Midgard : Scenario 2 : Aftermath

The Encounter in the Mist saw both sides take very heavy casualties; in fact, the Romans were almost wiped out...

The Britons' losses (87pts):

• 2x Warriors 3 (44pts)
  
• 1x Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 1x Slingers (10pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
  

The Roman losses (137pts):

• Marcus Aurelius Bellator 2 (25pts)
  
• 1x Legionaries (34pts)
• 1x Cavalry (20pts)
• 2x Archers (58pts) 

• (1x Legionaries (34pts) from previous game Hors de Combat due to reduced Stamina)

The last battle left a big hole in both armies' forces, so I have upped the reinforcements this time round to make sure that I have a couple of decently sized forces for the next game, with a mind to attempting a last-stand type scenario where one side is outnumbered by the other. So, here are the reinforcements that I rolled (in the order I rolled them) for the next game...

The Britons' reinforcements (150pts out of a possible 150pts):

• 1x Archers (15pts)
• 1x Archers (15pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
• 1x Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 1x Slingers (10pts)
• 1x Hounds (22pts) 
• 1x Mounted Warriors (16pts) 
• 1x Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 1x Warriors 3 (22pts)

The Roman reinforcements (53pts):

• 1x Centurion 2 - replacement (no cost)
• 1x Auxiliary Archers (29pts)
• 1x Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts)

Going forward I will change the numbers of reinforcements back to the amounts from the last post on that subject - Britons = 100pts plus % based on size of victory, Romans = either Legionaries or two rolls on the auxiliary tables. I may change the table somewhat as I am rolling too many "specialist" units and really want more warriors types. I will have a think on that again over the next few days. I have decided that the Romans, like the Britons, should get automatic replacements for their lost leaders; a bog-standard Level 2 Legionary Centurion, except if cavalry are rolled and a new mounted Decurion or somesuch can be added. I will allow any reduced Stamina units to make up the numbers on the tabletop if needed.

The Britons' army for scenario 3 (97/209=306pts):

• Bellicus 3 (47pts)
• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
• Catuarus 1 (18pts)
• 1x Warriors 3 (22pts)
• 3x Warriors 2 (51pts)
• 1x Female Warriors (16pts)
• 1x Mounted Warriors (16pts)
• 2x Skyclad (32pts)
• 2x Archers (30pts)
• 2x Slingers (20pts)
• 1x Hounds (22pts)

This force is now back to a smidge over the 300pts starting value - what I was aiming for to enable me to play None Shall Pass (Scenario 2 from the rulebook).
 

The Roman army for scenario 3 (85/121=206pts):

• Lucius Valerius Corvus 3 (43pts)
• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
• Marius Pollux 2 (21pts) 
• 1x Legionaries (34pts)
• 1x Auxiliary Archers (29pts)
• 1x Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts)
• 1x Legionaries (-1St) (34pts)

The Romans are up to 200pts now which allows for the None Shall Pass scenario to be played properly (correct points sizes; 300:200). I am amazed at how these numbers are turning out if I am honest. There is no dice fudgery going on, just pure chance.

 

For the above scenario to become playable on the tabletop I need to create a few more figures bases. I will need a unit of Hounds for the Britons, plus a new centurion and unit of Auxiliary Spearmen for the Romans. I have all the figures required, so I will just need to paint them up and/or supply sabots for them. Now, what do I go for, mastiffs or wolfhounds, and how many on the base? I have a dog handler to go with them, but will need a different style of base as these dogs are mounted on 2p pieces and the handler on a 1p piece.

Mastiffs

Wolfhounds

The scenario also calls for a couple of items of scenery that I do not have, so I will either have to buy something that fits the bill or use an everyday item to allow me to proxy that scenery like in the last game where I used a couple of cork dining place-mats as rough ground. I will also try to get some more paint onto some more of the unpainted figures.

Representing the horrors of Cthulhu without giving the game away

I decided on a change of pace today, and amended the style of post. This is a break in form from the last few months' of D&D and Midgard game write-up offerings. I am harking back to a mini-series of related posts from 2021 wherein I discussed various ways I used to run fantasy gaming sessions. They can be seen again below if you wish to take a look...

