[actual play] Kingdom Death - Lantern Year 4 and 5 - The Butcher and the Beast

Leaving the settlement, once more venturing out into the darkness, Aeolus, Abas, Ariadne, and Atlanta were confronted by the hulking form of the Butcher. It was clad in thick furs, skulls, lanterns, heavy armour, and brandished a pair of mighty cleavers.

Acting quickly the party took cover behind some pillars, and encircled the brute.

The Butcher was not only armed with scything cleavers, but was able to stare into the minds of the survivors, and tormented their souls. The survivors launched a flurry of attacks against him, and began to make him hurt, but it did not take long for fear to overwhelm their minds.

The Butcher was able to swing his blades around, knocking them all to the ground.

Another swirling death blow sends Abas and Aeolus flying.

The Butcher magically appears next to Atlanta and sends her mad with grief. She feels nothing for life and the world.

Abas was able to strike a lucky hit from behind the Butcher, knocking him to the ground. The others take their chance to lay into the monsterous being. Atlanta struck him with her spear.

Ariadne prepared herself, once more mimicking the manner in which the lions hunt, and bounded forward to strike the Butcher on the ground. But it was a trap, and the Butcher stood up and knocked Abas down, before teleporting away to once more attack Atlanta-

However, the Butcher was once more surround by Ariadne and Aeolus, who were able to finally kill the Butcher. The armoured figure slumped down, and faded from view. Nothing remained.

Upon returning to the settlement, Atlanta was consumed by the need to eat the skull of one of the previous dead of the settlement. But her hunger was sated, and she remained calm.

With nothing to use to build or create, but having survived the Butcher, Aeolus led the settlement in celebrations, which in turn led to him knocking down a lantern, and in a moment of inspiration learnt how to harness fire properly. He created an oven, that in future could be used to make new tools. The settlement also grew, and five children were conceived, two being twins.

With a lack of resources, Aeolus, Abas, Atlanta, and Ariadne once more set off, to hunt, this time hoping to find a true bounty. They were seeking far larger game.

Abas found a lion claw as they found signs of scratching, and it confirm they had found a larger lion. But it was as they travelled that Atlanta broke down, consumed by grief. However, in turn, as they walked along, something spoke to her. The very faces of the ground whispered, and with it she gained some sort of understanding of the world. In time they came upon a valley, where the stone faces with sharp and jagged, they cut them as they clambered down. It was in the valley, in the shade of a tree, that they found a lion cub, and Abas slew the small animal. The yelps of the young lion bringing the far larger parent. It was larger than any lion they had faced previously. (Yeah Level 2 lion!) But the party was prepared. Aeolus had taught them a secret art, that filled their attacks with an inner fire.

The lion roared in grief and stalked after them. Atlanta was driven to frenzy and readied her spear, able to deliver a series of deep wounds to the lion.

Ariadne, using her katars made of the Antelope teeth, struck and crippled its paw (Huzzah! The Lion trait to be able to just run off and grab a survivor was out of action quickly).

However, the lion was undeterred, and slashed and swiped, maiming Ariadne. The fight was so brutal that eventually the lion's attacks were so savage that it ripped her leg off and she died of shock.

Making good use of the injuries to the lion, the party kept their distance and encircled it, with Aeolus's fighting art lending strength to the others. The lion was finally killed.

Returning to the camp Abas was also consumed by grief, eating the skull of Ariadne and driven to a murderous urge and a need to eat uncontrollably. The survivors were of little help to the camp, for the Bone Witch waylaid them. She was the exile from a few years back, and she tested the survivors, and maimed Abas, promising her return.

The survivors, already wounded, tired and exhausted from the lion and the witch, found the settlement in chaos. The were met by armoured figures, that then left. But Aelous discovered that the young born of the previous year of celebration were now dead. These Kings Men had slew all the young. Already the remaining survivors had begun to render down their bodies into organs and flesh to be used for weapons and clothes. Along with the harvest from the lion, a great many things could be made.

Aiakos donned as much armour of the lion as possible, and led Arachne, Alcestis, and for the first time, Acastus, on a hunt. The antelope would be their quarry this time.

