The Hook:
Sir Reginald Upton was surrounded by cannibals. His group, as well as his son's, lay unconscious?...dead?...on the ground. Not knowing the natives' language, he had mere moments to make his play before he also was brought down. Hands up, he dropped his pistol to the ground in a sign of submission. His other hand clasped a scroll...and the reason he was in this predicament. With a flourish he unwound the scroll, letting the aged parchment's writing be seen by both the chieftain and the village's shaman.
They were quick, he'd give them that. No sooner had they realized what they were staring at than they interjected themselves in between the tribesman spears and his exposed body. A series of commands later and Sir Upton and his comrades were enclosed in a giant cage. A quick examination showed that nobody had been outright killed, although Sid Jackson, Claire d'Amour, and Fire Marshal Bill were in fairly serious condition. The chieftain and shaman were conversing privately, looking at the scroll, and glancing sidelong at Sir Reginald with confused, but calculating, gazes.
As the rest of the party members awoke, the situation looked grim. There was only one group of "friends" that could possibly save them from being the next series of village meals. Would they be enough to free Sir Reginald and crew?
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| The village |
The Forces:
Leading the rescue mission was none other than Sir Upton's daughter, Morgan. She befriended a local tribal chieftain, Oyibo, who had no love for his rival, Chief Ekwueme. Together, they roused Oyibo's warriors and shaman, drums pounding out the call to war. In the meantime, Detective Doyle and the remaining airmen "loaded up" and started the long slog toward the village. They knew that Morgan and her fleet jungle companions would engage Ekwueme's clan long before they'd arrive on the scene, but SMG slugs are hard to stop with wicker shields.
The Players:
Terry and Steve played the adventurous Morgan, Shaman Nsonowa, and their mud-smeared tribesmen. Brad, Doug, and Ken played cannibalistic Chief Ekwueme, chief's son Chinwendu, Shaman Akachi, and villagers. I held Doyle and the airmen in reserve, knowing their skills would potentially overpower the game.
Note: I upgraded the grunts from last game to regulars.
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| Peaceful at the moment... |
The Game:
The action started early in the game, with the mud Shaman's forces encountering Chinwendu's at the edge of the village. While this went on, Shaman Akachi and his forces retreated to the nearest hut, ostensibly to "gather spell supplies".
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| Chief Ekwueme and his shaman ponder Sir Reginald's fate. |
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| First contact! |
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| Oyibo strikes! |
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| A scrum on the fringes of the jungle |
The action quickly filtered down to two areas of contention: The fringe conflict between Nsonowa and Chinwendu, and the middle-of-the-village battle with everyone else.
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| Forming a wicker shield wall |
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| Mayhem ensues! |
The sides were evenly matched throughout the fight. Eventually, Chinwendu's forces were wiped out, allowing Nsonowa to try to open the pen and release Sir Upton and friends. No dice. The sorry villagers didn't have a clue as to how to break open a metal door or defeat the lock. A lot of bar rattling and exasperation ensued.
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| What's a lock?! |
Meanwhile, the toe-to-toe battle in the middle of the village slowly swung the cannibals' way. They engaged Nsonowa's force, which allowed the remainder of Chief Oyibo's force to close from the rear.
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| Enter the airmen |
As the airmen entered from the South, the cannibals were down to their last man. He fled in terror. Sir Reginald and crew were saved!
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| This isn't going to end well for the natives... |
Moments of note and Conclusion:
Ken still had trouble casting spells. His shaman proved to be the most ineffectual spell-caster of the night. He must've eaten a particularly fatty liver that didn't sit well with his belly. In contrast, the "Magic Missile" spell worked wonderfully for Shaman Nsonowa.
Thanks for all who played. It really was evenly matched up to the end. I'm glad that I'd held the airmen in reserve!
