Return Of The (High) King! Part 2 - Planning The Defense Of Easthold

High King Thorgrim calls a meeting of all the Dwarf commanders.

King Kazador welcomes High King Thorgrim and relinquishes overall command of Easthold to him.  Kazador gives a situation report to the High King, about how much food and beer are in the stores of Easthold.  He also tells of the approaching enemies of Undead, Orcs, and Drow.  The greatest threat of the three seems to be the Undead army raised by Murkillor the Wraith.

Princes Ulther and Helfast state how they have delayed the Undead as best they could, but the skeletal army is an endless horde.  Prince Ulther says that he hopes Gimli, Gloin, and Baron Hawk can get here before the enemy arrives.

Chief Ratnik finishes drinking his tankard of ale then speaks up and says he has bad news.  He has received a message from Baron Hawk, via his favorite bird.   Gimli and company have joined forces with some Dwarves that entered from the Westgate of Moria, its King Gorrin and the 8 Dwarves of Legend, Grombrindal the White Dwarf, and Hodor and his mercenaries.  They have found the Chamber of Mazarbul and know where Balin might be.  Unfortunately they have been cutoff and are unable to break through enemy lines.  So, they are heading deep below Moria to find Balin and then come back with his forces to break the siege. Gimli wishes the defenders of Easthold good luck and hope they can hold out until he can return with Balin's forces.

High King Thorgrim then says, they must hold out as Gimli says.
Runelord Kragg has been working with Balgar Blackwing and his assistants to create a Dwarven Rune Totem.

They present their creation, the Rune Vane of Morr.  It creates a shield of protection around it that undead cannot pass through.  The range of the shielded area reaches just a little over the furthest end of the Bridge of Khazad-Dum.  It will not stop orcs or drow though, who will definitely try to destroy the Totem.

Now, the deployment of the defenders...

King Kazador and his Goldshields will be deployed inside Easthold proper, right inside the Gate.

Nine crossbow Dwarves will line the battlements of Easthold.  Their range reaches along the bridge and slightly past it.

The Catapult will be able to fire at anything on the table.  Oh, it does have a minimum range of 18".

High King Thorgrim and Runelord Kragg are right outside the entrance to the lower Keep and the food stores, where the bulk of the civilian populace, womenfolk and children are.

Prince Ulther deploys right under the walls, to protect Easthold against siege ladders.

Four Slayers will hold the bridge.

Behind them, Prince Helfast is deployed.  Behind them are some citizen militia... Its Mochi, the Ninja Dwarf, Chumley, Cheery, Ratcatcher, Penny and friends.

Here is the furthest end of the table where the tunnel that leads eastward to the actual Eastgate of Moria is.  The Organ Cannon gun covers the entrance to Easthold.  The Ratnik Clan and the Beer Cart Defenders are here too, to cover the back field, in case anything gets through.

Finally we have an overview of the eastern side of the Bridge.

So, the board is set, the pieces are moving, and the opening salvoes are ready to fire.

Next post:  Enemy At The Gates!

Return Of The (High) King! Part 1 - Easthold's New Arrivals

Greetings, dear readers, in this post we return to Easthold in Moria and show off the new Dwarven arrivals / reinforcements.

Left to Right: Banner bearer for Prince Ulther's Imperial Dwarves, High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer, and Runelord Kragg.

Thorgrim is the descendant of the most ancient and noble of all Dwarf lords. The very blood of Grungni flows in his veins and the wisdom of Valaya sits upon his brow. The High Kings have kept the Great Book of Grudges, the oldest and most important of the many Books of Grudges that exist throughout the Dwarf realms . This book, known as Dammaz Kron, recounts all the ancient wrongs and deeds of treachery perpetrated against the Dwarf race.

Runelord Kragg the Grim is the oldest and by far the greatest living Runesmith - a gnarled old Dwarf, strong and enduring as a weather-beaten oak. His staff bears his own personal master rune which he refuses to share with anyone, finding none worthy of it. His armour is the finest and strongest in the kingdom. So strong and thick that none could pierce it, his knowledge of ancient rune smithing and crafting techniques is unsurpassed, and he has witnessed the wonders of Karak Ankor at the height of its power.

