Prologue:
Sir Sedelicious and Lord Beaumont sits with the newly installed Lady Lucratia of Bira-Boro, Barones of
the Island of Zlodor, in the Kingdom of Damilon. Said to have been rescued by
Sir Sedelicious and other Paladins of the south from a Lich's Temple Tomb, she is the last wife of BlueBeard and the inheritor of his client kingdom under the White Cloaks. Bluebeard's greed has given her a vast inheritance, on so large that her rescues fear that she lacks forces to defend her realm. Most of the former guardians are dead, and those that survived were men of dubious virtue, so it is the expeditionary force from Ragadorn, the Company of the Rose, and a Templar Company that defend the rich, but little kingdom. Father Vonegurt of the Templar has traveled north to see if the conflict between the Sienfest and the White Cloaks might be coming to some sort of cease fire, as there is an envoy from the Archbishop Urban the 2nd, the unrecognized partriarch of the Manichen
They are considering a recent betrayal, a scribe within the treasury thought loyal smuggled out ledgers that reveal BlueBeards true wealth of hundreds of thousands of Silver Pieces. Evidence that while he paid the White Cloaks well, his powers of extraction and accumulation were superior. His agricultural resources were rich and well managed; the forestry bounty from rare herbs, alchemy ingredients, to furs, and valuable hardwood as well as rich fruit vineyards and fat pig farms. What was not as well understood was the systematic looting of Kurgan Mounds, raids against the Carrins most of whom had signed treaties after the White Cloak’s victory or who had never been in conflict previously were ruthlessly pillaged with special efforts to capture as many as possible. The Beast Men of Yodor and Red Forest tribesmen were sold to the slavers at High Point today though contacts in Sienfest including the Dark Lord Fengri a belligerent of the White Cloaks and self righteous Pagan Lord of the Danaka.
These Ledgers taken by Eustace Scrubsen were delivered to Master Thulsa Doom, a heroic leader of the Order. They have not herd word yet of his reaction to news that Lucretia is sitting on a 400,000 silver piece horse.
Things just got more complicated when word from the Children of the Feathered Serpant reaches you that a horde of non-Humans were spotted in the Mountains Swamps to North East. This was of concern in and of itself but what was worse is that it seems to be a mix of Gnolls and Goblins, two groups known for mutual enmity but now seem to be cooperating and travel under two banners The Black Flail if Yeenoghu and the Blood Axe of Maglubiyet!
L'wanzi, Murmidon of the Black Guard had assumed spider form suspended from a twig, ready to use his abilities to fly upon the currents away from the Demon Prince.
Yeenoghu had proved a diligent tracker, Wolfgang of the Templar and Valius of the Wotonic Knights had failed to lead him and the 300 Gnolls that traveled with him away from their fleeing forces and the even slower and mor vulnerable civilians. Now they had one last option. The White Tower Wizard named Lena had created an illusionary copy of trees to hide in. The plan was simples, they would runout and provoke him then as they are running, they would pass the illusionary trees and she would generate their likeness and they could leap under the illusion’s shell. He would be chasing a phantom far away. It might worked…
First the Demon Prince moved as fast as the swiftness of a cavalry horse, a move of 16 per round. Then pausing near the illusionary stand of trees that the other’s sheltered under he halted, pulled out a sling and sent there massive flaming stone missiles which all hit with terrifying accuracy dodging past trees and exploding in smoke, fragments and fire. He then paused sniffed and looked about.
Lena was scry guarded, had cast the spell of No smell and had a perfect illusionary cope of tree; this did not save her from his strike. His three headed flail could strike at 10-hexes and for a moment she became no more no more than an exploding sack of flesh and shattered bone, but instead she lost her Blessing as 8D+10 crushing hit her. Seeing the miracle of Arkhen dissipate she decided to flee. Cannon Valius, a faithful captain of the order the White Monks and pledged to Master Scaramander of the Martial Wing drew his gleaming silvered greatsword bained against demon kind and called the Demon Prince out for being a coward in the face of Three River druids and pagan rabble.
Yeenoghu started attacking Valius whipping the massive flail around like a bull whip, and the White Cloak champion dodged and told Wolfgang and Lena to flee. She was gone throwing on every spell she knew to keep moving. Father Vonnegut paused, but Valius reminded him that both of them need not die. Reluctantly the Templar Grand Knight fled as well.
The demon struck is three headed Flail three times, great gouts of earth up rooted with each shot. Valius had danced at 30 feet toying with him as the flail’s incredible range attacked him nine times. It could not last and closing time with the enemy was inevitable. He rightly reasoned at one hex the flail could not strike him and he was right. But by then the two score of Hunter Gnolls who’d been shadowing their god got within range, and at 100 hexe started to let loose well aimed arrows into the fray, they carried not if their leader was hit, aside from his incredibly tough hide, he wore some form of missile shield and arrows simply flicked off him.
Valius closed with the Demon Prince, vowing to get a piece of him. The demon was no lumbering monster, but was quick and agile, leaping out of the ways of several well aimed blows, and striking back at him with a hatchet the size of an executioner's great ax. But Valius has taken his measure, he had fought a Dragon with the similar size and arrogance, he made a quick fein the to eyes, but then brought his bained blade down and spil open the monster's knee cap, and the Demon Prince howled in pain and started to limp. Valius prayed to Arkhen that perhaps he might flee or maybe even finnish off the monster? Realizing that it was time to let prudence govern his ways he turned to run, when an arrow struck him in the ankle shattering through his solerette. He too was crippled, and so turned to face his opponent, sword at the ready. The Demon Prince laughed a Hyenna's Cackle with the great throat and lungs of a Polar Bear, and he did not strike with Flail or Axe, but instead leapt upon the Warrior for a close quarter grapple taking the impaling blade through his vitals as he did. The demonic creature howled in pain but also in glee, for such wounds he had suffered a thousand times before and they daunted him not at all. Grabbing Valius by the great helm he wrenched off the helmet while the warrior futility stabbed in vain with a sharp dirk, doing no more than a mosquito's prick. The Helmet cruelly ripped from the warrior's head, exposing his determined face as the Demon Prince Yeenoghu bit his head clean off.
Seeing his death I began to depart, the Demon Prince cackling his triumph, he tossed the body to his minions and Valius was torn to pieces and consumed. Yeenoghu did not pursue however, but limped from the field back to camp at a mere six hexes per round.
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