Hunt For a Female Vampire & A Bumper Harvest & King James the Third's Secret

 Beerstein's last two battles against Necrolia saw victories for the forces of Good (relatively speaking).

Last battle saw a victory when hard pressed Beersteiner infantry held out in a battle outside the walls of Jameswick, the capital. The plate knights were almost wiped out by hordes of zombies and grave Guard, led by a vampire. The arrival of three regiments of cavalry behind the Undead saved the day, as did the deaths of the two vampires. Before that a major battle had occurred on the Jameswick Road and to the East. The Beersteiner forces, that had included a giant, suffered heavy losses (including the giant) but managed to almost wipe out the enemy. One of the twin female vampires escaped, along with three grave Guard who had remained with the supply wagons. Also left behind but now united with the vampire is a single catapult and Undead crew. The army they fled from pauses to reorganize. However, Castle Hound had sent, along the same road supply wagons to relieve the capital and frontier towers. The supply train is accompanied by two infantry regiments with flintlock muskets, a cannon and some mercenary light cavalry. 

  The vampire and her guards are close combat fiends. The vampire can also cast spells. Will that be sufficient to defeat the Beersteiner force or will she try to slip away? into non Beerstein held territory?

  Meanwhile, and despite the war, a warm wet Spring has led to bumper crops for Beerstein, Fezia and Necrolia. Aztecia, not so much so as the Screw Beetles have been more active than usual in damaging the potato crop and the Zombie Flies have been attacking the corn. 

 As for Necrolia, its 'crops' are a bit of a mystery as its human living population is relatively small. There are recognizable food crops that feed these people, who in turn are regularly 'milked' for their blood to satisfy the vampires. The vampires have learnt to do this in a relatively humane manner which does not kill the 'stock'. A transfusion method is used on the 'volunteers' with marsh weed tubes and small incisions. 

  Feeding the zombies is a different story. They will eat non-human animals and also reduce the need for cemeteries as the newly dead are either eaten or themselves transformed into zombies. However, the zombies do have an insatiable preference for brains from still living humans. It is hypothesized that there are key ingredients in such brains that continues a spark of dim intelligence in the mumbling, shambling zombies. (In addition, vampire and necromancer magic prevents their bodies from totally decaying and might also add to the faint cognizance of these creatures). The recent influx of a Hillman tribe of refugees from Azguardia whilst not totally massacred was 'harvested' to provide nourishment for the creatures of the night. The poor refugees sought refuge from a dynastic inheritance civil war and found a fate much worse. However, this influx has invigorated the Necrolian hordes. (In the future, more enlightened Necrolian rulers might instead incorporate the living, who have some military prowess, into their armies).

 GAME MECHANISMS

On move six of our last battle we rolled the percentage dice for random events. The event was, that capitals not encircled by enemies received the produce or cash from bumper crops. Beerstein received 22 credits in its capital, Fezia a similar number and Necrolia over 30. Aztecia received only one additional credit.

  

  A Bogavanian knight sounds his trumpet to announce the bumper crop received by Bogavania and ally, Fezia. (No mention was made of the Beersteiner crops and certainly not of the Undead 'crops').

The Patrans have been officially neutral in the recent warfare but individuals have joined some Aztec units to fight Fezia and Bogavania.

                                     

Witch and skeleton warriors. (In the background are some unidentified cavalry).

    A particularly nasty form of Undead, the mummy, has been thankfully absent from this campaign.

Beersteiners rejoice over the recent victory over Necrolia and the arrival of new supplies at the capital.

An unknown witch on her evil rounds

Aha, here she is after she miniaturized herself and even her cat on her way to assassinated king James 3. However her plans are terminally foiled when she is spied by the king's cat, Missy. At first Missy just wanted to play but when the witch stabbed her paw with her dagger, she became incensed and devoured the evil hag. This blonde witch did not have 'more fun'. (Her miniature cat disappeared).

It is meant to be a secret, but I am sure, dear reader, that you can keep this confidential; You see Missy was a gift from the king's once Patran mistress, Cleopatra the 22nd. The queen had asked the king for help against the Fezians and the king responded by visiting the fair lady. Cleopatra 22nd even at 24, was versed in verse, history, philosophy and science. Her beauty and charm were legendary. Her eyes were as green as a cat's, her waist tiny and her hips flared. Dark ringed curls cascaded down her neck and towards her heaving, ample, gravity defying bosom. Well, one thing led to another, but King James knew the resulting scandal if he pursued the liaison further. She was of a devilish religion which worshipped many gods. and he was already, after the death of his first wife, engaged to remarry another, a political match. Reluctantly he bit adieu. 

'Jamesy, I shall miss you. Never shall I have a lover, of your inventiveness and passion!

'Oh, my love, I shall always remember you and that which I may not have again!' replied the king.

   'Come back and see me sometime', replied Cleopatra, tears filling her eyes and dropping on to said ample bosom.
I have something to give you to remember me by'. Cleopatra clapped her hands, and an Ebon slave entered the room with a ventilated box. Inside the box was a long black-haired cat. The cat, with its lime colored eyes, studied the king and meowed sweetly.

It is rumored that King James sent cannons to the Patrans. (They also had captured cannons from the Fezians in an earlier war). 

 Beerstein society was not a good place for cats as they were often labeled as witches' familiars and dealt with accordingly. King James would change that, in honor of his love. The cat would lack for nothing and in return it saved King James from the assassin witch.

   

Here the assassin witch, shrunk to small size has infiltrated the king's place, only to be discovered by Missy.

A Beersteiner girl is selling onions and herbs in the street.