Further Adventures in The Scarlands - part 8, A Disorganised Raid

"So. Everyone proper understands the plan, right?" said Krashhart in a conspiratorial tone. He sounded serious but there was a glint in his eye; he was enjoying this.

He could make out the gathered crew nodding in the darkness, the dim moonlight of Gnorl Half-Eaten that filtered through the leafy branches above was only just enough to silhouette them.

He went over the plan one more time, just in case...

Half an hour later Krashhart, Sinka and Flea approached the ruin. 

"See? Only Cargo and a couple of the little grubbers what runs about them all the while." said Krashhart in a hoarse whisper. "We'll shank them all if we have too, but make sure and set the place ablaze first!"

The first light of dawn broke through the clouds above the distant mountain range.

"Flea, cut along that way. Sinka, you head off to starboard. Light them up!" he ordered with a toothy grin.

But Cargo had seen them coming and he sent the Gnoblars scampering to get in the pirates' way.

The ogor Maneater sprang into action and thundered toward Sinka, just as the orruk pirate first sparked flint against steel. The fuse fizzed away into the barrels, unnoticed by Cargo.

Mr Flea busted open one of the barrels and set a long fuse burning to the black powder within. He chuckled to himself darkly. Then he spotted a Gnoblar lurking. 

"Where did that little git spring-up from? He will need sorting out." he said to himself. "The blighter probably saw me light the taper. He'll dowse it if I leave him be."

Cargo rounded on Sinka and gave him such a smack and the rest of the crew could hear the clang of the rusty anchor against the orruk's armour from half a mile away.

Krashhart squashed Watcha, after the troublesome Gnoblar stamped out the fire he had started in a stack of books and papers.

Flotsum and Battendown arrived but Dakmeff was not with them as planned. He would have to explain himself later. Battendown made a mental note to remind him of his job!

Cargo headed back to the ruined fane, an ancient stone circle covered in new-carved runes.

Mr Flea chased the Gnoblar and flattened him. The fuse burned down and exploded the black powder stores in a bright flash of light. The boom echoed through the trees: Both the Ironforged and the Swordfyshes heard it and came running toward the noise.

Cargo caught Krashhart with a nasty up-swing. The Warchanter reeled backward.

Mr Flea jumped into the fane as Battendown and Flotsum arrived at the smoking patch of burned undergrowth.

A Crusher called Hrothgur chased after Battendown and Flotsum, but Dakmeff was on his tail, eager to tell the other Swordfyshes where he'd been.

Krashhart leapt out of the stone circle as Flea entered.

Hook, Barnacle Nog and Mainstay arrived and Skargat was quick to intercept them. A fight erupted and both sides landed heavy blows. But Hook caught an axe in the gut and went down.

A Gnoblar left his post guarding a stack of powder barrels and ran to "help" Cargo.

Dakmeff crept up on Hrothgur.

Battendown and Flotsum surprised Cargo and together took the big lunk, and his helper, down. 

After Mainstay fell to a single blow, Barnacle Nog realised that Skargat was going to slaughter all of them single-handedly, so he legged it. On his fight he passed the unguarded powder keg. So he tossed a lighted taper in and a few moments later the barrels exploded spectacularly.

Hrothgur the Crusher got to the stone circle just as the Swordfyshes decided it was time they left and scattered.

Two Gnoblars arrived, exceedingly late.

~ ⦽ ~

On their way back to camp, helping their injured crewmates hobble along, the crew's mood was buoyant: The Swordfyshes had scored a victory.

As they walked they discussed the day's adventures: Blowing up half the Ironforged's stores was obviously the highlight, on that they could all agree. 

But Flotsum told a story of besting a carnosaur in single combat, and ripping a tooth from its maw - a tooth which he gladly showed off to anyone who would look - this tale was met with a little scepticism, but no one actually contradicted him. And Dakmeff then regaled them with his account of exploring an underground fastness with bass-relief carving covering the walls, depicting heroes of antiquity battling a massive vulpine serpent monster. He recounted details that no one could exactly say were wrong, but there might have been a little too many of them to be entirely "on the up-an-up". He probably just fell down a hole in the ground.

But the crew stayed in good spirits. 

They would tell a tale to the anchor watch, back at Brackenthorn Tower, a tale of a daring raid deep into enemy held regions. A mighty battle when they were discovered up to their mischief, and the huge detonations of the stores of black powder and sundry food stuffs. Some of the details might even have been true and accurate!

~ ⦽ ~

Deployment: Outflank

Victory: The Raid

Twist: Late Arrivals

This was a fantastic game - the story almost wrote itself! Viktor suggested (as we played) that Controlling an objective meant lighting a long fuse, but if one of his models was nearby they would extinguish it!

I won the priority roll and chose to be the Attacker again (as it gives me +2 Progress on my Quest!) Viktor placed the 6 objectives in a way that made it harder for me to keep him off them - since he only needed a single fighter within 3" of each one I controlled to stop me burning them he wanted to be able to keep his options open.

I used movement abilities as much as I could to keep my warband in unexpected places. At the end of the first Round I could not burn any of the stores, even though I controlled two of them - there were Gnoblars nearby to snuff out the fires.

Once my reinforcements started to arrive (only one of my fighters was late) I was able to swarm about and make his life very tricky. I took down the Gnoblars and burned one objective each, at the end of the second and third Rounds. 

He made a tiny mistake in the fourth round and left one unguarded. I used a Disengage to shift Barnacle Nog (a fighter who would have died to the Tyrant's rain of blows, but for bad dice) out of the way of Skargat and then a Double for a Rush, to give him just enough movement to get to the unguarded stores and torch them!

My first victory in a long time: In fact my first win of 2nd edition Warcry!

Viktor's version of this adventure is here.

Dramatis Personae

The Swordfyshes

• Lord Krashhart - Warchanter Explorer
  Agile Warrior, 1 Renown
• Kaptain Battendown - Ardboy with a cloak and a squig-parrot
  2 Renown
• Sinka - Brute with red bandana
  1 Renown
• Hook - Brute with a hook hand
  1 Renown
• 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
  1 Renown
• Mainstay - Ardboy with red shoulder-plate and bandana

Quest Progress: 12/15

The burned supplies: