Demonsub is Five Leagues From The Borderlands

Hands sat at his favourite table in the only pub in the hamlet of Hillsend, nursing his pint and absorbed in his thoughts. His life had changed quite a bit since signing up with Mortay’s Rangers and journeying to the Untamed Coast to rid the area of its various enemies. Ok things had sometimes not gone exactly to plan and coin was always in short supply but he did enjoy his new life and he believed he’d found his purpose. 

The warband was originally charged with ridding the area of threats, an undead worshipping cult, a gnawling horde of beasts that walked and acted like men, and an invading barbarian warband. Things had however gotten in the way, especially the roving thieves and outlaws that plagued these lands. That was indeed one of the reasons why the Rangers were back in Hillsend, to finally revisit a thieves camp in the hills nearby that was responsible for stealing the party’s gold back when they first arrived in the region.

But before that they had taken up a contract to ride a series of patrols around the area of Hillsend as gold was in need to pay a blacksmith to mend their damaged equipment. Then there was a quest that they’d accepted to retrieve something or other. Also there was that worrying trouble in the north of something happening deep underground. Too many things to do, too many distractions. Still, at least Hands wasn’t in charge. He was happy enough to follow and live the adventure.

“How much for the pint?” Hands asked the barman. 

“Nothing mate, that one’s on the house, along with a few others. Seems there’s one or two people here that like what you’ve been doing. Keep it up and there’s plenty more ale where that came from”. 

The next day Hands and the others were getting ready to ride another patrol. The local blacksmith had been set to work mending both his armour and Gregnil the dwarf’s old battered helmet the previous day with coin made from the sale of turnips and Jeremy’s old staff.

Kremmel had been muttering to himself all morning as he’d been trying to study the previous evening but for the other’s loud and wild drinking, thanks to the free ale and food. He said his studies were important and if this continued he had to go off on his own. They all knew he wouldn’t but that was wizards for you, always grumpy.

————-

The woods had slowly grown quiet and the trees were thinning. They were all on edge. It was apparent they weren’t alone. Petra had been scouting ahead when she suddenly appeared.

She directed them to a clearing and a small lake of water where a pack of roving fiends were drinking. They would all have to be dispatched as even one fiend would be a threat to a farmer or a traveller.

Taking positions, Petra and Gregnil let loose arrows but both missed their targets, alerting the fiends. To make matters worse Gregnil was also out of ammo. He had neglected to bring more than one arrow. Hands could see the embarrassment on his face.

Kremmel, finger pointing at a fiend cast a mark on it, making it easier to shoot, unfortunately everyone else was out of possession to take advantage. 

Gregnil moved up to a wall preparing for the onslaught of the charging fiends.

“These things are tough” Hands heard Gregnil mutter as his sword bounced off a fiend’s skin. He, Kremmel and Petra each manage to push back their assailants but a lucky shot had damaged Petra’s quiver, losing the rest of her arrows.

Kremmel muttered a word and the arrows magically found their way back to Petra and the quiver was repaired. She nodded her thanks and ran forward.

More shots were loosed but not a single one hit due to the speed of the fiends charge. Mortay took a battering and went down, his armour taking the brunt of the damage.

It wasn’t long before Dar was severely winded and with the help of Kiri they managed to escape the battle along with Kremmel. 

Petra stunned a fiend with an arrow but took a nasty cut for her trouble. 

Hands, confused, seeing people injured and running, decided to run himself thinking all was lost.

Hours later and it was starting to get dark. Hands had still not found the others and the sound of the fiends was getting closer, or was it his imagination? He couldn’t tell anymore, he was too exhausted. This ground in this part of the woods was getting treacherous, with loose stones everywhere. At last, Hands thought as he spotted familiar shadows in the distance and walked towards them.

A few days later Gregnil laid the last stone and stepped back. Kiri wiped a tear and sniffed. None of them could understand how Hands had gotten lost, the confusion of battle, some magical trick of the fiends? They had found his body the next day after the battle miles away, thanks to Petra’s careful tracking. Gregnil had killed two of them in the battle before he left but the surviving fiends it seemed had tracked the lone Hands and eventually caught up with him. Alone, he never stood a chance.

Arriving back in Hillsend more bad news was waiting. Walking lizard men had been spotted coming ashore north of Tidemouth in the marshes there. Another problem Mortay’s Rangers would have to deal with.

Still, that would have to wait for tonight they’d drink to their friend Hands, Hero of Hillsend.

On Christmas Day 2022 this video was released; The Cult of Games 2022 Community Awards and this project won best fantasy project of 2022. I’m absolutely thrilled by this, and was equally thrilled when the award showed up at my door.
A big thanks to the On Tabletop team for even condensing my project let alone making me the winner for best fantasy.
I’ve had a lot of fun doing this and will continue to do so. Let’s hope my mage in Five Leagues, Kremmel Mortay lives up to the role of Master Magos in the game.

