In the Shadows of the Past [Complete]

[Dienekes22]

The courtyard is empty. It fell silent so long ago, the final blows and bloodletting now fallen out of memory. The wind whistles and songbirds sing, the only sounds that dare to pierce the otherwise noiseless morning.



The stonework gradually fails, the battle against time always a losing one, and the rubble sinks into the dirt. What remains, except the shadows of a past none remember and the emptiness of man's pursuits?



The Vampire Lord knows.



As if responding to his evil intent, the Great Mace Skivon appears beneath the Hallowed Tree.




The Vampire Lord is surrounded by his minions and vermin. He needs not speak to their ears that cannot hear, each acts according to his will.



But the undead are not the only force seeking this Artifakt. Engelier, Peer of Touraine, is here with some of his retainers.



They are accompanied by men-at-arms.



Arthur moves slowly through the ruined nave.

"Truly," he says, "my heart hurts to see what has been lost."



His troops and archers advance around him.



Tomoe and her samurai emerge from the shadows and leaves, having learned from their failure on the forgotten coast that the best way to achieve their goals is to be very close to it at the start.



Unfortunately, their force arrives split up.



Aha! Ever in pursuit of the Vampire Lord, Van Helsing and his ward arrive on the field.




Initial Overwatch.

Sign Ups: Open

Undead: Bertinator
Engelier and the Kingdom of Touraine: Scribonius
Arthur and the Court of Bryton: Arkbrik
Tomoe and the Shogunate: Bragallot
Van Helsing: Neonvyr

Goals: Get the Great Mace (except Van Helsing, who just wants to kill the Vampire Lord)

[Bragallot]

Shogunate plox.

[Arkbrik]

Beautiful! I will take Arthur

[Dienekes22]

Arkbrik and Bragallot are in

[Dienekes22]

All spots are filled. By midweek I’ll have information out so orders can be submitted

[Dienekes22]

Turn 1



Arthur gives his orders and the men follow without hesitation.



Quickly and quietly they file out of the church toward the Artifakt.



Except one who goes to look for some stairs (that he will find).



The troops make it about halfway down the stairs to within striking distance of the Artifakt.



Nearby, Engelier's men make their way forward.



Eerily similar, Van Helsing and his ward rush toward the Artifakt.



The Vampire Lord steps forward and calls upon the elements to obey his bidding. He counts on the sinister energy of this forgotten place to heed his call.
(The Vampire Lord does not have inherent SN power, the energy effects are for show)



The wind listens, whipping through the courtyard and uncovering the rotting remains of tragedy long past.



The skeletons advance slowly, a mass of silent bones.



It looks like trouble may be on the rise of the Vampire Lord and his guards. In his haste to avoid his nemesis Van Helsing he has placed himself in harm's way.



Tomoe and her troops rush toward the Artifakt, keeping a careful eye on Arthur's and his troops.



Across the creek, samurai make an aggressive move.



What will happen next?



Overwatch.

Bookkeeping:

Everyone got a generous movement boost, a trend that will continue. The skeletons got the smallest boost to allow them to amass, but be warned that in doing so they will get to move significantly further and faster next turn to make up for it. Other players also be warned the Vampire Lord can move extremely fast if he wants and can regenerate HP (Bert I will explain that mechanic in DM because I forgot.)
Expect constant skeleton reinforcements. Be warned you must return the Artifakt to the same area your side entered to win.
I kept everyone out of combat this turn so you can all make your arrangements with more information.
Brag, I kept your flank out of combat since your faced with a lot of vermin AND the faction Hero. These troops will act first next turn to respect your previous orders.
Now that everyone had a head start the Vampire Lord will go first each turn since it is the "attacking" player.

Send orders for Turn 02!

[Dienekes22]

Turn 2



Catching the gaze of the Vampire Lord makes the samurai rethink their strategy. They gather together, protecting their chu-ko-nu.



Nearby, Tomoe and her troops hug the stone (I'm realizing just this second you probably meant the staircase wall? Sorry about that)



She tosses some caltrops on the path.



The Vampire Lord strikes with speed, but his faithful skeletons can't quite get into the fight.



The chu-ko-nu responds first, hitting two of three burst shots. The damage is insane, but so was the armor roll. The Vampire Lord just barely loses 1HP! The nearby samurai aren't able to pile on any damage.



It's not enough to slow him down, and he topples the samurai and tries to drink his blood. The samurai is just able to resist. The chu-ko-nu reloads.



