Quest #5

LADY ALEETHA'S ESCORT


"A message from Lord Narran arrives.  'My wife, Lady Aleetha, is planning on journeying back to our castle soon.  My spies have uncovered a plot to kill her.  Our enemies plan to ambush the carriage as it crosses the valley.  Little else is known, not even the attacker's identity.  Your mission is to act as bodyguards.  You must accompany my wife's carriage through the valley and ensure that no harm comes to her.'"


Wandering Monster - Hobgoblin


The Heroes succeed if they guide the carriage safely through the valley to the exit.  If using the alternate rule, they can guide Lady Aleetha to the exit if the carriage is destroyed.


Special Rules:

1.  Choose one player to control the carriage during the quest.  The carriage can move up to 3 squares per turn.  The Hero does not have to move the carriage any squares in a turn if he does not wish.  The carriage must stay on the road, and must cross the stream at the bridge.  The carriage moves after the last Hero, but before Zargon.  The carriage may pivot (turn) to the left or right as required, but may not move sideways.  When pivoting, the rear of the carriage stays in the same square, but the horses can move 1 square to the left or right (no diagonals).  Pivoting counts as one square of movement.

2.  The pits are potholes.  If a Hero searches for traps and spots one, tell him he can fill it in on his turn instead of attacking.  The potholes cause the carriage to stop for the rest of the movement turn.  If the carriage was on the last of its movement squares, it cannot move the next turn.

3.  Place the water on the bridge at the beginning of the game.  This is a very large pothole - the Heroes cannot do anything about it.  When the horses enter the water, they stop.  That movement turn is over.  When the back of the carriage enters the water, it stops.  That movement turn is over, plus the carriage remains stuck for one turn (no movement next turn).

4.  The carriage has 2 body points.  Roll two defend dice on any monster attack against it.  Arrows do not harm it, but hand weapons do.  After it receives one hit, replace the carriage tile with the damaged carriage tile.  On the second hit, tell the players that the attack breaks the carriage apart and Lady Aleetha is killed.  The player moving the carriage can continue to move it if his Hero is killed, and can do so even if all the Heroes are killed.

5.  To win the game the carriage must get to the 'End' side of the board with at least one Body point left.

You will want to make the Heroes aware of rules 1-5.

6.  Do not set any of the monsters on the board until they come into line of sight of the carriage or a Hero.

7.  Keep track of turns.  After 15, the Dragon appears at spot 'B' and joins the attack.  

8.  The monsters will go after the carriage first, but will stop to attack any Hero in front of them or attacking them.


Alternate rules: 

1.  Instead of killing Lady Aleetha, you may want the monsters to kidnap her if the carriage is destroyed.  You could write a quest about her rescue.

2.  If you have a female figure to use (or you can use the Princess tile), the Heroes can pull Lady Aleetha from the wreckage of the carriage and allow her to walk to the exit.  Her movement would be very low because of the wounds she sustained in the attack, just 1 or 2 square per turn.  Instead of trying to attack the carriage, the monsters will now try to attack Lady Aleetha.

Stats for Lady Aleetha:  Move  1,  Attack 0,  Defend 1,  Body 2,  Mind 2

3.  If the Heroes try, you can allow them to cast spells on the carriage.  They could cast Swift Wind on the Horses to make them move 2 times.  They could cast Rock Skin on the Carriage.  Veil of Mist would make the Carriage invisible.  You might also allow them to cast a healing spell on the Carriage.


Special Notes:

The Heroes may try to do something to get the Carriage past the Large Pothole.  Any idea they come up with is up to you as Game Master to allow or disallow.


Notes:

A.  Before the game starts, point these squares out to the Heroes.  These are the squares that the Hero may start from.  Each Hero must choose any unoccupied square to start from.  The Heroes choose squares in turn order.  All Heroes must be placed on the board before the quest begins. 


B.  This is the spot where the carriage starts from. 


C.  The first half of the bridge has a large water filled pot hole in it.  The water tile marks this spot.  Place this tile on the bridge at the start of the game; it is not a trap.  The carriage crosses the bridge as follows:

Turn 1 - Horses enter water and stop.
Turn 2 - Rear of carriage enters water and stops.
Turn 3 - Carriage is stuck on this turn.
Turn 4 - Carriage leaves water and can move up to 3 spaces.


D.  When the carriage first enters the water and stops (turn 1 above), read this "A Manscorpion suddenly jumps out from underneath the bridge and prepares to attack."  The Manscorpion cannot attack on the current turn; it is spent scrambling out from under the bridge.  It may attack on Zargon's next turn.  Place the Manscorpion on the squares marked 'D'.


E.  The Dark Knight here is wearing the Ring of Fire Resistance (see artifact card).  If a fire spell is cast on this monster, read "The spell washes over the monster, then dissipates suddenly.  The Dark Knight suffers no effects from the magic."  After the Dark Knight has been killed, if a Hero searches him he gets the artifact.

