When Heroes Arise: A Fallen Champions AAR - Part 3

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CHAPTER 3 – From the Twilight



PART 1 – A Voice Calls​

Drest sat alone in the confines of his tent. The spacious abode, luxurious by Pict standards was only afforded to those of his position within the tribe. To the respected Elders or in his case tribal shaman.

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A dilemma preyed heavily on his mind. One that had done so for a long, long time. He sat as he always did, cross-legged in quiet, relaxed contemplation. At the centre of the large hide covered canopy, faint wisps of grey smoke rose above the embers of a small dying fire. He stared at each ethereal strand as it lingered briefly before rising skyward, his mind returning to the past glories of the Picts. A better world. Another time. He sought guidance. A sign from the spirits of what to do. What to say. He listened. Though no words came.

Voices raised in the heat of argument pierced the misty gloom, breaking his focus and drawing him back to harsh reality. Slowly he rose, gliding towards the exit. The guffaw outside rising in energy with every step he took. Grabbing his staff as he reached the entrance, Drest pulled the flap to one side taking a stride through the gap, emerging into a melee of unabated angst and barely reigned hostility.

Outside the tribesmen bickered. Like children. Another spat. Meaningless. Empty. Over some trivial matter no doubt. Such was the existence of the Picts. A people fallen from glory. Graceless and petty.

“There must be an answer to this.” No one heard. The first blows exchanged hands, drawing instigator and bystander into a mass of violence and pain. Drest called out. No one heard. He reached a group of warriors grappling with one another, trying to gain the upper hand. They shrugged him off, causing him to fall to ground. He rose, reaching out to another two coupled in martial deliberation. This time the larger of the two threw the other against the shaman causing him to fall down heavily. Knocking his head against the ground. Causing the breath in his lungs to spurt out. Pain coursing through his skull. Drest wanted to scream out. To meet the flow of pain with a blast of anger. He could not. The anguish of despair had paralysed him. He closed his eyes.

All around him the battle ebbed and flowed, but he could not see. Men screamed. Women wailed. He could not hear. From deep within him, somewhere from the pit of his soul a singular voice called out to him, its tone louder than anything he had heard in his life. Majestic in its authority called out a singular word. “Cumbria.” “Cumbria.” Over and over the voice repeated. Urging. Imploring. Demanding.

What seemed like hours, were only seconds. Days only minutes. The voice finally ceased its transmission. Slowly he opened his eyes. He was amazed to see ever member of his tribe frozen in place. Staring at him. Mouths wide open. “The spirits have spoken.” “The Spirits have spoken!”
The large Pict that had knocked him over, help the Shaman to rise.

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Now he had to leave. To fix what was broken. For the spirits had spoken. Drest had been chosen.

 

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PART 2 – The Quest at Twilight​

Drest has journeyed far. The farthest south he has ever been in his life, to the lands north of Bedigrane forest. Alone, armed only with his staff he was a match for any pack of wild animals or any pack of wild men. Progress was swift guided by the voice within. Within weeks he had reached the edges of the unknown lands north of Bedigrane forest.

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Drest paused. Before him stood the saplings of a unnatural deepwood. Something within told him, that the next step would be the passing of a threshold. The end of his old life and one begun a new. Taking a deep breath he strode forwards, towards his future.

After hours of trekking through the dense labyrinth of dark foreboding trees, the forest canopy thickened. The path ahead opened. Revealing a small copse that should not have been there. In the centre stood a mammoth tree. Unique in appearance. Resolute in demeanour To one gifted in the magical arts such as Drest, the aura around this tree was unmistakeable. The forest closed behind him. Barring his way back. He must go onwards.

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The tree beckoned Drest towards it. Seemingly knowing the way. Drest approached sensing the hand of his ancestors in this. Drest chose how to proceed. A path opened ahead. Leading to a gate with two stone pillars.

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Once through Drest chose to take the path on the right. Sensing a familiar presence. Onwards he continued.

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Ahead guarding a sacred structure a ghost figured hovered above the ground. It seemed to recognise Drest. Drest felt its familiar presence. It offered Drest a choice. Drest knew what to do.

As his vision blurred, the world grew dark and vanished. Replacing the all encompassing black void, the ghostly apparition of a long forgotten battle appeared before him. Unreal, yet real. Taking place there, before him. The savagery was breathtaking. The slaughter unparalleled.

