Babes in London: Act Four, Scene 2 (Part 1: The Unicorn Maid and the Lady of the Bower—The Battle)

Scene 2: The Unicorn Maid and the Lady of the Bower

You are needed. Your ally is in danger, and she is somewhere on the plains below, or ahead of you. You need to find her, and find her fast.

Allow the players to make Air (Senses) checks to spot the horse and rider ahead of them, then read, or paraphrase, the following:

You see her, just before you hear her, her cries urging you to hurry floating on the wind. If you weren’t so familiar with her voice, you might have thought it was birds calling. This time, your ally is dressed as an Erebean warrior maid, and she is pushing her mount at break-neck speed towards the dark line of trees marking the edge of the Arcadian forest.

Allow the players to make Air (Senses) checks to hear faint sounds of battle coming from within the forest. If they are successful, they can choose between following Anika into the forest, or travelling with her towards the sound. If they fail, they can follow her, or any brood mates that hurry towards the sound. When they reach the battle site, read, or paraphrase, the following, adapting the description of the Fomorians to suit:

It does not take you long to reach the battle, where you see that a dragon you recognise as having once been the Seer of Cathach. This time, you know her as the Lady of the Bower, and she is facing not one or two, but six, of the evil, twisted titan-kin known as Fomorians. These creatures are surrounded by the grey, appalling stench associated with areas of taint. They look like small giants, or really ugly titans, with skins of varying shades of grey, and black to white hair tainted by grey.

One is facing down the Lady of the Bower, but two dragons that you recognise as Lewistrom the Smith, and the druidic Havram the Gardener, have managed to block the path of two more apiece. Standing back from the melee, is another Fomorian, looking for all the world as though he is going to cast a spell.

Roll TH2 Earth (Senses) tests for the Fomorians to notice the approaching characters. They are actively focussing on taking down their dragons and suffer a +3 modifier to the test, bring the TH to 5. Once, you know if the Fomorians have noticed the PCs, roll initiative. Each dragon continues to focus on the nearest opponent, and the Unicorn Maid goes directly to the aid of the Lady of the Bower.

Fomorian Tactics: The Fomorian wizard uses Coruscating Bolt on any target that is clear of the melee. Failing that, he is happy to use Grasp, Float, or Magefist, his bow, or his morningstar to good effect, trying to take down the weakest opposition fast, or to advantage his comrades. The Fomorian warriors have been tasked with destroying Anika’s brood. All the dragons are targets. The fact they have allies is neither here nor there. They attack with brute force, seeking to do as much damage as possible and to destroy their opponents as fast as possible.

Anika’s Brood Tactics: The Unicorn Maid and Lady of the Bower work together to take down the Fomorian attacking the Lady of the Bower. Once they are free of opponents, they circle the battle and try to take another Fomorian by surprise, aiding any ally that is hard-pressed. Lewistrom the Smith attacks the nearest Fomorian, and then the next nearest, and Havram the Gardener does the same. There is no sign of the fifth member of the brood, and PCs might recall that this member had been killed at this stage of the Epoch, and was reincarnating elsewhere.

Terrain: The battle is happening in a mature forest. The trees are spaced far enough apart to not hinder movement, and the site was chosen by the dragons for this reason. It is forested, and it is possible for the combatants to find cover behind large trees and at least one fallen log, or clump of bushes.

Time of Day: It is mid-afternoon at the start of the battle.

Fomorian Warriors (5)

Era: Mythic

Race: Supernatural being

APL: 6

Aspects: Fire 6(5), Water 5(5), Air 5 (3), Earth 4 (2)

Initiative: 10

Health: 8m <8 / 8+ / 16+ / 24+ / 30+ / 36+ / 42+ / 47+

Size/Reach: 2 / 10 ft.

Armor: 11 (leather 4/5/12)

Taint: 9

Stride: 45 ft. (Moderate)

Weapons:

—Bite: 3/L

—Fist: 5/L

—Kick: 5/M

or

—Forelimb (1d4): 10/L

—Pincer (1d4): 15/M

—Tail: 20/H

or

—Hunting Knife: 4/L

—Spear, Medium: 8/M

—Sword, Broad: 12/M

—Shield, Medium: (0/5/3)

or

—a combination of the above depending on form.

