The fire and toxin

   Again, the sounds of battle rang across the refinorium district as the Eschers happened across the territory.  Cawdor cultists still lurked nearby, nursing their wounds after a run in with the Silent Ones.  This led to a battle between the houses of Blade and Faith in the newly claimed Delaque territory.  

Cawdor Deployment

  The faithful were already familiar with the area, so knew the places they wanted to hide.  Coif took a retinue of melee fighters and Hauberk's autogun into the shadows of the overhead walkways, ready to be puppet-mastered towards the new enemy.  

  Blessed Baldryk took the high ground, seeking the Escher leaders to frag from his cover.  

  Finally, Caleb and Snood took their firearms to the perimeter, assuming the females would try to pull some cunning flank maneuvre...

Escher Deployment

  The Escher wanted to start by flanking the cultists with Tumala's chem-sprayer and Katy Kat's support, proving Caleb's assumption correct.  

  Murica, Brae, and Olina all deployed to the center to immediately spread for counter-attacks and support.  

  Menacingly, Jelena and Mikey both deployed as far foward as they could to bring their vicious melee weapons to bear.  Coincidentally, they were on the same path as Coif's slaughter-crew.  

Round 1

  The Escher took no time at all rushing foward to gain their positions.  Murica ordered Brae up to the 2nd level while see moved around to take cover while watching Coif order his entire mob of cultists forward toward's Jelena's position.  

  Her attention was torn when Snood moved up and took shots at Tumala but missed.  Tumala had ordered her and Katy-kat to move up for cover but had been seen.  

  Olina was incensed by the attack and emerged to shoot her autogun at Coif.  The cult leader ducked his head and his armor saved him from any damage.  With his leader down and the battle obviously began, Caleb strode up to Snood and added his shotgun blast to Tumala.  She was smart enough to hit the dirt and avoid being wounded.  As shots rang from both sides, Jelena and Mikey dashed forward behind a reactor to avoid being seen while Baldryk took his massive crossbow to the edge of the platform, hoping to catch one of the chicks in the open in future turns.  

  By the end of the turn, very little damage had been done and only two fighters were pinned.  The Cawdor took the opportunity to pray to the God-Emprah and gained his favor in droves!  It was time for some dangerous sermonizing in the next round...

Round 2

  The Cawdor seized the initiative and began screaming their holy words around.  Caleb, being a Redemptionist already, evangelized at Katy-kat, hoping her young mind wouldn't be able to handle it.  Unfortunately, she comes from a stubbornly vicious stock and resisted his prayer.  Not satisfied, Caleb stormed forward and unleashed his shotgun at the juve with a critical injury.  Tumala was unfazed at the loss of the teen near her and sprang to her feet to spray both Caleb and Snood.  With the poisonous cloud melting through Caleb's robes and causing a flesh wound, Tumala was even more satisfied when Snood fell into a halting coughing fit that resulted in his capture.

  Bolstered by their blessings, Coif ordered Hauberk forward to spray his autogun into Jelena, pinning her, while he sought cover from the coming counter-attack.  Right away, Jelena stood and leveled her bolter past Hauberk into Coif to take down the leader but missed completely.  She screamed in anger at Mikey to move up and help, and Murica joined from the rear.  After the smoke from both shooters cleared, Hauberk had taken a flesh wound from the plasma pistol's grazing hit and nothing else.  

  With anger, Elias screamed a prayer at Jelena (who laughed at the pitiful attempt of a male cultist speaking) and then charged with his chainglaive, knocking her out and standing over her prone form to finish his sermonizing.  

  While Mikey was not bothered by Jelena's fall, she was still distracted as Corvun slowly snuck up behind her.  Luckily, Olina was paying attention and was instantly full of grief as she watched her leader go down and emptied her magazine into Corvun, seriously injuring him.  

  Exercising the evil streak known in the Escher bloodline, Brae calmly walked across the walkway to look down at Hauberk's prone form and shoot him with her lasgun.  Easy targets make easy hits and she added another flesh wound to the bleeding fighter.

