Kingdom Death - The Gang's All Here - A Miniatures Palooza

So, I have completed the construction of the monsters, core survivor models, and 4 more extra armour kits models. I just need some scenery extras that I will add to the monster bases to finish them completely.

Enjoy.

Yup the Phoenix towers over everything else.

From l to r: White Lion, Screaming Antelope, The Butcher, The Watcher, The Hand, King's Man

Survivors galore.

[Actual Play] AD&D 2nd - Ravenloft, House of Strahd Session 8

Ravenloft Session 8

One week remains until the adventurers return to Castle Ravenloft, this time by invitation to Strahd and Ireena’s wedding. The party gathers supplies and equipment, lengths of silk rope and rations funded by Kolbo and Thenn. They also try to find armor and magic weapons in the village, but neither the general store nor the blacksmith could provide anything. With the poisonous ring of mist gone from the village perimeter, the adventurers ponder leaving for another village, but realize they would not have enough time to return for the wedding.

As the sun begins to lower, the party is confronted by Ismark the Lesser, Ireena’s brother, outside the general store. He approaches fuming, demanding to know where his sister is. Upon learning of her deal with the devil Strahd, he becomes pensive. “When is the wedding? Perhaps I can turn this to my advantage…” he asks the adventuring party. Kolbo and Trayven are flabbergasted, “How could you side with the Count, he’s a monster!” Ismark back petals and explains that the party are rebels and he’s just a law abiding citizen who should be made burgomeister. Trayven raises his quarterstaff and knocks Ismark in the head. And keeps going. Bloods splatters on the street as Ismark coughs. The villagers close their shutters. Trayven looks down at his rage fueled handy work and sees glaring red eyes staring back at him from the blood. No one else in the party sees a thing.

The party stops Trayven and Beetlebottom, concerned about Ismark’s injuries, sprints to the village temple in search of Brother Donovon. The doors open with a crash and the Witch of Hala finds the Priest of the Morninglord lounging in the pews, sipping his ritual wine. Grabbing the priest, Beetlebottom drags the human back to heal Ismark. He does and the young man glares at the adventurers before storming off. Kolbo ponders how many enemies they’re probably making in the village and suggests the party skip town until the wedding. Instead, Brother Donovon invites the party to stay in his temple. There he confides that he has been ordered by Count Strahd to conduct the wedding ceremony.

The adventurers dedicate the next six days to planning their attack. Kolbo suggests that they have three options: Attend the wedding as Strahd intends for them to, head straight to the heart of darkness beating in the tower and destroy it, or find Strahd’s brother’s tomb and with it the magic sword. While at first Baroness Ioana argues that the party should attend the ceremony, the party unanimously agrees to search for the Sunsword.

The march up the mountain to Castle Ravenloft takes hours, but the party arrives a half hour before the ceremony begins. They notice significant repairs to the drawbridge and even Marvin’s blood was (mostly) cleaned up from the front entrance. As they step inside the grand entrance, the party finds a few guests at a table checking their weapons. Strahd’s bumbling servant, the same one that offered them terms before the Battle of Castle Ravenloft, stands at the table writing tickets for each weapon. We he asks the party to hand over their weapons, Kolbo simply laughs in his face. The servant gives them a confounded look, “But ya can’t go in there armed like that, it’ll make the other guests nervous.” Lady Ioana tries to sweet talk him, but doesn’t have much basis for argument. Kolbo suggests that the party step outside to discuss the situation.

The party begins going over their magical options when Belzon offers to take care of Strahd’s servant. He doesn’t give any further details before walking back inside. Approaching the servant, who introduces himself as Cyrus, Belzon asks for directions to the restroom. “Ah, it’s tough to get there, I’ll need to show you the way,” the old man says. Cyrus takes Belzon upstairs and through a number of secret passageways before the come to a large spiral staircase. Before Cyrus can take him further, Belzon shoves the servant of the edge and a wet crunch echos from below. A shiver runs up Belzon’s spine and he walks away without looking down at the body.

The party gathers again at the grand entrance and begins their trek downwards. They descend for a time until they come to a landing with a short hallway. The party steps forward in marching order and Thenn feels a slight, sudden depression in the floor. With lightning speed, gilded portculli descend on either side of Thenn and Kolbo, and they notice from a tall shaft above them that the sound of winding gears and pulleys emanates. The elevator must be descending on them. Kolbo struggles to bends the bars but to no avail, the Baroness searches frantically for any levers or triggers. Finally, with the elevator barreling down, Kolbo, Ioana, Thenn, and Grayven combine their strength to thrust up the portculli and evade the crushing force of the descending stone. When the elevator finally reaches the floor, the other portculli opens. The party steps forward to the door at the end of the hall, but when they hear bubbling on the other side and see mist creep in when they open the door, they firmly shut it and head back to the stairs.

Descending again, the party reaches the bottom of the spiral staircase and finds a water filled hallway. A soft cry for help comes from the the right door in the hallway. Kolbo takes out his 10 foot pole and carefully moves forward, looking for any pressure plate traps like they found above. He does, finding a loose plate ahead of him. Thenn moves ahead to disable the trap and trips another pressure plate. He vanishes in an explosion of water. The party scrambles to figure out what happened. They cry out Thenn’s name.

