In the candle-lit back room of the Rose and Scythe inn El Doctoro and Kapitan
da Leeva leafed through the stolen letters and books. The table was covered in
sheaves of paper, weighed down with a heavy pistol and a couple of empty
tankards. The two orruk pirates were looking for a particular map. Every time
they came across a map, a diagram, a weather chart, even a scribbled sketch,
they closely examined it. Letters, reports, cargo or crew lists, diary entries
and the like, all went on the floor.
"It ain't here. None of these is even close." grumbled the Kapitan. He started
throwing love letters and old bills of lading into the fire.
"The Cursed Company must have it in the bundles they salvaged." said El
Doctoro as he slumped into one of the big chairs.
The Kapitan thought for a minute. "Then we go to where they was last seen
hiding out and take it from them!" he said, shrugging off the disappointment
at the prospect of another fight.
+++
Sheltering at the Hurricane Bell, the looters sift through their gains searching for the map. As their rivals ambush them, the spirits of the explorers whose gear they have stolen rise to exact vengeance.Terrain: Hurricane Bell in the centre of the southern half of the board, woods and graves all around.Deployment: Stranglehold. The winner of ‘The Bitter Harvest’ uses the blue deployment points.Victory: Defend the Find. The winner of ‘The Bitter Harvest’ is the defender.Twist: Insidious Malignants.Reward: the winner of the battle steals the map (fluff reward) and receives a Treasure Horde (Tome of Champions 2020, page 75).
+++
The ever-present crows squawked and flapped around as the Rotmoons tried to
creep through the trees. Unfortunately the sounds of their arguments
completely undermined their efforts at secrecy.
El Doctoro, Bortagno and Tambor approached the Hurricane Bell from the north.
And saw that Kalyustar had already established a strong defensive position.
Kapitan da Leeva and his group came from the west.
With a lightning-fast charge da Leeva ran up to the Bell deck and grabbed one
of the log books. The skeleton defenders were slow to react!
Malignant spirits lashed out at the combatants of both warbands as they
struggled. Daggers of ice-cold death magic picked and slashed at them.
Percy Percy joined him and held off the undead minions for a moment or two.
Bold Rikk readied himself, he tried to pick the right moment...
Dudoso joined Bold Rikk and the two of them jeered each-other on.
The Deathrattle defenders swarmed at the orruk buccaneers.
El Doctoro, Bortagno and Tambor blasted and bashed at the skeletons waiting at
the foot of the skull-carved rocky outcrop.
The Rotmoons on deck continued to fend off the advancing undead.
Dragante, Francot and Awkwardo eventually appeared to the east, and were
immediately set-upon by lurking Deathrattle fighters.
The forests around the Hurricane Bell echoed with the sounds of gunfire,
shouts and the clash of steel.
The Kapitan leapt down from the Bell deck and joined up with El Doctoro's
group.
Bold Rikk grabbed another bundle of papers and fell back to Bortagno's side.
After a long duel, Bortagno finally felled the skeletal duardin and he
splashed into a puddle.
El Doctoro sent crackling arcs of Waaagh! energy at the Wight.
Percy Percy was shanked by the surrounding skeletons.
Dragante and Awkwardo made slow, but steady, progress.
Sorcerous fires flashed out from the Bell deck.
Dudoso and the Kapitan watched from the trees, clutching their precious loot.
Tambor fell, impaled by a rusty spear.
Bortagno took his moment, grabbed a bundle of maps and ran.
Bold Rikk faced the Wight alone.
And the skeleton champion armed with a greatsword jumped him from behind!
El Doctoro made the mistake of engaging in a magical duel instead of boarding
the Hurricane Bell.
Spells flew back and forth but none helped the Rotmoons in their mission!
The pirate orruks' initial success looked like it might be undone at the last.
The Kapitan fended-off more relentlessly advancing Deathrattle skeletons.
Francot was set upon, first by two skeletons...
Then the undead Champions...
And finally the Wight!
It was too much for him and he was overwhelmed.
Awkwardo tried to break through the skeletons in the woods.
Kalyustar taunted the Rotmoons from the Bell deck. His laugher rang in their
ears
The Rotmoons fell back to the forests with some, but not all, of the looted
documents. Critically they still didn't have the map they were looking for.
+++
We played this game in two instalments - turns 1 to 3 in one session and
turn 4 in the next. I really thought I was going to win until the last turn
when my plan crumbled!
Viktor’s side of this adventure is
here.
