38. Gift of the Truthsayers

Source: Town Cryer #15
Setting: Albion
Author: Nicodemus Kyme
Broheim notes: Scrap over a magic item with random boggy happenings.

Rumours are abound of a potent artefact, said to be wrought by one of the enigmatic Truthsayers, lost in the depths of the marshes. Naturally such rumours draw warbands eager for plunder like moths to a flame...

terrain

In this battle the entire board is fenland terrain with only two or three modest areas of open ground. In the centre of the board there should be a jutting crag, cairn or some other significant piece of terrain. This is where the artefact lies. Other terrain such as rocks, crags, briars, trees etc..can be placed in a mutually agreeable manner but no buildings may be placed, marshes are not the best places to build a dwelling!

##special rules

Hazards: At the start of each of their own turns each player must roll a D6. If they roll a 1 they have succumbed to some deadly marshland hazard and must roll a D6 on the table below:

D6 Roll	Hazard
1	Fenbeast — see above for the rules for Fenbeasts. This hazard table replaces the usual-rules for encountering these creatures.
2-3	Foetid Bog — A stinking bog erupts from the marshy territory, its stench almost overpowering. A random warrior falls victim to the bog and. must take an immediate Toughness test. If failed the warrior is knocked unconscious by the terrible stench and counts as Stunned. Undead, Daemons and creatures
whom are not truly alive are unaffected by the foetid bog.
4-5	Quagmire — The boggy marshland is dangerous and all too often_a single foot wrong can cause a warrior can sink into the depths without a trace... Roll a D6 for all warriors on the board that are in Fenland terrain. The first warrior to roll a 1 or the last warrior if no one rolls a 1 must take a Strength test immediately as they are dragged into a deep quagmire. If they pass they pull themselves free but are knocked down. If they fail they sink into the quagmire and count as Stunned. They must test again in the recovery phase. If they pass they free themselves as above but if they fail they sink without
a trace and are out of action.
6	The Watcher in the Water — Many dark and unmentionable creatures lurk in the depths below the marshland of Albion, such creatures are rarely seen. Only a gurgled scream and the sight of a comrade disappearing into the mire are any indication of their existence... A random warrior in fenland terrain is
attacked by a huge tentacle of some unknown swamp beast, and must attempt to	fight the creature off. The warrior may attack the creature once. It has a WS of 2 andévofT 4. Any friendly wartiors within, 2" of the victim may also aa K the creature. If wounded the feature lets go, otherwise the warrior is dragged to his doom beneath the marshes.

The Artefact: The artefact lies in the crags in the centre of the board the first warrior to reach it may take it. If that warrior is stunned or taken out of action then the attacking player may take the artefact and as such several players may carry the artefact by the end of the game.

warbands

Each player rolls a dice. Whoever rolls highest chooses who sets up first. The first player then chooses which table edge to set up on, placing all his warriors within 8" of that edge. His opponent then sets up within 8" of the opposite edge.

starting the game

Both players roll a D6. The highest scoring player takes the first turn.

ending the game

The game ends when one warband fails its Rout test. The routers automatically lose.

experience

• +1 Survives. If a Hero or a Henchman group survives the battle they gain +1 Experience.
• +1 Winning Leader. The leader of the winning warband gains +1 Experience.
• +1 Per Enemy Out of Action. Any Hero earns +1 Experience for each enemy he puts out of action.
• +2 Artefact. If a hero is carrying the artefact at the end of the game he earns +2 experience points.

rewards

The warband in possession of the artefact at the end of the game may examine it to discover its worth. Roll a 2D6 on the table below:

D6 Roll	Artefact
1-4	The artefact is valuable and worth 5D6 gold coins.
5-6	The artefact is an enchanted Totem of Light, which renders its bearer immune to psychology and all alone tests. If given to the warband’s leader it improves his leadership by +1.
7-8	The artefact is a Silver Sickle, which acts like a normal sword but increases Weapon Skill by +1 and adds +1 to the user’s Strength vs Daemons, Possessed and Undead.
9	The artefact is a Talisman of Light bearing the mystical Triskele symbol. It wards hostile magic and will nullify any harmful spell cast at the wearer on a roll of 4+
10-11	The artefact is a Tome of the Truthsayers, a book of magic. It enables the user to cast a single randomly determined spell of the Lore of Light once per battle without the need to roll for difficulty.
12	The artefact is a Vambrace of Silver, which has the power to deflect missiles. Any ranged weapon that hits the wearer will be deflected away harmlessly on a roll of 5+.