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Drest remained standing transfixed at the ferocity of the unfolding scenes. He recognised the Pict warriors fighting against an unknown foe. Though outnumbered, the Picts were dispatching ten times their number. A voice called out from around him. The warriors oblivious to it. Drest snapped from his trance, knowing he must act. Act he did.

 

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Hands outstretched before him, he touches the Pict warrior nearest to him. To his amazement the warrior responds.

The image of the long forgotten battle shimmers and disappears. Leaving Drest and his new companions to continue through the dark wood. Eventually they encounter a large boulder blocking their way.

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The boulder bars their way forwards. Though nearby a deer track offers hope of another way through the tightly woven undergrowth. Together the group makes good progress. Soon the path widens and the forest thins out. Allowing the sun to shine through the canopy once more. Soon Drest's party encounters a new threat. When a band of Seelie warriors appears ahead.

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Drest decides on the better part of valour. To avoid confrontation.

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Too late. The Seelie spot him and move towards the clearing where Drest and his spirit followers are departing. With no choice but to face this new threat, Drest and his warriors assemble ready for battle.

Keen to avoid a battle, Drest tries his luck at diplomacy.

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His kind words are met with insult. If the Seelie want to shed blood. It will be their blood that splatters the ground beneath their feet. Their bodies that lay broken upon the ground.

 

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PART 3 – Preparing for battle​

The mission ahead is quite simple. To escape these lands and progress on his journey Drest must reach and pass through a stone circle. This can be found near the south of the map, located in the middle. Between him and victory, lies a battlefield full of enemies forces spread out in groups across the land.

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Drest the Chosen may be a single individual, but pushover he is not. He has many magical abilities at his disposal. These include: the ability to temporary allies - Summon Spirit Wolves. Dominate Soul is another situation altering spell, which can temporarily change the allegiance of an enemy force, so that it fights for you side. Overwhelming Charge is an offensive spell which can cause damage to the targeted enemy.

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Perhaps though the two most important spells, at least when it comes to Drest's survival are: Sacrifice, which must be cast on a friendly unit and Draining Blast, which targets enemy units. These spells can regenerate Drest's hit-points if or when he loses any health.

With Drest, guarding him against the masses of Sidhe enemies are three small squads of Spirit Warriors.

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Protectors of the Circles are Spirit warriors very capable in the art hand-to-hand combat. They possess two combat abilities: Heroic Defence, which augments their defensive prowess, while lowering their offensive capabilities. The other is Ancient Fury, which increases the speed of attacks and movements. An ability of great value given the caustic environment they may find themselves in during the battle.

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The other unit is one capable of unleashing projectile weapons against Drest's enemies. There are Spirit Guardians. These phantom warriors possess Phantom Blades, an ability that increases the damage they can unleash against Drest's foes.

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Scattered about the place are many Victory Locations – Thunder Traps. These play an essential part in your overall strategy to defeat the enemy. During the battle there is a cycle where day changes to night. Then night to day. These occur in when a timer counts down to zero. These states affect the welfare of you forces. Additional factors that help you in achieving victory for Drest are the pools of mana, lifeforce and energy replenishment and potential allies that can be gained over the course of the battle. Finding enough of these allies will be key in facing the final battle against a hardcore of Sidhe warriors, archers, champions and a special creature.

Perhaps the most important factor in this battle is that time is against Drest. Every time the daily cycle returns to daytime, Drest begins to lose health and must regenerate in some way.

As the seconds tick by the Sidhe bands before him move towards the clearing preparing to engage in mortal combat.

 

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PART 4 – May the Spirits Guide us​

It is daylight and rays of sunshine blanket the lands of the Sidhe. What would ordinarily be a welcome reassurance in the land of the living, is now otherwise. Dusk cannot come to pass soon enough.

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Drest begins the battle on the northern side of the map. His goal is to reach the southern end of the battlefield. To walk through a portal (stone circle) in order to continue along the path his forefathers have chosen for him. To find redemption for is fellow Picts.

As long he and his bands of spirit warriors remain within the bounds of the Thunder Clap they will not suffer at the hands of the sun. The groups of Seelie warriors encountered on the trail move in from the west. They are fast moving, offering no way of escape from their attack. Even if there were any place to flee to.

