The Grudgebreaker's Logbook

Captain Gudrun stood at the Grudgebreaker's helm, his eyes stretched. The sun was shimmering on the sea the same way it did the year before on the very same day. The day Orek and Gurni sailed their dinghy through Barak Varr seagate.

A crew of hundred and fifty had taken the Ancestors' Pride to the South Lands, yet only two came back. In shame they told of their escape from the embattled ship, of how Gudrun's brother died, his feet firmy planted on the Pride's command deck, of how a Tilean galley and an Empire galleon had turned their curse away and let the dwarves face the grobi alone.
On that day, while Orek and Gurni were taking the Slayer's oath, Gudrun swore his own oath in the great hall of Barak Varr. The word still ringed in his head.

"I, Gudrun Kargason, will have no peace until every single ship that ever sailed under the Ironfang's flag lies on the bottom of the sea".
The king looked at him from his dais.
"So be it, Gudrun Kargason, may the Ancestor Gods close the doors of the realm beyond in front of you should you ever forget your words. The grobi took your brother and you shall have your vengeance. Yet, the humans let one of my ship be sunk, so their fleets should be recorded in my Grudgebook and I grant you and your crew freedom to board and raid human ships. Name your crew, Gudrun Kargason".
"I'll only have those that suffered a loss on the Pride, my lord. Come forward, those of you who want to join me".

Mudrin, Korin, Durlin and Rodrik answered the call, seasoned sailors all, each mourning a brother.
Snorri, the beardling son of the Pride's First Mate, stepped forward.
Boldrin, Orun, Muren, Dorin and Karek whose cousins and uncles manned the Pride's guns, joined them.
Last, Burlok 'Coghead', who had designed and built the Pride, lined up with them.
Orek and Gurni, their hair now orange, were alredy waiting at the docks.

The Scouring of Araby Year 2, Month 6, Day 28
The Grudgebreaker approached the Arabyan coastline. Many ships had sailed there recently, among them various hosting the Ironfang flag.
"Landing party, prepare the dinghies!" ordered Captain Gudrun.
The crew executed swiftly. Finally, the time of vengeance was nigh.
******
They made for an old orcish sanctuary, sure to find sign of the hated grobi there.


Instead, a chill wind heralded the arrival of tree-spirits from far away lands.


The fight in the ruin was bloody and swift. The malevolent eyes of the grobi gods smiling upon the tree-spirits.





The Grudgebrakers withdrew, looking for easier roads.

The Scouring of Araby Year 2, Moth 6, Day 29
At first light the Grudgebreakers approached a village. The smoke of the burning houses could not cover the grobi retch.


An unknown crew they were, but Ironfang was written all over them.


The fight broke off around the village well. Drunk from the recent plunder, the grobi were no match for the enraged dwarves.


Only the greenskinned captain gave them a good fight, but nothing Gurni and Orek couldn't deal with.



The Grudgebreakers let a few survivors flee, sure they would lead them to the rest of the Ironfangs.

The Scouring of Araby Year 2, Month 6, Day 30

In a woodland, scorched by the blazing sun, they lost track of the grobi.


Only to be confronted by an oddly dressed ogre and his pets looking for some sport.


"That's mine!" roared Orek, and charged headlong.


The ogre's tigers sprung forward, pinning the rest of the Grudgebreakers in the wood.


It was a pointless fight, so Gudrun ordered them back to resume the chase, much to Orek disappointment.

The Scouring of Araby Year 2, Month 7, Day 1

It was in a ruined outpost of the once powerful reign of Nehekara, that they faced the restless dead.



The skeletal soldiery threw themselves at the dwarves and were easily pushed back.
Then Gudrun halted his crew and addressed the royal figure watching from afar.


"We mean you no disrespect, and only ask leave to cross your lands. It's orcs we're after, not your gold."
"Then you shall pass" came the answer in a gust of wind as dry as the desert and century old bones.

The Scouring of Araby Year 2, Month 7, Day 2
Having lost the unnamed orc crew, the Grudgebreaker made their way back to the orcish sanctuary.


There, a brutish ogre hunter challenged their right to cross what he claimed was his land.
Gudrun stepped forward, but only the timely intervention of Orek saved him from the crushing fists of the ogre.



And then, in a debased act of sneakery, the hunter's buddy peered out of the ruins and let loose a grapeshot salvo.


"Never bring a knife to a gunfight, lads!" shouted First Mate Burlok. "Run away!"

