of the Clan Pestilens – The Ratmen numbered twice as many as the Orcs but the greenskins had their Sea Troll with them! Every street ahead of them was seemingly filled with giant rats and robed Skaven, so the pirates kept together as a tight group and started running down the main road.

Yelling and bawling threats and curses the Rotmoons worked themselves into a state of excitement – El Doctoro the Shaman cast Led’z Go! on them, enhancing their reaction speed and improving their chance in the coming fight significantly.









A multitude of rats swarmed at Trollumbus and scratched and bit at his feet and ankles – the Troll stamped and kicked at them but they kept on coming. After sending a few sling-stones skitting across the cobbles around the greenskins, the second wave of Skaven followed their smaller cousins closely and crashed into the band of Orcs, surrounded by a cloud of choking poisonous smoke from burning censors.

Da Leeva counter charged the Skaven protecting their leader, the Plague Priest, and with a low blow knocked him to the ground where Pez finished him off. Trollumbas squished the rats attacking his lower limbs but proceeded to hungrily eat their corpses rather than rejoin the fight. The Skaven Plague Priest ran and hid!







The Rotmoons stayed close to El Doctoro and supported one another in the ongoing battle: as one pinned or stunned an enemy his mates fell upon his victim and laid them out cold!







Soon the Ratmen were forced back with mounting casualties while the Orcs had suffered nothing worse than cuts and bruises. A final aggressive push sent the Skaven fleeing for their lives!

~ ~ ~

When they finally reached the Donkey and Anchor taberna they found Dudoso the doubtful and two Goblins, Don Snotto and Megellun, all in a state of advanced intoxication. The little crew was already growing.

Great stuff Boss! The Estalian Orcs look awesome in action. Victor's skaven look pretty nice as well. I really like the giant rats on the rubble bases.

The shipwreck painting makes me want to model a galley.

Robbers

A figure hunched in the shadows of the alley opposite a small house. The narrow cobbled streets were still warm from the heat of the day but a gentle cool breeze wafted between the buildings; bring welcome relief from the oppressive humidity of the summer.

~ ~ ~

Inside the house some of the Rotmoons moved through the darkness, trying hard to avoid the unfamiliar furniture and keep as quite as possible. Occasional hissed curses escaped as shins crashed into low stools or cupboards.

“It’s no zoggin’ good, we’ll never find anything without a light. I’m going to open the lantern a crack.” said da Leeva quietly. The room was suddenly filled with bright light – it was in reality only a candle flame but after the darkness the Pirates’ eyes took a minute to adjust.

With the additional light the search of the room was much more straight-forward but they forgot a little of their stealth too and soon draws were just being emptied onto the floor and whispers became low voices.

Suddenly the Rotmoons froze and went silent, as they all heard the distinctive click of a flintlock pistol’s hammer being cocked.

“What in Myrmidia’s name is going on!” said the owner of the house, a rotund elderly gentleman in a nightshirt and a hastily donned black coat. His hair stood out at strange angles under his nightcap and he clearly had not long been awake. In his hands the large pistol looked like a cannon but it wobbled a little as he swepts it from one pirate to the next. In the silence that followed this unexpected question and shape moved behind the old man.

“We’z robbin’ you, you daft old git!” said another voice from right behind him and it was followed by another pistol-hammer clicking into position. The muzzle of the same pistol appeared just below the house owner’s right ear and pressed against his neck; the leering face of Dudoso loomed out of the dark.

Kapitán da Leeva relieved the old man of his pistol and looked at Dudoso “You were supposed to wait outside to keep an eye on the place!” he growled.

Dudoso looked suddenly mortified but the Kapitán didn’t keep him hanging for long “Don’t worry lad, ye done good.” The Orc Pirate looked confused for a moment then the wicked grin returned.

“Get him upstairs and tie him up. Keep him quite. The rest of you turn this place over; we’ll just take weapons and coin.” the Kapitán said as he picked up a small chest and smashed it on the flagstones.

~ ~ ~

Mud
Streetfight at Unlucky Quay







“Such a perfect day for a fight.” said Alunzo da Leeva as he looked at the flawlessly clear blue sky, high above the shabby, battered street. “I do hope we have one.”

“Oh, I think there is a good chance my dear Kapitán.” said El Doctoro “Look here…” the Shaman pointed down the long, slightly curving street with his skull-topped ebony staff.





The big Orc Boss turned to look were the black staff suggested and saw the other band of Orcs at the far end; Capering, rowdy, mud-spattered, grunting Orcs with stone weapons and lank hair: Southerners! The contrast between the Cave Orcs and the Rotmoons was decidedly marked.

“Well they ain’t our ladz. Let’s smack ‘em!” shouted one of the Rotmoons, to general noises of agreement from the rest.

Da Leeva grinned at the hands’ enthusiasm and at his signal Trollumbus ambled forwards. He and the rest of the crew followed at a run.

~ ~ ~





Near the back of the crowd two of the Savages wildly swung clubs at one another for the second time in the last few minutes. Both seemed intent on braining the other and careless of the fight further up the road. Blood, spit, snot and mud flew in all directions. Far behind them the Savage Orc Shaman and the Neandertroll stood still and dribbled.





The Cave Orcs crashed headlong into the Rotmoons but El Doctoro’s subtle magic quickened the Estalian Pirates reactions. Trollumbus was wounded repeatedly but the lumbering oaf ignored the blood and bile and struck back with his rusty billhook and claws. Even the little Goblins charged into the fight with an unusual eagerness.





After some minutes of fending off the Savage’s attacks with swashbuckling glee the fight swirled around the immoveable solid center held by Trollumbus, when the time came the Rotmoons ended the fight with brutal efficiency, with each Cave Orc facing at least two Pirates!

