The Witch Fynders

Shortly after the coronation of King Beast  I was working in my office when I received a visit by Chaplain Hawthorne, one of the Wardens' pastors. I invited him in and greeted him warmly, but I was met with a stony stare.

"Brother Rufus," he pronounced haughtily, "you have sinned against the Wardens and against God Almighty himself. You must repent of your evil!"

I was quite taken aback. "How so?" I asked, puzzled by the accusation.

"You have placed yourself in the service of THE BEAST!"

I chuckled, which caused the chaplain to grit his teeth. I continued: "You are mistaken Chaplain. The Wardens support King Beast, a mere mortal who was won the crown of the Shrouded Isles. He has nothing to do with the Beast of Revelations."

"Fool." Hawthorne retorted. "How can you be sure of that? Wisdom dictates that we should have nothing to do with him!"

I brushed aside his concern, but he persisted in his denunciations.

"You have been far too lax in your associations. You ally us with abominations, like those cat-people that attended the coronation. You dabble with heretical, druidic magic. You have turned your back on our beliefs, and disaster has followed!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The Faedwyr, the destruction of Ember Shoals!" Hawthorne shouted and his shook his finger at me.  "All because you have forsaken the True Faith."

"I believe you are mistaken, Chaplain." He would not let me get any further; he continued to rail against me.

After some fruitless argument, Hawthorne concluded with an ultimatum. "Either repent and shake off these impious associations, or we shall have to shake off the dust from our feet!"

"We?" I asked.

"There are others who feel as I do."

Three days later, a ship set sail from Freehaven port, laden with those zealots who followed Hawthorne. They were bound for Ember Shoals, determined to free the island from the control of the "abominations" and "servants of Baal." And thus was born the Witch Fynders.

OOC Notes

• The Witch Fynders were invented by Robb Rodgers as a faction in Ember Shoals's latest midreign. Robb described them as "a splinter sect of the Wardens. Disavowed for their fanatical doctrine & ruthless tactics . . ."
• I got into the spirit of the event by dressing as a Witch Fynder. I enjoyed it so much that I will be creating a new character, one of the Witch Fynders.
• Stay tuned for a report on the Witch Fynders' first combat action . . .

Chasms and Corrosion

Upon learning of the giant attacks in the High Forest, I Rufus organized a force of the Ironheart Accord to provide reinforcements. After landing on the island, we learned that stone giants had abducted some of the local villagers. We rushed to their rescue. The stone giants had set up camp upon a promontory that could only be reached by a natural bridge that wound between gaping chasms. We charged along path to be met by a withering hail of rocks. Then the giants charged. Some of our warriors fell prey to stark terror and ran. The rest of us steeled our nerves and held the line. From then on, I remember few details. I found myself locked in deadly combat with the brutes, while some of our more stealthy party-members, including Varic, sneaked behind the giants and freed the prisoners. With the rescue complete, we were able to retreat and escape.

As we were returning, we passed a cave and heard noises from within. We investigated, and found a horde of club-armed goblins escorting a strange, bug-like beast.

The beast

Upon seeing us, the goblins shouted "Kill the humans!" and attacked. Now battle against some goblins would normally not be particularly hazardous, but the beast changed things. It would strike out at our weapons, which would corrode in our hands. One time, I found myself disarmed and having to protect myself with throwing daggers! Fortunately Ferrum used his healer powers to mend our weapons. We slew the beast and then called on the goblins to surrender. They ignored our offer and paid the price with their lives. With the cave secure, we were able to return to Landfall Castle.

OOC Notes

• The above account describes our battlegames from last weekend. I had the opportunity to play on the side of the heroes so framed the narrative from my perspective.
• The first scenario involved the heroes rescuing "prisoners", represented by heart shaped throwing weapons. The second was a mutual annihilation scenario.
• Robb, who came up with the scenarios, threw in some interesting terrain.

Challenges to the King

No sooner had Beast been crowned than he faced challenges to the security of the Shrouded Isles.

As King Beast and the ambassadors of the various islands sat at the coronation feast, a horde of snake-men rushed into the hall. Their target was the representative of the Meow'tzlan. Beast rallied his loyal retainers and they drove off the assassins.

A few weeks later, an army of giants came crashing through the High Forest, destroying villages in their path.

From http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=8476867&postcount=360

The Sentinels sortied from their stronghold, engaged the giants, and drove them away from the villages. The giants then assaulted one of the Sentinel's castles. At first, the giants strove in vain, as Ferrum with a polearm and Slab with a bow slaughtered the enemy as they tried to cross the drawbridge. But then, more giants smashed through the wall and rushed into the castle. The defenders retreated toward the courtyard, where they found themselves surrounded.

That was when horns sounded from outside. King Beast had arrived with a relief force! He rushed into the castle, catching the giants in the rear. None could withstand his blade; the enemy was cut down in droves. The giants had enough, and fled!

OOC Notes

• This account briefly summarizes events at the last two High Fantasy Society days at Sherwood Forest park
• Last month, after Beast was crowned, I ran a game with snake-men assassins. It was essentially Kill the King. Beast led the good guys while Xhorja stood in as the snake-man leader.
• This month, I ran some scenarios revolving around a giant invasion. The first scenario featured 5 control points representing villages. In a timed battle, the giants had to destroy the villages while the humans tried to stop them. The giants managed to destroy 3 of the 5 for a marginal victory.
• The second scenario featured a castle battle, with the castle walls made from ropes tied between trees. The giants had to cross a drawbridge, get through the gate, and reach a control point before they ran out of lives. It was a drawn out battle but the humans held (with Ferrum and Slab performing great feats). We then switched teams; this time the giants won multiple times (with Varic managing to slip through defenses).
• The final scenario was to be a last ditch defense, but I was too exhausted to run it, and the players decided on a full class free-for-all instead. I think Beast won. Regardless, I turned to a bit of fiction to round out the account.