Harrowed Halls

GM: Chaosius Stevius
Decanus Lucius Flaccus (Mike Byrd)
Crixus Dotorus (Evil Mike)
Varicus Benus (Ben)
Tantus Oxium Dracuss (Owen)
Saverrio (Alex)

Session 6

Five days have passed since the battle at the old church. Although they have been following the Strigio’s trail, it hasn’t been all work and no play. At every village they have come upon they have spent time carousing and asking for the blessings of the gods. Basically spending their spoils with wild abandon.

On the fifth day they come to another village, but something unusual happens here. Almost immediately a boy grabs the hand Varicus and leads him through the village to a small house. Inside Varicus meets a women who bears the scars from being badly burnt at some time in her past. She tells him the boy is her son. Then she offers him a gift. A small wooden box. Varicus opens it and feels the sting of a needle prick his skin. The woman tells him he’s been poisoned.

At this point there is a long discussion concerning whether anyone really cares that Varicus has been poisoned.

The heroes discover that the Strigio threatened to kill the woman’s son unless she gave someone in the party the box. The Strigio also told her where the antidote is located—it’s at some old ruins about a day’s ride from the village.

At this point the heroes realize this is a trap. The point is brought up again about who really cares that Varicus has been poisoned. Some, Crixus, even wonders if Varicus has been poisoned at all since he has no ill effects.

In the end, the thought of driving back home after playing 20 minutes of the game wins them over and they head to the ruins.

It’s a trap!

The ruins turn out to be an ancient coliseum. The Strigio, Vaalko, is there surrounded by barbarians. He gets caught monologing and Crixus shots him with his bow. Vaalko leaves. But not before a giant demon worm erupts from ground attacking the heroes. Varicus antagonizes the watching barbarians by shooting an arrow at them. They attack. Varicus realizes his counterattack skill is useless with a bow. Swarms of vicious worms also gush from the ground. All of the non-wild card characters go down. (Later one will be revived as walking wounded, but is strangely missing from the next game.)

In the end, after a harrowing battle with the demon worm and the barbarians, the heroes grab the flowers needed for the antidote and hurry away from the ruins.

Another five days of travelling goes by and the heroes are fast approaching their goal. They should easily make it to the standing stones in time to stop the blood ritual planned there. Then they hear the sounds of battle. The cohorts of the Roman legion have caught up to Hasdrubal. Part of Hannibal’s army is there as well for they can see his gigantic beasts called elephants.

The only problem is that this battle is between them and their destination!

Session 7 – The Last Session!

The heroes form a plan. They will to race through the battlefield using stealth and guile. Once to the front of the battle where the elephants are, they will hijack one and use it to make their way to the standing stones.

Remarkably all the heroes make their Stealth rolls with most actually getting raises. This is amazing because many of the heroes have Stealth skills of d4. Once through the main battle they spy one of Hannibal’s elephants and head towards it. Killing a few Carthaginians along the way.

Crixus fires an arrow at the Carthaginian that’s controlling the elephant and kills him. Now we have an out-of-control elephant. Varicus breaks out his hook and rope and rushes to the elephant. All of the archers riding in the elephant’s platform fire at Varicus. He’s hit! Even wounded his throw is amazing and he nearly kills one of the soldiers on the platform with the hook. As it is, the hook is set and the rest of the heroes, with the exception of Tantus, head toward the elephant to climb up to the platform. Tantus has no Climb skill and cautiously kills Carthaginians until the elephant is under Roman control.

The battle atop the elephant is fierce, but in the end our heroes triumph. Tantus is hauled up to the platform by a rope tied around him.

On to the standing stones!

At the standing stones, the heroes find an Altar of Evil! (See: ALTAR OF EVIL 28mm Fantasy Scenery & Terrain.) Surrounding it are piles of bones, broken weapons and armor. Behind it, standing amongst some ruins, are the Strigio Vaalko, the Priestess Vaginus, and a couple barbarian guards. Crixus drives the elephant directly into the altar, destroying it. The battle begins in earnest.

The priestess summons up Furies from the piles of war debris. These harass the heroes throughout the entire battle. Most of the heroes gang up on Vaalko. Crixus uses his bow to get effect inflicting wounds wherever he aims. Saverrio goes head-to-head with the priestess. Several times she uses her magic to try to harm the noble hero. Each time failing. It is Saverrio’s sword that sends her to hell.

Meanwhile Decanus Lucius, Varicus, and Tantus all battle Vaalko, while feeling the wounds from the whirling Furies attacks. Crixus goes down under a fury’s unyielding assaults. He’ll live to fight another day though.

