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TMS

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Preface

This is going to be a game-driven writeup of the outcomes of the games of Mordheim I'll be playing in a newly started campaign. I'm running an Undead warband where the vampire is Helena von Carstein, a child vampire that I have as the general of my Warhammer army. I'm also playing with an altered version of her in the TVC2 RP here on CN. Either way her story begins with being sent off to fight in Mordheim so I am building this part of her background in detail as we play through our campaign.

The story will be built up around the games I play from the POV of this character with some interludes of storytelling between game sessions to build the progression and cover events. I can't promise that every installment is going to be super-exciting as I'm known for playing defensively with the vampire, but that's all in character as far as I see it; vampires have time on their side so they're not against running away to fight another day. They're not in a hurry and you don't get to live for hundreds of years if you're rushing!

The warband

This thread is not supposed to be a progress log of the warband other than Helena herself but for the sake of clarity I will list the members to give some more context during the writeups.

The warband has the following notable members:

Helena von Carstein (vampire)
Newly turned and considered to be flawed due to her much too young age. She's under the command of Herr Schtiller, the necromancer, although she is the leader game-wise. For a physical description you can read it in the spoiler box below and have a look at my avatar (disregard the S:t Lucy crown, please).

Helena was sired into undeath during her childhood at the age of 7 and has retained the physical characteristics from that time. She is of average size for that age at just under 4 feet tall and around 50lbs. She has long and straight platinum-blonde hair reaching her waist, pallid white skin and contrasting yellow eyes. She is dressed well like the nobleman’s daughter she once was, wearing formal attire dresses with high-collared shirts. She dresses primarily in ivory or otherwise off-white coloured clothes; the colours of her original family was a dark shade of blue but upon joining the Sylvanian court she was given her own. She doesn't usually wear any head wear.

Herben Schtiller (necromancer)
The commander of the operation, but for how long will a vampire tolerate a human's leadership?

Karl Schultz (dreg)
Kurt Rustle (dreg)
Walter Fritz (dreg)

These are a group of rather unremarkable human warriors. They're most useful as servants and errand-runners during the day when Helena is resting.

Graveclaw (ogre bodyguard)*
Graveclaw is a powerful ogre who's sent with the warband to make up for Helena's shortcomings. He is armed with a great club made from the bone of some even bigger beast.

And then there is an assortment of henchmen that can be either ghouls, zombies or dire wolves. At the time of writing there are only ghouls.

*:@Ghouly, this one is merely named in tribute to your TVC character, it's not supposed to actually be him. :)

And just for fun I will be keeping a short log on how Helena develops her in-game stats and abilities over the course of the campaign. I will be keeping them inside spoiler blocks at the start of a new game or at the end of an interlude.

Brief background

This is a quick summary of events leading up to the warband's arrival at Mordheim. The details of this might be explored later but for now they will be kept short.

In the year 2000 the last of the Sylvanian noblehouses fell under the curse of vampirism brought by the ruling count Vlad von Carstein. One of these families had a young daughter at the age of seven. This was Helena, and when her father and mother proposed to the count to let them bring their child into undeath they were strongly rejected. Child vampires were strictly forbidden to be created as they would be forever unable to reach their full potential, both mentally and physically. The count ordered them to wait until Helena had reached adulthood before turning her, but her father disregarded this completely when he drained her of blood on the very same night he returned back to their home. This angered count Carstein greatly and he had both Helena's parents executed for her father's disobediance. However, he spared Helena's life. For the moment, at least.

Just recently, a meteor had descended from the sky and destroyed the city of Mordheim in the north. Reports told of vast amounts of wyrdstone waiting to be collected by those swift enough to claim it. The count readied dozens of his agents to travel to Mordheim to gather as much wyrdstone as possible, and with these Helena would be included. Despite her flawed creation she could still serve a purpose; she would either succeed or die in her attempts. Both outcomes suited the count's plans.

Under the watchful eye of Herben Schtiller, one of the count's trusted necromancers, Helena would be part of one of the warbands sent to fight in the ruined city. She was given basic training and had some equipment made for her; an investment the count thought unlikely to give any rewards but he believed in giving all of his agents, including Helena, at least a fair chance. The count granted them a group of human servants to cater to their needs and also entrusted them with the control of the monstrous Graveclaw who would serve as their bodyguard. The warband arrived at Mordheim in the dead of night; it was the start of what would be a long and bloody struggle inside the city of the damned, but what no one could foretell was the effect that the massed amount of wyrdstone would have on the young vampire.

Finally

I'll be trying to keep each writeup brief and concise. I want to be able to type them up in 15-20 minutes and not write 2-3 full blown stories after each game night. Let me know what you think of the style of writing and if it feels too short to make it interesting.
 
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TMS

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Chapter 1 : The first outing

Helena's profile for the first game.

M:6 WS:4 BS:4 S:4 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:2 LD:8
Equipment: Halberd, Bow, Heavy Armour
Experience: 20
Skills: None
Injuries: None

It was dusk. Or at least it appeared to be. The sky in Mordheim was still choked by dust and pollution thrown up by the meteor, permanently blotting out the sun. The fading light retreated from the buildings; some tall, some small, some ruined, some whole. Helena and the rest of the warband were approaching a town square. This was to be the site of their first conflict, as Herr Schtiller had gathered information about other warbands who were heading in this direction looking for the very same prize; wyrdstone. This place was littered with it. Its presence was tangible.