Dungeon Dwellers' Tactics - 23 Jan 2021
Henchmen and Hirelings - 7 Jan 2021
Dungeon Ecology - 6 Jan 2021
Dungeon Parties - 5 Jan 2021

Continuing on; this is a post on how I think it may be better to represent the Cthulhu mythos and other similarly associated gribblies on the tabletop without stat blocks getting in the way - i.e. keeping a sense of awe and horror without reducing everything to numbers.

Whilst reading a book, or watching a film or TV show, I love the feelings of suspense and dread that the authors/screenwriters give to their creations and the protagonists' encounters with them. I would very much like to represent those feelings in my tabletop games.

Cthulhu Mythos Calamari - free download

I have played Call of Cthulhu on and off for many years, over several different versions, including the Dark Ages and Invictus settings. I have also played a number of one-off humans versus monsters RPGs and tabletop games like All Flesh Must Be Eaten and Broken Legions, but what has prompted me to write this post is my recent-ish acquisition of the Osprey Publishing book When Nightmares Come. It got me thinking that I often find that the horror of Lovecraft's creations are not given any justice once they make it to a rules set, because once they have stats associated with them and the players get hold of said stats, then the horror element has essentially gone. So, how do we represent unnamable and indescribable things in tabletop and RPG games?

I think the first thing we need to look at here is whether we are going to Role play or Rule play. Obviously all games require rules to make it fair for everyone that takes part and they provide the guidelines on how to play, but sometimes rules can get in the way of a darned good narrative. Most of the RPGs that I have participated in as a player have been theatre of the mind style - no miniatures, no props, just good story telling by the GM and the level of immersion into the game instilled by the players. From this, would it be too much of a stretch to have monster abilities that the GM makes up on the fly? The GM can work out what will cause harm to the creature based on pre-game thoughts, or maybe ingenious role playing by the players - that is, if a player thinks of a great ruse to disable a critter, then it should be rewarded with game-world changes by the GM. That doesn't mean to say that the next time a similar monster is encountered it has to have the same vulnerabilities.

When I play a game I try not to look at any stat blocks or monster descriptions so I purposefully don't know what each critter is capable of. Obviously stats are required for game play's sake, but if they are used, they need to be kept secret so the players do not know what they are up against. Unfortunately, having played many RPGs and having read many fantasy, sci-fi and horror novels I, as a player, kind of know what most creatures are by their description and then know what their traditional weaknesses and vulnerabilities are. This leads me towards a bit of rule playing knowing that such-and-such is a 2 HD monster, cannot be hit by mundane weapons, but is vulnerable to silver. I wish I could forget all of this whilst playing. That said, even though I, as a player, know this, unless a particular gribbly has been encountered previously, my character does not know what it is. This is where the Role playing comes in.

So, here is where a good GM comes into their own. Why should a particular monster look like the stereotypical form of that monster? Why can only certain weapons harm them? Why can they not come out during the day/night? Although it would turn any "real life" mythology on its head, in a fantasy or sci-fi world these vulnerabilities can be different. A monster might just be a particular species that is just very hard to kill. Use the rules in the Bestiary of whatever game world you are playing in but amend it slightly. In a fantasy context, maybe ghouls are not undead but are a race that live in crypts and darker environs as sunlight harms them (it does not kill them but slows them, blinds them etc.). They can be killed by mundane weapons but due to their metabolism they regenerate swiftly or their biology dictates they need very little blood in their system, so as a result a cut will very likely not bleed (or not very much at any rate) hence all hits only cause minimum damage.

Using the above as an example of how we can mix things up, means we can use more horrific creatures in several new and different ways. Like the ghouls mentioned above, maybe zombies are also not undead, but are afflicted by a virus (as per many Hollywood movies recently), or are beings subjected to a fungal spore infection (as in my own Doggerland D&D campaign). Do they move quickly or slowly? How do they feed and what on?

