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"I have told you, my friends, of many of my exploits: of my adventures in the Witchlands, of my time in Catalucia and even of the marvelous expedition to Ægippe. Yes, my career in the Grande Armée was one of the most colorful and exciting. I was once a Brigadier of the Hussars and had every possibility of soon being promoted to General of Division, had not the hostilities ceased. . . But it is a tale of my earlier days I wish to impart to you today. "I hope that you do not find it too hard to imagine this gray-mustachioed gentleman, who sits in front of you, in the prime of his youth. Tall, straight and resplendent in my hussar's uniform; mounted on my black charger Rataplan, I cut quite a dashing figure. And, I must confess, I broke the hearts of many a damsel throughout Valon. "I was already accredited as the best swordsman in the Crown Hussars who are, as you know, the finest swordsman in the army. My affair with the six Wild Elf fencing masters had seen to that. This adventure certainly put my skills to the test! "I was on my way to the Witchlands front, my superiors obviously deeming my presence necessary to strengthen my brigade. It was on this journey that I met the young Sub-Lieutenant Duroque and became embroiled in his feud with the Baron Stabenmal of the Castle of Doom. . ." ***
This scenario recreates Sub-Lieutenant Duroque's quest for vengeance in the Castle of Doom. It was inspired by the short story "How the Brigadier Came to the Castle of Gloom" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is designed to be played by two players. A Game Master, as always, is handy to adjudicate disputes, but not necessary. This scenario along with "To Rescue the Brigadier" forms a mini-campaign. High Elf Player You are Lieutenant Etienne Gerard of the 10th Crown Hussars. While en route to rejoin your beloved unit, you fell in with a patrol from the Crown Dragoons and allowed them to accompany you. You took an instant liking to the young leader of these men, Sub-Lieutenant Duroque. When he asked you to act as his second in an Affair of Honor you naturally accepted. After securing billets for his men in a nearby village, you proceeded, on foot, to the Castle of Doom. Duroque challenged the Baron Stabenmal who, after some reluctance, accepted. What happened next has offended your sense of honor. The Baron led you to a chamber, the pantry as it so happens, which he said would serve for the duel. Once Duroque and you had entered, the blackguard quickly closed and locked the door. You were trapped! Soon you heard the pounding of hoof beats rapidly receding into the night. A short time later the Baron's beautiful step-daughter appeared at the tiny window to your prison. She informed you that the Baron had dispatched his secretary to bring the terrible Zombiski Cossacks to the castle. With a stifled scream the girl was dragged from the window, but not before she had thrown you a small key. While the key did not unlock the pantry door, it did unlock the one to the castle's powder magazine. Young Duroque and you quickly fashioned a petard to blow open the door to your prison. You spent several tense minutes in the magazine, surrounded by tons of powder, waiting for the candle-fuse to ignite the make-shift petard. Finally, with an ear-splitting crash, your bomb exploded. Free at last, you can now exact a payment from the Baron of the Castle of Doom. Lieutenant Etienne Gerard: An Experienced, Elite Elf armed with a Saber and a High Elf Dueling Pistol. Gerard is reputed to be the finest swordsman in the Crown Hussars and receives a +1 bonus in Hand to Hand combat. Like Sharke, he is destined to survive the Mordredian Wars, drink wine and tell of his marvelous adventures. Any wound which would kill him should be interpreted as merely knocking him unconscious. Sub-Lieutenant Duroque: A Raw, Elite Elf armed with a Saber and a pair of Cavalry Pistols. A brash, young officer of the Crown Dragoons, Duroque is consumed by his vengeance. He will attack the Baron in preference to any other figure. When engaged with him, his anger gives him a +1 bonus in Hand to Hand combat. Anna Stabenmal: A Raw, Civilian Elf armed with a Candlestick (treat as a small improvised weapon). Anna is the step-daughter of the Baron. She hates him with a passion, blaming him for her mother's death. Undead Player You are the Baron Stabenmal, Vampyre Lord and leader of a band of Zombiski Cossacks. In your mortal life you were know as Jean Carabine. During the tumultuous times following Mordred's rise to power you murdered many of Empress Morgana's supporters, including Duroque's father. Your character has not improved since joining the ranks of the living dead. You have little to fear from that whelp Duroque, but you have heard of Gerard and respect his skill with a blade. Therefore, you have cleverly contrived to imprison them in your pantry and then sent your secretary for reinforcements.
