Intro: Lao Xane and now Lao Jade (Warband Reboot Jul 06)

[Mr Hall]

Very interesting, and well done making Jade likeable after Xane - SPOILER ALERT - died!

[Timeshadow]

It felt good returning after this her first foray into Frostgrave as a full wizard. Everyone performed excellently and even now she could hear the others beginning to celebrate downstairs. Jade slumped into her master's....no now her desk chair exhausted. Though very successful it had been a harrowing encounter hopefully the tomes and golden lamp recovered would be worth it. She thought back to the encounter and how things could have gone and shuddered. Her Divinations that morning had been confusing but in hindsight perfectly accurate.

(That morning)

As the smoke and incense cleared Jade shivered. This was her first full divination after her accention to wizard. The vision was so clear but confusing. Glimpses of a tall fiery creature striking her enemies, which were a well armed and organized band of orks led by a deeply robed and hooded wizard. Then everything changed and the fiery creature was burning a bloody swath through her people first to die was Lucas, the new sharpshooter she had just hired. He fired on the beast point blank and did nothing then was burned to dust in a searing blast. Then Sasha was before it straining to summon and finally succeeding but the angelic spirit was consumed along with her as the molten beast just kept advancing. Then it was upon her and she could smell her flesh cooking..... the scene shifted to a series of landmarks and finally rested upon their Inn (Now renamed "Fate's Rest") and then she woke and the smoke and incense cleared as she shivered....

Jade was able to follow her series of visions to a newly revealed section of Frostgrave. Everyone was on edge for she had warned them of the flaming creature and if it attacked them their weapons would be useless. Brunhild, Lance and Lucas, all new to the band were laughing and quite confident almost dismissing Jades warnings with their bravado but Vandal quickly set them straight and seeing Victor, Creed, Leina and Rhanie transform into their half wolf forms took them aback.

As they rounded a corner in the frosty city Korvak spotted movement in the distance. It was the Orc band Jade had seen in her vision. Jade quickly gave everyone the order to spread out and take positions. Lucas quickly scaled up the side of a ruin to get a better sniper position. Brunhild, Lance and Victor were assigned to protect Sasha and the the left flank wile Korvak, Vandel, Creed, Rhanie, Leena and Fang took the right flank. Jade quickly cast another divination locating a golden lamp and sent James to retrieve it. She also cast an illusion of the same lamp up to the center right near another ruin to distract the orcs from the real treasures....and it worked.

Everyone advanced and the battle was on. In the first few moments Vandel was able to take down one of the darting orcs and Fang rushed up into the fray. Then James reached the lamp and just like her vision the infernal flaming beast sprung forth intent on destruction. James in his calm unruffled living impaired manner just walked away from the beast with the lamp it had just sprung from.

This was the moment where her visions diverged, the moment of truth. If the beast was left unchecked it would consume them all. As Jade struggled with her emotions the beast hurled a ball of fire at Lucas nearly incinerating him. His screams of pain snapped Jade from her indicision and she spoke the words of compulsion channeling all her will at the flaming entity. It's will was strong but Jade knew that failyer was not an option and she channeled so much of her lifeforce into the spell she nearly fainted from the exertion.....but she broke it's resistance and it's will was now her's to command.

It was a good thing Vandal is so procetive of me. Wile I was battling mind to mind with that brute I was completly exposed to that pack of wolves that showed up right behind me. Vandal was able to run back and intercept them and call back Rhanie and Creed. If only they had such a rappor with Xane... I think he might have survived. Vandal Creed and Rhanie quickly dispached the wolves but this allowed the opposing wizard to escape with several treasures but Jade couldn't help smiling remembering the ork curses as one of the treasures they were about to claim vanished from sight.

With the burning behemoth furmly in control the orks and their master were quickly forced to flee leaving a good haul of treasures for us to cart home. Fang was badly hurt but with a little magic he was good as new and Lucas luckley escaped with just superfical burns and the loss of his favorite cloak.

Jade sank further into the comfortable padded desk chair. Now to put our new acquisitions to use. With some reworking the gold in that lamp could form a mount for a seeing crystal to improve our divinations as well some could go into channeling gloves. These would help prevent the draining effects of spellcasting and after that incounter Jade knew that they would be needed in the future.....she had forseen it.

[Timeshadow]

Current Warband: After 3 battles(1 standard vs Esmeralda,1 Mausoleum vs Esmeralda"Death of Xane", 1 Genie in a bottle vs Unnamed Summoner)
Lao Jade Soothsayer (Primary Wizard) Lvl -1
Sasha (Apprentice)
1.   Korvak (Marksman)
2.   Vandel (Marksman)
3.   Creed (Treasure hunter)
4.   Victor (Treasure hunter)
5.   Rhine (Treasure hunter)
6.   Leina (Treasure hunter)
7.   Lance (Templar)
8.   Brunhild (Templar)
9.   (Inn bonus) Lucas Sure shot (Marksman)
10. (Kennel bonus) Fang (Warhound)
Others:
Summoned Zombie: James (the living impaired butler)
Summoned Celestial Spirits (Imp/Minor Demon/Major Demon)

[Timeshadow]