Thenn opens his eyes and is in complete darkness, standing upright in chest deep water. His darkvision reveals a small confined cell, with it’s only exit the silhouette of a rusted iron gate. It appears locked and impossible to pick from the inside. After getting his bearings, Thenn hears the distant voice of Beetlebottom calling his name. He responds in kind.

The rest of the party hears Thenn’s reply from a doorway down the hall to the left. Even more carefully than before, the adventurers slowly approach the door, evading pressure plates with careful use of the 10-foot pole. They find an iron door down a few steps, half submerged underwater. Entering, the party walks a gauntlet of waterlogged prison cells - some with corpses and others with sparkling gold. In the last on the left they find a waterlogged Thenn.

The party unlocks one of the cells and grabs a handful of platinum coins each, leaving the other treasure locked up. Kolbo also notices a strange amulet in one of the piles of coins - one shaped like a hand with an eye in its palm. He grabs it with his 10-foot pole.

The party then crosses the hall to investigate the cry for help. Walking through the other door, the adventurers find a similar filled dungeon. In the last cell on the left, the party discovers a shivering peasant, mold growing in his beard. The party instantly grills the peasant - “who are you?” “Why are you here?” “Why aren’t you dead like all the villagers.” The peasant, Ivan, reveals that he was kidnapped a few weeks ago by Count Strahd but hasn’t seen his liege lord since. Only a lone porter comes to visit him occasionally with food. The adventurers set Ivan free and, while they don’t say he can’t stay with them, suggest that he make his own exit up the spiral staircase to the east. Ivan scampers off.

The party goes back to the main hallway and advanced forward, dodging two more pressure plates. Their rings enchanted with continuous light illuminate a large room up ahead - a large den of unspeakable evil. Within they see a blood stained rack, a black vice with the skeleton still inside and to the right a balcony, where two figures in thrones sit and watch.

The skeleton on the black vice is the first to reveal its unlife, clattering to the watery floor and stumbling towards Kolbo. Beetlebottom steps forward first and brandishes his holy symbol of Hala, sending the three approaching skeletons cower in the corners or behind torture devices but Strahd’s zombies  jumping down from the balcony seem unperturbed. The initial melee is fierce, with two zombies tearing loose Kolbo’s breastplate and and sinking their nauseating claws into his flesh. Lady Ioana moves to support, while both Belzon and Thenn drive back another zombie on the left. Grayven stays behind in the hallway when he hears a howl from the stairway behind him. The melee continues, but Grayven pushes through the impromptu shield wall, turning around just in time to see an upright wolf charging through the water at him and his friends. Drawing a silken web from his spellpouch, Grayven crushes it into a ball and throws it into the long hallway, producing a 40-foot thick web and constricting the man-wolf in the furthest reach of it. The giant wolf creature howls, breaking free and retreating back to the stairs.

The last undead falls to Lady Ioana’s blade and the heroes take a moment’s respite. Elsewhere in the castle, the Count’s gives out a booming cry of anguish, echoing down to even the deepest dungeon...

Session Loot: 600 gp and an amulet taken from the dungeon

Session XP: 1200

[actual play] Kingdom Death - Lantern Year 7 - The Ghost in the Dark

Aeolus, along with the brutish Atlanta, the strategist Abas, and the newest hunter, Areto (I messed up my minis and forgot the survivor was female, hence why there are 3 male models on the board), set out to hunt once more. Their quarry a large lion specimen, in order to create a great deal of armour and weapons in order to hunt the new monster that lurk in the dark. 

Abas wears a new full set of hide armour, and a massive axe. Areto essentially is present to drive the hunting party into a frenzy.

Before the survivors was the sea of golden grass where the lions often lurked. They set out around it, hoping to find the lion, but instead they came upon a field of living flesh. The warm air carried their sent, and the hunters worried they were the hunted. They came upon a dead tribesman, and clutched in his hands a book. The hunters were able to discern some meaning from it, and it sent Areto in a deep depression.

Again, in the golden grasses a lion cub was found, and promptly slaughtered, but doing so did not draw one of its parents.

On they marched, and came upon a settlement that stank of decay and filth. Flies were buzzing, and the hunters left promptly. It was out on the open plains that Aeolus was struck by lightning, burning his hands.

A large lion stood ahead, and the hunters took cover in the grasses. Fortunately the lion did not take notice of them, and instead sniffed the air. It was the opening the hunters needed.

Abas charged in, slamming his great axe into the side of the lion, fuelled by the inner fire fighting art of Aeolus, and his own ability to deal brutal attacks.

The others took cover, waiting to see how the lion would react, as Aeolus also attacked the lion head on, before darting around to the rear of the lion as it struck out at him, only to attack once again.

Areto approach the lion and was in position to attack, only for it to turn upon him, and glare. The fear consumed Areto who dropped to the ground sobbing. Abas had fled back to the grasses already, having attacked, while Aeolus attacked, rending the mouth of the lion off.