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Just as the enemy moves into range, both Protectior of the Circle units move to engage the enemy bands. The Spirit Guardians open fire, directing mystical bolts of energy as the enemy closes the distance.

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Fortunately, with the numbers of their side, Drest's group obliterate the enemies. Drest takes a moment to survey the lands between him and his goal. Before this battle has ended, many more foes must be slain.

Soonafter, the Thunder Clap victory location (VL) is captured providing Drest with the ability of Searing Shackles – a way of paralysising an enemy unit within the boundaries. At least for a short time. Would have been useful before the party started.

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As the sun disppears behind the distance mountains, the night sky materialises over the heads of his band ethereal warriors. Now they can strike. For the first task, Drest takes two of his units towards the nearest enemy position, a short walk to the south-west. Using the forest as cover, they manage to creep up on the enemy force and pit their numbers against an equal sized force.

 

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The battle is swift and Drest is victorious. Again only suffering superficial damage to his forces. At the end a magical artefact lies protuding from the wet earth. Packing this away, Drest turns to investigate a small pile of skulls, guarded by a single spirt warrior. Upon approaching the apparition, it smiles warmly at the approaching shaman, before disappearing. In its stead, a new group of spirit warriors appears. Heads bowed in unison, these warriors show their allegiance to Drest.

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With their new found reinforcements, the group move to the east where an enemy force stands guard over another pile of skulls.

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Drest issues the orders to setup an ambush on the western side of the river. To force the enemy unit to attack his line of warriors head on. This time the enemy puts up a spirit fight, only succumbing to the superior numbers Drest now holds.

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With the battle won, Drest now moves his forces south, to a rock-formation by a river – west of another VL. With time running out though, he may have miscalculated the ability of his forces to defeat the enemy unit barring their way, so they can reach the safety of the Thunder Clap (VL). At least before day breaks.

 

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With only a single unit blocking the way, Drest calls forth a Dominate Soul spell, allowing him to move his forces into the VL with not much time to spare.

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The enemy unit that was taken control of, is sent to scout to the far west, beyond the second encoutner faced. Here a high ridge is discovered. Upon it wait a more formidably sized force. As the seconds countdown, all friendly units are safely located with the confindes of the VL to the east.

The temporarily controlled enemy unit under Drest's control attacks the enemy units on the hill.

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Night becomes day. Before being whittled down and destroyed the temporarily allied enemy force causes some casaulties against the enemies on the ridge. Meanwhile Drest's forces are attacked by a number of wandering bands of Seelie.


At the same time, Drest begins to feel dizzy. His health depleted by some invisible force. Slowly, but ever so surely, his wounds mount up. Seizing the opportunity, he casts the Draining Blast Spell to regain as much health as there remains in the enemies forces.

As night arrives, peace returns and the pain stops. An almost fully recovered Drest leads his companions to the western part of the battlefield.

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The enemy is dispatched in hand-to-hand combat, but the battle takes a lot longer than anticipated. Drest's forces not being within reach of a captured Thunder Clap VL. The resulting damage caused by the unchecked glare of the sun is more punishing than all of the battles he has faced combined.

Along the way they pass another mound of skulls and call forth these new allies.

 

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Along the way they pass another mound of skulls and call forth these new allies.

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Rushing to the nearest VL, it is soon captured and the sun's harsh rays cast aside. Not before time, as several more Seelie warbands approach from the north.

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To the south another group of spirit guardians guard another mound of skills. These will have to wait until the Sidhe are dispatched. The enemy archers remain out of range and since they cannot be chased without suffering at the hands of the sun, Drest casts another Dominate Soul Spell upon them, while directing another Draining Blast spell at the other warband – in order to regenerate his own failing health.

Wrapping up the battle, night returns onces more.

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Advancing alone to the next enemy outpost, Drest conjures a group of Spirit Wolves to attack the enemy on their flank as he charges from the north. As they near the mound of skulls, he also calls forth new allies.

Together these units attack the lone enemy force.

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The battle is swiftly fought. But many more enemy numbers lie in wait, ready to cast back the Spirit allies under the command of Drest the Chosen. If he can defeat them, he can proceed on the next stage of his journey to claim savalation for the his Pict kinsmen.

So ends this brief AAR of the first mission of Drest the Chosen. Many more adventures await for those that are brave!