In the Aristrax Marches – Ep30
Previously in the Aristrax Marches, the Ravens of Gadun hunted down and defeated a Wyvern in it’s lair near Langecliffe. However during the battle with the beast, Temir was stung by the Wyvern’s venomous tail and perished.
Turn 46
The Ravens of Gadun arrive in Langecliffe with heavy hearts, carrying the corpse of their fallen comrade Temir. They make their way to the local temple, where they hope to find a priest to perform the funeral service.
Inside the temple, they find a somber atmosphere with dimly lit candles and the faint scent of incense. Bolga approaches the altar and speaks to the priest, a somber man in simple robes.
“We’ve come to give our fallen brother a proper send-off. Will you help us with the funeral service?”
The priest nods solemnly and begins to prepare the altar. Myrick steps forward and lays Temir’s body on the altar. Rina places a sprig of mistletoe on his chest, a traditional symbol of protection in fey culture.
The priest begins the service, his voice echoing throughout the temple. “We gather here today to honor the life and passing of Temir. Though he was not of our community, he fought alongside us and earned our respect. We mourn his loss and offer him to the embrace of the gods.”
As the priest speaks, the Ravens of Gadun take turns offering their own words of remembrance and farewell. Myrick shares a few tales of Temir’s exploits, while Caldas recalls his infectious laughter and love of song.
Finally, Bolga steps forward to offer the final words. “Temir was a brave warrior and a true friend. He gave his life for our cause, and we will never forget his sacrifice. Rest in peace, brother.”
With the service complete, the Ravens of Gadun prepare to take Temir’s body to a nearby graveyard. As they make their way out of the temple, they hear a faint chuckle from one of the temple’s acolytes.
“That was a lovely service. Shame Temir won’t be able to enjoy it himself.”
The Ravens exchange a look of confusion, unsure of how to respond. The acolyte just chuckles and shakes his head.
“Ah, never mind. Just an old joke. May the gods guide you on your journey.”
The Ravens of Gadun nod in appreciation and continue on their way, their minds still heavy with grief but their spirits lifted by the knowledge that they have given Temir a proper farewell.
For Town Events I rolled that we Got Swindled and lost 6 Gold Marks! The Sneaky Thieves that stole our gold have a Camp near Langecliffe, but we will stay on course, as we can take the hit for now. The rules don’t say for how long the camp will stay in place. The Upkeep was at 3 Gold Marks.
The Ravens of Gadun had just returned to their camp after a long day of scouting and planning. As they settled in for the night, they realized that six gold marks were missing from their stash. Furious, they searched through their belongings, but the money was nowhere to be found.
“Bloody thieves!” Bolga cursed, slamming his fist on the makeshift table.
“We can’t let them get away with this,” Caldas growled, his hand already on his sword hilt.
Myrick, however, raised a hand to calm them down. “We need to focus on the bigger threat right now. We can deal with these scoundrels later.”
Rina nodded in agreement. “They won’t get far. We’ll find them eventually.”
And so, they spent the night discussing their plans to take down the duskling warband, but the thought of the stolen gold still gnawed at them.
The next day, they discreetly inquired around and eventually learned of the thieves’ camp. However, they knew that pursuing them would take time and resources, which they couldn’t spare at the moment.
“We’ll deal with them after the duskling warband is taken care of,” Bolga declared, his eyes flashing with determination.
The others nodded in agreement, but Myrick couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. He knew that leaving the thieves unpunished could come back to bite them in the future.
For now, though, they had more pressing matters to attend to. The Ravens of Gadun continued with their preparations, keeping a wary eye out for any further treachery.
For Campaign Activities we Recruited a Follower successfully. I wanted a Feral since I hadn’t had the opportunity to try out this Origin. I used a cat-folk miniature I painted recently, and used ChatGPT to build upon this for the character and backstory.
The Ravens of Gadun had just lost one of their own, and they needed to find someone to fill the gap in their ranks. Bolga, the warband leader, knew that they couldn’t afford to be short-handed when they faced their enemies.
They had heard rumors of a skilled warrior with cat-like reflexes, and Bolga had decided to seek him out. The warband had made their way to the local inn, hoping to find someone who fit the bill.
As they entered the inn, they were greeted by the smell of ale and cooking meat. The place was bustling with people, and they could see groups of travelers and locals huddled together in various corners of the room.
Bolga scanned the room, his keen eyes searching for any sign of the feral warrior. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a figure with white fur sitting alone in a corner. He motioned for his companions to follow him, and they made their way to the table.
“Good evening,” Bolga said, addressing the feral warrior. “We’re looking for a skilled fighter to join our warband. Would you be interested?”
The feral warrior looked up, his piercing green eyes locking onto Bolga’s. “I might be,” he said. “What’s in it for me?”
