Starstones Campaign Chapter 9

 Chapter Nine

 On arriving at their base camp, Professor Hodgeson was delighted to find a large crate awaiting him. After Jack had prised the lid off the Professor pulled out a strange looking leather hood and mask with thick glass eye holes in it and put in on his head.

 “Uncle, you look ridiculous. What on earth is it for?” demanded Maisie.

 “To protect me from splashes.” He mumbled in reply.

 “Splashes from what?”

 “From this!”.

In a cloud of sawdust, the professor pulled out a metal tank with straps. In his other hand he clutched a strange, gun-like device that was joined to the tank with a flexible tube.

 “It’s a device for shooting a mix of chemicals, similar to those in my exploding globes.” He explained.

 “Isn’t that dangerous?” Lady Amelia asked in a concerned tone.

 “My dear lady, I most certainly hope so!”

 Having re-supplied themselves, the party returned to the village at the foot of the eastern Accursed Mountains, where they had discovered the grisly remains of the Ottoman troop. Before departing their base camp, Professor Hodgeson also spent some time in the local church, once again in conversation with the priest. Singh had scouted ahead and reported that he had tracked the fleeing vampire to what had appeared to be their lair.

 “It’s just to the north of the village, a small stone-built house of some kind, standing apart from the other buildings”.

 They followed Singh until the mysterious stone building came into view.

 Jack groaned. “It’s a charnel house! Singh, why didn’t you say it was in the middle of a graveyard?”

 “You didn’t ask!”

 “I’m sure they find it very convenient, having so many spare parts close to hand.” Sighed Maisie, unshouldering her rifle.

 

Set Up: A graveyard with a Mausoleum in the N/W corner. Scattered within the tombstones are 6 table tombs, these are the initial spawning points for ambushes. The PCs must locate the vampire and destroy it.

 

Deployment: Deploy all PCs along the S/E, then deploy foes randomly but not closer than 8” to any PC (if a foe appears closer than 8” from a PC, place it 8” away).

 

Foes:

3 x hordes of 4 Ice Revenants

2 x Ice Revenant Wolves

 

Trap: A pit opens up at the PCs feet and an Ice Revenant emerges and attacks. Mark the spot as a future ambush point. Replace the card in the deck.

 

Ambush: An Ice Revenant emerges from the nearest table tomb/pit and attacks.

 

Reinforcements: 1-6 Ice Revenants enter from a random table edge or by a table tomb.

Roll 1d6 for location, 1-4= table edge, 5-6 = random table tomb.

 

At Our Back: 1-6 Ice Revenants enter along the southern edge (or 12” behind the rearmost PC).

 

Complications: Pack of 6 Ice Revenant Wolves enter from a random table edge.

 

That will come in handy: Nothing

 

Wandering Monster

Roll 1d6 for location, 1-4= table edge, 5-6 = nearest cover to centre of table.

1-2: 3 x Ice Revenants

3-5: An Ice Revenant Cossack

6: An ice Revenant Creature

Game Event: A Lesser Vampire enters from a random table edge or by a table tomb.

Roll 1d6 for location, 1-4= table edge, 5-6 = random table tomb.

 

Mausoleum

If a PC moves within 4” of the entrance and the vampire is not yet in play, the vampire will emerge from the mausoleum and attack the PC.

 

Victory

The game ends all PCs have left the table or are dead.

5 XP plus 1XP for killing the lesser vampire or carrying a comrade’s body off-table.

The party just enter the graveyard and the revenant ambushes start. Not a good time for Lady Amelia's shotgun to jam!

And more shambling undead enter behind them.

Yet another emerges from a hole that opens up at Singh's feet, but he swiftly crushes the revenant's skull.

A horde of revenant wolves enter the table.

In fact the western side of the table looks decidedly unhealthy.

The party start to veer to the east.

But Maisie is ambushed.

The lesser vampire enters from the eastern side and is blasted by Lady Amelia's shotgun.

Singh and Jack gang up of the creature of the night, Jack beheads it with a Power Blow.

With the Vampire destroyed the party can withdraw, but on the way the Professor is ambushed and wounded before he can use his Free Disengage ability and escape.

As the Professor and the ladies escape Singh holds back a horde of revenants.

Seeing his plight, Jack rushes up, his revolver blazing.

Between then the pair finish off the last of the revenants and make their escape.

A relatively easy adventure, despite the repeated ambushes. Three of the party suffered single wounds and two were unhurt. Mainly due to the luck of the Vampire entering close to the party whilst the hordes of foes came on from the far side of the table. If he had come on in the midst of the masses of revenants on the western edge it would have been a different story!