Helena,” said Schtiller in his rasping voice. ”The time has come. Our rivals will soon appear to claim the wyrdstone. You must advance and secure it for us before we can withdraw.

Yes, Herr Schtiller. I will do it.” Helena replied. She didn't like moving up on her own but she far outpaced all others in the warband save for Graveclaw. However, the passages through the buildings surrounding the town square were too narrow to fit the beast.

The first piece of wyrdstone is on the upper floor of that building over there.” Schtiller said, pointing at a partly crumbled house ahead. ”The damaged ladders and steps will prove no match for your speed and agility. Get up there and claim the stone along with any other pieces you can see. Now go!

With that, Helena took off.

---

Having secured the first piece of wyrdstone without difficulty, Helena had then leapt out of the building and on to the public square to reach another shard that had fallen in the middle of the open space. The enemy had been identified; to the east there were a small band of stout dwarfs and to the north a group of howling sisters of Khaine (counts as Sisters of Sigmar), frothing madwomen all. Through a combination of luck and Helena's supernatural speed neither opposing warband had moved to contest the piece of wyrdstone in the center of the square. She could hear the shrieks and screams of the sisters to the north-east, revealing that they were about to attack the dwarfs; a distraction that Helena wouldn't fail to use. She sped back to the building from where she had come and rejoined the safety of the warband. However, Schtiller was nowhere to be seen.

Where has Herr Schtiller gone?” Helena demanded from one of her dregs.

He's taken some ghouls with him to search for more wyrdstone shards to the east, milady.” replied the man.

But that's where the enemy is. The fool!” Helena growled.

They were purposefully holding back to avoid confrontation with the two enemy forces. With two large pieces of wyrdstone secured intact Helena figured that this could be considered a successful mission, but without Schtiller there would be no orderly retreat.

Looking around Helena saw that Graveclaw still remained with her. Since the warband wouldn't be going anywhere for as long as the necromancer was away she figured that they might as well quickly search to the west for more wyrdstone. She ordered the beast and a couple of ghouls to follow her around the corner of the building block around the town square.

There was no wyrdstone in sight but the long street was strewn with rubble that could be concealing more of the treasure. Helena ordered the ghouls to move ahead of them in case of an ambush.

You two, move it!” she barked at them.

The two minions hurriedly scurried away. They had almost reached the other end of the street when several shadowy figures suddenly appeared nearby them. The sisters were here as well now. One of them, her hair and chanting even wilder than the others', was high up on some wooden frames alongside a building. She conjured through some magical means a glowing hammer out of thin air and with it she leapt from the perch and landed right on top of one of the ghouls, smiting it with the mighty weapon. The creature could only let out a pained squeal before it was brought low.

Helena ducked back behind the corner of the building block and ordered Graveclaw to follow her. The panicked cry of the other ghoul she'd sent up could now be heard as it likely shared a similar fate to its brother. Helena resolved to not let the menacing woman get anywhere close to her, and she was relieved to see that Schtiller had returned and was approaching her with urgency written on his face.

It is time for us to leave! We have nothing more to gain from staying here!” he proclaimed, and Helena wasn't going to object.

The warband withdrew from the conflict with no further incidents.
 

TMS

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Helena's profile before the second game.

M:6 WS:4 BS:4 S:4 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:2 LD:8
Equipment: Halberd, Bow, Heavy Armour, Lucky Charm
Experience: 23
Skills: None
Injuries: None

The night was still young as the warband made its way back through the deserted streets. They had been fortunate so far; not only had Helena managed to snatch two large shards of warpstone from under the noses of their rivals, the group had also stumbled upon even more of the precious material during their withdrawal. Helena had also found a strange necklace inside the ruins of an old wizard's shop that she was rummaging through, a souvenir she decided to keep for herself.

Our work for tonight is still not done, I'm afraid,” said Schtiller. ”We are approaching yet another site where there is said to be unplundered treasure. I have heard of a sealed chest to be found somewhere around here and it will be to our benefit if we can claim it for our cause.

However...” he continued, his voice grim. ”I would be surprised if we were the only ones intent on finding it.

They arrived at the area where Schtiller had said it would be. It was a large street flanked by two large and tall buildings, each enclosing its own courtyard. Either building could be hiding the treasure somewhere within it.

---

Helena seized the initative and brought Graveclaw with her towards the building on the right. Schtiller would lead the dregs and ghouls to the building on the left while keeping a wary eye on the street for any signs of the enemy.

Helena and Graveclaw reached their building's courtyard well before anyone else were even close. In the middle of the space there was a smaller structure and when Helena stopped to look inside it she couldn't help but let out a shout of excitement – there it was. The treasure chest! It was theirs already!

But then, suddenly, the shrill shriek of a ghoul in pain cut through the air. The enemy had arrived. Looking out through one of the windows of the small building she was in Helena could see no less than four armed men advancing from outside the courtyard towards her. It was almost enough to make her panic; would she leave the chest behind and escape to safety or try to take it with her? Her attackers would surely catch up with her if she tried to carry the chest. She needed a diversion and, luckily, she knew just the thing.