Before a monster is encountered properly for the first time in an adventure, have signs and clues to its existence; stories told around camp fires or in the local inn, spoor (fur, scales, slime, ectoplasm), the remains of its previous victim(s), a strange smell in the area etc. Build the picture slowly but enticingly. The next encounter should be just as the monster has wreaked havoc amongst, but not been killed by, another group of NPCs (maybe make these NPCs warriors or adventurers so it ups the perceived threat level). Next, have the heroes encounter the monster but have them not be able to kill it quickly (reduce all hits to maybe the minimum damage, let it take several hits and then escape). Finally, have the heroes meet the monster face-to-face. Use its normal stat lines but try to work the combat encounter so that one of the heroes deliver a death blow using a particular kind of weapon (a silver blade, a magic item, etc.) or only bludgeoning hits cause damage etc., to make them think that is its weakness. If this killing blow can be emulated in other encounters with the same type of creature, then the players may think that the beings can only be overcome by certain weapon types; the mythology will build itself. 

These are just a few options for consideration when running horror style encounters in your RPG. Unfortunately, this is a little more difficult for a tabletop wargame as both sides need to know the beings' capabilities (although I can think of one or two ways around that). Maybe I can have a think on this subject further and use the idea for a future post?

Midgard : Scenario 2 : Encounter in the Mist

Today is the second UK Bank Holiday for this month, and I was able to get onto the dining room table again to play the second game in my Midgard : Britannia campaign. The table size limit of 6' x 3' did not hamper the set up of this scenario either.

This battle report is for the second encounter between the Romans and the Britons in the campaign game - Encounter in the Mist. Again, I am playing solo, so will be using some of the last game's pre-determined tactics. That said, I learned a lot from the last game and will amend the Briton's tactics a little, as well as using a few things I missed from the rules last time (I will be looking more into the Support rules).

Both armies are evenly matched despite the casualties taken in the last game and the number of reinforcements.

Britons (243pts):

Total Points = 243 (Heroes 97pts, Units 146pts)

Total Rep = 27 (6 3 2 4 4 2 4 2)

Rep Tokens = 8

• Bellicus 3 (47pts)
• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
• Catuarus 1 (18pts)
• 2x Warriors 3 (44pts)
• 2x skyclad (32pts)
• 2x slingers (20pts)
• 2x Warriors 2 (34pts)
• 1x Female Warriors (16pts)

Romans (245pts):

Total Points = 245 (Heroes 99pts, Units 146pts)

Total Rep = 25 (5 4 2 6 6 2)

Rep Tokens = 8

• Lucius Valerius Corvus 3 (43pts)
• Marcus Aurelius Bellator 2 (35pts)
• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
• 2x Legionaries (68pts)
• 2x Archers (58pts)
• 1x Cavalry (20pts)

For this battle, I used Scenario 4 from the main Midgard rulebook : Encounter in the Mist

The playing area is 6' by 3', but, as mentioned above, I was able to get the deployments to the correct distances on the table.

Intended army deployments

I rolled that the Britons would be the defenders again (they are guarding the way between the Roman retreat and their next destination - a small Roman encampment) and they took Deployment Zone A. Therefore, the Romans are classed as the attackers and took Deployment Zone B.

The two armies are divided into three contingents, a vanguard, a centre and a rearguard, and will be subject to the pre-game random adjustments after initial deployment to take into account the foggy conditions as per the rules.

Briton contingents...

Vanguard: Maviloduus, Warriors 2

Centre: Bellicus, Warriors 3

Rearguard: Catuarus, Slingers, Skyclad, Female Warriors

 

Intended Briton deployment

 

Roman contingents...

Vanguard: Lucius Valerius, Cavalry

Centre: Marcus Aurelius, Legionaries

Rearguard: Gaia Pomponia, Archers

 

Intended Roman deployment

 

After the retreat by Bellicus, Lucius Valerius set a watch and ordered his men to search the burned watchtower for signs of the century that was stationed there. There were just one or two blackened bodies in the ruins, and the tower and its outer defences were pretty much destroyed. Lucius Valerius wondered what might have happened to his legionaries but that thought had to be put aside for a while, until the remainder of his small force had dug their customary marching camp and posted sentries.

A few hours into the early evening watch, just before dusk, he heard a commotion and feared the worst. A few minutes later, he could hear some cheers from the soldiers outside that gradually rose in volume. He stood up from his field desk where he was writing the day's report, and stepped outside of his tent. He was greeted with a wondrous sight. An almost full century of legionaries came marching into the camp.

