Rusty Dagger - Den of Rats

This is my second adventure of Rusty Dagger. Arzag and Allendale decided they needed to leave town (in the dead of night), and they end up in the small town of Clemsted.

Arzag is woken from sleep by a blood curdling scream. Deciding that this is a capital crime, he grabs his trusty sword and his trademark furry underpants and staggers out in search of the source of the noise and who he has to silence to get some more sleep.

Arzag arrives in the marketplace and finds some ruffians harassing some merchants and a woman and a child. Arzag politely asks the ruffians to leave or at least hold it down. The Ruffians decline to acquis to this request and swords are drawn. 

The heroes win initiative and the woman and child retreat to safety behind Arzag. "Get behind me if you want to live!". Emboldened by their foes retreat the ruffians advance forward. Arzag tries out his new ability Primal Rage, this gives him rerolls on attack rolls until he takes a wound.

Combat is joined. Having drawn his foes into position Arzag begins the dance of steel.

The first Barbarian moved up and swings at Jill missing 6-7

Arzag moves forward and hits the barbarian 8-7.

The spear barbarian moves forwards and hits Arzag 7-3. Arzag rolls double 1 and this cancels his Primal Rage.

Arzag slashes the barbarian in front of Jill 8-4.

Arzag misses the last barbarian 8-8, now Primal Rage would have been useful but it wasn't in effect.

The last barbarian moves up

The barbarian barely gets his shield in the way of Arzags attack in time miss 8-8)

This leaves Arzag open to another stab with a spear 9-6

Sensing danger the shield barbarian turns and attacks Arag but is unable to find a way past his guard 6-9

The third barbarian moves up and hits the woman with his spear butt 7-1

Arzag backhands the shield barbarian 6-3 taking him out of action.

He then turns and stabs the spear armed barbarian 9-3

Arzag hits the spear barbarian 7-6, just sliding his sword past the block however he takes another blow 7-5. Arzag then finishes his opponent 7-5 and moves around to attack the last barbarian.

The Barbarian swing at Allandale but misses 3-5, this is a feint allowing him to hit the woman 7-3, she is now down to half health. Arzag arrives just in time to get in a blow 10-8 on the last opponent.

Now we need to see if Arzag can kill of the last barbarian before he kills the woman.

Randomly determining who he will attack the Barbarian tries and fails to get past Arzag's defence 4-6

Arzag counter attacks with a 10-9 but then is hit in return 6-5. Arzag finishes the barbarian 9-6.

Allendale notices a potion rolling around the market and quietly picks it up. Turns out its a revive potion.

Now the combat is over the town mayor and a couple of scruffy looking town guards arrive. "What have you done?" the mayor yells. "We had a deal with those Barbarians that their Ruffians could take what they wanted and not unleash their plague of rats.

"Some deal" Arzag snorts.
High on endorphins Arzag exclaims that he will rid the town of this threat. "Who will help me!" The crowd look silently at one another and turn away. Arzag failed his 10+ roll.
The woman they saved came over. "My name is Jill, I know the way to their camp so I can help you." "I don't think anyone else would have saved us from those menaces, so now I can return the favour."

Arzag, Jill and Allendale set off to root out these barbarian bandits.

After trekking through some woodlands, the adventurers spy an outpost. Arzag slips forward and dispatches the two sentries before they can raise the alarm. Survival roll of 8 against a target of 8. This gives Jill a small healing potion and us Advantage in the first round of the next combat.

While navigating through the cave looking for the Barbarians, Jill and Arzag become separated from Allendale. (bloody random terrain placement). Fortunately Arzag and Jill have a pillar to duck behind.

Coming the other way are two barbarians and a Berserker with a huge axe.

The nearest Barbarian moves up alert for trouble. 

Arzag uses Primal Rage, the steps around the pillar and hits the Barbarian 13-7

The Berserker moves up, Allendale moves up. The idea is that he will draw off one of the barbarians so Arzag doesn't get surrounded.

Arzag hits his opponent a second time 6-4.

The Barbarian hits Arzag with his spear 8-6, cancelling primal rage. (curses)

Arzag misses the Barbarian 4-4. (thats a double 1. Primal Rage would have been really useful about now!!)

The Barbarian moves and stabs Allendale 6-2

Arzag kills his opponent 9-7 and moves over to distract the Barbarian Allendale is fighting.

The Berserker moves over and Hits Arzag for 2 damage 9-8 with his huge axe.

Arzag strikes back 9-8 and drinks a small healing potion to restore 2 health.

The Barbarian continues his attack on Allendale but misses 3-4

The Berserker hits Arzag for another 2 points of damage 12-8

The third action goes to the Berserker who hits Arzag for 1 point 9-8.

Arzag hits the Berserker 7-6 and then 14-4 the second strike being a double 6 so no defence allowed.

