[Abe Sargent]

As you continue your ride south, the cloud and persistent rain becomes increasingly darker and heavier. The tall grassland gradually recedes and your horses are able to pick up their pace, but you are sorely aware that the easier going will also help the Skarada to track you. After an hour spent crossing the plain, you spot something in the distance that makes you call your companions to a halt. You magnify your vision and focus on the dark shape ahead.

‘What is it, my Lord?’ asks Quang, anxiously.

‘Skarada,’ you reply, uneasily. ‘Lots of Skarada.’

You can see a large formation of the creatures more than five hundred strong. They are moving towards the east and are crossing your route of escape. The lieutenant proposes that you change direction and head south-eastwards. This will put you on a course to Vabou and should enable you to reach the town ahead of the Skarada horde. You and the Watchers agree to the lieutenant’s proposal and together you set off at a brisk pace.

You reach the west gate of Vabou shortly after dark. The two sentries posted here come smartly to attention and salute the instant they recognize Quang’s Imperial Guard insignia. Hurriedly they push open the gate and you ride into the town, along the same road that you travelled two days ago when you arrived here by wagon with Anseng and Chengu. Quang takes the lead and the rest of you follow as he canters his horse along the lantern-lit road to a junction at the centre of the town. He is familiar with Vabou, having stopped here overnight on many occasions whilst travelling from Pensei to Valus to meet with the town’s military commander.

Quang crosses the junction and brings his horse to a halt before a large green-tiled two storey building with a tall bell tower. It is the house of the town elder and headquarters of the Vabou militia. You all dismount and follow the lieutenant through its ornate arched doorway. When you stride into the reception hall, you find Elder Qinlau and Militia Captain Xing seated at a large pine table heaped with parchments. They are locked in conversation. Both of them turn their heads, recognise the familiar face of Lieutenant Quang, and immediately stand up and salute him.

‘It’s an unexpected pleasure to see you again, Quang,’ says Captain Xing. ‘But what brings you here at this late hour?’

The lieutenant tells Captain Xing of your difficult journey from Pensei, your encounter with the Skarada and your discovery of the refugee massacre in the hills. Both Elder Qinlau and Xing are visibly shocked by his chilling report. Quang informs them that a large force of Skarada is heading for Vabou from the west, and he urges Xing to muster his militiamen and deploy them on the palisade wall at once. He is certain that the enemy will attack Vabou during the night.

The Captain tugs a large scroll from under the pile of documents and clears the table with one swift sweep of his arm. Quickly, he unfurls the parchment and lays it out on the bare table top. It is a detailed plan of Vabou. He motions Quang and yourself to come forward and examine it.

‘You’ll see that there are four watchtowers located in palisade wall, at the north, south, east and west corners. I have only 100 militiamen at my command, just 25 men to deploy at each of the towers and its adjoining section of wall.’

‘The Skarada will most likely attack either the west or north wall,’ says Quang, ‘I suggest you deploy 30 militiamen at each of these points, man the south and east watchtowers with 5 men apiece, and hold back a mobile reserve of 30 men ready to plug any gaps or counter any enemy that break through the walls.’ Captain Xing nods in agreement.

Lieutenant Quang asks the Captain if he may take a few minutes to speak to you and the Watchers. The Captain consents and Quang takes you and the Watchers to one side. He speaks with a hushed voice.

‘My Lord, our only hope of getting you to your rendezvous in two days’ time is if we help Captain Xing to defeat the Skarada. We all saw this afternoon that the enemy is moving in force towards this town from the west. It’s certain the first few miles of the highway to H’lau are now in their hands. If we can defeat them when they attack Vabou, we may get a chance to break out of the town and head for H’lau across the Huzang Plain. Clearly, it’s now too late to leave Vabou by the south road. If we were to try to reach Klatii in the rain and darkness, the Skarada would slay us before we’d got beyond a mile of the town’s south gate.’ You all know that Quang is correct and, as one, you consent to his proposal; you will stay and fight.