Unfortunately your mortal step-daughter, Anna, has warned them and tried to effect their escape. As you prepare to deal with her, once and for all, you hear a resounding explosion. By the Ice Moon, the mortals have broken free! The Undead henchmen have been damaged by the explosion. Roll 1d6+1 for each zombie and skeleton to determine the number of wounds caused by the improvised petard. The wolves, farther from the source of the explosion, have a 50% chance of suffering 1 wound. Baron Stabenmal: A Raw Vampyre armed with a Saber. The Baron is an imposing figure: a huge, bearded man with a great shock of fire-red hair. Ivan Shovov: An Worn Zombie armed with a Sword. Yuri Pushov: A Decayed Zombie armed with a Club. Mikhail Nokitov: A Decayed Skeleton armed with an Ax. Nikolai Takov: A Decayed Skeleton armed with a Spear. Howolski: An Average Wolf. Yapovski: A Raw Wolf. Set Up
Sadly the map to this scenario has been lost to the ravages of time but one isn't really needed. All you need is a good castle interior layout. There are many companies which provide excellent terrain and floor plans. Gerard and Duroque have just blown the Pantry door off it's hinges with an improvised petard. They begin in the castle's Magazine. The Zombies and Skeletons start in the Hall, near the door to the Pantry. The Wolves also begin in the Hall, but are located near the outside doors. The Baron and Anna are in the Dining Room. The Baron will be preoccupied with Anna for the first two Turns of the game. Whereupon he will leave her (unwounded, in game terms) to investigate the commotion. Terrain & Conditions The scenario takes place within the donjon of the Castle of Doom. The Game Master may find it convenient to map the donjon on a square or hex grid to facilitate movement. It is night at the beginning of the scenario, but the interior of the castle is well lit by lanterns so there is no darkness penalty. If necessary, the action can continue outside the castle. Special and Optional Rules The Duel At the Players discretion the fight between the Baron and Duroque may be fought using The Duel from Alternative Armies. It will, of course, be a duel to the death. Gerard, however, will not let the Baron skewer young Duroque and may step in at any time it looks as if the young sub-lieutenant is about to meet his end. Gerard will lose no Honour for this interference due to the base and cowardly actions of the Baron. Statistics for all three characters are provided below. Assume that one Flintloque Turn passes each time the characters roll their Action Dice.
Character Descriptions For Use with The Duel Name: Etienne Gerard
Age: 48 Honour: 450
Regiment: 10th Crown Hussars
Rank: Lieutenant
Strength: 4 Damage Bonus: -
Reflexes: 8 Initiative Bonus: +3
Move: 6
Toughness: 5
Skills: Saber 8, Bare Hands 3
Weapon: Saber
Name: Duroque
Age: 40 Honour: 40
Regiment: Crown Dragoons
Rank: Subaltern
Strength: 4 Damage Bonus: -
Reflexes: 6 Initiative Bonus: +1
Move: 6
Toughness: 6
Skills: Saber 5
Weapon: Saber Name: Baron Stabenmal
Age: 130 Honour: 0
Regiment: Zombiski Cossacks
Rank: Kapitan
Strength: 8 Damage Bonus: +2
Reflexes: 5 Initiative Bonus: -
Move:Move: 6
Toughness: 7
Skills: Saber 5, Bare Hands 5
Weapon: Saber An Impending Disaster The petard which Gerard used to blow off the Pantry door has started a fire in the castle. It will spread to the Magazine in 3d6+6 Turns. There is no chance that the fire can be contained. Anybody in the confines of the castle will be killed when the magazine goes up. The Game Master should describe how the fire inches towards the stacked barrels of powder. The purpose is to add a sense of urgency to the scenario, not to kill the characters. Victory Conditions
Victory conditions are straightforward. The Elves must kill the Baron. The Baron must kill or incapacitate the Elves with the aid of his Undead henchmen. Both sides must escape the Castle of Doom before the powder magazine explodes. Figures and Painting Guide Etienne Gerard: The uniform of the 10th Crown Hussars consists of a sky blue Dolman with a scarlet collar and cuffs and white or silver lace. The pelisse and breeches are also sky blue. The official headgear consists of a cylindrical shako, but most members of this elite unit insist upon wearing a bearskin colpack. A figure of Gerard can be found in the Deadloque miniatures. Duroque: The officer's uniform of the Crown Dragoons consists of a green jacket with white breast, collar, cuffs and epaulettes, yellow turned backs and gold braiding. Trousers are white and worn tucked into knee-high, black riding boots. All ranks wear a "Minerva" style helmet which is brown and gold with a tri-colored (white, yellow, and green) plume. There are several unmounted dragoons in the Corps Imperial des Dragoons boxed set, but perhaps the best figure to represent Duroque, in this scenario, is the dragoon duelist from the Elf Guard Duellists blister. The Undead: The Baron may be painted in any way desired, he wears no uniform, even though he is a Kapitain of the Zombiski Cossacks. His Undead henchmen can also be painted in any many the Players choose. They are not members of any military unit per se. The Baron may be represented by a wide variety of figures, although I feel that the sword-wielding Vampyre in the Latrinislav Command suits him perfectly. Feel free to substitute Gigori Dracsul (from the Deadloque miniatures) or Ivan Wintermore (from the Lady Wintermore's Fangs Miniatures) for this Character. The Undead Henchmen can also be represented by several figures. Andropov and Karpov (from the Deadloque miniatures) are good choices. Aside from the Flintloque range, Black Tree produces some excellent looking Zombie peasants (Drakul Zombies packs I and II) which would work well for this scenario. Webmaster's Notes The above was originally published on Mike's long gone but excellent Filbanto Stew website. The story this is based on can be viewed online (legally may I add) on Project Gutenberg here. |
