Further Adventures in The Scarlands - part 5, Brackenthorn Tower

The noises of living creatures filled the shade beneath the trees. Narrow beams of sunlight slanted diagonally through the leafy canopy. Krashhart and Battendown stood at the tree-line and looked into the gloom between the trees.

"I've heard stories about this place." said Battendown.

"I know lad, me and all." said Krashhart, with a grin. "There's going to be a boatload of fighting in there over the next few weeks. You mark my words."

The other Swordfyshes heard this and chuckled among themselves. They started telling each other of the things they were going to find in there, the fights they were going to win. In the telling, each boast became more extreme than the last...

Dramatis Personae

The Swordfyshes

• Lord Krashhart - Warchanter Explorer
• Kaptain Battendown - Ardboy with a cloak and a squig-parrot
• Sinka - Brute with red bandana
• Hook - Brute with a hook hand
• Flotsum - Brute with blue bandana
• Mr Flea - Ardboy Drummer
• Dakmeff - Ardboy with a barrel on his back
• Barnacle Nog - Ardboy with a bag of bones
• Mainstay - Ardboy with red shoulder-plate and bandana

~ ⦽ ~

Brackenthorn Tower. A moss-covered stone tower on the edge of the forest, overrun with small spined beasts. Horrible hungry things with more teeth and claws and spikes than anything really had a right to have. Someone said they were called Bearakeets, and for once, no one thought to argue with them.

When two bands of explorers appeared, on either side of the rocky hill the tower stood on, the bearakeets growled territorially at both groups..

Dakmeff, Barnacle Nog and Hook all got bitten by the vile beasts, when they came too near two piles of potential loot. The boxes were all empty though, save for the horrible biting creatures.

A Gnoblar from the Ironforged Ogors opened a third chest also only found an angry bearakeet.

But Cargo the Maneater surged up the hill and found a chest full of loot: glowing green stones. The last of the bearakeets fled from the tower, startled by the massive Manester's booming laughter.

So far, the Ironforged were getting the better of the Swordfyshes again!

Then the main force of both crews arrived - Mainstay, Battendown and Sinka from the south-west.

Krashhart, Flotsum and Mr Flee from the north.

Another Ogor Maneater from the north-east.

And Scargat the Tyrant from the south.

Mainstay cautiously opened a chest, he was relieved to find it full of loot! He wisely kept himself well clear of the fighting from then on.

Krashhart distracted Cargo with a "Look at that!" trick, that really should not have worked, and grabbed the glowing green rocks from under his nose!

After pushing a squealing Gnoblar to the ground, Mr Flea leapt up the rocks to try and make sure Cargo couldn't follow Krashhart.

But Cargo punched him out cold without even breaking a sweat, with a single meaty fist.

Dakmeff leapt into Flea's place, as the other maneater arrived and smashed into Krashhart.

Battendown and Sinka weighed-up their options. Two Gnoblars hurled insults at them - but it was clear the little gits were setting up traps. The orruks didn't take the bait.

Skargat scaled the tower and grabbed the loot out of the last chest: a bunch of scrolls tied to a skull. He wasn't going to muck about with carrying stuff though - that was Gnoblar work. To the Swordfyshes' shock and disbelief he just lobbed the scrolls behind him, over the wall!

Cargo dropped down behind Krashhart and smacked the Warchanter on the head. He went down like a sack of potatoes.

The rest of the Swordfyshes were furious and piled-onto Cargo. The hacked and stabbed and punched and headbutted. The flamboyant ogor fell eventually. But their focused rage allowed the other Manester to escape. Skargat jumped down from the tower, he landed with a bone-crunching crash but the only thing that broke were the paving slabs beneath his feet.

Skargat wasn't as careless as it looked from the pirate's point of view though: There was a Gnoblar waiting at the foot of the tower on the far side. The little tyke grabbed the scrolls and scarpered

Then the Maneater dropped the green rocks behind him too - another Gnoblar nabbed them and legged it!

Kaptain Battendown could see which way the wind was blowing. The Gnoblars were too fast, and too far away, for the pirates to be able to do anything about them. So he let the ogors have the two treasures in their clutches. The Swordfyshes had to console themselves that they got a pile of coins at least. He called back the others who were about to give chase and told them to pick up the unconscious Krashhart.

Maybe this tower would make a good camp site, ahead of Krashhart's planned expedition into the Prowling Forest?

~ ⦽ ~

Deployment: Fog of War (1st Edition Battleplan cards)

Victory: Savage Treasure (WD473, Thondia rules)

Twist: Planned to Perfection: Tribal Spirits (WD473, Thondia rules)

This was probably our last Open Play game before we start the new Narrative Play campaign properly. Viktor and I both have the new rulebook and Battleplan cards now, so we will each be picking our first Quests for our warbands and Heroic Traits for our leaders.

The updated campaign system looks really good, so we will be playing it (almost!) straight out of the book, with just a slight change of location for our story. Instead of the Gnarlwood in Thondia our games will continue our post-Animosity IV narrative in the Prowling Forest, in the eastern Scarlands.