Allendale's attack on the barbarian is parried 6-8 he and puts his token back in the bag

Arzag misses the Berserker 9-11 and then drinks another potion. These things cost money and I only have one more.

More grunting and sweating in close combat.

Arzag hits the Berserker 10-8

The Barbarian misses Allendale 6-9

The Berserker misses Arzag 7-8

Arzag misses the Berserker 7-12 but then hits with his follow up strike 12-5. The Berserker only has 1 wound left.

The Barbarian gets the extra action and misses Allendale 4-8

No movement and no one died that round

Arzag misses the Berserker 9-9 and then block the return strike 7-7

The next series of attacks see Arzag blocked 9-13 and the Berserkers attack is barely blocked 10-10

Arzag misses 10-14 and the Barbarian misses Allendale.

The Berserker Misses Arzag, 4-12

The Barbarian hits Allendale 7-2

Arzag then hits the Berserker 10-7 and the remaining barbarian runs off. 

Combat over, challenge completed. We find 5 gold. (that's one and a half healing potions).

While the combat with the Berserker is over, we still have not found the driving force behind these Barbarian raiders.

Here is the Throne room with piles of stolen loot from the town and other travelers.

Behind the throne is the Mazmar the shaman that is leading the band.

He gives us a monologe where he tell us how we are all going to die by his powers for daring to oppose him.

Arzag growls "we will see if he can magic three feet of steel from his guts!" 

Fiight on

The two nearest barbarians move up. Jill moves to get out of the way. Arzag charges forwards and hits the lead Barbarian with his first strike. 

Mazmar totters forwards and lighting bolts Arzag missing 5-12. Not helped by shooting past his throne.

Arzag hits the Barbarian10 to 4 and parries the return strike 8-9.

Mazmar moves up again trying to get Jill in Range or a clean shot on Arzag. His lighting attack misses.

The other Barbarian moves around trying to work out the best way to go.

Arzag then misses twice 9-10 and 7-10

Arzag hits and kills the first Barbarian 10-5and then moves towards the Shaman.

Mazmar misses Arzag 7-8 as Arzag twists out of the way of the lighting bolt.

Arzag charges the wizard and hits 13-6, "magic that one away!"

The remaining Barbarian moves up.

Mazmar hits Arzag 7-5

Arzag hits Mazmar 10-6

Mazmar misses Arzag 5-6

The last barbarian moves around and attacks Arzag missing 5-8

Arzag attacks Mazmar with a flurry of blows the first is parried 6-7 but the second slides past his guard and strikes home. The Shaman is bleeding from several wounds.

The Barbarian then hits Arzag 8-7, Ouch Arzag is down to health 6.

I could drink a healing potion but those cost 3 gold a pop.

With the final effort for the round Arzag hits Mazmar 5-4 (two bad rolls can make things right) Mazmar falls.

The Barbarian misses Arzag 4-8

Arzag strikes the Barbarian 13-10 and then misses 4-7 with a double 1.

The barbarian then hits Arzag 8-5 but the follow up strike misses 8-10.

Allendale moves up, puts his token back in the bag, Arzag swings and hits the Barbarian 10-8

The Barbarian misses Arzag 4-5

Arzag misses 5-8 but then connects with a follow up strike 11-4. Chonk the blade strikes flesh.

The Heroes look at each other "have we done it?" Smiles break out.

There is a choking laugh from Mazmar as he reads a transformation spell and unleashes a tentacled horror. Here we go again.

Here is Mazmar posing for the camera in his transformed state.

Monster Mazmar moves up and tries to grab Arzag with its tentacles. This misses 9-13.

Arzag hits with two quick strikes 13-7 and 9-4 his third strike misses 7-10.

Mazmar misses 5-5 and then a flailing tentacle connects 9-8

Arzag dodges two more tentacle attacks 4-10 and 9-9 while he looks for an opening. He then strikes 8-5.

Mazmar counters 12-8. At this point Mazmar has 3 health and Arzag 4. So its a race to the bottom.

Arzag then hits twice more 9-6 and 11-8.

Mazmar is not done yet and hits 11-8, then misses 11-12.
Arzag, tiring now, misses twice 9-10 and 9-10

Mazmar misses 5-10 and then Arzag lands the killing blow 11-8.

With the destruction of Mazmar's daemonic form, it glows brightly then explodes in a blinding flash. When our heroes can finally see again, there is no sign of Mazmar. There is however a robe that might be magical covered in fancy looking golden scroll work.

"Think that might buy us a few beers back in town?"

The heroes make it back to town to a better welcome this time as people overcome their fear.

Sometime later the spirit of Mazmar is observing the town "Arzag the Slayer, you have not heard the last of me.

Selling the robe gets 20 gold to go with the 5 we found on the Berserker and we got a small healing potion and a revive potion.