The Templars' Last Stand

A Slipstream Scenario

Following their surprise attack, the minions of evil Queen Anathraxa converge upon the Temple of the Morning Star, home of the fabled Sunstone. The Temple is defended by a band of Seers and two companies of Templars, the mystical knights of Theophilia.

The Seers are surprisingly inert while the Queen's primals rush through a barrage of blaster fire to assault the Temple.

A band of primals and a company of Handmaidens break into the Temple.

But the Templars repulse and annihilate them.

More primals get in and wipe out one company of Templars.

But the Seers come alive. With a powerful psychic blast, they wipe out the primals.

The Queen's minions keep coming!

Another breakthrough!

Primals catch the Seers from the rear. The priests are cut down!

Surrounded and outnumbered, the Templars fight a hopeless battle. Soon, they are also eliminated.

With all opposition gone, a company of Handmaidens strides into the Temple. They part, and Queen Anathraxa steps forward.

"Where is the Sunstone?!" she shouts. Her minions shrug their shoulders.

"THEN FIND IT, YOU FOOLS!" she commands.

The minions proceed to tear the Temple apart, but to no avail. The Sunstone is gone. Just then, one her captains peers through a shattered window. He sees a band of Templars escorting a cart as it rumbles away from the Temple. Shaking, he murmurs "Majesty" and points to the escapees. Anathraxa wheels about and spies the Templars.

"Fools. You let them get away!"

She strikes the unfortunate captain with her scepter. There is a sound of an electrical charge. The captain recoils from the shock then collapses in a heap.

"Get the Sunstone before they escape. NOW!' screams the queen.

Her minions race out the doors and pursue the fleeing Templars.

Will the Templars escape with the Sunstone? Find out next time!

Game Note:
The temple walls are actually from the Hadrian's Wall pack by Brigade Models. It is 1/1000 scale and fits well with 2mm.

Surprise Attack!

A Slipstream Scenario
It is a lovely day on the garden world of Theophilia, home of the mystical Sunstone and the Temple of the Maker. Visitors are wandering the gardens, drinking in the serenity of Theophilia. A group of Seers, the mystical priests of the Maker, are meditating in the gardens (upper left).

With a roar of engines, a fleet of rockets land in the garden. Out pops a horde of primals, the ape-like minions of the evil Queen Anathraxa. The are driven on by some Handmaidens, the Queen's elite warriors. One band of primals slaughters a group of visitors.

 Using their formidable psychic abilities, the Seers destroy a band of primals. Some visitors flee while others hide in the woods or in some of the gazebos situated throughout the gardens.

But seeing the advance of the bloodthirsty primals, the remaining visitors flee. The Queen's Handmaidens rush the Seers, but a psychic blast takes down some of the warriors.

The Handmaidens press on and overrun the Seers. However, the remaining visitors escape from the gardens.

It was a horrible sight - the peace and tranquility of Theophilia shattered by the Queen's invasion force. Some lives were lost - a group of visitors and a band of Seers perished in the assault. Fortunately, most of the visitors escaped.

Game Note:

This is the start of my Slipstream campaign using modified FU (Freeform Universal) rules. I will be posting some thoughts about the rules on my Warwell's Wargames blog (either tomorrow or later next week).

The Sunstone

Among the most revered residents of the Slipstream are the followers of the Maker. Their temple located on the fragment Theophilia is a haven for those seeking silent meditation. Races from across Slipstream gather here seeking a sense of peace.

But don't be fooled by outward appearances. The Theophilians are no pushovers; they are protected by the Temple Knights, holy warriors of great skill and mystic abilities. Not only do they keep the peace on the fragment; they also protect the Theophilians prized possession - the Sunstone.

The Sunstone, a large crystal imbued with latent mystical energy, is a rare prize in the universe of the Slipstream. As long as one can remember it has resided at the Temple of the Maker. The Theophilians believe that the Sunstone assists them in their meditations; it also seems to boost their mystic powers. Outsiders believe that one can tap into its mystical energy and access a bountiful supply of power. For this reason, the evil Queen Anathraxa desires the Sunstone.