Jade sat back at "her" desk still amazed that she was in charge and not her former master Xane. They had been very busy over the last few weeks. When not making forays into Frostgrave they had been hard at work gathering and crafting reagents into usable items that would give them an edge in said forays. The gloves she had made last month had been so successful she had another set made for Sasha and now she was hard at work crafting four magical rings that would allow Victor, Rhanie, Leina, and Creed to transport themselves magically a short distance once a day. This would allow Sasha and herself more freedom to cast offensively in upcoming encounters and they would need any edge they could get. There had been more run-ins with both Esmeralda the illusionist and The Dark summoner during her latest explorations of Frostgrave and Jade realized that they too must be hunting the great Granite Golem that has been running amuck killing other warbands it encounters. She had seen first hand what it could do and heard from a survivor of it's wanton butchery. The thing it seems had formed a rudimentary intellect and it did not like humans and in particular spellcasters which warranted study. In her last foray they had even fought the construct first hand. Victor was still sporting some large bruises but thanks to her magic he would be fine. She had let the thing go so that Rhanie and Creed could follow it back to it's lair, so anymore deaths caused by the beast would lay heavily on her. As soon as they completed their preparations they would storm the creatures lair and ether capture or destroy the beast that was the only option. From past experience Jade knew that other wizards were going to get in the way so preparation was key.

[Timeshadow]

Some new (to me anyway) models for me to paint and mod for a new warband :-)

[Timeshadow]

Finally got some skellies, some ghouls, spiders, and a few other critters as well as some wizards and apprentices. I'm gonna be painting up a storm tomorrow.

[Timeshadow]

So some desterbing news for my warband.....it seems a necromancer has animated Xane's corpse and is using him for his apprentice....this will make things interesting (can't wait to write about their first encounter)

Another side note with the release of Sellsword "Vandal" my Marksman is beeing promoted to Captain. I have a great cashflow so he is beeing equiped with a +1 shoot crossbow, a fatestone, TH sword and mail armor. This will give him a near Elemental bolt lvl first shot with his tricks giving him a one time +4 Shoot (his base with the magic x bow is 3) so that's a total of +7 rerollable...if that doesn't snipe something dead well I'm really unlucky :-) Then he will run in with my templars for melee.

[Timeshadow]

Vandal looked over his notes again and smiled. They were doing well...very well. Jade practically had a library of magical tomes to study the entire band was well equipped and the Inn was quite prosperous. The only shadow on this otherwise good news was a report that Xane's tomb had been broken into and his body stolen.

As he pondered this Korvak came into the office. "It is time brother. Are you sure you want to do this? You still have time to back out of this ritual." Vandal smiled and picked up a small box from his desk. "This has been a long time coming and I wouldn't change it for the world." Vandal opened the box. Inside were two identical gold bands each set with a single lightly glowing diamond. "These along with our vows will forever bind my fate with Jade's and ensure that our people will be saved from their curse, at least those who want to be saved."

Vandal thought of the four that had accompanied them to Frostgrave and how they had come to revel in their new lyanthropic powers. Who wouldn't want to be faster, and stronger able to heal from almost any injury espushly since Xane's spell kept all the savage drawbacks at bay. Their last foray into the ruins had proven how capable those four were.

Each was able to easily fight their way through a virtual army of animated statues, Orks, and other wizard's minions to secure five chests of treasure for Jade. Only Creed had been injured and due to his lanthrocopic constitution he recovered from the magical bolt with only some singed hair.

But now was not the time to remenise about the past Vandal had a wedding to attend. He and Jade would lead this band side by side and they would realize all their dreams....together.

[Timeshadow]

So long time since an update here. Beginning a new campane and will be using Lao Jade and her warband starting from lvl one. With no Captains to start.

Wizard: Lao Jade (Soothsayer)
Apprentice: Sasha Myrr
Marksman: Vandal
Marksman: Korvak
Thief: Victor
Thief: Creed
Thief: Rhanie
Thief: Leina
Warhound: Snarl
Warhound Fang

Spells: Reveal Secret, Mind Control, Wizard Eye, Leap, Heal, Raise Zombie, Fast Act, Beauty

Plus the second Pic includes my eventual Captain (or a marksman) and 2 Templar I plan to recruit.

[Timeshadow]

Wow I can't beleave it's been a month since Ive updated this.

Just got a sweet arctic Fat-Mat I'll throw up a pic soon. I can't wait to play on it.

[Plus Four]

I've really missed the exploits of Lao Jade - we definitely need more bat-reps!!! 😀

[Timeshadow]

So here are some pics of my new mat. Comes in a nice carry case. Great quality... a bit too expensive for my tastes normally but since 3/4 of the cost was from tournament winnings I made an exception.

[Timeshadow]

A fun one off 4 way battle:
It was well of dreams and sorrows but since it was a 4 player game I decided to add a twist with 4 minor demons guarding it.

[Timeshadow]

This was a real nailbiter but by the end everyone got their 3 treasures (except one which got 2) and about 250xp. Noone managed to drink from the well. When one wizard tried he got immediately sniped out of the game. The four minor demons were joined by a bear a wraith and an Ice troll as treasures were picked up.

I think I will going forward add one random monster to each senerio per player and set them up centerally near one treasure per player. This makes a cool "battle/Danger" zone for players to fight over.

[jp1885]

Looks like fun!