The Vaults Campaign and The siege of Udolpho part 1

 We have started a narrative campaign to string our games together. The setting is North Tilea and South Bretonnia as well as the mountain range the runs between them, The Vaults. 

The number of players and factions will surly change over time. But it should be fun!

The first game is the siege of Udolpho as a new undead threat emerges from the Blighted Marshes.

 

The actual start of the 'Northern Troubles' has been debated by scholars of far greater learning than myself, however, the most commonly cited event is the siege of Uldopho, so that is where I shall begin my account.

Since the summer of 2491 there had been talk of undead abound in the blighted marshes. The foul influence of this cursed region seemed to once again be reaching out into Tilea, less that a century since the previous incursion had nearly swallowed the whole of the North. There was not to be any substance to the rumours until the Autumn of 2492 when a vast horde of shambling dead was seen emerging from the marshes.

At this time, Miragliano had still not completely recovered from when it was lost to the undead in 2401. The people of this region were harder than the men of the past, being the decedents of the soldiers, settlers and few survivors, who had returned to the city when it was retaken. The walls were thicker, and the militia trained and ready. But it was not at Miragliano where the first blow would fall, but rather at Udolpho, the small town in the foot hills of the Irrana Mountains.

Udolpho was a small farming community. Like Miragliano it has been abandoned and the resettled and had much larger walls that a normal settlement of its size. Many of those who had settled here had come from the Empire, and there the people of the town still had a distinct Northern style to them.

Unlike the previous time, the cities would not fall easily and they had long prepared for this day.

From 'The Northern Troubles, an Overview' by Francis Chiraz

Xebulon was irritated. He had been irritated for days. Why had the master inflicted Pavel on him, again the vampire was going on about his aristocratic history and how how was, most defiantly, a count of Bretonnia. Xebulon was basically the only being in the entire army capable of hearing and understanding Pavel's blathering, except the blood knights, and they had made it quite clear that they would not tolerate him, and so now Xebulon was once again forced to listen about great uncle Barnabus. At least the assault would start soon and then at least there would be something else to distract Pavel. Xebulon looked up at the dark stonewalls, he could make up the shapes of men, scuttling around the ramparts and he knew they stood no chance against his horde. The town would fall quickly, just as the master had commanded.

Sir Dan looked out over the parapet and despite the dark and overcast sky he could clearly make out the vast horde that was moving towards the town. Already the people were packing their worldly belongings and preparing to flee through the mountain passes, encouraged by the ravings of old Marco, who some said had been alive the last them the vampire had come. But Sir Dan had no such thoughts, the walls were thick and his men well drilled. They would not give up this town, built by their own hands, without a fight. On his left he new that the wizard Edward was making ready amongst the crossbow men, as him himself took his place among his hand gunners. They gave a salute as he took his place and he replied with a curt nod while resting his massive ornate handgun on the crenelations and making ready to fire.

The battle

The defenders of Udolpho parading before the siege.

Silently, the vast horde of undead began to move forward the hordes of zombies and skeletons to the West stumbling slowly, Xebulon amongst them, while to the east, the ghouls and wraiths moved forward with frighting speed, with Count Pavel following up with some skeletons. In the centre, the blood knights spurred their dark steeds forward, wholly focused on the gate, closely followed by the howling forms of their dire wolves. Xebulon gathered all the power he could and prepared to hurl a Gaze of Nagash at the men on the walls, however, Edward skillfully weaving the little power he had syphoned away was able to stop him it at the last moment. Xebulon was once again irritated.

The undead advance.

On the walls Edward tried to enchant the bolts and blades of his crossbowmen so that they could shoot down the wraiths before they arrived, but his attempt was pitiful and he failed. Instead the crossbowmen brought down some ghouls and a few more were shredded when an of target mortar landed near them. Sir Dan's hand gunners fired at the blood knights hurtling towards the gate, and one vampire was blasted from his mount, but it was not enough, they would hit the gate soon.

Sir Dan and his men face the horde.

At breakneck speed the Knights hammered into the gate, there thick lances wielded with inhuman strength breaking the hinges even as the great wooden beams split apart. The castle was breached. However, instead of screaming peasants or cowering militia the knights saw Lady Angelica and her Demigryphs. If the blood knights had been human, they may have felt dismayed or fearful, but they had no such feelings. Instead, a great thrill passed through each of them, finally a challenge!

Edward and his men face the oncoming wraiths.

The wraiths charged the eastern walls and instead of meeting them, Edward and his crossbowmen were overcome by terror and fled down, off the walls and into the town. The same thing happened in the west, as a host of spirits flew out from among the horde, dragging some spearmen down before the rest fled down into the town. Already the walls were being taken and the battle had barely begun. Nearby, a screaming banshee flew straight over the wall and landed near the gate. Turning she unleashed a chilling howl at the swordsmen near the gate, but they were made of stern stuff and simply ignored her.

The undead assault the walls

 

Edward shouted out and his crossbowmen turned to face the wall, readying to shoot the wraiths off of it. Edward tried to enchant the blades of the halberdiers who were still on the wall, so they could see off the wraiths, but once again he failed, leaving them without any way to combat their ghostly foes.

The spearmen failed to rally, instead fleeing of into the town, to join the exudes of refugees heading for the mountain passes. Sir Dan turned, and seeing the banshee down below the wall, he put his arm forward and with one word, a ball of magical fire burst forth from his ring and hit the banshee who gave a pitiful wail before being burned from the world. His hand gunners blasted some zombies as they neared the walls, but it was only a drop in the ocean.

Continued in part 2