The skeletons use their own rotting bones to build bridges.



The rest of the army advances.



Some vermin find weapons in the bone pile.



Engelier and his men charge valiantly toward the Artifakt.



"Aha! I leap toward victory, my friends, and the glory of..."



This gag is for Kevin Feige and Kevin Feige only.



Engelier tumbles in pain after landing on the caltrop. He is unharmed but embarrassed.



Van Helsing is not in good position.



"Cover me, ward!" he shouts, dashing forward into great danger.



He reaches into the water...



Jackpot! (His hand is covered in mosquito bites, also)



He tosses the dynamite into the pile of bones.




The bones scatter and one of the vermin is returned to dust. Van Helsing and his ward run toward the Artifakt.



The archer realizes he still has a long way to go (next turn he'll be up top)



With epic valor and incredible music, Arthur and his men glide toward the Artifakt, the ground blooming at their feet. (My hands are too clumsy to place all the grass and flowers but believe me, it's all there)

The archer and chu-ko-nu engage in a duel.



The chu-ko-nu is slain, but his bolt ripped the crossbow out of his foe's hands.





Overwatch.

Send orders for turn 3!

[Dienekes22]

Turn 3



The Vampire Lord succeeds in biting the samurai, drinking his blood and acquiring an additional HP (3 remain). The samurai will become a vermin next turn.



The other Shogunate troops are shocked and dismayed.



The archer is completing his reload and stays out of the ensuing melee. The two samurai strike dangerously with their sharp swords, but the Vampire Lord is too fast, dodging them with impossible quickness! (Feat success)



The guards are quick to attack.



The red samurai is slain while the other is beset upon by skeletons. He, too, is killed.



The archer feels exceptionally lonely.



Nearby, the vermin skeletons form a ladder to the top of the rock.



One skeleton makes to attack Van Helsing.



He dispatches it expertly.



But the skeleton had many friends. Several make their way up the BONE LADDER



The other flank advances, also.



Some skeletal reinforcements advance, while others arrive on the scene. These are more dangerous abominations with four arms!



Van Helsing finds himself in a melee, neither able to find the upper hand.



One skeleton reaches the top of the rock.



The archer makes a quick retreat, ready to shoot next turn.



"Not Tom, he was so young!" Tomoe shouts, grabbing the fallen bow, readying it against Arthur and his troops.



All of the Brytish troops are caught in a single arc. Arrows clatter against armor and shields. The front rank escapes harm, save for one soldier who has the axe shot out of his hand (Something Bad). The back rank, however, suffers two casualties.

(I cannot describe the hilarity of rolling something like 20 dice and applying a dozen modifiers to discover that the only people who died were entirely covered up in the bank row)



Engelier's troops form multiple defensive fronts. One of his men-at-arms helps haul him over the top of the rock.



"Aha!" he shouts, "the Artifakt is mine!"



"Speak not so fast!"



Arthur orders his troops to ignore Tomoe and charge toward the rock. One soldier begins to climb up while the rest slam into the enemy front.



They kill one man-at-arms and cut the shield hand off the second (Something Bad)



The Tourish officer steps into the gap and scores a kill.



The crossbowman, having retrieved his crossbow, charges down the steps to avenge his comrade, but he trips and falls.



"Ha! You fool!" the officer shouts.



Zing! A fast moving bolt strikes clean through her neck and her head falls to the ground.



Ah! The other crossbowman has arrived on the roof!



What a view...



Van Helsing dispatches his skeletal foe and blows another's head to bits.



He runs for the Artifakt. His ward is taking cover at the base of the rock.





Overwatch.

Note: The first action resolved in Turn 4 will be the scuffle over the Artifakt between Engelier and Arthur. Scrib and Ark, please specify any strategies or tactics you want to employ to win this duel.

Send orders for Turn 4!

[Dienekes22]

Arthur shield slams Engelier, knocking him away from the Artifakt



He lands some distance away, unharmed, among the skeletons.



He can act on his turn without penalty.



Arthur has the Artifakt!



The Vampire Lord calls forth a haunting wind...



Heretofore unseen bats are pulled from the rafters of the decaying church...



They make a beeline for Arthur...



The fell wind propels the bats so fast they topple Arthur into a skeleton! He stops dead in his tracks after his MOM was low.



Long time no see.



Arthur is ready to defend himself and will act on his turn. (He can throw his shield away because the Artifakt allows him to parry as if he was still carrying it)



The two heroes are mobbed by skeletons.



