Rangers of Shadow Deep - Burning Light - Part IX

So here we are at the ninth and last part of the "Burning Light" campaign mission for Rangers of Shadow Deep... "The Final Showdown"...so we were successful in our search for the Decanter of St,Emelia after the last scenario... all we had to do now was get out of the Convent alive... but the evil powers of the Shadow Deep were now aware of our presence...and something had been sent to try and stop us....

As our Rangers and our companions (old and new) - entered the courtyard (the location of their first encounter in the convent)... they were met with a terrifying sight... There were three exits on the far edge of the Courtyard.. one near each corner: both were guarded by gnolls and wolves, and a central exit. In front of that one was a huge demonic shape with huge wings... a Terror Wing!!

(There are some spoilers here - so if you are planning to play through this mission yourself, maybe don't read this until after you've had your own game experience...)

   

Our current lineup of Heroes:

Alfie's Team:

Arthur - Ranger (level 9)

Malvolio - Conjuror

Fern - Guardswoman

Brutus - Hound (rescued in the first scenario)

My Team:

Jennifer - Ranger (level 9)

Archibald - Archer

Seb - (a character from the Bloodmoon mission who is now a companion)

Geoffrey - Warhound

St.Doneera - Ghostly Warrior Priestess (who joined us in the third scenario)

The table set up at the start of the game...

Gnolls and wolves guard the exits...

The Terror Wing stares down at our heroes as they enter the Courtyard...

Our Rangers and their companions.. will they all make it out alive?

Our Rangers re-entered the courtyard. Hattie was dead. They were not at at full health, but their numbers were bolstered by two new helpers in their quest - Brutus the hound who we had rescued from one of the locked buildings in the courtyard in the first scenario.. and St.Doneera the ghostly  figure of a Saint who had mysteriously appeared to help us when we explored the Dormitory above the Hospital in the third scenario... We had to decide which figure was carrying the Decanter. We had to try and get it off the table, and if that figure fell, another figure could pick it up from their body. Arthur had the most health, so he was the one to start with the Holy relic.

Our Rangers started to move across the room... the gnolls and wolves were just out of range of their bows... but then the wolves started to run towards them... Archibald took one of them out with one shot.... Jennifer concentrated her fire on the Terror Wing which was in range... she used her one off "Steady Aim" heroic ability and managed to reduce the demonic beast to half its health in the first turn!! The Terror wing rose up from its starting position and started to move down the courtyard towards us.. and then another wolf ran out of the doorway behind it.

Jennifer, Geoffrey and Archibald moved up the left hand side of the central fountain, hoping no zombies would creep out of it like the last time they were here. Archibald shot another wolf... and then Jennifer used her Smoke Spell to hide them from the view of the Terror Wing... Arthur shot yet another wolf that was running at him down the right hand side of he table. Jennifer, Geoffrey and Archibald were nearest to the Terror Wing, but because they were hidden by the smoke, the fearsome winged creature flew over the fountain and swooped down on Brutus as he was the next nearest visible hero... One of the Gnoll fighters ran and attacked Geoffrey. The Gnoll was running from the other side of the smoke spell, so he could see him... Jennifer and Archibald were close enough to move in and help...

Brutus only had two health points at the start of this game... he didn't stand a chance against the demonic winged nightmare...

Whilst the Terror Wing was distracted by Brutus - Arthur, Malvolio and Fern took on the Gnoll fighter that was running at them down the right hand side of the courtyard. The Gnolls were both outnumbered on both sides of the table. Neither lasted long.

St.Doneera moved towards the Terror Wing... the beast sensed her ghostly presence and tried to blast her with an elemental magical attack... luckily this time her holy aura was too strong, and she managed to shrug it off...

Jennifer and Archibald both stayed where they were and fired their bows at the terror wing... neither managed to cause any damage this time... Arthur, Fern and Malvolio moved further up on the right hand side... With a hideous screech, The Terror Wing pounced on St.Doneera... an epic struggle ensued...and St.Doneera disappeared in an explosion of golden dust between its claws! One second she was there... the next... gone.

Seb and Geoffrey started running up the courtyard towards the doorway in the far left corner... Another wolf came through the central exit

Arthur turned, concentrated, and blasted the Terror Wing with his one off Magic Bolt spell... Reducing it to a shriveled smoking heap on the far side of the fountain!

This left three minions of the Shadow Deep on the table....two Gnoll archers, and one wolf.

Jennifer shot the wolf. One Gnoll archer tried to shoot Seb, but missed... the other Gnoll shot at Malvolio damaging him slightly...

Seb ran and attacked one of the Gnolls... Malvolio blasted the other with one of his Magic Bolts...

 

And that was it. All enemies taken out, our remaining heroes left the courtyard at the start of the 6th turn - Arthur still in possession of the Decanter of St.Emilia.

We were lucky with our dice rolls. If we hadn't taken down the Terror Wing quickly, I sense that the situation could have escalated and got a lot harder fast!

Our mission was complete. Our Rangers returned to Alladore with the Decanter. Brutus the hound survived the attack from the Terror Wing, but he had a permanent injury of a crushed leg... he would forever walk with a limp (movement reduced to 7" instead of 8"). Hattie was dead. St.Doneera would never be seen again....

At the end of the mission, we handed over all the artifacts we had found, and along with them and the creatures we had dispatched in the final scenario, we had enough XP to go up to level 10. Both our Rangers upgraded their shooting stats to +4.

Our Rangers rested briefly, they have re-organised their teams of companions... and it won't be long until they are sent on their next mission... to the TEMPLE OF MADNESS...

...

I created all the floorplans for this campaign using the fantastic free resources available from

  2 minute tabletop.