Graveclaw! Help me, you dumb brute, and attack them!” she barked at Graveclaw who needed little else to throw himself headfirst at the enemy. The first man, a young warrior with a spear and a shield, took a panicked stab at the charging Graveclaw but it did no harm; the beast retaliated with a swipe of its great club that knocked the man flat on his back. The second man, this one a grim and seasoned champion wielding a halberd in his strong arms, called for the others to charge with him and assist their companion in peril. However, Graveclaw's fearsome appearance froze the last two men from even moving at all, and so the champion attacked Graveclaw alone. He swung his halberd with great force but not even that could dent the beast's hide. Graveclaw struck back and swiped the man off his feet with one hit, knocking him out cold. He then turned towards the first man again and stepped on his chest while he was still lying on the ground. The man cried out in pain before passing out.

While the fighting took place Helena was busy with dragging the immensely heavy chest from the site. She had barely gotten it out of the courtyard when Schtiller appeared, stress and urgency again apparent on his face.

Helena! The enemy is upon us and we have not got the time to retreat with the treasure. The enemy will hunt us down as we run. We must fight them off before we can withdraw!

The sounds of battle could clearly be heard from the street that separated the two buildings. Men and ghouls shouted and shrieked in concert.

Schtiller then pointed over to the courtyard from where she had taken the treasure. Graveclaw was there, facing off against the two remaining men who were regathering their courage to avenge their fallen companions.

Go and aid Graveclaw!” he commanded Helena.

She was apprehensive of engaging the enemy in direct combat. That was something she still hadn't done outside of the training she received in castle Drakenhof, but as Schtiller continued to urge her on she was swayed by a sense of duty towards the count of Sylvania. She let go of the chest, readied her halberd and ran at the closest of the two enemies. At Schtiller's command she was accompanied by a ghoul who would attack together with her.

The man, a warrior wielding a sword in each hand, barely had time to scream before Helena struck him violently with her halberd. She struck him once and swept him off his feet, she struck him twice and finished him off with a downward stroke to the chest. The remaining man, also a swordsman, then came chargng at her, screaming bloody vengeance for his fallen friend. He was intercepted by the ghoul that accompanied Helena but it was for nothing; the man stabbed the ghoul down without effort. He then turned towards Helena, shouting profanities at her, ignorant of the towering shadow rising up behind him. Graveclaw had rushed to aid Helena in combat but before he could act she had sprung forward and finished off the swordsman, crumpling the man with heavy strikes from her halberd.

Looking around them, Helena concluded that they had vanquished all enemies nearby. In the streets outside the courtyard she could hear the voice of the enemy commander calling out a retreat.

They had won and the treasure was theirs!
 

TMS

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Chapter 1 Interlude

It had been a week since the warband's first outings in the city. Helena, Graveclaw and the ghouls occupied the camp while Schtiller and the dregs were out on errands. Helena was loathe to constantly be locked up with her foul minions but she had little say in the matter. The camp itself was also a squalid affair; a run-down hovel on the outskirts of the city, patched with filthy cloth and tents and with her coffin nestled in the darkest corner of the house. Schtiller had said that they could eventually come to get better lodgings if they gained a foothold in the city and Helena was intent on just that.

The bounty from that night had been plentiful indeed. Having driven off their rivals during the second encounter they had been free to search through the surrounding ruins, uncovering yet more wyrdstone. This was fortunate as the treasure chest they had risked their lives for turned out to contain only a small amount of gold coins, getting most of its weight from the chest's own massive construction. Immediately upon arriving back at the campsite they had gathered all pieces of wyrdstone and sent it off to count von Carstein in Sylvania. Schtiller had said that it would hopefully attract the count's favour enough to have him send them reinforcements or other rewards.

Helena was busying herself with investigating the necklace she found that night. It glowed gently in the dark, although it appeared to possess no particular power. Still, her instincts told her to keep it close, and so she would. Moreover, ever since that night she had also felt an invigorating sensation from when she had come into contact with the wyrdstone shards. They were somehow warm to the touch against her dead skin and they filled her with a sense of energetic excitement. Schtiller had told her that the wyrdstone was essentially dark magic solidified and that it harmonized well with all kinds of necromancy. It was often an ingredient for powering dark spells, although Helena felt that it was instead herself that was empowered. She was looking forward to their next outing where she could come into contact with more of it. Her defeat of the two swordsmen during the battle for the treasure chest had also opened up new windows of thought for Helena; to think that someone as small as her could fight with such power. Truly, vampirism was both a blessing and a curse.

The door to the hovel suddenly opened and Schtiller stepped in, illuminating the place with his brought torch.

I bring good news!” he proclaimed with croaking joy. ”The count has declared our first operation a great success and he will continue to follow our progress with all his interest. He is particularly impressed with your performances, Helena.” he said, bringing a smile to her face.

Not only that...” he continued. ”The count has even sent you this.

He motioned for the dregs to come into the hovel, each of them carrying various items and pieces of what looked to be an elaborate suit of armour.

This has been made for you to wear.

Helena's eyes widened at the sight of this armour that the count had sent to her personally. It was much more elaborately made than her previous armour, and would certainly provide her with better protection. She had the dregs help her fasten the various pieces to her, marvelling at the lightness of it all, although she didn't know if this was because of superior materials and construction of the armour or if it was her own growing strength.

