The Night of the Sorowmœn - A Halloween game in The Harrowmark

The last night of Graives, the eleventh month in the Harrowmark calendar, was called the Sorowmœn - a Harrowmark "festival" that commemorated an ancient unremembered cataclysm.

The Harrowmark has its own local moon, but long ago there were two: one was destroyed in some great calamity, the details of which have faded from even the long memory of the undead. The shards of the second moon follow the remaining one - they were called The Moon's Daughters by the locals and there were many sad folk-tales about them.

On one night each year, the night of Sorowmœn, the Moon's Daughters were not visible, and the surviving moon seemed to moan with grief for her loss.

But Sorowmœn also gained new significance because it was on that night the Necroquake first hit the Harrowmark. The locals said Nagash obviously knew what he was doing when he picked that day, of all days, to enact a ritual that was centuries in the planning... The restless dead became even more unquiet on that night, and every anniversary of it. So the mortal populous of the Harrowmark shut themselves up in their rotting hovels in the evening of the Sorowmœn; they doubled the number of fetishes placed on their lintels; fresh paint was daubed on the warding hex-marks protecting their doors, new-made straw poppets hung from every window frame...

But beyond that all they could do was hide, and hope to see the next dawn.

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SCENE I. A tavern at night. In the middle, a boiling cauldron.

Thunder. Enter three orruk pirates.

First Pirate

Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.

Second Pirate

Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.

Third Pirate

Bell rings. 'Tis time, 'tis time.

First Pirate

Round about the cauldron go;

In the season'd entrails throw.

Toad, that under cold stone

Days and nights has thirty-one

Swelter'd venom sleeping got,

Boil thou first i' the warmed pot.

Second Pirate

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Third Pirate

Well, that sounds disgusting. I ain't eating that.

Enter BORTAGNO to the other three Pirates

BORTAGNO

You'll eat what your given mate, or go hungry.

Music and a song: 'Black spirits,' & c

BORTAGNO retires

Second Pirate

Open, locks,

Whoever knocks!

Thunder. Enter KAPITAN Da LEEVA, wet from the storm.

KAPITAN Da LEEVA

How now, you secret, salty midnight coves!

What is't you do?

ALL

A deed without a name.

Third Pirate

Dinner. Which, its just called dinner ain't it?

Da LEEVA

Howe'er you come to know it, answer me:

Though you untie the winds and let them fight

Against the graves; though the testy waves

Confound and swallow navigation up;

Though castles topple on their warders' heads;

Though inverted pyramids do slope

Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure

Even till Destruction sicken; answer me

To what I ask you.

First Pirate

Speak.

Second Pirate

We'll answer.

Third Pirate

What's he taking about?

Da LEEVA

What will never be

Who can impress the forest, bid the tree

Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet battles? Good!

Rebellious dead, rise ever fill the wood

Of Kalyustar's art, and his dark-placed crew

Shall shed the lease of nature, pay his due

To time and mortal custom. Yet my heart

Beats to know one thing: tell me, if your art

Can tell so much: shall Rotmoons this night

Leave this damned inn and join the fight?

Exeunt all pirates collecting their scattered weapons and gear, flustered and panicked.

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SCENE II. A forest graveyard by moonlight. In the middle, the necromancer KALYUSTAR at work among pumpkins. The Sorowmœn shines alone, low in the sky.

Enter twelve orruk pirates, whispering loudly.

DRAGANTE

Seize upon the dog; give to the edge o' the sword

His skeletons, his gheists, and all the unfortunate souls

That he play like puppets. No boasting like a fool;

This deed I'll do before this purpose cool.

AWKWARDO

Stab his eyes, and grieve his heart;

Come like shadows, so depart!

KALYUSTAR

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Some stinking orruk this way comes.

DRAGANTE

To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:

The rituals and schemes of Kalyustar I will surprise.

Da LEEVA

This time, thou anticipate not my dread exploits:

My purpose never is o'ertook

Where is he? Gone? Let this pernicious hour

Stand aye accursed in the calendar!