At the same time that I got all of the miniatures for the enemy table I also picked up a few character models that I liked the look of. These would be useful to use as either enemy leaders or unique individuals.

While browsing the Mantic games site looking at their lizardmen salamander models I came across this named character, Artakl. The original model was from a Dungeon Saga expansion but she was also available in resin. I chose to paint her in brown warm earthy tones rather than the bright green from the Mantic site as a large amount of my models are already green.

I spotted this Snakeman Heritor on the North Star site while looking at their Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago collection. I liked the look of how he’s almost hiding in that big dark cloak of his so I really worked on the shadows with this model. Thinking back now I really wish I’d started with a black undercoat and worked upwards but overall I’m pleased with how this model turned out.

When I ordered the models for my beast pack from Diehard Miniatures this whip wielding lizard came with them, intended to be the pack master. I had no use for him in his intended role but I thought he’d make a good character model so he was promoted. 

This miniature also came from Diehard Miniatures, a rogue trader who actually came with a pet, the same as what I used from my beast pack so the pet joined them. I love how this model looks like he’s well travelled and can take care of himself. With a mix of stone spear and a firearm on his backpack I think he’d fit well into either a fantasy or science fiction game, maybe as crew in a further Five Parsecs From Home game. His paint scheme is very similar to that from the Diehard website as I really like that blue colour for the cloak.

With that concludes two months of collecting and painting miniatures for one set of enemies in Five Leagues. I’m pretty happy with how they all turned out and I’m looking forward to using them in game. I’m sure the dice will favour them over my heroes.

The War-Strong and Battle Champion bands were described as the elite of the lizardmen, the heavy hitters. Heavily armoured and the best in combat. For these I got some Salamanders from Mantic Games which I think fits the description very well.

Lastly we have the Deep Coven and Cold blooded priest band. I see these as the leaders of the Oldest Kin, and also the magic users. Once again I looked at the Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago range by North Star and their Snakemen boxed set. 

Below is the name and description from the Oldest Kin enemy tables in the book along with a picture of the miniatures I’ll be using to represent that enemy.

I thought it was high time I looked at some of the different enemy tables and start to get and paint some miniatures that were missing in my collection for the game. I can do a lot of “counts as” and generally muddle through with a lot of enemies but it’s nice to grow a collection of minis that work for the game.

The Oldest Kin enemy list basically refers to lizardmen which I didn’t own a single model of so that’s where I looked first.

The easiest choice was the plastic Lizardmen box from Wargames Atlantic. It comes with 24 miniatures in a large choice of head type and weapons. 

Looking at the actual enemy lists from the book I reasoned that the boxed set would cover four choices. I would choose eight chameleon and young lizard type heads for the Spawned brood, the weakest enemy painted in a bright fresh colour to reflect their youthfulness. 

Then I would choose eight more lizardmen with more bony spiked heads, painted in a brown, more earthy tone to reflect age and experience, these would cover three different enemy types, the Warrior brood, the Raider brood, and the Ravager brood. All three of these broods are the main typical lizardman warrior, each one just a little more experienced than the last.

The next couple of enemies actually appear human in form. The Kin-Blooded are described as having unblinking eyes and scaly skin, while the Relic Brood are described as reeking with sorcery and crude human bodies. 

Finding suitable miniatures was difficult but then I thought about using the tribesmen box by North Star as part of their Frostgrave Ghost Archipelago range. They come with face masks so I would paint the masks to represent lizard faces. Who knows what their true faces look like behind those masks, but they’d certainly be human allies working with the lizardmen.

There were two beast options in the enemy lists, the Needle Fang Pack and the Hunter Beast Pack. After a bit of a browse I found these metal Jaglas from Diehard Miniature as part of their Eru-Kin range.

In part two I’ll cover the rest of the miniatures I got, including a full table of each enemy in the Oldest Kin list, along with their descriptions. I’ll also show off a few character models I picked up to use as enemy leaders and unique characters.

Dar sat a short distance away from the others deep in thought and looked around at the landscape below him. He thought about all he and the others had gone through in their times in the Untamed Coast and what might they accomplish yet. Kremmel approached with Kiri helping him as he was still recovering from his wounds. It was time to leave. They were heading back to Hillsend, a few days’ travel from here. Dar looked across at Hands, who was walking much easier now. All this exercise must have done him good, his wounds had healed well and he was itching for more adventure.

Petra had hoped to teach Kiri some tricks hunting with her bow but no animals had been spotted, and there was not much in the way of berries to forage, wrong time of year, as winter had set in. She was grateful for her warm fur.