Notes

• This is an introduction to a new campaign I am starting, based on the Savage Worlds RPG setting Slipstream. Of course, I cannot leave well enough alone and have added my own twist to the setting, as described above.
• I have some ideas not only for RPG sessions but also for skirmishes, mass battles, etc. I plan to experument with the Freeform Universal (FU) rules, tweaking it to fulfill my needs. Stay tuned for upcoming reports!

Battle for the Bridge

Last time, our heroes boarded the derelict and made their way to the door of the bridge.

They burst in, and find themselves confronted by 3 Dominion robots, including a hulking overlord robot.

Shots ring out but no one is hit.

Until the guard robot blasts Kate at close range. She collapses!

Kip destroys the guard.

And comes to Kate's side. He blasts another robot but is severely wounded.

Kip pulls Kate off the bridge and closes the door, In the adjoining corridor, he administers a stimpack. Kate groggily comes to her feet and our heroes retreat. But the robot overlord bursts through the door and blasts Kip!

Kate backs away and shoots the overlord. It is damaged but still pursues her.

Until it gets close enough to strike with its stunsword. Kate crumples to the ground.

Much later, our heroes awaken, and discover that they are imprisoned.

What do their captors have in store? Find out next time!

Destroy the Derelict

A Kate and Kip Adventure
While battles rage on Zirconia, spaceships slug it out in orbit above the planet. During one of these battles, the Federation ship Nebula was crippled, and the crew abandoned ship. However, the auto-destruct failed to engage. So Kate and Kip are sent to the ship to finish the job.

Kate and Kip enter through one of the airlocks. Oh no! Dominion robots have boarded!

Kip takes out a robot.

More robots advance but our heroes shoot them down.

The last robot shoots and wounds Kate. Kip zaps it.

After taking a stimpack, Kate is at full strength. The proceed through Nebula's winding corridors.

Kate trades shots with a robot.

And she destroys it. Another robot rushes Kip and tries to grapple him.

But Kate takes it out.

Our heroes advance deeper into the corridors and encounter another robot.

Kip eliminates it.

Kate shoots another robot in the hallway. Look out! A master robot shoots, wounding Kip.

The master robot rushes forward and slashes Kip with its laser sword. Kip retreats, and zaps his attacker.

After taking stimpacks, Kip and Kate arrive at the door to the bridge.

What will they find on the bridge? Find out next time!

Game Note: It's been a while since the last adventure of Kip and Kate. I was off work this morning and did not feel like setting up a miniature game or 4AD scenario. I decided to run a virtual scenario instead. I rolled randomly to find their mission, and robots came up as the enemy again. That's serendipitous because I have a campaign against the robots going on.

The Skull Cave

In our last installment, our heroes have been searching the forest for the orc reavers who stole the three rings from the Northport abbey. The have just stumbled upon . . .

 

the Skull Cave!

Source: http://imgur.com/LZ1jO

They enter the cave through the gaping maw and descend a set of stairs into the bowels of the earth, At the bottom of the stairs, a winding corridor (1) leads them further into the lair.

Map of the adventure

They round a corner and encounter four giant centipedes. The creatures turn, and appear ready to attack the party. Instead of readying his bow, Rikk the ranger brings his hand to his mouth and makes a strange hissing noise. It startles the centipedes and they flee.

Game Note; The ranger is an unofficial class found in Uncanny Against Darkness. One of the powers of a ranger is to scare animals away.

At the end of the corridor is a door. They open it and enter a room (2). Two orcs are standing guard. Once they see the party, they charge. Wielding two wicked choppers, one swings at Khamen, who ducks and then plunges his dagger into the orc's chest. It collapses to the ground. Rikk takes out the other with a well-placed arrow.

In the next corridor (3), five worgs are sleeping on the floor. As soon as the door opens, the leap up and charge. Rikk kills one with an arrow. Khamen and Candorra are able to fend off attacks. The three heroes slay 3 more of the beasts. The last one flees.