[actual play] Kingdom Death - Lantern Year 3 - Scream if you Want to go Faster

Abas, Aiakos, Alcestis, and Atlanta set out looking for the thing that screamed in the night. Searching for the beast they came upon a mound of vomit, made up of whatever the monster had fed upon. Searching amongst the filth they discovered some bones and teeth, they assumed from the beast, and in doing so they learnt more about the thing they stalked. Alcestis even took to eating the vomit. A strange woman, one who was haunted by having caused the exile of one of her tribe.

Walking on further they discovered the body of a woman, dressed in fine clothes. the body provided the hunters sustenance and took along some of the flesh.

Finally they came upon the beast, a strange antelope with a belly that was a giant maw. It gibbered and snorted as it fed on some sort of plant life. Great pillars surrounded the plants, and provided the covered they needed to approach the beast. They found that it was riddled with worms, the was revolting for the party, causing Atlanta to wretch.

Yeah I messed up. The skull helm should have been lost after the last game.

Abas had led the hunt so that they had plenty of cover.

The beast reared up and stomped about, feeding on the plants, but not attacking. Aiakos took cover in the grass and threw his founding stone, immediately causing a deep wound to the monster.

The antelope turned on him and attacked, but Aiakos dodged the piercing horns. The others drew close, and the Aiakos hit back, causing the antelope to flee. It chewed on more grass, and regained some of it's composure, despite the wound inflicted by Aiakos. Abas attacked it from behind, cutting the beast's ear off, causing the creature to lose its senses. Alcestis pounced forward, emulating the lions they had fought, and slashed deep with her katar at the antelope's throat, but failed to killed it.

Aiakos was charged by the antelope, and it tried to strike Aiakos, but again it failed. Aiakos struck back but in return for his efforts was knocked down trampled.

The antelope bounded about, and between Alcestis and Aiakos it was struck and injured, further crippling the beast. It would attack and bolt off, only to rush in and attack again. Alcestis even had her katar kicked out of her hand. But the efforts of the party had cornered the beast.

Alcestis launched into another attack, only for her katar to strike into the antelope's gullet. It wrenched the weapon from her hand and swallowed it. She now as armed with just the last founding stone.

Aiakos ran to aid Alcestis, and his scrap sword found a weak spot, cutting deep, slicing the monster's tongue and legs. It bounded past them, trampling them to the ground, only for Atlanta to run to help them, calling for them to get up, as she struck with her spear. The antelope reared in pain and lshed out in all directions.

Alcestis, now unarmed save for the last founding stone, went to launch the sharp piece of rock at the creature. But as it turned and gazed at her with it piercing red eyes, Alcestis cried out in horror, the stone whizzing past the beast.

The antelope continued to dash about, trampling and kick, as Aiakos again struck out with his sword, cutting into the knee of the beast. Abas tried to also strike the beast, only for it to rear up, wailing from the maw that made the belly of the creature. Abas and Aiakos fled, falling to the ground, as the creature slid on its belly, colliding with Atlanta and Aiakos.

Yup, somehow I managed to herd the monster away from the rest of the acanthus plants. This is both good, and really bad. Also dazed is a blessing and curse of a wound to deal to the beast.

It too the combined efforts of Alcestis and Atlanta to deal the final injuries to the antelope, with Atlanta striking with her spear, ramming the weapon down the monster's throat.

With the beast dead, the hunters dragged the body back to the settlement. carving up the body, the tribe used the blood for paint, learning pictograms, and creating a stone circle, where they offered up the teeth and bones of the antelope, and made new weapons. The heat wave that swept through the region was of little matter to the tribe who found water the pooled within a cave near the settlement. It the sweltering heat arrived a strange knight. Human, but clearly a expert warrior. He picked out Abas and taught him how to deliver killing blows, before departing with the promise of returning again in time.

With Alcestis consumed by her secrets, and Aiakos needing to rest, Arachne chose to lead the hunt, joined by Aeolus, Abas and Atlanta.

It was not far from the settlement that a strange, brutish figure emerged from the shadows. His body was clad in metal, and his helm was a set of fearsome teeth. He was, for want of a better word, a butcher - a butcher of men and women.