Abas had charged back into the combat, only for the lion to leap forward, blood spraying from the missing lower jaw. It slashed wildly at Abas, who fortunately was protected by his armour. (complete hide armour means 2 armour at all locations.... which really stopped that 6 damage from making a mess of him).

Areto circled the beast, and struck with the katars made of antelope teeth. He was lucky to deal so many wounds, craving the flesh from the beast, and slicing its human like hand off. Areto had really pissed it off, and so drew the lion away from the others, chased by the lion. It grabbed him by the head and dragged him away.

As the other ran to Areto's aid, Areto stood up ready to face the beast, as Abas dropped to the floor screaming as the beast looked deep into his soul. Areto again struck with all his might, but the lion responded, tearing him apart in a flurry of scything attacks. Areto was bleeding heavily, and died.

Atlanta charged forward with her spear, cutting off the lion's human like paw. It was now severely crippled, and no longer could run off with any of the survivors.

Given the array of injuries inflicted to the lion, the remaining survivors encircled the lion and slew it. The combined abilities and weapons of the hunters were though not enough to help one of their own. Both the lion and the body of Areto were carved up and taken back to the settlement.

Returning to the camp, the land rumbled and steam erupted from the cracks. The survivors found their footing, and from the ground a founding stone was recovered.

With the tribe having learnt the art of sculpture, and completed the lion armour. Further more, the return of the Twilight Knight brought a new gift - or curse - the Twilight Sword. Aeolus was deemed the one to wield it. And he would need to learn as much as possible using the sword, for the Knight would visit again and test him.

So the next hunt will be the Phoenix. I have a lot to try out. A lot of resources left over, and spear weapons. You'll note that a number of them carry multiple weapons in an effort to get the most advantages on the gear grid. The combination of fighters and ways to stack the AI and wound deck really should mean I have a chance vs the Phoenix. Also that founding stone should allow me a great way to get a early injury in on it. Guess it means I make the Phoenix this weekend. It's sad I lost another survivor, but also I got another one. So not all bad. The bad thing is Aeolus is going to have to sacrifice all his advances with the sword to start his journey as a twilight knight.

[actual play] Kingdom Death - Lantern Year 6 - The Feather

Aiakos, Arachne, Acastus and Alcestis set off to hunt another antelope. The fight with the larger lion had taught them that they needed more armour. And the antelope was the best was to gain some.

In the dark they heard the antelope bellow, and storm off. They gave chase, finding its droppings. Aiakos ate some, and felt dizzy.

On they wandered, narrowly missing a stampede of the beasts. They continued their chase and found a plan unlike anything they had seen, for it was made not of faces, but of feet. Aiakos, Arachne and Alcestis moaned in terror. Had they fallen through the world they cried. Would they fall away from the world. But Acastus, new to hunting, looked on confused. He looked for them as they wandered off in their madness.

Aiakos was found singed, having been searching a body of a hunter. Arachne had survived some strange wailing smoke. And, upon finding Alcestis, they survivors realised that she had led them directly to the antelope. They attacked.

In amongst the grasses, Arachne and Acastus fought the antelope, but Acastus was repelled, as the beast knocked them away, and slid on its belly, the belly mouth gibbering.

The antelope galloped back towards them, and Acastus was once more attacking, wounding the beast many times, rending bones and a portion of the beast's stomach.

Aiakos found a swarm of insects and recovered some ants, bagging them to consume later.

The antelope responded to the grievous wounds, consuming acanthus plants and promptly regaining it's stamina.

Arachne attacked, but it leapt backwards, knocking Aiakos and Alcestis flying.

The Acastus took the chance to strike the beast from behind, but again it screamed from its belly mouth. The guttural cries drove Acastus mad and he dropped dead.

Aiakos and Alcestis struck the beast again, using the grasses to hide. More of the beast was carved off.

Alcestis rammed her spear in the antelope's jaw, and pulled, wrenching the mandible free, sending gouts of blood everywhere.

3.... 3 bloody traps in one game!

Arachne circled the beast and struck with her katars. The antelope again screamed from its belly. The troupe fled from the beast, as it slid across the stone faced ground, wailing from the gut.

In hind sight the positioning was not bad, since it was not able to trample anyone that next turn.

The beast was limping and with bleeding heavily as Aiakos and Alcestis finished the beast off.

Returning to the camp the settlement re-enacted the hunt of the Butcher, with Aeolus being venerated for his heroism. Meanwhile the haul of materials and monster organs allowed for a great number of things to be made. The camp learnt how to make beds, and advanced weapons. A great axe was made, and the camp had the first full suit of hide armour. The next hunt should mean they can make a shield, and if they hunt a lion, perhaps a complete a set of armour based upon that creature. And then, then, perhaps they could hunt this strange creature that Areto was fascinated with, and from which a strange feather had fallen. 

Serious gear has been made. Now do I fight a level 1 lion, a level 2 lion, or the level 1 phoenix?