Our heroes enter the next room (4) and spy a towering orc. A reaver boss!

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/63/de/24/63de2410aa1cca422a138c0715c37cbe.jpg

"I know you, ranger!" the orc growls. "This is the last time you'll bother me!" With that, he launches himself at Rikk. The ranger manages to dodge the blows as he unsheathes his sword. Candorra rushes to Rikk's aid. Her blade flicks out and slashes the orc. It yells in rage and strikes at her. The orc's weapon hits, biting through her armor and drawing blood. Candorra stumbles backward.

Meanwhile, Khamen sneaks up behind the orc. His magic dagger pierces the orc's flesh. The monster lashes out behind him, and strikes Rikk with a mighty blow. But now Candorra has an opening and she strikes.

With Rikk temporarily down, the orc rushes and grabs Khamen by the throat. His powerful muscles clamp down, crushing Khamen's windpipe. In desperation, Khamen plunges his dagger into the orc's arm. It releases Khamen and swings. Khamen dodges, Candorra and Rikk rush forward and stab. Their blades bite deep, and the reaver collapses.

The party searches the room and finds the first of the three rings! Just two more to go.

Will our heroes find the remaining rings? Can they win them back?

Find out next time!

Game Notes

• I am currently playing The Three Rings, a Four Against Darkness module.
• Because 3R seemed very random, I have modified it a bit. I turned the adventure into 3 hex crawls. The boss of each crawl will hold one of the rings. 
• In 3R, you can come across dungeons, which are mapped out using standard 4AD rules. When I rolled a lair during the hex crawl, I declared that the boss of the lair would be the first hex crawl boss. I used my modified encounter charts instead of the standard 4AD rules. Here is how they look for this dungeon:

• I got lucky and found the boss in the fourth room.
• Next up - the second hex crawl!

The Oak and the Skull

Part 2 of the Adventure of the Three Rings

Our heroes have been scouring the woods for the orc reavers who raided the abbey of Northport and made off with three sacred rings. After coming to a fork in the road, the party chose the left-hand path and began traversing northward.

North >

Soon they came upon an old oak (1) next to the path. A welter of tracks surrounded the oak.

"Perhaps they hid a ring in the oak." Khamen suggested.

"Be careful of old oaks," Rikk cautioned. "They can't be trusted."

"What could happen?" scoffed Khamen as he stuck his hand into a knot in the tree. He groped around and gave a cry of surprise. Then he pulled out his hand, holding a small bag. Unfortunately, it only included a few coins and no ring.

Game Note: I actually rolled a ring but decreed that it was too early to find one.

The party continued north, running foul of a swarm of bees, a magical whirlwind, and a forest fire (2-4). After surviving these hazards, our party rested in a clearing (5). Their break was short, for soon after they heard growling from the woods. Seven hungry wolves sauntered into the clearing.

Candorra jumped up and with a word and a gesture cast a fireball at the wolves. Two were burnt to a crisp and the others fled.

"Careful with that." Rikk warned. "Don't want to start another forest fire."

"Yes." Khamen agreed. "We'd be out of the pan and into the fire." Candorra just groaned.

Further along the path our heroes met a merchant and his guards (6). They perused his wares but he did not have anything of value to them.

Continuing north, they entered a patch of human-sized mushrooms (7). Suddenly, a fungoid-like creature attacked.

"A fungus ogre!" cried Rikk.

"Lets find another way!" suggested Khamen as he retreated down the path. His comrades agreed as they fled from the creature.

Their encounter turned out to be fortuitous. As they returned along the way they came they spied a hidden path that veered west. This path led to a huge boulder, about 20' high, that was shaped like a skull (8). Its jaw was opened wide. Looking into its gaping mouth, they saw a cave leading into the bowels of the earth. Around this entrance, Rikk could see orc tracks.

"A skull cave - fitting lair for an orc reaver." Candorra commented.

Khamen nodded in agreement. "This must be the way. Let's go in." At this, the party filed into the lair.

What will they discover inside? Find out next time!