Schtiller was watching it all with an expression of pride on his face. It was, after all, he who had led and directed the warband to this early success. And so he would continue to do.

Make yourself ready for our next operation. The count expects us to succeed!” he said.

Yes, Herr Schtiller!” replied Helena, determined to fight with all her strength to win the count's favour.

With such rewards beckoning to her how could she possibly allow herself to fail?

Helena's profile at the end of chapter 1.

M:6 WS:5 BS:4 S:5 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:2 LD:8 (+1 WS, +1S from the last game)
Equipment: Spear, Gromril Armour (4+ armour save), Shield, Lucky Charm, Rope & Hook (re-roll failed Initiative tests for climbing)
Experience: 29
Skills: None
Injuries: None
 
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Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
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Behind the Throne
I was shocked at how I'd somehow missed a four-part ongoing story!

Then I saw the post dates...you've been busy :tongue:

I'm really, really enjoying this and the format is perfectly easy to read (which is an issue I have with some posts!).
 

TMS

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Yeah, this is the entire writeup of last weekend's gaming. I was struggling to find a good format to get everything written up in and at the end I just decided to cut out the fat and trim it down to size. I could get this written in about 2 hours which will be pretty easy to spread out over a week. I just hope it stays coherent enough for a good read.

Next session will be tonight so I should get some new material to work with. I'll keep you posted. :)
 

Count Vashra

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Good work. You've commented on my work, so I suppose I should return the favour on yours!

I've read one or two other story-type battle reports, and they make it nice and interesting. Good to see how Helena s like when she's in her element. Wonder how long Helena's going to tolerate being commanded by a Necromancer...
 

TMS

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Thanks, Vash. I'll be writing up the weekend's exploits soon.

One thing nagging me is that I don't portray Helena as her mental age. I think it's because I don't play her that way in the games, I use her to my fullest potential instead. Although who knows how vampirism affects the mind of a child? She's become wholly subservient to the count and perhaps that also suppresses the individual's personality until they've grown into it?
 

Count Vashra

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Well, I would have thought she would be unrestrained by anyone else's mental control, because her sire (father, I believe) is now dead, and Vlad is only her grandsire. Unless Vampirism itself is having negative effects.
 

TMS

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That's how I think it usually goes with thralls and their sires but I think it can be explained in this case by Helena being rather weak-willed (on account of being a child) and therefore easy to control and manipulate for more powerful characters.
 

TMS

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Chapter 2 : Overconfidence
Helena's profile for the third game.

M:6 WS:5 BS:4 S:5 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:2 LD:8
Equipment: Spear, Gromril Armour (4+ armour save), Shield, Lucky Charm, Rope & Hook (re-roll failed Initiative tests for climbing)
Experience: 29
Skills: None
Injuries: None
The warband was moving through the western part of Mordheim during this moonless night. Wearing her new armour and carrying both a spear and a shield, Helena was eager to achieve success for the cause of count von Carstein.

Schtiller had unearthed information about more scattered pieces of wyrdstone that was waiting to be captured. They were spread out over a large area of buildings, streets and alleyways and, undoubtedly, there were others also en route to claim the prize, as always.

Our enemies here will be a band of dwarfs,” said Schtiller. ”It is the same dwarfs that we encountered the other night. They apparently fought those Khainite sisters off without losses and proceeded to discover large amounts of wyrdstone. Given that they have come here tonight I am sure they know of some major deposit around this area, which is why we must fight them off so we can take it for ourselves.

He then stopped and sniffed the air, taking in the surroundings.

We are here. The first piece of wyrdstone is just up ahead inside the building” he said, pointing at a two-story house ahead.

Helena, you will act according to the same strategy as last time; claim that wyrdstone and seek out any other shards that can be taken. Be prepared to fight off any dwarf who tries to steal wyrdstone from us. Hit them swiftly and without mercy.

Yes, Herr Schtiller,” Helena replied. ”I will not fail.

Good,” said Schtiller. ”While you move ahead I will take the rest of the warband and move to the east. That is where the dwarfs have concentrated their strength and we will take them head on. When you have claimed all the wyrdstone you can then I want you to meet up with us there. Now go!

And with that, Helena set off again.

---

Sprinting towards and up the stairs of the building ahead, Helena claimed the first piece of wyrdstone without pause. Ahead of the building there was a vast cityscape with an exceptionally large structure in the middle of it. She could see another wyrdstone shard glowing on one of the upper floors, so that's where she was going next. Full of confidence from her previous physical feats and her growing strength, Helena casually leapt out from a window down to the street below; however, it went amiss as some part of her equipment got snagged around the window frame, causing her to lose all balance in mid-air and sending her falling head first into the pavement some 20 feet below. She impacted the ground with a great crash but she, incredibly, remained unharmed. Her newly found warrior's pride took a hit, however, as she picked herself up and looked around to make sure that no one had seen her mishap. She then resumed her mission to claim the wyrdstone and set off in the direction of the large central building.

She passed many smaller buildings and alleyways on her way to the building but there was still no sign of the dwarfs anywhere. In truth, they were slow and not given to mobility.

Helena reached the target building and climbed four floors up to the top where she could capture the second piece of wyrdstone. There were railed walkways around the building's upper floor and, moving out on to them on the opposite side from which she had come from, Helena finally spotted one of the dwarfs. He was on street level some distance away and carried a loaded crossbow; but more importantly Helena could spy that he was also carrying at least one shard of wyrdstone. The thief!