A day later they heard singing on the road ahead. It was a travelling merchant. He wasn’t carrying much but he was excited to meet the warband. So much so in fact that he wanted to join. After a little thought and a few questions Kremmel accepted as an extra sword, or in this case, staff was welcome in combat.

The merchant’s name was Jeromy and he was board of just selling folk stuff. He wanted adventure and excitement. 

As they approached Hillsend a guard’s captain approached them. He asked the group if they would be willing to do some patrolling over the next month or so as the area was getting rough with reports of thieves and worse annoying the locals and country folk. Some coin had been raised as payment upon fulfilment of the contract. Kremmel signed.

With Kremmel back at the inn resting, the others, along with Jeromy went on patrol. After a few hours walking, they met a wailing farmer by the roadside. He had been robbed. There was a gang of locals who had been going around robbing and stealing from those who couldn’t defend themselves. Directions were given and the warband went in search of the robbers.

They were soon spotted at the bottom of a hill near a track. They were a sorry bunch, these petty robbers, but one of them had a keen eye as he pointed directly at Dar coming down the hill. All six of the robbers ran into the tree line and spread out.

An arrow woodshed past Petra directly into the chest of a robber armed with a bow, dropping him. Petra looked back to see Kiri with a smile on her face. 

Hands and Jeromy crept forward to the path while Dar struggled to keep up.

Petra, finding a vantage point on the hill, took careful aim and shot at a robber, who was creeping around a tree back towards the path. He never knew what hit him as he fell.

Some of the other robbers shouted and a few pointed up the hill at Petra and they started to make their way towards her. One of the robbers, Petra, noticed, turned tail and ran.

Calmly Petra took out another arrow and shot, killing another robber with her bow. These men were not fighters, more like cowards preying on the weak.

Suddenly a robber was upon Dar but couldn’t get past Dar’s shield. Jeromy, seeing his chance at last as a hero he was surely to be, charged the robber his staff held high. He stopped and looked down, the robber’s blade deep in his chest. As he sank slowly to the group, his eyes glazed over while the snow on the ground turned red. 

Dar jumped forward and sliced the robber while Hands, seeing Jeromy on the ground, ran up behind the robber and stabbed him in the back, spitting on his corpse. 

With this the last thief who was running up the hill towards Petra turned tail and fled. Petra let him go.

They buried Jeromy in a small grave off the path, leaving his hat as a marker held down by a few stones. The party was quiet as they looked over the bodies of the robbers. They found a bag of turnips, a single gold coin and a map making kit which would be very useful. They headed back to Hillsend. 

While Kremmel joined Hands to rest and convellese from their injuries, the others checked over their equipment and supplies. Disaster, it seemed Petra’s armour was the worst for where and would have to be repaired before it could be worn again. Since the group now had a bit of gold to spend Dar set out with Petra to a local blacksmith’s with his long unused bastard sword which had been rendered unusable for quite some time.

Back at the inn while Gregnil paid for their stay, Kiri set off to study at a local library but couldn’t make any progress. She felt she was eager to learn to help Kremmel but now just didn’t seem the time.

Dar came back with his mended sword and a new shield he liked the look of. Grinning as he showed it off, Gregnil the dwarf grumbled about spending too much.

It was time to leave Shieldstown and set off with the much needed supplies for Hillsend, small fortified hamlet in the hills to the north where the party first visited when entering these lands. It would be good to see some old faces.

The journey was uneventful except when they got turned around somewhat in the deepest part of Darkaven woods and it took Dar’s bushcraft skills to find the right path.

Finally they reached Hillsend and the supplies were gratefully received which included an offer for bed and board which was eagerly accepted.

Later that evening in the inn, talk reached the party of a man who had recently visited asking for a group of adventurers as he had a task for them. He had only recently departed Hillsend so it shouldn’t be too hard to catch up with him if they leave soon and want a job. 

In the morning there was news that some of the local lawmakers had clamped down on the amount of gambling in the hamlet and this made a few of the older soldiers quite unhappy. This was related to Gregnil by the landlord of the inn they had stayed at, free of charge thanks to the supply delivery the group had made. 

While Dar helped some of the locals carrying firewood in from outside the hamlet for a small amount of gold, Hands went off to see the local healer to help with his aches and pains caused from his injuries in battle several weeks ago. This helped quite a bit and he bought a tonic for Kremmel which eased his wounds as well.

Then it was time to set off in search of the man who had work for adventures. The next day on the road they caught up with a wandering priest. Upon asking him if he’d seen anyone on the road he shook his head saying that until now he’d seen no one. The party grew despondent and, saying their goodbyes, they each started moving away when the priest paused, asking if they knew of any adventurers. To their amazement it turned out the priest was the man the group was looking for. 