‘We will help with the defence,’ says Quang, much to Captain Xing’s relief. His militia are adequately armed, but they are not trained soldiers. They will fight hard to protect their town and their families, of this he is sure, but he is afraid they will be no match for the Skarada in close combat. It will greatly improve the odds to have a Kai Grand Master, an Imperial Bodyguard, and three able Watchers fighting alongside them. Both Xing and Elder Qinlau thank you for your help. The Captain says that your service would be best put to use where the threat of attack is greatest: at the West and North watchtowers.

(West)

Elder Qinlau sees to it that your horses are stabled here at Militia Headquarters. Meanwhile, Captain Xing writes two notes informing his militia sergeants that you and Lieutenant Quang are authorised to take command of their companies. Then he hurries away to the bell tower and rings the bell. It warns the townsfolk that Vabou is in imminent danger of attack and it calls the militia to their battle posts at the watchtowers and along the perimeter walls.

A small group of boys gather at the Militia headquarters. They are messengers who are charged with conveying written orders from Captain Xing to the militiamen. They will also carry reports back from the palisade wall to keep the Captain abreast of any changes in the situation. One of the boys is ordered to take you to the West Watchtower. Another is assigned to Lieutenant Quang and the Watchers who will go to the North Watchtower. As the boys are collecting the notes that Captain Xing has written, Quang and the Watchers bid you good luck and good hunting. You agree to meet back here after the battle, assuming the fight goes in your favour.

The messenger boy escorts through the teeming rain to the West Watchtower. When you arrive, he hands Captain Xing’s note to the sergeant in command of the men stationed here. The man’s eyes widen with surprise the moment he reads the note and realises who you are: the Slayer of Sejanoz! You instruct him to show you the watchtower and adjoining walls so that you can best deploy his company of militiamen. With pride, he takes you into the tower and up a wooden staircase that leads to the parapet walkway. You order five militiamen to man the tower and deploy the others along the palisade wall. As they hurry to get in position, you see some of the enemy horde approaching the north wall through the sheeting rain. As they come closer, your heart sinks. These Skarada are being led by six Chagarashi. In unison, the snarling horrors throw back their heads and let loose a chorus of bloodcurdling shrieks; it is the signal to attack!

Only a few of the militiamen are armed with bows and they are poor archers. They fire down on the Skarada below but with little effect. You order them to shoulder their bows, and command all of the men to keep their heads below the parapet.

‘Be ready to strike hard the moment the enemy show themselves. We must not let them take the parapet walkway!’ you shout.

The Chagarashi lead the attack on the West wall. They leap up and sink their talons deep into the logs and cling on tightly as the Skarada use them like scaling ladders. They clamber up their backs to reach the top of the parapet wall.

You unsheathe your Kai Weapon and join the militiamen crouching along the parapet walkway. The instant the clawed hands and head of the first Skarad appear above the parapet, you spring to your feet and strike.

Skarad: COMBAT SKILL 41 ENDURANCE 42

You may add +3 to your COMBAT SKILL in the first round of this combat. The Skarad is unable to retaliate in the first round as it has not cleared the wall, therefore you should ignore any ENDURANCE loss you sustain in the initial round.

(9)

Despite their lack of training, the militiamen fight with great tenacity. They slash and cleave the bone-ridged heads of the Skarada the instant they appear above the parapet and none of the enemy makes it onto the walkway alive. As the first wave of attackers retreat from the base of the wall to lick their wounds and regroup, a messenger boy appears in the watchtower’s upper doorway. His face is flushed after having run several hundred yards as fast as he can.

‘Come quickly, my Lord,’ he gasps, ‘the East wall is breached!’

You hand back command of the militia company to the sergeant and hurry after the boy, following him down the watchtower steps and out onto the paved street beyond. When you reach the junction in the middle of the town, you see another messenger boy running towards you. Close behind him are Lieutenant Quang and the three Watchers.

‘East Wall?’ shouts Quang.

‘Yes!’ you shout back.