The skeletons advance.



Ohhhhhh shit.



This guy doesn't have much to do anymore.



The chu-ko-nu is in trouble, but the skeletons can't quite reach him.



Arthur is under attack, and his fellow soldier rushes to assist!



"I will save you!" he says after an impressive Redshirt roll.



The damage is so low that the warrior just bounces off into the mud.

Otherwise, Engelier and Arthur avoid damage entirely (for now)



"Aha!" the crossbowman says, leaping to his feet.



He rolls a 1.



High above, the sniper crossbowman manages to hit Tomoe despite her human shield, but the damage is too low.




Elsewhere, the handless soldier now loses his head, as well.



Wielding the powerful Artifakt is a breeze for Arthur, and he unleashes a mighty arc attack.



He dashes four skeletons to DUST



Engelier's man-at-arms rushes into battle but is swiftly killed on a counter.



Engelier, meanwhile, easily dispatches on the of vermin skeletons assaulting him, causing the skeleton ladder to topple. He now has a good barrier against harm, though the barrier will rise against him next turn.



That's all the time he needs for a rematch.



If that fails, his troops come rushing to his aid.



Tomoe pulls out a copy of The Art of War!

"Wait, where are we even from?" her bodyguard asks aloud.

"Ha!" she exclaims, ignoring him, "You see, I have laid the perfect trap!"



Unfortunately, Arthur is unfazed. Tomoe realizes that she didn't throw enough caltrops for this plan to have worked (feat failed). She throws the text to the ground in disgust.



Dodging his foes, the chu-ko-nu lands a gnarly headshot and kills a skeleton.




Intermediary Overwatch.

At this point I have decided the current state of the battle has changed so much from the last turn that it's not possible to carry out some of your orders. Tomoe is disadvantaged by the movement and Van Helsing is way out of the loop. With this in mind, this turn is not yet resolved but will continue thusly:

Arthur and Engelier have a chance to compete in a Heroic Duel. If one (or both) parties decline the duel, then:
Van Helsing and Tomoe will act next, should they have new orders given the current battle state

If Arthur and Engelier do decide to Duel, this will be resolved first in very dramatic fashion.

I need the following:
Arkbrik & Scribonius: preferences for avoiding or engaging in the Duel, plus orders for the rest of the next turn
Nervyr: confirmation of the orders you just sent, but you can send changes
Brag: orders to complete this turn and anything for next turn
Bert: orders for next turn

[Dienekes22]

Turn 5



And so it is a duel!



Engelier charges in, drawing Arthur into a masterful gambit in which Engelier can dodge the powerful overhand strike...



But the strike is so fast and so powerful that only the quick thinking of a nearby redshirt can save Engelier from insane damage!



Not to be deterred, Engelier strikes right back.



He's able to just overcome Arthur's heavy armor to deal 1HP of damage! (1 remains)
(Notice the convenient HP counters)



Arthur once again readies a mighty blow, but another redshirt arrives to knock Engelier away!



Engelier goes on the offensive, sliding underneath Arthur's hammer and barely, barely doing damage... but Arthur rolls a redshirt from 9" away to take the damage! It wasn't enough to kill.



Arthur, undeterred, strikes again, and is foiled by a THIRD redshirt! Engelier's troops have been exhausted!



After another failed attack by Engelier, Arthur is finally able to land a hit! Engelier loses 1HP! (1 remains)



Engelier, exhausted, chops overhead but Arthur dodges...



And he lands a huge blow on Engelier's back.



He limps away, ceding the Artifakt to Arthur...

Engelier and the Tourish are defeated!



"Gadzooks!" Van Helsing shouts.



He sprints to Arthur, mysteriously transforming into a werewolf!!!



He attacks, along with his ward, but the damage is too low to harm Arthur.



Arthur's counterattack, however, pushes Van Helsing back to the rock and damages him for 1HP (1 remains)



Van Helsing transforms back to a fig.



A skeleton searches the base of the rock...



EEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOO



"Oh! Oh! The excitement is palpable! It's me, Bone Rivers, here at the Old Abandoned Monastary, where Fre-bone-y Mercury has just started an impromptu show. It's true! It's true!"



"Look at how excited they all are! Oh, this is just wild. Even the living figs are distracted by the great performance!"



"Oh, oh, wait, wait, I'm here with the Vampire Lord, fresh off his conquest of such and such and what's that place. Mr. Vampire Lord! What's it like to be here right now in front of this crowd?"