He had heard of an ancient relic of the gods which was hidden somewhere amongst some ruins found to the south east of here around three or four days’ travel. Apparently the relic had some invaluable text on it which could change things up for the region. It was most important that those of good intent got to it first. 

The party agreed to do what they could and look into retrieving this item. The priest warned them that depending on what they discovered that this could lead to other adventures. Kiri was delighted, this was to be her first proper quest.

Before departing the priest also mentioned that there had been activity to the far north. Duskling barbarians had been spotted near a cave. Apparently they have been mining and have found something deep underground. He warned them to travel carefully as their enemy numbers are growing.

There was much discussion in camp that night as to the party’s next course of action. Kremmel was eager to travel back to Hillsend the next day, rest and recover, then re-visit the nearby thieves’ camp and seek revenge from them for their robbery on the group’s very first night in the place almost a year ago. 

The growing barbarian numbers were a concern and needed to be investigated as until now they were more confined to the far south and hadn’t been much of a problem. 

Then there was the quest, which excited the party. 

As it’s been thirteen turns since I first chose the miniature and started to play Five Leagues some of the characters have changed. 

Kiri, who started out as a follower and got promoted to hero several turns ago, now carries a bow and I imagine has grown more confident and learnt quite a bit. I’ve swapped her miniature (from Otherworld Miniatures) to represent her carrying a bow and looking much more capable.

Dar has suffered several injuries and now carries a shield. I imagine he’s not looking as young or carrying the huge bodybuilder physique as represented in his original miniature. Also I think he needs to wear more layers as it’s colder now. The miniature I’ve given him now (from Crooked Dice) shows him more experienced and fits in well with the others.

The people were unhappy around Shieldstown.It was the disappearances, travellers and farmers had gone missing. What’s worse was some of the grain destined for the town’s bakers had disappeared and metals for the town’s smithies. People would start to grow hungry and weapons were at a shortage. 

It turned out that an ogre had moved into a deserted barrow and had been raiding nearby farms and caravans. Something had to be done. 

This was all related to Gregnil the dwarf as he roamed the streets with a member of the town guard late one night. The group had once again fallen on hard times and they needed to earn a few extra gold just to pay the bills. The guard went on to explain that a contract had been put out by the people of Shieldstown to find and slay the ogre and there was a reward. So far no one had taken this up.

A few days later Petra the feral entered the main entrance of the tomb. Waiting a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness she pressed on through the passages ways and found herself in a large room. An open coffin lay in the corner, complete with its decayed resident, and another coffin still closed, was nearby. It was apparent that someone had been living here and there were tracks leading out. Following these to another chamber an enormous head suddenly appeared from out of the darkness swiftly followed by the rest of the ogre. Quickly retreating back towards the entrance, Petra almost ran into the others with the ogre striding just behind. Everyone readied for action.

The plan was to shoot at the ogre while keeping a good distance away to avoid its brutal strength. This was easier said than done in the cramped confines of the tunnels. Petra managed to wound the beast with a shot of her longbow causing a loud roar to echo down the tunnels.

Kiri reached for an arrow to shoot but her quiver was empty, she must have dropped her arrows somewhere in the dark. All she could do now was not get lost and keep away from the ogre, so she kept close to Petra.

Kremmel cast his spells causing arrows and stones to be attracted to the monster making shooting at it a little easier.

Suddenly the ogre was upon Gregnil, but fighting defensive Gregnil managed to get away without taking a hit. He quickly let off a shot of his self bow and wounded the ogre.

The ogre was bleeding quite a lot now and very angry. 

Kremmel found himself trapped in a corner and the ogre was upon him. He tried his best but was soon beaten senseless. 

Various shots hit the ogre with no effect. Arrows and stones stuck out of the ogre but he either didn’t  feel them or he ignored them such was his wrath. 

Then Dar, the barbarian, was fighting for his life as the ogre came out from nowhere, Dar went down with a blow to the head.

Gregnil, Petra and Kiri backed away from the ogre. Now Gregnil was the only one left with any arrows. Shot after shot failed to bring the monster down until, when it was almost upon him, an arrow found its mark and the massive beast fell to the ground and didn’t move. It was dead.

Dar came around having only been knocked out but Kremmel was worse. He had been severely mauled, nothing life threatening but, with a few broken bones, he’d need a good few weeks to heal up. 

Searching the ogre’s lair various precious metals, sacks of grain and furs were found. Clearly evidence of the looting and the problems the monster had caused in the area. 

Returning back to town Gregnil felt like he was rich. The group had a good amount of coin now thanks to their success. Kremmel had been badly injured and Hands was still healing up from his injuries a few weeks ago so adventuring would be limited for a while. News had come that the outpost of Hillsend was badly in need of supplies so if they were up for it a simple journey might be in order. He’d see what the others would say when he got back to the inn.