The Scouring of Araby Year 2, Month 7, Day 3
As they made their way through the coastal shrub, the roaring of an enraged Bull Centaur froze the Grudgebreaker on the spot, .


The beast charged forward, the Grudgbreaker ignoring it and ganging upon their despised kin.



Gudrun and Orek joined forces, forcing the now leaderless Bull Centaur to a shameful retreat.


"Run, bring the tale of true dwarvish valor to your black land!" Gudrun shouted behind it.

The Scouring of Araby Year 2, Month 7, Day 4

They spied the Chimeras searching the ruins of a temple. What they were looking for had no importance, for at last the Grudgebreaker had a chance for vengeance.



On the temple esplanade they clashed, cutlasses ringing against sabres.


Gudrun and Chief Korin broke through the grobi line and plunged onto the Chimeras archers scattering them.
The rest of the crew was still locked with the grobi, rallied around Sinbag shouting orders and keeping them in line.


But even the cruel orc couldn't do much to stay the Grudgebreakers' fury.
Alone, he faced Gudrun as his boyz were runned down all around him.


The orc rubbed a lamp hanging from his belt. In a whirlwind of sand a daemon came and lifted him in the air.
Sinbag's guttural laugh rang in Gudrun's hears as he muttered a curse.
Vengeance was just delayed.

The Hangover Year 2, Month 11, Day 12
Captain Gudrun opened his eyes, but even the gentle Strumbolian sun proved too much for them.
Raising stiffly, he rubbed his aching forehead and tried to remember.
The brewery, where was the brewery? A blackened, smoking skeleton stood in its place. All the crew lay around it, in drunken sleep.
How did they get there?
They were celebrating five months of successful plundering after the Arabyan expedition and then...
And then the Cleavermaws were on them.
"Taking us while on sacred ground! Bilgewater I'll g..." Gudrun bent and retched the last few beer left in his gut.

Chance Encounter Year 2, Month 11, Day 18

First Mate Burlok and Boldrin spied the approaching figures from afar. A shout alerted the rest of the Grudgebreakers, slowly making their way through a bog.



It was none other than the Cleavermaws. That they were there, on the swampy coast of Southern Tilea, just a few miles away from the scene of their last unspeakable crime, was an Ancestor's gift.


Through his telescope, Gudrun saw the grobi splitting and maneuvering to take them on both flanks.
"Fall back and regroup!" he ordered "Let's not fall into their trap."



As Bilgewater and his party scrambled across a rocky outcrop, the Grudgebreakers launched at them as one.


The treacherous ground slowed young Snorri, but only one orc managed to take advantage of that.


Durlin and Gurni run at the beardling rescue, fell the orc and opened fire on his incoming mates.


Around the outcrop, the fight went on, with heavy casualties on both sides.



But as the lesser orcs started to flee, Bilgewater found himself in serious troubles.



Gudrun pushed him into the stream, and let the running water take the big orc away.
"I guess forcing an orc to a bath is as close as you can get to offending him", laughed Bosun Mudrin kicking a small goblin away.
"Yes, but this only makes up for the brewery" replied Gudrun gloomily "They have a lot more to pay for".

COOL PHOTOS AND AN EPIC TALE! That certainly is a fine way to begin your posting. GREAT STUFF!   

Great reports! Its a pleasure to see the various warbands, scenery and more life in the Battle Reports section  

As scandalously biased as these half-truths and damned lies may be, they make great entertainment to read!

    

I'm looking forward to our next game!  

Fight for the Emporium Year 2, Month 11, Day 29

The brewery in Strumboli destroyed, the attempted attack at Marittemo lighthouse: surely there was a pattern to the Cleavermaws attacks. So it was that Gudrun took the Grudgebreakers to the next, most likely target: the Merchants' Guild emporium in Motia.


It wasn't long before they could spy the grobi approaching.



The Redcoats hold back to offer covering fire.


As the bulk of the Clavermaws came smashing into the Emporium courtyard the Grudgebreakers sprung their ambush.


A violent fight erupted, with Gudrun felling Ledger and his assistant Skribla in a whirlwind of blows.



Boldrin leveled his pistols and tried to stop the incoming Cleavermaws reinforcements.


Led by the screaming Jonah Whale, the orcs ignored the bullets and smashed through the fighters in the courtyard.


Only to be halted by Burlok and Boldrin's quarrels.


In the courtyard, the two captains faced one another once again, the best part of either crew wounded around them.