He called for his senior officers to attend him and listened to the report of the missing unit. According to the centurion of the unit, Septimius Fulgencio, the bulk of them had gone on patrol, leaving a skeleton crew behind. They got back to find the watchtower completely ruined, so decided to march to the next encampment. Unfortunately, their way was blocked by the army that had destroyed the watchtower, so they moved deep into the woods and watched the enemy movements until they had passed from sight. The scouts then followed the Briton army, saw the battle between them and the cohort begin, and rushed back to inform their centurion of the situation. Septimius Fulgencio started back to the ruined watchtower in order to aid the rest of the cohort but, alas, arrived too late to aid in the battle.

Lucius Valerius, listened to the tale and decided that Septimius Fulgencio had done all he could to heed the safety of his men. He decided he was not a coward, but he was not happy that he was not there to support the cohort in its time of need. As a result, Septimius's century was put on guard duty for the rest of the night.

The following morning, a thick fog had arisen from the nearby river valley. Lucius Valerius decided that they must join up with more of the cohort if they were to make it back to civilisation, so struck camp and began their march early. All went well until they were within a short distance of small village on their side of the river. The scouts reported back that they had heard a large party of warriors approaching their current position. It seemed as good a place as any for a battle, so Lucius Valerius deployed his troops to meet the oncoming threat.

The wounded from the previous battle at the ruined watchtower were sent on their way, via a small path through the forest, with most of the supplies in the hope that the forthcoming battle would distract any of the Britons from attacking them. The prefect hoped that they would make it to the encampment to warn the forces there of the cohort's impending arrival, and to tell them to prepare for evacuation.

Bellicus had returned to one of his main villages and recruited more warriors to bolster his forces. A minor chieftain named Catuarus added his small force to Bellicus's army and they marched back to find the Romans in order to finish them off.

The warband arrived early morning at the village, but the fog had caused the warrior bands to become split up somewhat and they all seemed to arrive at different times and not where they were supposed to. Bellicus hoped that the fog affected the Romans in the same way.

Actual army deployments due to the effects of the fog

The Romans arrived more or less where they intended, but more dispersed than they would ordinarily have deployed. Bellicus's skirmishers arrived way off to the left of their flank and would have to contend with a bit of boggy, rough ground in order to have a say in the forthcoming battle.

As the fog was too thick to see through properly, any challenges prior to the battle were not forthcoming. In the grim, eery silence the two forces advanced upon one another in the hope of surprising their enemy.

Turn 1 (Reputation B8, R8):

Each army could partially see each other through the mist and desperately wanted to come to blows. The Romans advanced cautiously in order to keep their lines, but the Britons streamed ahead where they could; the rough ground and woods slowed some of the skirmishers and young blood warriors meaning that their lines began to fray.

Turn 1 - The Britons' advance is hampered by many failed Command Tests

Turn 2 (Rep B8, R8):

As each side  advanced towards the other, the fog showed no signs of abating. Lucius Valerius took advantage of the Britons' troubles with the rough ground and charged into one of the slinger units that looked like it was on its own. Although the skirmishers were able to get off a volley of shots, narrowly missing Valerius, the impetus of the cavalry mowed them down to a man.

The rest of the skirmishers in the rough area split to achieve different objectives. The second unit of slingers shot a volley of stones at the cavalry, but the bullets that hit just pinged off of the Roman armour. The female warriors, seeing dozens of their men falling at the swords of the Romans, advanced to where they thought the cavalry would attack the remaining slingers. The skyclad, meanwhile, saw the opportunity to flank the Roman centre and advanced through the rough ground to make their presence felt, but the warband split after some confusing orders from the new chieftain Catuarus.

In the centre, Marcus Aurelius's legionaries came to blows with Bellicus's household troops. With a mighty crash of shield upon shield, the two forces fought for dominance of the centre ground. Bellicus's noble warriors were of a different mettle compared to their younger, more impetuous brethren the legionaries had faced in their previous encounter, and the Romans were forced back by the force of Bellicus's will and the defenders' skill at arms. Warriors fell on both sides and Marcus Aurelius took a mighty blow during the initial exchange.

Bellicus, sensing an easy victory with the Romans' retreat, spurred his men onto greater efforts and the Britons followed up the melee. There followed a gruelling test of strength with the Romans just taking the edge in the combat overall, but Bellicus's elite troops managed to kill the Roman Primus Pilus. His final actions, though, saw him and a few trusted legionaries destroy the remnants of Bellicus's warband with a cry of "Though I die, I smite thee!" as he fell.