At this point Helena cursed to herself for leaving her bow in the camp. She had figured that with her increased strength she wouldn't have need for a ranged weapon but now she found out otherwise. Left with no other option she began running down the stairs of the building to reach street level. It would have been far quicker to leap from the upper floor down to the street but her recent experiences dissuaded Helena from taking such a shortcut. When she reached the street the dwarf was gone but she would give pursuit anyway. The chubby thing could not have gotten far.

While passing yet more streets and allies in her pursuit of the dwarf Helena could see to her far left that the two warbands had joined battle. Stout dwarfs held ghouls back with their shields while a slayer swung his paired axes against one of the creatures, drawing both blood and screams. She could see Graveclaw in combat with one dwarf, first knocking the clansman over with one swipe of his club and then nearly flattening him with a following downward stroke.

Taking her eyes off the fighting to resume the pursuit, Helena continued to follow the trail of the fleeing dwarf. Her vampiric senses were picking up his taxed breathing. He couldn't be far away now. She could feel her fangs baring themselves in anticipation of the coming fight.

Then, suddenly, the blowing of a horn sounded through the night. It was followed by the raucuous howling cheers of ghouls and other degenerates and Helena felt a strong mental pull that distracted her from her own actions. The dwarfs had been routed and victory belonged to the undead, however empty this sequence of events felt to Helena despite the two pieces of wyrdstone she had captured.

The fat dwarf would live to run away with his prize, but she would get him next time.
 
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TMS

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The dwarf player will be leaving on a 4 week long work trip so it'll be a while before Helena can get her hands on him again. That dwarf sure ran awfully far with those stubby little legs. :vampire2:

Anyway, both games from last weekend was pretty anticlimactic from Helena's point of view; but that's what I warned about at the start of the thread. I'm planning and playing for the long run!

Edit: She did fall flat on her face at the very beginning of the game with the dwarfs, though. That's probably the last time I'll have her jump out of a building.

And by the way, I think I like keeping Helena like a silent protagonist in this story. The objective of it isn't character development but to document what goes on throughout the campaign and the format I write in should hopefully work towards that end. Please let me know if you've got another idea of it. :)
 

TMS

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Helena's profile for the fourth game.

M:6 WS:5 BS:4 S:5 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:3 LD:8 (+1A from the last game)
Equipment: Spear, Bow, Gromril Armour (4+ armour save), Shield, Lucky Charm, Rope & Hook (re-roll failed Initiative tests for climbing)
Experience: 33
Skills: None
Injuries: None

They had uncovered plenty of wyrdstone following their defeat of the dwarfs. The dregs were carrying several sacks full of the stuff and the warband was under a general sense of contentment, aside from Helena who was still cross with having let the thieving dwarf escape. She had at least learned her lesson and had ordered one of the ghouls to run back to the camp to fetch her bow, which she was now carrying again.

The warband stopped abruptly. Schtiller had motioned for them to halt as he was again sniffing the air, his eyes closed and mind focused. He gasped sharply and at once turned towards Helena and the rest of the warband.

This is ill news. An unforeseen enemy approaches us swiftly from the east. They are the possessed, the corrupted servants of chaos.” he spoke hastily.

Helena could see sweat running down the necromancer's forehead. He then continued.

The wyrdstone is as precious to them as it is to us. They must know that we are carrying a haul and now they have come for it. They will not hesitate to lay their own lives down to capture it in the name of their masters.”

The severity of the situation was obvious by listening to Schtiller's tone.

”Helena,” he said. ”This is not good at all. We must engage them head on and crush them before they do the same to us. I am counting on you to fulfill your duty to the count by fighting with all of your strength on this night.”

Yes, Herr Schtiller,” Helena replied. ”You can leave it to me.”

Whatever enemy that appeared would become a vent for her anger.

---

The fighting area would consist of one wider street on the left running parallell to a narrower one on the right. Separating these two were ruined buildings leaving free passage from one side to the other. In both ends the two streets joined together and the enemy was visible on the opposite side from the undead warband.

Helena ordered the minions, including Graveclaw, to follow her up the wide street. She could see the possessed moving along the same path. The two warbands looked like they would have a headlong collision in the middle, but only moments later the chaos cultists suddenly veered off course and disappeared inside the buildings between the two streets. Then, an arrow flew at Helena from the opposite end of the street; there was a cultist armed with a bow there, perched atop a vantage point where he could now freely aim at any target he chose. This arrow had missed but would the next one?

Helena decided not to give the cultist another chance. She barked at the ghouls and dregs behind her to spread out to cover ground on both streets while she and Graveclaw, too large to move along the narrower street, began advancing in a faster pace towards the shooter. She could hear the enemy moving around somewhere in the buildings ahead but she paid that little mind as she could feel her anger rising to the fore. The foolish bowman ahead would be the one to feel her wrath. The clamor of battle rose as the two warbands clashed along the narrower street but Helena kept a steady course forwards.