Bolga smiled, knowing that he had the warrior’s interest. “We’ll pay you well,” he said. “And you’ll be fighting alongside some of the best warriors in the land.”
The feral warrior considered Bolga’s offer for a moment before nodding his head. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll join you.”
“Excellent,” Bolga said, grinning. “What’s your name, warrior?”
The feral warrior stood up, his white fur glimmering in the dim light of the inn. “My name is Kael,” he said. “And I look forward to fighting alongside you.”
The other Campaign Activity is that Rina will train for 1 XP.
On the Trade step we will sell Bag of Coins for 3 Gold Marks and a Thief’s tools.
The warband enters a small shop located in a narrow alley. The shopkeeper, a skinny and haggard-looking man, greets them with a forced smile. Bolga approaches the counter, placing the bag of coins and the set of tools in front of the shopkeeper.
“I want to sell these,” Bolga says bluntly.
The shopkeeper inspects the items carefully before nodding. “I can give you one gold mark for the tools and three for the coins.”
Bolga nods and takes the offered coins. “Deal.”
As the warband leaves the shop, Rina mentions she wants to spend some time practicing her skills. The group heads to an open area outside the city walls. Rina starts by warming up, doing some stretches and exercises. She then takes out her war spear and begins practicing different moves and techniques.
Caldas approaches her, watching her movements with interest. “You’re pretty good with that spear,” he comments.
Rina smiles, “Thanks, I’ve been using it for a long time. It’s my go-to weapon.”
The two of them continue chatting as Rina practices, with Caldas occasionally giving her tips and suggestions. The sun starts to set as Rina finishes up her training, feeling more confident in her skills. The warband then heads back to their lodgings to rest for the night.
For adventuring we are hunting down the Duskling warbands threat. They’re in the same map area as Langecliffe, and are hunting my warband and if we lose they will carry out part of the enemy sheme. It’s a Death Sworn Warrior warband of 8 and a Sergeant. The objective is to Search for Something and the theme is Cave Complex.
As the Ravens of Gadun set out to scout for duskling warbands near Langecliffe, Bolga, the Butcher, briefs the warband on their mission.
“All right, listen up. We’re looking for any sign of the duskling warbands that have been causing trouble in the area. We’re also searching for something of interest in the cave complex that we’ll be passing by. Keep your wits about you, and be ready for anything.”
Caldas, the halfling warrior, chimes in, “And remember, we’re not just fighting for ourselves. We’re fighting for our fallen comrade, Temir.”
Myrick, the human rogue, nods in agreement. “That’s right. Let’s make those duskling bastards pay for what they did to Temir.”
Rina, the fey-blooded outsider, silently grips her war spear, her eyes fixed on the terrain ahead.
As the warband reaches the cave complex, Bolga orders them to halt.
“Something’s not right here,” he says, scanning the area for signs of danger.
Suddenly, the warband is ambushed by a group of duskling warriors, led by their fierce leader.
Bolga quickly issues orders to his team, “Take cover! Protect Rina and Myrick. Caldas, use your sling to take out any enemies from a distance.”
As the battle draws near, the warband readies their weapons and prepares for the fight of their lives.
Combat
For this battle I will be using the theatre of the mind rules as I wasn’t in the mood to set up the table.
Round 1
As the battle rages on, Myrick tries to gain a better position to charge the dusklings, but he takes a wrong turn and stumbles. Bolga charges forward and manages to wound a duskling, eventually killing the enemy with a final blow. Caldas, a halfling warrior, also joins the fray and attempts to take down one of the dusklings, but the enemy is able to fend off his attacks.
Meanwhile, Rina skillfully defends herself against a duskling’s assault with her war spear, deflecting the blows and pushing the enemy back. Another duskling tries to attack Caldas, but the halfling warrior proves to be a tough opponent and manages to parry the strikes.
Two dusklings then turn their attention to Myrick, but the seasoned warrior is able to counter their attacks and kill one of them. As the fighting continues, one of the dusklings decides to flee from the battle, perhaps sensing that the odds are not in their favor.
Despite some initial setbacks, the Ravens of Gadun fight bravely, determined to emerge victorious from the skirmish. However, the outcome of the battle remains uncertain, and the warband must continue to fight with all their might to defeat the remaining dusklings.
Round 2
Caldas scurried along the cave walls, his halfling size allowing him to move almost unnoticed. He stopped by a corner, his keen senses picking up something ahead. He turned back to the warband and gestured Bolga over, pointing out the location of their objective.
Bolga gave a nod of acknowledgement and moved to where Caldas pointed. The rest of the group followed, warily watching their surroundings for any more ambushes.
Myrick was determined to take down the duskling leader and charged forward. However, he misjudged the distance and stumbled, leaving himself open to attack.