  With a last-ditch effort, using a Tactics card, Mikey was activated and eagerly strolled over to Corvun to coup-de-grace him.  The round ended with many models out of action and both sides suffering, but the Escher were especially emotional with the loss of their leader.  Olina, not able to control her grief, fled from the battle after emptying her magazine into the cultist.  Meanwhile, the Cawdor seemed uncaring as they each prayed on and continued their advance.  

Round 3

  As Mikey finished off Corvun, Elias suddenly emerged from the shadows and struck her down with his chainglaive.  The dishonorable attack created an enmity between her and the fanatics.  

  Murica burst out of cover to charge Hauberk and captured him.  Coif countercharged her and sunk his knife into her back, sending her into convalescence.  

  Caleb stook up, brushed off the poisonous liquid clinging to his burning form, and unleashed his one-shot exterminator into Tumala, setting her ablaze and sending her fleeing for the battlefield edge.  Brae was unaware as she tracked Blessed Baldryk to shoot and pin him, but he just stood and dashed for cover.  Brae and the burning Tumala were the only women left in the area and voluntary fled. 

  Brae was unaware as she tracked Blessed Baldryk to shoot and pin him, but he just stood and dashed for cover.  Brae and the burning Tumala were the only women left in the area and voluntary fled, sensing their rapid defeat.  

Conclusion

  It was a brutal battle that only last three rounds and resulted half of the participants going out of action.  These two gangs definitely hate each other, especially after the Cawdor had suffered a defeat and wanted to prove themselves.  Two of the cultists were captured and some Rescue missions will have to be planned.  Brutality all around.  

by Dominik Oedinger

  Another battle down and closer to the campaign!  As always- Happy Gaming!

The Kingdom of Twain

 From where they came

was the Kingdom of Twain,

full of chaos and mystique.

But  no arguments abound

nor was intelligence to be found

in this land of venom and intrigue.

  This is the main human kingdom farthest to the west and the most established society before reaching the Outlands and worse.  The large city is built on the western coast where the Purple Waters River runs into the Lady Pool Lake- a very strategic location for the humans and their westward expansion.  It was settled almost three centuries ago and has now turned into one of the most important places in human history.  

Early History

  When the massive lake was finally explored and mapped, the various parties among the humans (especially the merchant classes) decided to set up a colony along the mouth of the river that all their societies used.  Quickly, the settlers encountered elves and halflings and set up trade and mutual defense agreements.  But they also encountered trolls, ogres, giants, and goblins and had to fortify the position, eventually even building a navy from an island on the river's mouth to protect the trade.  Many decades later, the settlement had grown to a city with royalty and recognition for its power.  But disaster struck as Orcs descended from the north in a massive wave of destruction.  Only an army of all the allied races could stop them, led by a mighty human hero named Zarius.  The city became his camp before the greatest engagement of the war and he brought thousands of new residents as well as entrepreneurial peoples to boost the city.  The great threat was defeated and the city grew to build walls, have a standing army, and become a hub of trade from the elves and the occasional dwarf.

The last century

  Because of the city's prime location on the frontier and easily accessible by waterway, it soon attracted the most powerful of the humans.  The wizards came together to establish an enclave where they could share their discoveries and powers, especially since the Great War with the Orcs.  The access to elves and the growing influx of dwarfs with their high-quality wares made magic and magic items common.  Additionally, a great shrine was built to all the gods so that the blessings could be shared and healing keep plagues and such away.  The Oracle is a long-lived resource that moved here so that she could see both the wilds and the civilized in equal measure.  

  The royal dynasty eventually gained control of the wizard enclave, employing them and appointing them to a special council that transformed into another defense force against their foes.  Still hateful of orcs and under attack from large creatures, the ability to use magic was key to maintaining the kingdom's safety.  What's more, the dynasty had the foresight to align themselves with certain underground organizations that maintained a sense of order and were tools to keep the citizenry calmed.  The Twain dynasty has ruled for five generations now and their power is unrivaled outside the Amethyst Coast.  This had even resulted in the kingdom sponsoring another settlement further west, but nobody remembers if it ever happened.  