Vaalko is finally taken down by the cautious Tantus, whose killing blow brings the battle to an end.

Months after the battle they stand before Caesar himself and receive citations and honors. Will we hear from these noble heroes again? Will their swords once more be drawn against evil?

Probably not.

Roll credits.

Chaos Steve

Pictures from Games

GM: Chaosius Stevas Toddius
Decanus Lucius Flaccus (Mike Byrd)
Crixus Dotorus (Evil Mike)
Varicus Benus (Ben)
Tantus Oxium Dracuss (Owen)
Saverrio (Alex)

Evil Mike’s character, Galafanakis, died. He is replaced by Crixus Doctorus who is an arrogant, big mouth. The rest of the group keeps him around because he is also an archer and medici.

I never know who Alex’s character will be. He finally made his own character, Saverrio. He is a noble sort, heroic and loyal. The best Roman has to offer.

Our Legionaries have been captured by the Carthaginians on the eve of the great battle between the Romans and general Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brother. They are stripped of their gear and tieed to posts awaiting the pleasure of the Carthaginians. Galafanakis is later taken and tortured. His screams are heard throughout the night, but no information does he give. Had they chosen Varicus instead, information would have flowed like water from a fountain…before any torture.

The next mornings, the Romans attack. Thanks to the leadership of Praefectus Castrorum Pennus (and Alex’s stellar dice rolling), the Romans decimate Hasdrubal’s army. As the army retreats, Carthaginians rush by our heroes in their haste to escape the Romans. A final group passes the heroes and the leader of the group orders a soldier to “Kill them.”

Most of the heroes have worked free of their bonds unbeknownst to the lone soldier approaching them. Unfortunately the Soldier gets the Joker for infinitive and strikes a killing blow to Crixus. He survives as most of the blow hits on his breastplate. Oxius rushes to his aid, but cannot strike the Carthaginian. Then Saverrio leaps up and lands a killing blow with his bare fist.

The legionaries are reunited with the Roman legion.

The legion splits. Most of the cohorts follow Hasdrubal. The rest split apart into groups of 1, 2, or 3 centuries and go about retaking the Hispania coast.

Three weeks have passed with our heroes seeing little fighting as most towns are easily retaken. A fort, previously held by the Romans, now stands to be reclaimed from the Carthaginians.

Prior to the battle, the heroes are visited by Pollis whom they saved at the towers weeks back. He thanks them and rewards them with stone medallions that will afford some protection against some of the horrors they may have to face in the future. Pollis leaves and Centurion Baculas arrives and gives the heroes a job. Before dawn they are to take the fort’s gates by stealth. When the trumpet sounds, they are to open it and let the Romans in.

The heroes work out a strategy and execute it. Strangely Varicus is the first over the wall and makes the first kill. This seems a little out of character for the slacker. The wall is taken, but the alarm sounds. They’ve been seen! Crixus finds a high spot to send arrows into the Carthaginians. Varicus and Saverrio form a shield wall to contain the foe. They’ll later be joined by Oxium after he finishes off the foes on the wall. Decanus Lucius (like any good leader) and the extras of the contuberium wait outside the gates.

Inside the fort, a shadow rises from the corner of a nearby building and enters the fight. This shadow becomes a Dacian warrior. Crixus fires a couple of arrows into the man, but he is not affected. This is another Strigoi! More Carthaginians heed the call to arms. Soon Varicus, Saverrio, and Oxium are fighting for their lives wondering if they’ll be able to open the gates at all. The Dacian Strigoi has joined the fight as well. Their shield wall holds.

Outside, one of the extras dies with a spear through his heart. “Why isn’t the gate opening!?” wonders Decanus Lucius. Then the Roman trumpet sounds. In just moments the attack will begin in earnest. The gates must be opened!

At the sound of the trumpet, the Dacian Strigoi breaks off from the fight. In Dacian he says, “Another time perhaps.” He sprints for the back of the fort. Crixus follows along the rooftops after him. Then the Dacian disappears.

The heroes inside finally get the gates open just as the rest of the Romans reach it. There are several dramatic Carthaginian deaths. (I think the heroes like an audience.)

In the aftermath, Crixus finds a hidden door in the wall of the fort that the Dacian used to escape.

The heroes interrogates the Carthaginian prisoners for information on the Dacian. They find he is looking for a Dacian bowl or pot from long ago. They also speak with Pollis, who gives each of them sacred weapons that will “harm those that cannot be harmed”. He also tells them of the Twilight Legion of which he belongs. He tells them to follow the Dacian Strigoi to find out what’s going on. He also fills in some information about Strigoi in general.

Chaosius Stevas