Quest 1: Acolyte of Saradyn
Quest 1: Acolyte of Saradyn
Introduction
You've been tasked with defending a caravan of monks and then their monastery when they arrive. The problem is, they left town the day before you accepted the job. It is nearly noon on the second day when you finally catch up to them.
A young boy stands motionless on the path. He holds one hand out, casting a blue ray of light toward the forest to your left. In his other hand he grips a serrated dagger dripping with blood.
The familiar snap of bow strings echoes through the trees and the boy dives behind the cover of a disabled wagon. You sprint forward and call out as primitive arrows whistle past him. His blue eyes lock onto yours, and he scrambles out of cover as a rasping howl fills the air.
"Goblin ambush! The others are wounded," he yells, pointing further down the path.
You pull him back as another wave of arrows hisses through the air, but he breaks free from your grip. "No. We have to save the others." His eyes shine with equal parts excitement and dread. "The goblins will run if you kill their dogs. Come on," he pleads and runs back toward the caravan, ducking and weaving to avoid the continuous spray of arrows.
Monsters
Setup
Place the goblin archers on the Battlefield. Place the barghests on the Lair. Each barghest applies +2 to its Health.
The hero players choose 1 hero to escort the acolyte. Place 1 white objective token on that hero's Hero sheet.
The overlord places a number of villager tokens on the Firepit equal to the number of heroes, 1 per space. These are wounded clergy.
Place search tokens based on the number of heroes.
Special Rules
At the start of each overlord turn, if there are 1 or more goblin archers on the Caravan Site, the overlord places 1 fatigue token in his play area.
At the end of each overlord turn, if there are 1 or more goblin archers on the Caravan Site, the overlord places 1 fatigue token in his play area.
The Acolyte: The hero escorting the acolyte applies -1 to his Speed. Each time the hero escorting the acolyte ends his turn adjacent to 1 or more wounded clergy, that hero chooses 1 adjacent wounded clergy and places that token in the heroes' play area. As an action, the hero escorting the acolyte may give the white objective token to an adjacent hero.
Reinforcements
At the end of each overlord turn, the overlord may place up to 2 goblin archers on the Lair, respecting group limits.
Victory
Hero Victory
The goblins screech with terror and loose a final volley before scrambling deeper into the forest. Flying far from their mark, the arrows disappear into the canopy high above your head. The area grows quiet.
The wagon is beyond repair and much has been stolen. The clergy gather the remaining valuables and secure them to their backs, intending to carry everything the rest of the way. You make room in your packs and share the burden.
The heroes win!
Overlord Victory
You are forced to take up a defensive position away from the wagon. By the time you rally a few brave members of the clergy for a counterattack, your enemy has disappeared. You help the survivors sift through the wreckage for the next few minutes, but everything of value is gone.
The overlord wins!
Regardless of the winner:
You shoulder your packs and turn to find the boy staring up at you with wonder and adoration. "You're amazing," he whispers, "take me with you." His eyes shift to your weapon. "Can I hold it?"
"Tyrus! No, you cannot," a priest chides. Tyrus sighs, throwing his head back and rolling his eyes.
"Maybe next time, kid," you say, suppressing a smile. The boy remains at your side for the next few hours, maintaining a quick pace to keep up. His endless need for conversation is seasoned with insightful questions and exaggerated stories, allowing the hours to pass quickly.
As the sun retires beyond the Cliffs of Saradyn, you are met on the road by Helena, an elder-priestess from the monastery. She invites you to join her army—a handful of scouts and militia—based in the center of the valley. You speak with Helena into the early hours of the morning about the needs of the monastery, the darkness that threatens it, and what the next few days may bring.
Rewards
Win or lose, each player receives 1 XP.
If the overlord wins, he receives 1 additional XP and the heroes discard all but 1 villager token.
Then, the heroes receive 25 gold per villager token in their play area.
"Siege of Skytower" or "Rellegar's Rest" may be chosen by the winner as the next quest.
Map Tiles
- 5A Battlefield
- 4A Lair
- 9A Caravan Site
- 8A Firepit