On their left flank, the Roman archers could not make out the enemy approaching until it was too late. With whoops of anticipation the British warriors ran headlong into the last-second Roman arrow storm, but this did not stop their charge. Maviloduus and his warrior band pushed one century of archers back into the rough ground with ease. Gaia Pomponia was able to halt the attack on the right, but not without picking up another injury; the cuts and bruises she had amassed from the battle the day before had taken their toll on her.

Turn 2 - An intense melee ensues but the Romans just survive the Britons' onslaught

Turn 3 (Rep B7, R9):

As the early morning wore on, the fog still showed no signs of abating. Lucius Valerius saw that he was being flanked by a number of enemy skirmisher warbands, but no matter how hard he tried he was unable to get his men to turn and face the enemy. More slingshot rattled against the unit's armour as the warrior women charged closer.

Hoping to keep their advantage in the centre, the Roman legionaries stepped up their assault on Bellicus's elite warriors. They pushed through the destroyed warband, forcing Bellicus into the other unit of warriors, and pressed their advantage. However, the Briton leader's carp's tongue sword carved its way through his enemy's ranks with ease, forcing the hard-pushed century backwards. The Roman legionaries left in the centre saw the rapidly approaching skyclad warriors and fought for their lives against a renewed British assault. Unfortunately for them, Bellicus's Legendary Weapon proved to be their undoing and the century was destroyed.

The combat in the rough ground to left of the Roman lines was beginning to take its toll on both sides. Maviloduus and his warband of youthful warriors pushed the Roman archers back further into the rough and finally destroyed them as a unit, but the Britons' left flank in the rough had crumbled allowing the other archer unit to escape the melee and regroup.

Turn 3 - the tide of battle turns slightly in favour of the Britons

Turn 4 (Rep B5, R3):

The fog still refused to clear, even though the sun was trying to burn it away. The misty conditions were obviously beginning to favour the British forces as they were more used to the damp, cold weather.

Hemmed in and desperate to break free, Lucius Valerius got his cavalry moving and charged the oncoming female furies. A flurry of javelins took down half of Valerius's force before the iron and hooves of the remaining cavalrymen forced back the howling banshees facing them. Lucius Valerius decided to Hold Fast rather than be charged from behind by the slingers lurking in the rough ground to their left. The slingers, encouraged by seeing such a large number of cavalrymen fall to the javelins and knives of the warrior women, cast another volley of stones at the mounted troops. The last remaining cavalrymen either fell or ran off never to be seen again, leaving the Prefect to fight on on his own.

The legionaries in the centre of the field turned about and were about to charge Bellicus's warband from behind when the skyclad warriors hove into sight, running towards them at top speed. They decided that it would be easier to charge the naked fanatics and let Gaia Pomponia's archers take care of the Briton elites, but their charge fell short. The skyclad warriors pressed their charge home but many were impaled on the swords of the legionaries.

Gaia Pomponia's archers let fly but their arrows went awry in the mist; they just could not pick out their targets well enough to make their arrows count.

Turn 4 - Lucius Valerius rides alone and the Romans are on the back foot

Turn 5 (Rep B5, R3):

As more warriors fell to the swords and shafts of their enemies, the sun began to win its battle against the fog. Patches of mist began to tear away, but would this save either side from defeat?

Lucius Valerius decided that caution formed the better part of valour and charged across the battlefield in order to join with one of his remaining units of troops. The surprise of the slingers' small victory over such a superior force momentarily stunned them and they were unable to move, but the enraged female warriors spun around and headed off in pursuit of the cowardly Roman chieftain.

The legionaries, seeing their commander racing towards them renewed their attacks on the skyclad and cut them down to a man.

Gaia Pomponia ordered her century of archers closer to the depleted elite warband of Bellicus and ordered them to loose their shafts. This time their arrows flew true, scything the last of the elite warriors down. However, her grin turned to a grimace when from directly behind the fallen elite, Bellicus formed up the last of the skyclad and charged home against the archers. The archers fell back just enough so that they wouldn't get attacked in the rear by the rapidly approaching young warriors.