Then from a doorway to the right a grotesque creature emerged. It was a man, but a horribly scarred and mutated one. His head had expanded to enormous proportions with bulging, bloodshot eyes and one of his arms ended in a great crab-like claw. The mere sight of such a vile thing put Helena to a stop in her tracks. Instinctively she leapt to the side of the street away from the monster and then, remembering that she now had her bow with her, she nocked an arrow and loosed it towards the beast before it could react. The arrow hit squarely in the monster's chest, visibly causing it pain. It let out a tortured wail before it lurched back inside the building.

That's when Helena saw him inside the building; a dark, hooded man, in his hand an ornate staff. He was completely still, eyeing her intently without making any noise. Helena found herself somehow forced to passive silence also, it was as if her mind was being probed by the man's gaze alone; at least until Graveclaw had managed to catch up to where she was. The ogre found himself confused by the silent staring between the two and bellowed a challenge to the hooded man. Then, without a reply, the man stepped to the side and vanished from sight together with his mutated pet.

Shortly afterwards Helena again heard the familiar sound of cheering ghouls and Schtiller's cracking voice proclaiming their victory. The possessed cultists were withdrawing and a moment later they were gone. Helena felt an odd mixture of emotions; on one hand Schtiller's foreboding warning had seemed to be overstated as the skirmish had ended so hastily. On the other hand she felt a sense of unease from the her encounter with the hooded man. What was his purpose? She was certain that this wasn't the only time she would run into him. She had to make sure that she was prepared to act decisively the next opportunity she got.
 

Count Vashra

Lord of Shadows
True Blood
Sep 29, 2013
1,717
New Zealand
Chaos...Always a good foe. And yes I like the perspective of Helena being protagonist. makes the storytelling/battle reporting more natural and enjoyable.

Edit: And bad luck falling off the building.I guess that's what you get for taking shortcuts.
 
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TMS

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Nov 26, 2008
4,662
Sweden
Yeah, chaos is cool, although they're one of the ones I fear the most over the long course. Helena is right now the statistically most powerful warrior in the campaign, likely followed by Graveclaw, but those Possessed (a hero type) aren't far behind and their growth is much quicker... and there's gonna be 2 of them. When you lack any real ranged weapons to try to soften them up with it's going to get tough. The next time I play them I'm going to have to try to take one or both of them out and hope for some permanent injuries. :)
 
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TMS

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Nov 26, 2008
4,662
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Yes, Helena is technically the leader of my warband although in the fluff I have Schtiller as the mind behind everything.

The cult of the possessed are lead by chaos magisters who are wizards. This one has randomly generated a spell that is quite dangerous but short-ranged. That was the reason for the standoff between Helena and Graveclaw on one side and the magister with the possessed on the other; my warriors were superior but that one spell could turn everything around in a single turn. It is difficult to cast successfully but once it goes through it can be disastrous.

But for now, the third expedition awaits!

Edit: And both Helena and Graveclaw are a single game away from leveling up, which is exciting, although since advancements are rolled for randomly I'm really hoping to get good results on both of them. :bowdown:
 
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TMS

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Nov 26, 2008
4,662
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Chapter 2 Interlude

The second operation had also been a success. Two victories against rival warbands had let Helena and her allies search through the ruins of Mordheim to uncover significant amounts of wyrdstone, all of which had been sent off to count von Carstein in Sylvania.

Again confined to the tiny area of the camp, Helena sat alone from the rest of the group. The appearance and mannerisms of the ghouls was distasteful to say the least, and while she appreciated the presence of Graveclaw on the fighting streets his company was less than enjoyable in private. Right now they were all squabbling over pieces of meat torn from some unfortunate creature they had found outside. Helena would have nothing to do with such behaviour. The noises of their feasting and debasement was beginning to grate on her nerves and she would've acted on it if the front door hadn't opened at just that moment.

The sight of Schtiller striding into the camp broke Helena from her thoughts.

I bring more news from the count,” he said, his tone darker than last time. ”While he is pleased with our continued success, several of his other agents have failed to live up to his expectations. There are powerful rival warbands roaming the streets and the count has lost large quantities of wyrdstone as a result of unfavourable conflicts. He has told me to ensure that we keep our perspective on the long run instead of pursuing personal glory.

Schtiller took a pause to breathe deeply before continuing.

However, the count said that he is indeed satisfied with our progress so far. He regrets to say that other circumstances are diverting his attention and resources away from us at the moment and that his continued support will hopefully resume before long. To aid us in our next expedition the count will be sending one of his own assassins; he is a man known only as the Night's Shade and he has been in the count's employ for many years. This ally will help us greatly in securing areas of the city to search for wyrdstone in, although he will only remain with us briefly until a more pressing assignment comes from the count. He will be joining us in due time for our next undertaking.

Helena listened to Schtiller's words with interest. The lack of rewards from the count was disappointing but the rest of it sounded promising.

Helena,” Schtiller said sternly. ”You should prepare yourself for another night of conflict. Ensure that you are ready to go to any length to achieve success for the count's cause.

Yes, Herr Schtiller” Helena replied. ”I will do my best.

Helena's profile at the end of chapter 2.

M:6 WS:5 BS:4 S:5 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:3 LD:8
Equipment: Spear, Bow, Gromril Armour (4+ armour save), Shield, Lucky Charm, Rope & Hook (re-roll failed Initiative tests for climbing)
Experience: 35
Skills: None
Injuries: None
 

TMS

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Nov 26, 2008
4,662
Sweden
Chapter 3: Defiance

Helena's profile for the fifth game.