"It's so good to be here, Bone Rivers, but I must run..."



The Vampire Lord transforms into a bat and flies straight for Arthur!



He tries to take the Artifakt!



Unfortunately, Arthur wasn't quite distracted enough for the Vampire Lord to take it away.



"What are you doing here?" Fre-bone-y shouts, "we need that Artifakt!"



A good number of skeletons mass against Arthur, but for now nobody can deal any damage.



The disrupted redshirts recover.



"Do I even bother?"

He does! The archer combine to barely overcome Tomoe's armor and knock off 1HP! (1 remains)



Tomoe reads from the text, just barely readable in the mud, as if fate itself framed the right passage.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."

The troops look at each other in understanding.



They commit ritual sudoku, producing a sudoku set and trying to solve it together to harness their strategic power...



They use it to kick the archer in the nuts!

"If your opponent is too strong, hit them in the schlong."



"Oh... my sausage..."



The archer keels over and dies.




Overwatch

Send orders for Turn 06! (Which will likely be the last turn, so plan ahead)

Note: the heroic duel lasted over two dozen rounds, I just took photos of the highlights.

[Dienekes22]

Turn 6 (Finale)



"All right, everyone, you know what's next... Bonehemian, Rhapsody!!"

Fre-bone-ie begins to sing while the battle rages beneath him...



Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality...
A landslide of skeletons rush Arthur, but he quickly counters with a huge attack, arcing through several skeletons with ease.



Then he crit-fails twice in a row and the Artifakt is flung from his hands!



Mama, just killed a man Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead...

Simultaneously, a skeleton tries to wrestle Van Helsing's gun away from him!



Mama, life had just begun But now I've gone and thrown it all away...

Also simultaneously, the skeleton hulk sees an opportunity. He picks up an unwilling skeleton and YEETS him through the air!



MAMAAAAAAAA!! OOOOOOUUUOOOOOOUUUUU!!!

What a throw! The yeeted skeleton collides with the Artifakt in midair!



The Artifakt predictably demolishes the skeleton, but it comes to rest right here.



Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go ... I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all...

The Vampire Lord sees his chance! He starts to transform into a bat...



POW!!



Van Helsing, against all odds, has managed to turn his pistol (and the vermin skeleton) toward the Vampire Lord and he lands a great shot! (Feat success)



"Wait," his ward says, "why does the Vampire Lord have the same hairpiece as you..."



The beats fill the air and so, too, do these skeletons start to fill in around the Artifakt.



Arthur and his men charge into the fray.



They kill two skeletons!



Tomoe stops and looks to the sky.

"I summon... MY SPECIALERUUUU ATTACKEERRUUUU"



Far above the battle, there is a stirring...



A huge object, orbiting the Brikverse, comes into view...



It starts to fall toward the battlefield, picking up impossible speed for something so immense!



Oh god! It's going to obliterate everyone!



pew!



The regularly sized object hits the undead with tremendous force and splits into two!



Each piece flies through the air with incredible force, shredding bones upon bones! (Feat success)



"We have a chance, now!" Tomoe shouts.



Not so! She's struck by a huge overskill from the Brytish archer above!



"All right, I've had enough," she says, running off.

But why didn't she run to a different edge? Mind your business.



"Uh, guys?"



The chu-ko-nu abandons his orders because you know what, screw this.



This guy is ready to rock and roll.



Arthur leaves his troops to defend him as he goes to grab the Artifakt. Behind him, though, the skeleton weirdo heaves with supernatural might.



The shot plows through both of Arthur's men-at-arms.



Unfazed, he grabs the Artifakt (again) as the skeletons file in unopposed.



"HA!" the Vampire Lord shouts, "What will you do, now? Your edge is far away, and I have you pinned!"



"The only other threat to me is stuck in close combat with my minions!"



"Face it, you have chance against one such as I."



Arthur considers for a moment.

"Okay, but, what if I just walk off this edge?" he says. "That's a lot of dice rolls if I go the other way. Seems like a lot of hassle."



"I'll just try this..."



Holy shit he fucking won! Arthur fucking did it! You other losers fucking WISH you had thought of that. Holy fuck BRYTON FUCKING WINS IT MOTHERFUCKERS!






Final Overwatch and some carnage. I would have taken more but the mass of skeleton bones looks like garbage in this lighting.

Thanks for playing everyone!