Today

  The last year has seen some horrible developments for such a powerful place.  For some reason, trade from the west disappeared and merchants lost their livelihoods by the scores.  Dwarfs and elfs suddenly stopped arriving and the Purple Waters River no longer teemed with boats full of wares like it used to.  This quickly collapsed the economy and created unrest.  Then an evil wizard, named Walter the White, wormed his way into the city and unleashed monstrous beasts into the streets, murdering and rampaging through the upset populace.  Not long after, a rag-tag group of rebels and mercenaries incited a rebellion within the city to distract the attentions of the royal forces and city guard.  This rebellion, fueled by the poor economy and the apparent uptick in shadow activities, almost succeeded and drained the city of over half its population of 12,000 in only a couple of months.  Suddenly, the largest dragon of all time attacked the city and it took all the powers of the wizards' enclave to hold it back.  The King is extremely stressed and seeking any and all champions to join him in defending the city and restoring order.  There are bounties for traitors, monsters, and the wizard.

The economy

  Merchants and traders from all the human lands would often make treks to this frontier kingdom for the rare metals and furs.  Metals, forged by the dwarfs, and furs from animals found only in the Wildwood or elven lands could be purchased.  

  Lumber and fish are abundant and provide a stable living for most people.  Less profitable but certainly attractive are the magic and medical services that area available.  While stocks may be running low in most shops due to the recent developments, there are still magic shops and apothecaries to be found.  

  All large cities have a very large underground of drugs and alcohol, especially if that city includes a sizable military.  Almost anything can be sought and bought here.  The disruptive wizard even increased the drug trade with stocks from the Wildwood, which some have blamed for the rebellion.

  Finally, travelers from other lands come here to sell their services, making mercenary and adventurer work often available to those seeking.  This also means that there are many inns, taverns, and pubs to visit at any time.  While the economy is suffering in the city today, the population decrease from the rebellion has prevented a total collapse and most are able to live well enough considering...

The military

  Being a frontier kingdom requires a standing military.  Twain has an army and a navy as well as a number of ancillary organizations that assist in their operation.

  The navy was first and currently consists of almost a hundred sailors and four ships.  While the ships are only frigates, the crews are well-trained and only the human Barony of Antes could be a threat from across the lake.  There has occasionally been a spelljammer here, but it's not very often.

  The army was created at the end of the war with the orcs and they specifically train to fight orcs and goblins.  Normally numbering around 1,200 soldiers, the army is trained from manuals written during Zarius' crusade and experience fighting skirmishes in the Outlands.  Many companies also train with the navy to be marine warriors, but there are less of them now.  Because of the rebellion, desertions numbered in the hundreds and the army only currently stands at just over 700 soldiers.  

  The rangers are made up of the humans and a few elves that train to protect the Outlands and workers from the beasts of the wild.  They are outstanding trackers and great warriors, but their specialty is in monster-hunting.  They are often contracted to help the elves in their lands to the south.

  The royal guard is made up of officers from noble families and mercenaries promoted due to their heroism and tactical expertise.  The cadre of three dozen is mostly made up of paladins and cavaliers, making it very feared amongst the enemies and respected amongst the regular soldiers and sailors.

  The wizards' enclave is a collection of three dozen powerful wizards, operating from a secret chamber deep under the royal castle.  Most of the wizards choose to focus on abjuration to protect the citizens and city from all manner of threats.  A few of them are Diviners, and only one is an Evoker.  The seers are used for tactical planning and the offensive wizard is a member of King Twain's personal bodyguard at almost all times.  They maintain their anonymity in public as they are all meant to be the final solution to the worst problems.  

Shadow Organizations

  There are two very powerful organizations- one that works against the odds of the city and another that works for it.  