5 new Goldshields for King Kazador.

Brand new Dwarf technology in the form of gunpowder weaponry.
Its the Organ Cannon Gun.

 Here is a champion of Prince Ulther's Imperial Dwarves.

And I finally have the Bridge of Khazad Dum!

It is a Hudson & Allen Three-Arch Bridge.  Very light weight, nice details, and takes paint well.

Now for some fluff...

King Kazador and his commanders have been fighting a defensive retreat against a vast horde of Undead, Orcs, and Drow.  But now they have returned to make a last stand in Easthold.  The Dwarven citizens come out to cheer the approaching Dwarven forces.  Bugmans Brewery has their Cart set up to greet the army with nice cold beer!

Chumley:  Whats going on here?  I just got back from chopping wood near the borders of Lorien.
Cheery Dwarf:  Arent you paying attention?  The Captains of Easthold are returning.  Here they come!

Four Dwarven Slayers are the first to cross the Bridge of Khazad-Dum.

Chumley:  Seeing them reminds me of Valdor. 
Cheery Dwarf:  Huzzah!  Welcome back, Slayers!

Behind the Slayers, the Heartbreakers come marching proudly with their leader Prince Helfast and Councillor Thadar.

Chumley:  How many of them are there?
Cheery Dwarf: Twenty mighty warriors from the Heartbreak Hills!

After them, comes Prince Ulther and his Imperial dwarves.

Chumley:  Brave Prince Ulther!  I used to cut wood for his father.
Cheery Dwarf: Sixteen well armored and highly disciplined Dwarves.  They can form a shieldwall like no other.

Then King Kazador himself and his heroic Goldshields.

Chumley:  What fine shields they carry!
Cheery Dwarf:  Ten Goldshields, each one is a hero worthy of a saga.

And bringing up the rear, is Chief Ratnik.

Chumley:  Those are some of the fattest Dwarves Ive ever seen.  Is that all that is coming?
Cheery Dwarf:  Eleven stout Ratnik Clan warriors.  Dont forget about Gimli and his forces!  They are still out there, somewhere...

Next post:  Part 2 - Planning The Defense Of Easthold

Game Of Thrones vs Middle Earth: Tyrion Arrives In Moria

Tyrion Lannister has been transported out of Westeros by some unknown power. He has been teleported not just through time and space, but also out of dimension, out of fictional canon... into the Moria Reclamation Project!  He doesnt come alone, he has companions from other surprising and unlikely places.  What fantastic adventures are bound to happen with the coming of these latest arrivals.

Narrator: You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone! 

Onwards to pics, fluff, and a skirmish!  I wont be using Warhammer 1st edition here.  Will you be able to guess which rules Im using, just from the descriptions?

Tyrion and Podrick

Tyrion - Lived in some squabbly gossipy land far to the west.  In this land, he was pretty much the only Dwarf around.  He is also called the Imp, Halfman, and his favorite - the Demon Monkey.  For reasons unknown, he has been magically teleported to Moria.  He has also acquired the services of some really savage looking barbarians.  He once told someone that a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone.  You know nothing, Jon Snow!

Podrick - A simple and loyal boy who squires for Tyrion.  Apparently, he is a big hit with the ladies.

Lord Varys and Maester Qyburn

Lord Varys - Also called the Spider, and Master of Whisperers.  He is a eunuch that has information about everything and has spies everywhere.  His motives and plans have never been fully known to anyone.  However, he does seem to be genuinely supportive of Tyrion and believes the Halfman could make for a great ruler.  He also seems to be the only one who knows just where they have been teleported to.

Maester Qyburn - A scholar and healer who was seduced by forbidden sciences and became obsessed with finding the secrets of life and death.  He can heal most wounds deemed fatal.  So powerful is his craft, that he can bring the dead back to life.  In the violent underworld of Moria, he will have plenty of subjects to further his experiments.

Crom and Beowulf

Crom the Barbarian - An old king from Hyperborea before the time when the oceans drank Atlantis.  Some worshipped him as a god who waged war against the Giants.  He also knows the "Riddle of Steel".  He has agreed to follow Tyrion because he believes that the Dwarf's destiny is to become a meal for the Giants.  When the Giants show up, Crom intends to slay them after they have had their feast.

