[OWW=Open WEGS Wednesday, a local, friendly game of Old Skool-ers]

As you might recall if you read OWW6, our adventuring party had just survived an encounter with a gang of Dwarf Cultists and their mighty Golem O' Iron. In what could be called a case of mistaken identities, we were trying to off them because they were trying to off us. And they had the upper hand until a dread Nekromagiker showed up and brought some life to the party. Uh... death, I mean...

The encounter became a three-way knock 'em, sock 'em, sword-n-sorc' em showdown. At it's end, we were down one Elf Mage and the Dwarfs were down one Iron Golem. The Nekromagiker? She ran back to her lair with Gumpstump, my Level 5/55 Goblin Warrior with one leg, in hot pursuit. The reason I was in hot pursuit was because she promised to restore my missing leg (which I carried around in a sack just in case such an opportunity should arise)...

Onto the final session...

Part 1 - The Adventure Begins!
The Prof was running the game and promised this would be the end of our heroic OWW endeavors. Due to a nasty cold, our Goblin Warrior Krall did not attend the final session (thereby safeguarding her Ark for future use)! The party thus assembled and their inning order was:

Elf Mage/Ranger (new Ark)
Dwarf Sage 5/55 (me, yes another lowly minion for me)
Gnobbit Trickster
Elf Ranger

With my Goblin Warrior Gumpstump now in the services of the Nekromagiker, he was temporarily out of play (though we had an inkling he would be returning for the final showdown). Once again, I was given an Ark-disposed minion to run: a Level 5/55 Dwarf Sage. He was one of the cultists from the prior OWW, and now sent along to make sure the Arks attended to the business of dispatching the dread Nekromagiker. He wasn't the brightest Sage in the barrel, but it was all we were offered...

There was another new member of the party, too. Due to some kind of prisoner-exchange program that the Dwarfs institute, they took hold of our Goblin Warrior Krall and gave us an Elf Mage/Ranger in her place. Negotiations with the Dwarfs were foggy, but we got one of theirs and they got one of ours in the end.



And so it was, off we went merrily to quartet death.

In her many forms...

---

L. Willy Wick
www.GameWick.com
Maker of WEGS, the Wickedly Errant Game System
Sword-n-Sorcery With A Vegas Twist!

"Stick THAT in your bag of holding!"

Part 2 - A Tale of Between Four or Six Zombies
(I can't remember the actual number of deadheads!)

The Arks
Elf Mage/Ranger
Gnobbit Trickster
Elf Ranger
Dwarf Sage 5/55 (me, yes another lowly minion for me)


Placed dead center on the battlemat, we were not shocked when several zombies came shuffling out of the shadows of the cavern we found ourselves in. IIRC, the Prof threw down four 5/55 Zombies that took 3 points off the Damage Die (due to their deadness). It was going to be tough putting these suckers down, but we were up for it - so much so, that all four of us succeeded the initial Act Fast! test.

With one full action each on our side, we quickly went into action. The Ranger/Mage and I cast our respective Senses, the Trickster tried to Hide and the Ranger took up Sure Shot. Only the Trickster failed the action, yielding no place to hide away.

This encounter, though tough, breezed by. Thanks to Sphere of Light, Bless With Fire, Molten Storm and great battle action from the Ranger and Trickster. We wasted no time, and as soon as all zombies were put down, we began dragging them over to the Molten Storm roasting pit. If we put them down, we were going to be sure they stayed down!

After all, there was a dread Nekromagiker lurking about somewhere and the last thing we needed to provide her with was some extra dead bodies.

We made sure they were extra, extra, crispy dead!

No sooner had we started this task then the sound of two iron doors slamming shut resounded through the cavern. It was clear that we had just been locked in for the final showdown.

---

L. Willy Wick
www.GameWick.com
Maker of WEGS, the Wickedly Errant Game System
Sword-n-Sorcery With A Vegas Twist!

"Stick THAT in your bag of holding!"

Our little adventuring quartet was mostly unscathed from the zombie attack, but we knew those shamblers were just the appetizers to adventure! And so, what to our wondering eyes should appear...

The Minions
Marcela, 8/88 Nekromagiker
Goon #1, 8/88 Nekromagiker
Goon #2, 8/88 Nekromagiker
Gumpstump, 8/88 Goblin Warrior

I don't know what we were more shocked by: three Nekromagikers aglow with their undead energies or the now fully bipedal Goblin Warrior Gumpstump charging at us with his mace! As you might recall, Gumpstump had only one leg in the prior OWW, but since then was magically made whole via Marcela's System Shocker spell! Not only that, but he rose from 5/55 status to 8/88!

This was going to be one nasty showdown!

My 5/55 Dwarf Sage stood resolute in the center of the battlemat with his Sphere of Light spell aglow. As this was a continuing encounter, his Bless With Fire and Blessed Warrior spells were still humming along, too! This was both good and bad... With only 55 spoints to start, he wasn't going to be able to hold it all together much longer. The battle had to be turned in favor of the Arks asap.

The other Arks were all doing their thing, too. The Gnobbit Trickster was dashing about the field, trying to avoid the Nekro trio if possible. The Elf-Mage and Elf-Ranger both took their stance inside the Sphere (which gave them a prime stat bonus).

Dead impact was coming upon us fast! The Goblin Warrior Gumpstump made it clear that he was here to settle a debt with the Elf Ranger who had vexxed him in the last encounter. As an 8/88, his bravado took over and he charged madly toward the Elf. It was finally his time to get in a whack with his mace... NOT!



The Elf Ranger stood calmly in her place and let a single arrow fly at the enraged Goblin Warrior. Rolling a 66 Good Shot, on top of a point blank bonus, the Elf one-shotted the Goblin. All the Arks roared in victory, this was a sign from the dice gods that our side was in favor! Before our first inning against the undead quartet ended, they were reduced to a trio!!!

Perhaps we did celebrate a bit too early...

The horror of being caught within a whirlwind of Nekromagikery soon took its toll. From Stink Eye to Bone Blast to Mantle of Murlfunk, we were being whacked on all sides and rapidly fell to pieces.

I believe the Elf Ranger-Mage was the first to perish...

My 5/55 Dwarf Sage, who was bone-dry on spoints, shortly followed...

The Gnobbit Trickster deserted while he could...

The Elf Ranger was still shooting when the final darkness descended...

Thus ended the final OWW of 2009!



Thanks to all who jumped into the fray!

---

L. Willy Wick
www.GameWick.com
Maker of WEGS, the Wickedly Errant Game System
Sword-n-Sorcery With A Vegas Twist!

"Stick THAT in your bag of holding!"