Turn 5 - The last moments for the Roman archers

Turn 6 (Rep B4, R3):

The sun finally broke up the mist and the carnage of the battlefield could be seen by all. So many men and women had laid down their lives for the glory of Rome or for the honour of their tribe.

The Roman leader galloped over to the last remaining century of legionaries and ordered them to about face whilst the maiden warriors and slingers continued their pursuit.

Gaia Pomponia had no choice but to keep fighting, but with Bellicus and Catuarus in the fight they were being pushed further and further back, taking more losses as they went. She prayed to the gods that help would arrive soon, but her century was overwhelmed in a melee that they were not used to. The archers were cut down as her unit was surrounded, but she survived with just a handful of troops.

Turn 7 (Rep B4, R0):

The thunder of hooves and the roar of a fully fit, victorious century of legionaries approaching from the rear caused Bellicus and his warriors to stop advancing to finish off Gaia Pomponia and her remaining handful of archers; it made them pause long enough for Gaia to make her escape. Seeing that she was safe, the rest of the Romans left the field to the Britons.

Turn 7 - the final retreat

This game lasted six of the seven turns allowed, but it was a longer, more hard-fought battle than the previous one. The Britons managed to scrape a Narrow Victory, so some honour has been gained back by Bellicus and his warriors, but I think if deployment went a bit more in their favour this could have been a crushing victory - maybe the Romans could have been completely wiped out, thus ending the main characters of the story (although there are more Romans left from the cohort that could club together to fight on). Both sides took a lot of casualties again, which means the next game will take some thinking about to get the numbers back up for a decent skirmish.

Campaign Score: Romans 3 Britons 1

Midgard : Campaign Scenario 1 : Aftermath

The first battle saw both sides take heavy casualties; the Britons many more than the Romans...

The Britons' losses (132pts):

• Luconianus 1 (18pts)
• 4x Warriors 2 (68pts)
• 2x Archers (30pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
  

The Roman losses (88pts):

• 1x Legionaries (34pts)
• 1x Cavalry (20pts)
• 1x Legionaries (34pts) Hors de Combat due to reduced Stamina
  

I wasn't expecting so many units to be destroyed during the course of the game, but now that I am aware of the casualty rates, I may need to amend the numbers of reinforcements going forward. These are the reinforcements rolled from the tables in the previous post...

The Britons' reinforcements (68pts out of a possible 75pts):

• 1x Level 1 Leader - replacement (no cost)
• 1x Female Warriors (16pts)
• 1x Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts) 
• 1x Warriors 2 (17pts)

Briton Warrior Women

The Roman reinforcements (34pts):

• 1x Legionaries (34pts)

Luckily the numbers match up again for the next scenario, although the forces are below the 300 point mark. Going forward I may up the numbers a bit if the armies were to become too small. I would have to adjust the narrative; maybe for the Romans I will keep their reinforcements at the same rate, but up the amount of Britons to make the game harder, and more desperate for the Romans, at each stage.

The Britons' army for scenario 2 (243pts):

• Bellicus 3 (47pts)
• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
• Level 1 Leader (18pts)
• 2x Warriors 3 (44pts)
• 2x skyclad (32pts)
• 2x slingers (20pts)
• 2x Warriors 2 (34pts)
• 1x Female Warriors (16pts)
  

The Roman army for scenario 2 (245pts):

• Lucius Valerius Corvus 3 (43pts)
• Marcus Aurelius Bellator 2 (35pts)
• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
• 2x Legionaries (68pts)
• 2x Archers (58pts)
• 1x Cavalry (20pts)

1x Legionaries (-1St) in reserve

For the new lists, I will need to arrange for a new level 1 leader figure and base up the unit of Female Warriors for the Britons. I will also try to get some paint on a number of the unpainted figures in time for the next game to at least make them look better than just the plain black/white/flesh undercoats.

I also managed to collate and undercoat two units of Celtic Cavalry for possible later use. I am also working on some more movement trays to carry the new warrior units.

Briton Cavalry Unit 1

Briton Cavalry Unit 2

Other than putting together the two new versions of the armies, I also need to work on the story of the Roman retreat to pick up their stargglers and choose which scenario to play next based on numbers available etc. More on this in the next post hopefully.