The messengers both turn and run along Nuoshi Street which leads directly to the East Watchtower. You and Lieutenant Quang are fearful that the enemy may have circled around the town and found the weakest point in its defences. But when you reach the East watchtower, the breach in the adjoining wall and the enemy threat do not appear to be so great. A ragged smouldering hole has been blown through the lower part of the palisade, and four Skarada have gained entry to the town by this way. The bodies of the five militiamen who were posted at the tower now lie crumpled and lifeless around the feet of these snarling furry beasts. The Skarada raise their bloodstained axes and slowly stalk towards you and your companions. Quang orders the Watchers to choose their enemy and engage them in close combat. As they advance to meet the Skarada head on, you see something climbing through the charred breach in the wall. At first glance it looks like one of the townsfolk; a man clad in simple peasant’s clothes and wearing a conical straw hat. But the moment he steps away from hole and straightens up, your throat tightens and your pulse races with shock and revulsion.

It is Anseng, but he is no longer how you remember him. His face is grey and gaunt, and his eyes are now empty sockets that radiate a dull blue glow. Stiffly, he turns towards you with his cupped hands outstretched. There is a loud crack and his hands and forearms are wreathed in sparking balls of electric blue fire. Before your disbelieving eyes, these unholy spheres of flame coalesce into a glowing rod that rapidly transforms into the shape of a kirusami. Your Sixth Sense screams a warning that you are in the presence of a great evil that has taken possession of Anseng and turned him into an undead automaton. He opens his mouth as if to scream and the ghastly eyeless head of a black snake emerges from where his tongue should be. He raises his glowing kirusami and scythes the night air with several sweeping strokes. The weapon glows brighter with every stroke he makes.

(I called it. Anseng died. I do not have MM)

Anseng moves towards you, sweeping his glowing kirusami before him like a sorcerous scythe. Resolutely you unsheathe your Kai Weapon, yet as you raise it in readiness to counter his inexorable advance you are engulfed by a wave of nausea that makes you shiver and retch. Once again the Eye has activated, triggered now by the close proximity of the evil power that is driving Anseng to seek your doom: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.

You retreat a few unsteady paces and struggle to suppress the tide of nausea that is sapping your strength. As if sensing your weakness, Anseng lunges forward and thrusts the glowing tip of his cursed weapon at your trembling face.

Anseng (undead): COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 50

(We have a max bonus with mindblast. I toss a 6, then a 4, then another4, then a 7. Total damage to it? 52 it died. I took 6 damage. And I was immune to the Eye)

The instant you slay Anseng, his cadaverous body is consumed by a ball of guttering blue flames. Hungrily they feed on his remains and the ball becomes larger, forcing you to retreat from its expanding power for fear of being drawn into the raging core. Abruptly, the ball transforms into a column of intense blue light that rapidly ascends into the storm clouds overhead. And then it is gone, leaving behind a heap of cold ashes on the muddy ground. Lying atop this mound is Anseng’s Kirusami. It is no longer wreathed with blue fire; it appears to have returned to its normal state.

Your Sixth Sense tells you that the aura of evil that surrounded Anseng and his weapon has now vanished. You kneel beside the ashes and place your hand upon the shaft of the Kirusami. It feels cool to the touch. Your Kai senses detect that some of its fell power still lingers in the blade, but it is insufficient to cause you harm.

Anseng’s Kirusami is a Special Item slung suspended by a thin leather strap across your back. If you already have the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must now discard one in its favour. In combat, the superior craftsmanship and balance of this Chai weapon will add 1 to your COMBAT SKILL. Moreover, the lingering power that remains in the blade of this weapon will double all ENDURANCE point damage you inflict upon undead enemies in combat. However, this power comes at a price. In the first round of combat in which you use this weapon, you will suffer an automatic loss of 3 ENDURANCE points.

(I record it. Since i have expertise in Spear, I only lose 4 CS when I use it. That means against Undead, I will always use it as I only lose one CS with the Wardstone)