The Necromancer's Gift


My plans to play The Beacon Tower with my friend Scott today didn’t come about - my wife tweaked her back and needed some help, so I called off the session.  And shortly thereafter, I found that the FLGS that we were going to play at was closed due to weather…. I mean, this is Wisconsin - Five inches of snow is just another day.  


Regardless, I decided to make the best of a bad situation, and played a quick Rangers of Frostgrave scenario that I wrote to bridge the gap between Alone in the Crypt and getting to an inn to re-equip.  Previously, my ranger Serrol, his conjurer Carov, and the rest of his team journeyed to Felstad to retrieve a book of lore needed in the fight against the Shadow Deep.  I played my team through Dark Alchemy from the Folio, and The Big Score from Spellcaster 5; Carov fell in The Big Score, and the group had no choice but to abandon him. Not wanting to lose him, I “promoted” him to Ranger, and ran him through Alone in the Crypt.  And now, he has finally crawled out of the Crypt.


Jolted awake by a shout, Carov realized he had fallen asleep.  The sound of a fight came from above - and voices. Beautiful, wonderful HUMAN voices!
Above that, a necromantic chant filled the air, bringing memories of the Shadow Deep.
Making sure his sword and bow were secure, Carov began to climb.  If the Shadow Deep has come to Felstad, with its endless store of magic, nothing good could come of it.

As he surfaced, the truth revealed itself.  A local necromancer and his apprentice were trying to animate the remains of the dragon he and Sakalas killed.  It was clear that they had encountered another wizard band, too - the other wizard and his troops lay dead. Pinned behind some ruins by a pair of crossbow-wielding death cultists was a young woman warrior - a barbarian of the north, and a smaller woman, holding a sword.
Two more death cultists were approaching them.







[Basic scenario:  Level 1 Necromancer and Apprentice, four death cultists (2 with crossbows; 2 with hand weapons).  The Necromancer was in the middle of a ritual to animate the Dragon as a Zombie - this would happen in the Creature phase of Round 4.  The Apprentice would pretty much just use Bone Dart. The Necromancer had 2 treasures; the apprentice had 1. +3XP for each death cultist; +12 XP for killing the apprentice; +25 for killing the Wizard; +25 for stopping the ceremony or killing the zombie dragon]


The barbarian and swordswoman might be useful - but they needed to be free to act, so Carov cast two quick Magic Bolts at the crossbowmen (split cast:magic bolt); one cultists fell, but the second magic bolt missed.


Well, Carov, you certainly got their attention.  The Necromancer’s apprentice attempted to cast a spell at Carov, but it fizzled; the remaining crossbow-wielding cultist fired his crossbow at Carov, also missing.  One of the other cultists charged Carov, his sword barely missing.
The second sword-wielding cultist charged the hiding place of the two women; the smaller woman deftly dodged his sword.  However, neither woman was able to hit the cultist.


The Necromancer’s chanting got louder, and nothing went Carov’s way.  His sword was clumsily parried by the cultist, and a scream from one of the women  let him know that things were not going well. The only thing that went their way was that the apprentice wizard once again was unable to cast his spell.


The chanting once again increased in volume and speed.  Feeling desperate, Carov’s sword slipped under the cultist’s guard, wounding him.  A crossbow bolt whistled past his ear. A magical dart from the Apprentice whistled past Carov, as well.  The cultist in melee with Carov swung his sword; but missed.  A triumphant shout from the barbarian let Carov know that the other cultist was no more, as the swordswoman charged the cultist on Carov, killing him.


The chanting continued even louder, echoing from the hills, and the bones of the dragon started to move.  Fearing the worst, Carov cast his last Magic Bolt, and his magic struck true; the necromancer falling to the ground.  With the end of the chanting, the bones of the dragon once again fell to the ground.

The apprentice once again tried to cast a spell at Carov, but once again, the spell failed.  The barbarian charged at the crossbow-wielding cultist, now locked in melee combat with the swordswoman.


Carov moved up, and with his two allies (for the moment, anyway), he was able to drop the cultist, while the apprentice fled.


Searching the Necromancer, Carov and his associates found that he was wearing heavy armor - obviously magical (Heavy Armor (Blocking) (1)) and found a Book of Lore (+2 to Read Runes rolls).


Carov gained 62XP, leveling up to 2nd level; each companion gained 2PP.

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