Odyssea partem de Mandragoris pt.1

In the weeks after the end of the War of the Twisted Root, a dozen surviving soldiers from the Mandragoras Filii make their way home through the Russian countryside. However, the road that would usually take them to the city from whence they hail has instead led them to a strange house overlooking a moor. The troop's leader, a captain named Pyter has checked all of their maps and none of them can explain how they've arrived at this place. This house should not be here. 

They should not be here...

This is the first installment of a campaign taking place in the setting of Turnip 28 and is presently run on the ruleset Planet 28.

Episode One - The House That Should Not Be

Fydor stood at the doorway of the strange cottage, knocking occasionally as the rest of the scouting party looked elsewhere for the home's master. It was peculiar that the road he'd travelled so much in his youth had led them so far astray from the home that he longed for, and it perplexed him fiercely. So lost in thought Fydor was, that he didn't realize the elder come up beside him and take his hand. Her hand was terribly cold, he thought, and then his mind went blank.

In this scenario, the scouting party has found a witch's hovel, and that one of their comrades has been enchanted with some sort of mind control. 

Pyter and his men must rescue their fellow soldier and defend against the Witch, their brainwashed friend, and her Ghostly Servant. 

Once a soldier reaches base to base with Fydor, the spell will be broken. Once the Witch is killed, her Servant will dissipate.

I used 400 point warbands to represent each side of the conflict, 100 points for the mind controlled soldier, and a 2x2 table.

The Russians all have identical loadouts, save for the captain who wields a small hand axe. 

The Witch is a magic user, and the Ghostly Servant is unnaturally fast and incredibly hard-hitting.

To add some atmosphere, I played a few tracks from the Napoleon Total War Soundtrack.

Turn One

The Ghostly Servant makes its way across the yard with unnatural speed, and the party of rescuers breaks off into pairs. Pyter and Dusan scurry towards Fydor, while Alexi and Maxim aim their shots at the ghastly apparition. To their dismay, the bullets fly by, or perhaps through it to no effect. Fydor and the Witch make their way down from her cottage, and the enchanted soldier raises his rifle, marking his Dusan for death. The shot goes wide, but is no less haunting to the soldier it misses. He and Pyter mutter prayers to the gods and the vegetables alike.

Turn Two

Closing the distance, the Ghost falls upon Maxim and Alexi, ensnaring them with its death shroud. In the garden, the Witch's hands twist into crude and profane symbols, and a bolt of smiting lightning crashes from the sky, knocking Dusan off his feet. Pyter readies his axe, and leaps the garden fence to confront the Witch. His blade misses though, as the Witch vanishes at the last second, only to reappear behind him. Unnoticed by all, Dusan manages to get to his feet and starts again for Fydor.

Turn Three

The death shroud tightens over the pair of soldiers, and the smell of grave dirt is suffocating. Maxim finds the strength to bayonet his way out of the folds. Turning back, he watches his Alexi, now fully enveloped, thrash and scream as the life is choked out of him. Pyter and the Witch lock in battle, carving ragged red lines into one another. Dusan Reaches Fydor, and shakes him from the Witch's trance. A horrible realization crosses Fydor's thoughts, as he understands how close he'd come to ending his friend's life.

Turn Four

Maxim scurries away from the phantom, but not fast enough to avoid its bony claws, that carve furrows into his back like a plough through a field. He heads for Pyter, who steps back from his fight, giving Fydor and Dusan the shot. The bullets connect with a sickening sound, and the body of the Witch is flung backwards, caught on the garden wall. Behind Maxim, the Ghostly Servant loses substance, leaving the four shaken survivors to collect their wits in eerie silence.

Aftermath:

There wasn't much to say, once the Ghost had dissipated and the Witch's death throes ceased. The soldiers turn to the task of burying poor Alexi, and then to scouring the house for supplies. One less mouth would only stretch their rations so far, and they were still quite lost. With satchels heavier with food, the scouting party made their way back into the tree line to join their fellows, and tell them of their strange adventure. 

In the aftermath of this initial skirmish, the company has already lost one of its own to the hazards of this strange country. Since this is a campaign, some points have been earned for completing the scenario goals. I'm uncertain as to how I will use those, since I'm in favor of having mostly uniform troop loadouts, but the adventure is young and perhaps that will change. Having now tried the ruleset for the first time, I found it intuitive and smooth to use, and I'm very excited to enjoy it again.