Ghosts of Saltmarsh - The Wreck of the Tammeraut

Day 10 - The Wreck of the Tammeraut

Luckily for us, the night posed no more threats after the immense noise from the collapse of the tower floor alarmed us. We awoke to daylight pouring in through the gaps in the fortified windows. After a quick breakfast, we took stock of our surroundings. The undead had been rummaging around the hermitage again but there was no sign of them this morning, other than a few blood smears where the floor of the tower had collapsed.

The rope we had secured for easing our crossing of the unstable floor was still there, so we were able to shimmy down it and leave the tower. We explored the rest of the island over the next hour to see what we could find but there was no sign of anyone, or anything of interest; even the nest at the top of one of the mounts for that flying being that attacked us when we first arrive held nothing of value.

We decided that we should return to the main land to gather ourselves in readiness to return and investigate the wreck and fissure we had read about. Jenna became worried that we would not return but we assured her that we would; we just needed to prepare for an underwater venture. She called one of her carrier birds and a message was sent to the mainland. An hour or so later a boat arrived for us, piloted by none other than the half-orc who brought us out here a few days previously.

Around mid-morning, we arrived in the harbour and set about evaluating our finds. The magical practitioner we saw last time assisted us again, for a price, by identifying that the helmet would indeed allow its wearer to breathe underwater, and that the three potions were also for just that purpose (two doses in each vial that allowed for several hours of underwater breathing). The metal rod, we found out, had a small button on it, that when pressed, it extended and stayed in place - totally immovable - no matter where it was placed, even in mid-air, until the button was pressed again. The apothecary tried to sell us a few more potions as we mentioned that we might need spares, but at 250 Gold Crowns a vial we decided that they were too expensive. Anyway, Jenna said that she could make some small cookies that would do the same job, last a lot longer, and not cost us anything.

We left Morley at a local hostelry, with the promise that we would be back for him once we had returned from investigating the ship wreck and portal. The rest of us returned to the island, where Jenna created the magic cookies for us. We double-checked the co-ordinates on the map and headed out to sea. We tasked Jenna with creating some more of the water breathing cookies whilst we were gone, in case we had to return to the wreck later .

The Wreck of the Tammeraut

As soon as we got to the place shown on the map, Drakkon jumped straight overboard and put the helmet on. When he resurfaced he proclaimed that it worked perfectly well and that he would scout around and try to find the wreck. He came back up again after about ten to fifteen minutes and said that there was a  wreck almost directly below us about 200 feet down. I cast Light on several personal objects and passed them around so we each had a source for visibility down below if needed.

All of us, except Gladreth who decided to stay behind to protect our escape, ate the foul tasting cookies and joined Drakkon in the water. Gladreth kept the three potions and one dose of cookies just in case we needed them later. Luckily, Jenna's formula worked well and we were able to breathe under the water. After a couple of minutes planning what we would do, we all swam down into the murky depths.

The water got much colder than it should have done naturally as we swam down, and when we were only a short way from our target we noticed that there was a strange source of light. It appeared to be coming from some kind of hole; most likely the rift mentioned in the journal. We took a look at the hole first and saw that it was about three feet in diameter and looked extremely deep. We tied a rope to Drakkon and he tried to swim down it, but some magical cold force stopped him going down too far. He returned to the seabed where we were waiting. The large stone beside the hole was big enough to fit over the hole and after a lot of effort we manhandled it and lowered it into position covering the rift. We were unsure whether to put the immovable rod over it to magically keep it permanently sealed.

As soon as the hole was covered, the water began to warm up again to a more natural temperature for that depth. Unfortunately, as our attention was firmly on plugging the rift, we were suddenly attacked by a number of the sea zombies.

Drowned Ascetic - courtesy of Fantasy Grounds

They took us by surprise and managed to inflict a lot of harm on the party before we were able to rally and begin to fight them off. A quick Prayer of Healing managed to repair most of the damage we took, and the fighting resumed with Navda and Dharion taking out a couple of the zombies in quick succession. I quickly followed that up with Radiance of the Dawn which caused a lot of harm to the remaining sea demons. Drakkon destroyed another zombie with one blow of his magical sword, just as we were joined by Gladreth. She must have sensed something was wrong and decided to join us on the seabed to see if she could help. Her timing was perfect as more zombies appeared around us.

Battle for the Tammeraut