Sequences: As for Titan Hunter in the Gamemaster’s Handbook

Skills: Athletics 6, Melee 6, Quickness 5, Ranged 6, Stamina 6, Survival 6, Senses 6, Stealth 4, Will 5

Edges: Brutal 3, Follow-Through 2, Karmic Release 3, Resilient 4, Survivor 2

Powers: Clarity 4, Earthstride 1, Heir of the Storm 1, Instinct 5, Skin of Stone 3, Unseen 1

Legacy: 25% chance of Shapeshifter

Traits: Giant, Tainted

Wealth: 3

A cross between the Dwellers and Titan Hunters, Fomorian Warriors are misshapen and deformed. They don’t just look like they’ve been hit with the ugly stick one too many times; they can have up to 4 arms or up to 4 legs, be armed with a tail, have a combination of normal limbs or pincers, and have tough hides. Some are able to wield at least one weapon, and some carry a shield. A Fomorian can either be randomly generated, or the GM can choose what features it has. To randomly generate a Fomorian, roll 1d6. Results are as follows:

1—almost human, or titan, in appearance, i.e. possessing two arms, two legs, recognisable physiology, capable of wielding a sword and shield, fights like an warrior, but might still bite you;

2-3—humanoid in shape, but with 1d4 arms, 2 of which can wield weapons, the extras being used to deliver forearm strikes; roll again on this chart with results of 1-3 yielding no other changes;

4-5—humanoid shaped but with a 50% chance of having a pincer and an arm, or having two pincers; roll again on this chart with results of 1-5 yielding no other changes;

6—humanoid shaped but with a tail that it can use to strike opponents with; roll again on this chart, with results of 1 and 6 yielding no further changes.

Fomorian Wizard (1)

Era: Mythic

Race: Supernatural being

APL: 6

Aspects: Fire 6(5), Water 5(2), Air 6 (5), Earth 6 (5)

Initiative: 11

Health: 8m <8 / 8+ / 16+ / 24+ / 30+ / 36+ /  42+ / 47+

Size/Reach: 2 / 10 ft.

Armor: 11 (leather 4/5/12)

Taint: 24

Stride: 45 ft. (Moderate)

Weapons:

—Bite: 3/L

—Fist: 5/L

—Kick: 5/M

or

—Forelimb (1d4): 10/L

—Pincer (1d4): 15/M

—Tail: 20/H

or

—Bow, Recurve: 10 ~ Range 200 ft. ~ Reload 1

—Morningstar: 9/M

or

—a combination of the above depending on form.

Sequences: as for Titan Scribes in the Gamemaster’s Handbook.

Skills: Athletics 5, Casting 6, Melee 5, Quickness 5, Ranged 4, Senses 6, Stealth 4

Spells: Rank 1—Assumption, Grasp (A,B); Rank 2—Float (A,B), Magefist; Rank 3—Coruscating Bolt (A); Rank 4—Coruscating Ring (A)

Edges: Aspect Affinity (Air) 4, Brutal 3, Casting 3, Deft 5, Karmic Release 4, Survivor 2

Powers: Clarity 4, Crushing Will 3, Heir of the Storm 1, Instinct 2, Mind Tyrant 1, Skin of Stone 3, Unseen 1

Legacy: 25% chance of Mind Tyrant

Traits: Giant, Tainted

Wealth: 3

A cross between the Dwellers and Titan Scribes, Fomorian Wizards are as misshapen and deformed as Fomorian Warriors, and can be generated the same way. While spells may vary, Fomorian Wizards do not normally have the patience to learn something that does not have an immediate, and usually violent, application that can be used in battle. This does not mean they can’t, just they usually won’t. They also usually don’t learn ways of using up extra energy, unless they can see the benefit, such as being able to lift more, hit harder or cause more damage. 

NOTE: This adventure is not sanctioned in any way, shape or form by Fantasy Flight. It is not an official product, and I am in no way affiliated with them or they with me. There is no relationship between us. This adventure is mine, for fun, and for you, because some of you asked me to finish it.

Also, if you like this adventure and want to play it, please go buy the official rulebooks from somewhere where the original creators and publisher of the setting will be paid. I got mine from a Melbourne game store, but I’ve found PDF versions of the Player's Handbook and the Gamemaster's Handbook are now available from DriveThruFiction. If you enjoy their world, this is the best way to thank them.