M:6 WS:5 BS:4 S:5 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:3 LD:8
Equipment: Spear, Bow, Gromril Armour (4+ armour save), Shield, Lucky Charm, Rope & Hook (re-roll failed Initiative tests for climbing)
Experience: 35
Skills: None
Injuries: None

Once again the warband was afoot during the night in the city. This time they would be searching through one of the northern parts; not that it mattered that much, it all looked pretty much the same after having been reduced to ruins.

The assassin known as the Night's Shade had joined them, just like Schtiller had said he would. The black-clad, mysterious man was quite silent and he wouldn't speak unless absolutely necessary. He was armed to the teeth with various sharp tools and weapons, and all of them dripped with poison. As if that wasn't enough he had also brought a great beast with him, a dire wolf from count von Carstein's own hunting pack. If the assassin was more than a mere man Helena would likely have feared him, but right now she was glad that they were allies.

As usual, Schtiller had gathered enough intelligence to give Helena and the rest of the warband a short briefing on what lay ahead.

Once more we are on a hunt for precious shards of wyrdstone. We should be there-” he said, cutting off in the middle of the sentence to take a couple of trademark sniffs of the air. They had arrived at a cityscape dominated by a large, crumbled building surrounded by many smaller structures in no less deplorable states. There were small streets and a network of alleyways running throughout the area.

-right about now.” he finished. For sure, the necromancer's sense of smell when it came to black magic would eventually become the stuff of legend.

However, we will be contending with a warband that I did not expect to see here at this hour. They are the Skaven, the rat-men of the underworld. In truth I am surprised that they have not claimed Mordheim in entirety as their own, for so great are their numbers.

He then addressed Helena directly.

Helena, we will again be utilizing our tried-and-true strategy for you; move to claim any wyrdstone shards you see and be ready to fight off whatever you encounter on your way. I will, however, also be sending out our dregs to search other locations at the same time. The Skaven are infamous for their speed and swiftness so we will have no time to lose if we want to secure victory for the count's cause.

Helena was starting to get used to this. It shouldn't be any problem this time either... at least for as long as she wouldn't try to leap out of a building again.

Also,” Schtiller continued. ”In order to stop the Skaven from surrounding us with their quickness I will have the rest of the warband advance on them as directly as possible. Graveclaw will be at the front of one group of ghouls while the Night's Shade has agreed to lead the rest down the other flank.

Raising his voice the necromancer then motioned with both of his arms as if he was shooing the members of the warband away and into the zone of conflict.

Go now and remember your duty to the count!

---

Helena commenced her mission by ranging ahead of the warband, as usual. Adjacent to the largest building there was a raised platform, formerly a garden terrasse, where the first piece of wyrdstone lay amidst the rubble. Helena climbed the walls with little difficulty and found her prize but before setting off again she viewed the surroundings. The terrace was a brilliant vantage point from where most of the surrounding area could be seen and in the depth of the darkness ahead she could spy swift movement; the Skaven were also on the advance. She saw one of them, swathed in black robes but still quite visible to her vampiric senses, climbing atop a crumbling structure in the distance, another shard of glowing wyrdstone merely an arm’s reach away. She wouldn’t be able to stop the rat from claiming the stone but she could always hunt it down and capture it for herself.

Helena considered drawing her bow to shoot an arrow at the Skaven but refrained from doing it. The distance between them was too far and she’d just be revealing her presence needlessly, although mere moments later it became apparent that such precautions were unnecessary as the rat-man suddenly caught sight of Helena, despite the lack of light. The creature then reacted in a most humorous way; she could hear it shriek in fear and saw it stumbling backwards, falling from the building it had climbed and out of Helena’s sight, the wyrdstone still clutched in its paws. She heard the unmistakeable thump of the Skaven impacting with the stone pavement and laughed to herself. Did she really inspire such fear or were the Skaven just that cowardly? Either way, the wyrdstone was now ripe for her taking from the fallen rat-man. Helena began plotting her descent to the street level where the Skaven had fallen but before she could move a single muscle she felt a familiar and unwelcome presence in her mind.

No, Helena,” she heard Schtiller speak as if he was standing right next to her even though he was far below. “Do not fall for the Skaven’s ploys. They are treacherous and will employ any scheme to reach their goal.

Helena doubted that what she had just seen was a trick. There had been too much weight behind the dull thump from the Skaven’s fall for it to have been anything but sincere. She knew that if she acted right now she could reach the rat and take the wyrdstone from it, but try as she might she could not break free from the necromancer’s mental strings. Schtiller then implanted more of his thoughts into Helena’s head.

Instead of falling into their trap I want you to stay put and see how the battle unfolds. Our warriors should be approaching the enemy at this time and you should be able to see them from your position.

Reluctantly, Helena turned her own efforts away from pursuing the fallen Skaven and instead looked over the area to see the two warbands coming to blows in the streets below. On her right she saw Graveclaw charging some kind of rat-sorcerer. It fired an ominously glowing bullet from a pistol at the ogre but Graveclaw dodged the shot with an agility that belied his size, with the missile instead hitting a ghoul that was moving in Graveclaw’s wake. The wretch was left writhing on the ground in agony. When Graveclaw reached the sorcerer it was quickly over. He swung his club once and twice, pummeling the rat-man into submission. Graveclaw then immediately stormed on towards another Skaven just a short distance away, shrieks of terror erupting through the night.