~ ~ ~

Ah, tis a beautiful thing when a Troll works! Especially if the other fella's don't! Gorgeous report WbK!

Too bad about Megellun, but a victory nonetheless. VIVA LA ROTMOON!

Parley

In the smoke-filled back room of the Rat Under Water taberna a few of the senior ranking Rotmoons sat round a table nursing drinks. Geedo Forks’ left hand was wrapped in a filthy, blood-soaked bandage but he seemed pleased with his new handgun and a pint of rum. Over the noise from the main bar they could clearly hear the sounds of Trollumbus, in the alley behind the taberna, singing his awful songs that seemed mostly to consist of one or two words endlessly and tunelessly repeated.

For five minutes or more, none of the Rotmoons noticed the tiny waif-like girl standing just inside the doorway. Finally the girl made a small noise, clearing her throat in a slightly theatrical way. Dragante was the first to look round and even he barely registered her presence to begin with on second glance he realised the was smirking at them and it annoyed him.

“What d’ye want gurl?” he growled; the rest of the Orcs at the table looked round to see who he was talking to.

“I have a message for Da Leeva.” she said. The Rotmoons went quite – something weird was happening but they couldn’t understand what.

“And who are you?” said Kapitán Alunzo Da Leeva, without looking up from the table and his drink.

“My name? My name is unimportant but I have a message for you Kapitán: Tomorrow you will face a band of Knights, you and all your friends here will be struck down. But you must not worry, the rest of your crew will win the day, even without you in the fight.” she said quietly.

The Rotmoons shifted uncomfortably. The Orcs were a superstitious lot, doubly-so as they were sailors and they didn’t like to be told prophesies without asking for them. They didn’t say anything but glances were exchanged.

The Kapitán looked at the girl for the first time. She was tiny compared to him, hardly half his height, her hair was wild and tinted strange colours and her eyes were ringed with dark smudges of makeup.

“But that isn’t the message. The message concerns the war and the great and terrible things that will be done in under the banner of the shattered sun.” she continued, ignoring the shuffling of the Orcs – a pistol was produced from inside of someone’s coat. The Kapitán raised his hand a little and the pistol disappeared again.

“So?” he said.

“The Shattered Sunz must not attempt the city of Quietude or all your plans will be ruin and ash. You will not find the Antikythiometer Mechanism” said the girl.

“How do you know about… ?” Da Leeva started to say then stopped himself. The other Rotmoons didn’t even know about that!

“Who the zog are ye, an’ how d’ye know such stuff?” yelled Dragante, losing patience at last.

“My name is Kera.” she said as she turned and disappeared into the crowd in the main bar.

~ ~ ~









Surprise

The Rotmoons poked about in the ruins, without realising it the small crew of Orcs spread out across a devastated area of the coastal town, searching for anything of value left behind by the former owners. Kicking over empty boxes and barrels, tipping the ragged clothes, torn books and broken cutlery out over the floor, they steadily became less and less hopeful of finding any loot.

A loud and haughty shout from the south suddenly brought their collective attention back to how scattered they were. A group of Knights and their retainers stood in the road with swords drawn and helmet visors down. Their leader pointed at the dispersed pirates and the Bretonnians charged the lone Dragante and overwhelmed him before he even knew what was occurring!

El Doctoro raced out of the Revenue House towards the Kapitán, who in turn was head for Trollumbus – keen to goad the stinking creature into the fight. A Squire and two Bowmen made their way up ladders to find a good vantage point in the Clock Tower but encountered a shocked Don Snotto. The Squire pounced on the diminutive Goblin on the first floor (the two turned out to be surprisingly well matched in the fight!) while the Bowmen kept climbing to the second and third floors.









Two rapid volleys of arrows arced out across the open street and thudded into Geedo Forks as he readied his firearm. The Rotmoon’s Gunner fell without firing a shot.

The rest of the crew converged on the street between the Shambles and the old Pie Shop; Trollumbus in the fore closely followed by Deestro the Blade. The Knights left their henchmen to deal with the monster and Deestro and headed straight for the Kapitán and the Shaman.

Deestro lived up to his name and slaughtered two of the men-at-arms on his own while Trollumbus made a meal of another… literally.

The Kapitán and Shaman fended off the expert swordsmanship of the Knights for a few minutes but they couldn’t seem to land a blow - both soon fell to the glittering Bretonnian steel. Kapitán da Leeva was heard to say “I knew that was going to happen!” as he fell with blood flowing freely from a huge gash across his face.

The rest of the Rotmoons held steady though Deestro fended the men-at-arms and Knights away from the prone bodies of his commander and El Doctoro and as Trollumbus knocked another spearman to the ground the Bretonnians broke and fled, the furious cries of their leader beseeching them to stay in the fight having no effect.

With a jubilant cry Don Snotto skewered the Squire on his nearly-blunt cutlass. A victory he would later boast about just a little too much!

~ ~ ~

Ooh, the mysterious Kera appears. Congrats on the win. Hates them Horsey Boyz, I does.

Cheers matey.

Kera asked if we could do some collaborative fluff - I was obviously happy to oblige!

I was actually about to flee when the Chumbuckets failed their Rout check!

So it was a very lucky win and with only the one exploration dice for winning and no heroes left standing I couldn't do much to replace any losses I might have had. Luckily two things were in my favour: a. I had a saved wyrdstone shard from the last game and b. none of the Serious Injury table results were bad. El Doctoro and the Kapitán both got Horrible Scars and the rest were Full Recovery.

The only loss was Don Snotto getting Ladz Got Talent and the resultant pistol-shot in the face!