Quest 19: The Assault on Castle Talon
Quest 19: The Assault on Castle Talon
Introduction
"Baron Greigory arrives in a thunder of hooves. 'Gods help me, friends... Zachareth's soldiers have attacked all along the frontier. His foul sorcery fills the air. Men and monsters both are dying by the score.' The old baron lifts his sword, which you see is smeared with black ichor. 'Gods help me,' he says again. 'I haven't felt this alive in decades!'
With a clatter of his armor, Greigory dismounts before you. 'I'm not as young as I was, but war is a game I know well. My men... my knights... we can hold Zachareth's forces until the other barons get off their ruddy duff and come to our aid. Your help has seen to that. Nay, it's not Zachareth's soldiers I'm concerned about. It's his sorcery.' Turning, you and the baron look to the eastern sky. An angry red light pulses in the black clouds over Zachareth's barony. 'He's desperate. And I've never seen a sorcerer more powerful than Zachareth—not even...' Greigory shakes himself free from some memory. 'You've done so much already, my friends, but I must ask one more favor of you. Go to Castle Talon. Bring an end to Baron Zachareth.'
Soon, you stand before Zachareth's seat, the once grand Castle Talon. A massive edifice of black stone, it seems eerily deserted as you approach. Its gates stand open and you pass through unchallenged. The castle yard is strewn with bodies—the common citizens of Carthridge, those who dared defy the madness of the Overlord.
As you approach the keep, you see Splig, the self-styled 'King of All Goblins' peering down from the battlements. 'You're too late,' he cackles. 'My master's servants gather the last of his ritual components now. You'll never even get inside the keep, not while I am the only one with the key!' The goblin pulls out a heavy iron key. He points at the heavy door barring your way and laughs.
It takes two kicks from the strongest member of your party to break the door from its hinges and knock it clear into the entryway. Splig stops laughing, then turns and runs, shrieking 'To arms! To arms you good-for-nothing sods! They're here!' Now you just have to prepare for the final confrontation with the Overlord, and smash any of these ritual components you can along the way.
Monsters
- Belthir
- Splig
- Sir Alric Farrow (equipped with the "Duskblade" relic)
- 1 open group (ignoring monster traits)
Conditional Appearances:
- If the heroes won "The Dawnblade" or "The Desecrated Tomb" in Act II, Sir Alric Farrow will not be present. Replace Sir Alric Farrow with 1 monster group of the Overlord's choice.
- If the heroes won "The Wyrm Turns" or "The Wyrm Rises" in Act II, Belthir will not be present. Replace Belthir with 1 monster group of the Overlord's choice.
Setup
Place Splig on the Tomb as indicated. Place Sir Alric Farrow on the Armory as indicated. If Sir Alric Farrow is not present, place the monster group chosen during setup on the Armory. Place Belthir on the Armory as indicated. If Belthir is not present, place the monster group chosen during setup on the Armory.
Place search tokens based on the number of heroes.
Place 3 red objective tokens faceup as indicated. These are ritual components.
Special Rules
The Doors
The doors in this quest are all locked for the heroes. Splig, as Seneschal of Castle Talon, has the Master Key. Splig and all other monsters can open and close any door during this quest, as normal.
A hero who performs an open door action on any door in this quest must test [Strength] (to smash the door down) or [Agility] (to pick the lock), hero's choice. If he passes, he opens the door as normal. If he fails, there is no effect. Doors may always be closed normally (and must be re-smashed or picked).
Splig's Escape
If Splig is defeated, read the following aloud:
"Wait wait wait!" shrieks Splig, holding up his hands. "Don't hurt me! Look, here it is, the Master Key! You can have it if—" Splig suddenly tosses the key into the air and uses the momentary distraction to put on a shocking turn of speed for such a hefty goblin. You snatch the key out of the air and let the goblin go—he's not your real target.
The heroes may now open doors normally, with no need to smash them down or pick the lock.
The Search Tokens
As an action, any lieutenant may destroy a search token while in a space adjacent to the token. Remove any destroyed search tokens from the map.
The Ritual Components
The objective tokens in this quest are components that are needed for Zachareth's ritual. The Overlord needs to carry these off the map while the heroes must destroy them. A hero adjacent to an unclaimed objective token may perform an action to destroy it and remove it from the map. Any monster carrying an objective token may move off the map.
If an objective token is successfully carried off the map through the Entrance or Exit by a monster, place it in the Overlord player's play area. A monster that moves off the map in this way is placed on the Entrance at the start of the Overlord player's next turn.
Reinforcements
None.
Victory
If there are ever no objective tokens on the map or if all monsters are defeated, read the following aloud:
You suddenly realize that you are alone—all the Overlord's monsters are dead or have withdrawn.
Suddenly a voice crashes through your mind: "I am awoken."
You had best hurry...
Transition to Encounter 2.
The heroes win this encounter!