  The first is known as the "Guild of the Hook" and work exclusively on the docks and through the circus.  They are a group led by a shadowy authority that communicates through speaking stones to orchestrate headhunting activities for the city's best and brightest.  With spies, shakedowns, and extra taxes and tariffs in their areas, they work to subvert the local economy and steal profits.  They are able to operate with the support of barristers that push the legal protections of unionized labor and business goals.  Their leader, a human male named Wilson, seems to be the best lawyer in the land and a bruiser to boot.

  The second is known as the "Widow Group" and seems to work on the west side of the city, although their actual dwellings are all through the extensive gnome-built sewer system under the city.  They are assassins and fences, as well as information-brokers.  They work solely for profit, but they are also linked to some of the founders of the settlement from centuries ago, which leads them to supporting the success of the city at all costs.  They work with the King as well as anyone with the coin to contract them.  Unfortunately, they were recently employed by an evil wizard that immediately caused havoc in their ward.  Due to the contract and payment, the organization wasn't able to solve the problem on their own.  Their leader is a master assassin that sheds their identity when they take the mantle, becoming only known as "the Widow".  The members dress in all black clothing with purple armbands showing the symbol of the spider on it.  Higher-ranking operatives will often have the tattoo on their wrist as they are expected to perform their arts in public.  Their trademark weapon is the assassins blade or crossbow bolt coated in spider poison.

The culture

  Twain takes pride in two things- business contracts and literature.  Every citizen is required to write and read common and there are private libraries in almost all of the nobles' homes.  Businesses are run by merchants that understand the importance of contracts and barristers are part of the city guard just for this purpose.  King Twain is himself a prolific author and writes poetry and prose of utopian societies, and his court is required to be versed in philosophy, history, and the religions they will meet.  

  Otherwise, everyday life is just as any other city- merchants and dock-workers bustling among market and craftsmen.  The nobles, often traced back in the history of the city but also well-to-do merchants, live on the eastern side of the city and along the coast.  When the dragonlord attacked, most of the nobles chartered boats across the lake and returned east as their properties in Twain were destroyed.  The citizens and peasantry occupy the west side of the city and are accustomed to the rough-and-tumble world of the lower class.  The rebellion and subsequent dragon attack affected their areas, but most had nowhere to go and simply hid in the sewers.  After, everyday life returned to normal for most people, even with some discontent.  

  There is a massive amount of respect for the military.  Underpinning the entire history of the city is a hatred of orcs.  The beasts from the north slaughtered everything they came across and this city was created with the blood and relatives of those that finally defeated the orcs and saved humanity.  All citizens are taught of constant threat, even if there hasn't been a major orc attack in over a century.  Because of this, the army and navy are never lacking for recruits.  King Twain taxes all citizens, but pays his militaries well and benefits everyone in the city for it.  This includes activities such as parades, circuses, and carnivals.  Pride in the Kingdom of Twain is unmatchable.  

Important locations

-the Westwall the runs from the river south has only three towers and no gatehouse.  The rebels were able to blow up the wall at the river and create a massive entry into the city

-Southwall is the wall that has the only gatehouse and way into the city.  There is an open plain outside the gate and a massive market just on the inside.  The gates are massive and thick, but there is a regular-sized door to the side of the gatehouse that allowed negotiations between the king's forces and the rebels.   

-Naval Base, aka Black James Island

-Purple Docks (Merchants)

-Twelve Doxks (Black Market)

-Twain Castle

-Marine/Ranger Academy

-Temple of Our Lady of Healing

-First Market

-Magic Tower and Market

-Corner Market (Black Market)

-Auntie's Apothecary and Hospital

-Poor Richard's Market

-White Fence Saddle and Stable

-Smith-land

-Oracle of Vice

-Noble's Green, aka Antebellum

-Tricksters' Row (Pubs, Taverns, Brothels)

-Safe Space Tavern

-Greer Suites (Taverns, Inns)

-Summer Stadium

Dramatis Personae

-King Clements V, aka King Twain

-The Widow