Dark Albion Game: The Battle at Stamford Bridge

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Given that I'm fairly certain that none of my Dark Albion players read my blog, I think it's fairly harmless to make my GM prep available for everyone who might be interested.

If you are one of my players, stop reading, you bastards.

So Dark Albion is a low magic, quasi-historical Medieval England setting. While fantastical elements exist, it is nowhere near what you get with Dungeons and Dragons. I'm trying to present a rather mundane opening that will set the tone for a medieval romp. The adventure introduces the characters to a historical battle and allows them to take a pivotal position.  It features branching paths, much like a pointcrawl.  The party will deal with light on-site exploration, many opportunities to avert combat, and a few potentially disastrous situations that can be caused by poor planning.

This is designed around level1 PCs, but it would work fine for level0s with some backup PCs.

Stat blocks have been removed, but they're pulled from Lion & Dragon's core book.

Session 1: Starting Location: Outside Stamford Bridge, North Yorkshire, 1454 AD

Retinue of Sir John Neville, age 23.

Thomas (Lord Egremont) and Richard Percy (his brother) have occupied the Neville’s manor at Stamford Bridge, leading 200 retainers (many of which are led by Peter Lound, Bailiff of Pocklington).  

Neville has an army of 150 retainers and his group of special operatives, (the party).  The Neville camp sits in a clearing a half four hour march from the Manor. He’ll meet with the party and explain the mission.

The PCs are to leave early in the morning, donning the garbs of Monks.  They are to strip themselves of any arms or armor that cannot be properly concealed.  They need to sneak or deceive their way past Percy patrols and into the Abbey near the Manor, where a cache of arms and armor have been stored in the case of emergencies in the caskets of three fictitious family members: Harrison Neville, Bartholomeo Neville, and Jeremiah Neville.  They will then wait until nightfall, assault the manor, and capture Lord Egremont and Richard Percy. Peter Lound is a coward, but his group of retainers is significant. If the group is successful, they will save many Yorkist lives and will be rewarded accordingly.

Taking the Main Road

The main road permits the party to travel obviously, but less conspicuously.  They will be encountered by 1d4+1 Guards (1 has a horn) at the perimeter who will question them.  There is also a 2 in 6 chance that a horse-mounted patrolman with a horn will encounter them on the way.

A reaction roll will be made to determine the guards’ disposition toward the party, with an additional +2 due to them taking the main road.  The PCs’ explanations will also affect the outcome. The guards will likely ask to get a better view of the faces of cowled monks and will either do a visual inspection of the robes or a frisk, depending on their level of suspicion.

Taking the Waterway

The Waterway is more conspicuous, but less visible.  If the PCs travel far enough upstream, they will encounter a group of 3 bandits in the process of procuring an elderly fisherman’s (Richard Baker’s) hovel.  He lives alone. If the PCs save him, he can be persuaded to lend them his boat, but he will plead to have it returned to him because it’s one of his most valuable possessions.  Taking the boat downriver is so inconspicuous that they have no need to worry about detection until they reach the Bridge, at which time, they need only speak to the guards. The guards were anticipating the return of the monks and will escort them to the abbey, assuming there is no conspicuous activity.

Inside the Abbey

The abbey has clearly not been maintained, as shown by a fine layer of dust in nearly every surface.  There is a clear path of numerous footprints between the entrance and the stairs going downward, which are bloodied.  The door is closed and blocked by a bar on the outside, which is a common practice. If the PCs listen intently for a few moments, they can hear movement on the other side of the door.  Inside the door, 1d4-1 (minimum 1) Zombies are present. Clearly, the necessary final rites were not observed for these recently departed persons

Zombies

Init: –1 AC: 12 SV: 16 Ml: 12 HD: 2d6 MV: 15 AL: C Attacks:  1 claw (+3, 1d8) Special: The most basic form of the living dead, the ‘walking’ are created from those who were not properly buried after death, or those who died from suicide or some state of sin. The Walking Dead can be harmed by any metal weapons, or magic.  If they are slain they return to life in 10-40 minutes (at full hit points) unless they are decapitated.

The catacombs are extensive, housing dozens of caskets.

Casket Searches

Bartholomeo’s casket contains: Chain Hauberk, Shield, Long Sword, Mace, 5 Torches

Harrison’s casket contains: 3 Padded Jacks, Longbow, 2 Short Bows, 2 Short Swords, 3 quivers of 12 arrows.

Jeremiah’s casket contains: Brigandine, 2 Spears, Battle Axe, 2 Tinderboxes, 3 Slings, 40 Rocks.


Any other casket contains either skeletons or nothing.

Catacomb Map (https://axebanegames.tumblr.com/post/158244966388/the-bloodbone-catacombs-map-15-the-latest/amp)


Waiting Through the Night

Peter Lound will come with a couple of bodyguards to use the confessional in the evening, saying that he heard the monks had returned.  The PCs can scare him and his men off by informing him that the Neville army is close. If aggressive action is taken, he will order his men to defend his escape. Unless the players indicate that an army is coming, Lound will rouse forces to capture/kill the PCs.

Assaulting the Manor

There are 2 Guards with 1 Dog each patrolling on both the front and back sides of the manor.  The dogs will detect loud noises like the snapping of twigs, metal on stone, and people falling. There are stone walkways throughout the premises, so armored characters need to take care to avoid them.

The Manor consists of a guardhouse (to the SE), a kennel w/ 3 more dogs (E), stables w/ 6 horses (SSW), the main estate, and a storehouse (NW).  A d12 can be rolled to see if a patrolling guard is encountered.  

Inside the Manor

3 Guards will be sleeping inside the manor, blocking the way to the rooms of Richard Percy and Lord Egremont.  Egremont will call for the guards, but if they have been dispatched and Richard and Lound cannot help him, he will concede to being captured.  He will order his men to stand down and wait until Neville and his army arrive, where he will be transported to Middleham to be imprisoned.

Lord Egremont

Level2 Fighter

Richard & Lound

Level1 Fighters

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