Go on Ladz, advance without fear!

EL DOCTORO

I conjure you, by that which I profess,

Oh well done I! I commend you; pain!

Thunder and lightning.

Much running about by the pirates.

Enter Skeletons and Gheists, from below the ground.

KEINRICH (A Skeleton)

I thought to fright you thus, methinks, you are too savage;

I'll do worse with fell blade and cruelty!

He stabs.

DE LEEVA

Hold fast the mortal sword, and like good crew!

Gheists be gone, let flee to wail of sorrows new.

BORTAGNO

That Kalyustar, whose name blisters my tongue,

Was once thought honest: you'd have liked him well.

He hath not touch'd Shyish when he was young;

But by my blade tonight, he'll go to hell.

AWKWARDO

Thy traitor's blade has cut me deep!

To recover whence, I think I'll sleep.

He falls to the ground.

Drum rolls and battle-cries echo in the darkness.

EL DOCTORO

I'd conjure more but Parche; the blast would catch,

That fool pirate, with hook and patch.

KALYUSTAR

Let me seek out some desolate shade, and there

Draw out sad graves to empty.

KALYUSTAR runs from the pirates.

KALYUSTAR

What now to believe, and what I can redress,

As I shall consult my Shadeglass friend, I will:

What you have spoke, it may be so perchance.

The Shadeglass Skull

(You have no chance.)

First Gheist

He has kill'd me, again I'm free:

Whither should I fly?

I have done no harm. But I remember now

I am in this earthly world; where to do harm

Is often laudable, to do good sometime

I'll run away, to where Nagash won't see!

The First Gheist fades from sight.

KEINRICH

I bleed, bleed, poor country!

Great tyranny! lay thou thy basis sure.

DRAGANTE

You ain't what I call bleeding mate.

But that serves you right, poor Awkwardo, the late.

EL DOCTORO

Now Parche is clear, I can again,

Use my sorcery to bring your end.

Thunder and green lightning.

Second Gheist

You though me gone Bortagno? Your blade bit deep.

It will be you that ends this day.

And I return once more to reap,

I see thee still, And from my blade your blood does seep.

FRANCOT

In my most ill-composed affection much curtailed.

My stanchless avarice fulfilled, that is, were I not impaled.

He dies.

Da LEEVA

These crimes of yours,

Stick deeper, grow with more than pernicious root,

Yet this sword of mine, I stole as loot,

Has slay'd kings and great beasts: so do not fear;

Of your own mere soul: will disappear,

With other graces weigh'd,

You'll not remember that you, I also slay'd.

TAMBOR

This drumming rhythm I will beat steady.

Come, go we to the Necromancer; our power is ready;

Our lack is nothing but Kalyustar, by our flanking,

Has proved to be just ripe for shanking,

And by the powers of Gork (or Mork),

Put up your club and hook, Parche. Receive what cheer you may:

The night is long that never finds the day.

They set upon the fallen Necromancer KALYUSTAR, and beat him.

Exeunt the pirates, joyous in victory.

ALL (singing)

Full fathom five the wizard lies;

Of his bones is worm-food made;

Those are stones that were his eyes:

Nothing of him that doth fade,

But doth suffer a sea-change

Into something rich and strange.

aethersea-beasts ring his knell:

Ding-dong.

Hark! now I hear them, ding-dong, bell.

Their singing fades into the darkness.

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(Apologies to Shakespeare fans for the mangling I have committed!)

We used "A Grave Mistake" Battleplan from Bringers of Death for our special Halloween game, a Warcry 1st edition book, but we played it with 2nd edition rules. It still worked perfectly well and proved that the old books are not to be thrown out! And 1500 points of Bonesplitterz is a LOT of orruks.

After the game finished we discussed things that might have balanced it better - our best idea was simply to add that all objectives should be controlled by the Death player at the start of Round 1. That way they would have at least a chance to summon a reasonable warband during the game.

It was still loads of fun though, Kalyustar nearly died so many times but managed to pull off some incredibly narrow-escapes.

Viktor's version of this tale is here.