In the god-forsaken ruins of a forgotten Greek colony on the coast of Africa, the worshippers of Zeus stood silent, their hands clenching their spears, sweat dripping beneath bronzed helms.
Through the sun bleached stones came an ill-omened wind, and worse still the sounds of the dusty desert and death: the chittering of scarabs, the hiss of a giant Cobra, the shuffling of a ancient corpse; the flapping of enormous wings and above all the lonely and terrible high pitched cry of the falcon-king-god, enraged at the disturbance of his nest…
The desert awakes:
The hoplites cinched their shield straps tighter. Galloping, late as ever -though mercifully sober - from some debauched camp along the shore, came a quadriga of Centaurs, oblivious to the ancient danger.
The minotaur, unleashed for battle again, roared out, it’s bellow falling oddly flat as it struck the crumbling masonry. Herakles stood still, hefting his mighty club, peering into the blinding light.
In moments battle was joined. The Hoplites were beaten back by a hail of arrows arcing from behind a wall…across the shattered floor of a temple padded a terrifying Sphinx, worse than any monster described to these men in their child-cribs.
Out of nightmare comes the Sphinx:
Zeus, beseeched into action by the muttered prayers of the Greeks, thundered and roared down the main thoroughfare. A lightning bolt scorched the air, shattered stones and sent a cloud of flaming scarabs into the air, only to be replaced by a thousand more of the iridescent horrors.
The hideous hawk-god Horus clashed with Zeus, and all were momentarily blinded - the Greek God was gone. The Centaurs cantered off, hoplites beaten back. Herakles alone stood strong, stepping forth to smite Horus, who reeled back and was banished…
A few tasks for Herakles...
…but only for a few heartbeats - as he turned to face the Sphinx, rearing betwixt two columns like a living statue, Horus re-appeared, striking him dead. The hoplites turned and fled, uttering curses as they ran for the boats, begging in their broken hearts to see the sun glitter off the Ćgean once more…
Herakles' last stand:
*******
A weekend game of OGAM. 800 points each, and a successful long-awaited début for the Egyptian forces in my brother Anthony’s collection.
Great fun.
Welcome, Guest. Please 
April 23, 2024, 03:38:24 PM