Motia Emporium was safe and Bilgewater humiliated once again. Gudrun put his desire for vengeance aside and took the wounded back to safety.

YET ANOTHER STIRRING REPORT! The photos are WONDERFUL; & the narrative entertaining while brief enough to hold my early morning attention or lack thereof. GREAT STUFF!  

Great report! Wonderful photos of the models and scenery, good to see the old lunchheim in action again.  

Don't believe a word of it!!   






  

Ambush at the Elcantera Gorge Year 2, Month 12, Day 16

It only took a couple of guns to convince the humans that the Grudgebreakers deserved everything in store as a reward for their help against the marauding Cleavermaws. Now the Grudgebreakers were making their way through the Elcantera Gorge in the Osso Hills to  meet the Irondrakes and sell the Motian goods.


What they didn't know, was that the Cleavermaws were waiting in ambush.



The Grobi sneakily moved to catch the dwarvish column on the rear.



Orek was the first to spot the danger and charged in under the covering fire offered by Burlok and Boldrin.



Meanwhile, Gudrun spurred the rest of the Grudgebreakers forward.


But the captain was quickly overwhelmed by enemies.


Korin and Mudrin moved to stop the other grobi party approaching through the stone arc.


Snorri and the rest of the Stoker dashed forward, trying to keep the loot out of orcs' reach.


At the back of the column Orek, Burlok and Boldrin tried to stop the rampaging Bilgewater.



But failed, letting the orc captain taking the embattled Gudrun from the back.


Korin and Mudrin hold their ground, giving some more time to Snorri and the Stokers.



All was in vain, though. Bilgewater caught up and swiftly felled them.



The Grobi had it their way this time and laughing made of with the loot.

COOL PHOTOS & REPORT!  

What got into Capt. Bilgewater? The lad seems unstoppable suddenly.  

Glad to see everything hasn't gone the Stunties way, but better luck next time.   

Thanks for this fantastic report and pics, great!

I totally agree, fine reports with fine pictures.

Thank you.

Thank you all, guys       
here you have some more       
~~~~~~~~~
The big clash at the Bay of Wrecks Year 2, Month 12, Day 17
Gudrun was sure the Irondrakes had sold them out to the Cleavermaws. In no other ways the Grobi could have ambushed them.
He took the Grudgebreaker to the rendezvous with the treacherous humans with revenge in mind.


The humans were approaching, but so were the Cleavermaws, still carrying the dwarves' loot.



Unfortunately, some raucous Ogres had smelled a chance of a good bash. And their shout had disturbed the Bay's dreaded inhabitants.



The Toads bounced towards the Grudgebreakers and stomped through the crew.





The Irondrakes and the Cleavermaws proceeded to their meeting point at the old Grobi idol.



Safe from the rampaging Toads, Burlok and Boldrin took aim at humans and grobi.



Having escaped the toads, Mudrin and Korin took the fight to the Irondrakes. And got the worst out of it.


Laughing at the dwarves, the Ogres crossed the shallows, already dreaming of a huge platter of frog legs.


As the Cleavermaws reinforcements approached, the Grobi turned against the humans.




Korin, now alone, considered his options and joined the humans.


The Ogres smashed into the Toads and got stuck into a prolonged fight.


The three way fight between the pirate crews continued.



And as they slowly ground each other down, the Ogres were feasting on Toads.

GREAT PHOTOS! All the Lads look TERRIFIC & that tree in the first photo is a WONDER! 

Thanks Alan!
The three (and five more like it) is a gift from another fella of ours.
~~~~~~~~~
Fight for the buried treasures Year 2, Month 1, Day 10
Bad as it had been, the debacle at the Bay of Wrecks had proved useful, as the Grudgebreakers made their escape with the Irondrakes' map of contraband stashes.
They were digging the first one out when the Cleavermaws showed up.



Gudrun took half the crew and rushed them to the next closest stash.


Meanwhile, under Burlok and Boldrin's fire, some of the grobi lost their nerve and run away.




Bilgewater split his crew, leading the assault party on the dwarf-held stash. Jonah's party moved to intercept Gudrun's.



Gudrun's party literally smashed through the grobi. Both thirst for revenge and gold greed fuelled them.







Bilgewater's party met with an unexpected surprise as Mudrin and Korin jumped out of their hiding in the bush to stop them.


The grobi captain made it through the blockade.


Under a rain of quarrels, he called himself off. Once again, Bilgewater ended up washed down a stream.