Gerk took advantage of the distraction and quickly darted forward, slashing at the leader with his short sword. The duskling leader retaliated, but Gerk’s quick reflexes allowed him to deflect the blows.
Another duskling came at Gerk, but the birdfolk fighter fought it off with ease.
Rina was also targeted by a duskling, but she skillfully countered the attack with her war spear, stabbing and killing the enemy.
As the skirmish continued, another duskling fled the scene. The warband regrouped, preparing for the next move.
Round 3
Bolga searched the area around the cave complex and quickly found signs of the duskling warbands passing through. “I’ve found something!” he shouted to the rest of the warband. Caldas charged at the wounded duskling leader, determined to take him down. The halfling darted forward with his short sword in hand, but the enemy leader was not so easily defeated. With a strong blow, the duskling knocked Caldas out cold.
The duskling leader, now turning his attention to Bolga, charged at the imposing orc with his own blade drawn. The two engaged in a fierce duel, trading blows and parries, but in the end, it was Bolga who emerged victorious. With a swift, powerful swing of his cleaver, Bolga hacked down the duskling leader.
Meanwhile, another duskling tried to take advantage of the situation by attacking Bolga from behind, but the orc warrior was too quick for him. With a deft movement of his blade, he fended off the attack and quickly turned to face his new foe.
Myrick, for his part, was not having much luck in the fight. He attempted to charge one of the dusklings, but his efforts were in vain as he failed to cover the distance. Nonetheless, he stood his ground and blocked the duskling’s attacks, determined not to fall.
As the battle raged on, another duskling fled the scene, clearly realizing that he was outmatched. Only two of the enemy remained, fighting fiercely against the warband.
Round 4
Bolga swings his cleaver, the blade flashing in the dim light of the cave. The dusklings back away, trying to avoid his deadly strikes. With a fierce roar, Bolga charges forward, the cleaver whistling through the air. The duskling tries to dodge, but it’s too slow. The first blow slices through its arm, and the second cleaves its skull in two. The dusklings’ body falls to the ground, twitching in its death throes.
As Bolga turns to face the last remaining enemy, the dusklings’ fear is evident in its eyes. It lunges forward, trying to strike Bolga with its jagged claws, but Bolga is too quick. He sidesteps the attack, the cleaver poised for the killing blow. But as the duskling realizes the fight is hopeless, it turns and runs away.
Bolga watches the dusklings’ retreating form, feeling a sense of satisfaction that the warband has achieved their objective. He turns to his comrades, a grin on his face. “Looks like we’re done here,” he says. “Let’s gather up our things and head back to camp.”
Resolution
We rolled 3 Adventure Points earned for being Victorious against an Enemy Threat. 6 Adventure Points were spent directly on reducing the Duskling Threat by 1, going down to the last 1.
Caldas was merely Knocked Out.
Caldas earned 1 XP, while the rest of the warband 2 XP each. Kael earned the Scouting skill in the Flash of Insight, and also I spent 6 Adventure Points to make him a Hero.
We had 1 Loot roll for achieving the Objective which was a Camp Gear. Also for Holding the Field we got Unusual Finds which was a Fine Standard Weapon.
On News Events rolled, an old Friend sent us a Letter.
As Caldas regained consciousness, the group searched the area for any spoils of war. Bolga scoured the battlefield and came across a fine sword that was worth a small fortune. Caldas found a set of camping gear that would be useful for their future expeditions.
With their task complete, they returned to Langecliffe to rest and recover. As they arrived, they were surprised to receive a letter from their friend Damay, a roving halfling knight.
Gerk eagerly opened the letter and read it aloud to the group, “My dear friends, I hope this letter finds you well. I’ve been on the road for some time now, searching for adventure and fortune. I’ve recently come across some information that may be of interest to you. It concerns an ancient tomb, deep within the Savage Mountains. I believe it to be full of treasure and ancient artifacts. If you’re interested, meet me in the town of Newhorn in three weeks’ time. Yours truly, Damay.”
Excitement filled the group as they pondered the possibility of riches and glory.
Session Summary
Running the battle without miniatures is so much faster! It was a refreshing choice after all the previous battles, and I’m all ready for the final battle at the Duskling Hideout. If we’re successful (which is very much likely, considering the skills of the warband), then this will be the closure of this really long campaign in Five Leagues from the Borderlands.
I might consider doing some Special Episodes in the future, unfettered from victory conditions or the strict continuation of the campaign. Like I will be able to do some missions to eliminate the strugglers in the enemy camps or anything similar if I feel like it, in between whatever game I may be running then.
But I get ahead of myself. We still have one final hideout battle to win and the enemy numbers are going to be higher than normal since we also found evidence of the enemy movements in the region. The loss of Temir is going to weigh heavily against us.
Solo, Pen, Paper and Dice 
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