To her left Helena saw the Night’s Shade engaging a couple of Skaven on his own. They loosed a couple of rocks with their primitive slings at him but the assassin evaded and closed with them. He proceeded to easily cut them both down with his poisoned swords and knives.

It was obvious that the Skaven were outmatched here and that the undead would be victorious, which would leave them with the right to search the area more closely for additional wyrdstone; however, the fact remained that the first rat-man she had seen was still carrying a large shard, and none of her allies knew about it. If she didn’t act on it the rat would recover and scurry away with the stone, just like that dwarf had done earlier. With a strong effort of will Helena fought against Schtiller for control of her own actions, and suddenly she felt that she was free to move on her own. She rapidly descended from the terrace and was headed in the direction of the fallen Skaven but before she could make it far the triumphant roaring rising from the streets made it clear; the Skaven were routed and tonight's victory was theirs.

Helena had again lost the prize right from under her nose.
 
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TMS

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Nov 26, 2008
4,662
Sweden
Chapter 3 Interlude

The atmosphere in the camp was noticeably darker that it had been earlier. Despite their recent success against the Skaven there was an air of worry around the place. Graveclaw and the ghouls were uncharacteristically quiet, not even bothering to eat from the meat they had come across in the area outside.

Helena and Schtiller sat together off to the side of the camp. Helena’s head hung low in shame; she was being chastised for disobeying her superior’s commands and, worse, fighting against his control. Schtiller had, with the count’s own blessing, been employing a degree of mind control over Helena to ensure obedience despite her young age for a vampire. Up until now he had been able to steer her with absolute control when necessary, and this recent development disconcerted the necromancer. If it wasn’t contained it could jeopardize their entire operation.

Helena,” he said, his voice stern and cold. “The count placed you under my control to obey me when I tell you to do something. Under no circumstances are you allowed to decide against my will.

I’m sorry, Herr Schtiller,” Helena replied, although she wasn’t regretful. In her mind she had made the right decision, for was their purpose not to gather as much wyrdstone as possible for the count? Twice now had they lost precious shards to fleeing enemies, both of whom she could have hunted down if given the chance. She looked up at Schtiller and continued in an attempt to explain her actions.

I was only doing what I thought would be best-“ she began, but Schtiller cut her off.

That is not for you to decide, servant” he said, emphasizing the last word to bring home the point. Helena looked at him in silence before lowering her eyes back to the floor.

Certainly it is the strong presence of the wyrdstone here that is causing this rapid change in you” Schtiller said. “Under any other circumstances a vampire of your kind would be rendered frail and impotent.

Helena knew he was referring to her premature age. This confirmed what she had been experiecing all along; the magic of the wyrdstones augmented her body by its mere presence.

You should remember that it was the count who personally made me responsible for our operation here in Mordheim” Schtiller continued. “He is following our progress closely and up to this point he has been quite pleased with our success. You would do well to avoid his disappointment by obeying my commands.

Indeed, disappointing the count was the last thing Helena wanted to do.

However…” Schtiller said, his voice trailing off as he withdrew something from one of his many pockets. “The count has sent me this to give to you.

He pulled forth what seemed like a piece of jewelry. It was a brooch shaped in the bat-like symbol the von Carstein family; the count’s personal device.

This is for you” he said, handing the brooch to Helena. She took it and studied it briefly before looking back to Schtiller again.

The count says that he will forgive your transgression if you will continue to obey me henceforth. This brooch proves the count’s good will and he says you will be considered a full member of the von Carstein family if you dedicate yourself to serving him well here.

He awaited Helena’s response but she remained silent.

Will you accept the brooch and with it your unquestionable duty to obey me in service of the count?

The entire camp seemed to be holding its breath at this point but to Helena there was no alternative. Her greatest wish was to be accepted by the count and this was how she would achieve it.

Yes. I accept it.

Helena's profile at the end of chapter 3.

M:6 WS:5 BS:4 S:5 T:4 W:2 I:5 A:3 LD:9 (+1 LD from last game)
Equipment: Spear, Bow, Gromril Armour (4+ armour save), Shield, Unholy Relic (automatically pass the first LD test), Lucky Charm, Rope & Hook (re-roll failed Initiative tests for climbing)
Experience: 38
Skills: None
Injuries: None
 
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TMS

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Nov 26, 2008
4,662
Sweden
I only had one game last week so the two pieces above could be written slightly longer than the others. The last two games played have been against fresh warbands who couldn't put up much of a fight, so for next weekend I hope to run into something more even... although I don't mind Helena getting some easy exp just for hanging around. :)
 

Count Vashra

Lord of Shadows
True Blood
Sep 29, 2013
1,717
New Zealand
As usual good on you for grabbing the warpstone again! I have to ask, is the Necromancer's mind control over Helena part of the game, or just something to spice up the story? It's interesting either way, and her breaking it is a prelude to...what she does later.
 

TMS

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Nov 26, 2008
4,662
Sweden
Yes, that's entirely fabricated by me to set the setting. I figured that Vlad wouldn't send her off to actually lead a warband on her own, so she's serving under Schtiller who is overseeing the operation. In-game, though, the vampire is the true leader.
 

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