Beowulf - Word has it he killed monsters and their mothers in the icy north, became a king, and killed a giant dragon.  It is said, he continued hunting monsters and dragons in neighboring lands until none were left... now he is in Moria.  He follows Tyrion because he thinks rubbing Dwarfs on the top of their head brings good luck and a bonus buff "to hit" against dragons.

Thundarr, Shagga, and Temujin

Thundarr the Barbarian - Another barbarian that feels the need to advertise that fact.  Used to wield a fire sword that uncannily resembled a lightsaber but lost it in a game of sabacc, hung out with a princess/sorceress, and had a pet wookie called Ookla.  He follows Tyrion because the Dwarf reminds him of a baby Ewok.

Shagga - Son of Dolf.  He enjoys chopping off manhoods and feeding them to crows and/or goats.  He is also the only barbarian here who comes from Westeros.  Because of this, Tyrion actually trusts him more than the others, but thats not saying much.  He follows Tyrion because the Halfman makes him laugh, not more than chopping off manhoods, but almost as much.

Temujin - An eternal champion from the mystical East, has gone by many names through the centuries Atylla of the Huns, Chingiz Xan, Timur-i-Leng.  He is a great conqueror who knows the answer to the question "What is good in life?"  He follows Tyrion because the dwarf reminds him of a tasty Spring Eggroll.

Here are the Doors of Durin, the Western entrance of Moria.  The Doors appear to be open!
The lands outside of Moria, are called Hollin, and they are flooded with swampy water.

I dont have a proper mountainside Doors of Durin, so I made do with my Dwarven Forge.
Not too shabby, I think. But I would love to make something more majestic, same with the Eastern Gate.

Tyrion and his advisors deploy on the Southwestern edges. They are led by Shagga, Thundarr, and Beowulf.

Podrick is tossing pebbles in the water...
Beowulf:  (grabs Podricks arm before he can throw another)  Do not disturb the water!  It has a foul look to it.
Tyrion:  Beowulf is right, everyone stay on the path.

Out east, Temujin and Crom scout the area to improve their visibility.
They are also having a religious discussion.

Temujin:  My god is stronger. He is the everlasting sky! Your god lives underneath him.
Crom:  ...  (squints his eyes at Chingiz but has no rebuttal)

A smoke monster appears near the entrance to Moria! It is an abomination from another dimension, brought into the physical world by evil blood magic.  Varys, thinks it fits the profile of something that killed a certain Baratheon.  Cold case file is re-opened!

Because it is hard to see, it gets a bonus to surprise and initiative.

Our barbarian heroes are caught by surprise and lose the intiative roll as well!  The smoke monster heads East to deal with the smaller opposition first.  In the surprise turn, it hits Temujin and wounds him causing Paralysis for 2d4 turns... 3 turns!  Temujin watches helplessly as the creature charges Crom.  Crom begins attacking back with weapons in both hands.

Ray Stantz: Gozer the Gozerian? Good evening. As a duly-designated representative of the City, County and State of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin, or to the next convenient parallel dimension. 

Peter Venkman: That 'oughta do it. Thanks very much, Ray.

The other barbarians rush to the aid of the paralyzed Temujin and Crom.

Meanwhile, something sinister and slimy rises out of the water.
Tyrion:  Ummmm... Varys, I need you to start running towards me... NOW!

But too late, the Swamp Worm attacks Varys, who fails his saving throw and is paralyzed for 5 turns!  Podrick, that brave squire rushes in to save him. 
Tyrion pulls out his bow and fires off an arrow.

Ash: You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.
Lambert: You admire it.
Ash: I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality. 

Beowulf hears the sound of conflict behind him and turns around.  Seeing Tyrion in danger, he rushes back towards the Dwarf. 
Beowulf:  No one eats my Dwarf, except Giants!

The Swamp Worm bites the paralyzed Varys.  He falls to negative hitpoints and drops to the ground, clutching his wounded belly.  Podrick has trouble penetrating the carapace of the slimy creature, but the Worm has no trouble hitting him!  Podrick is seriously wounded and paralyzed.

The worm turns its attention back to the plumpness of Varys.  As the Worm hovers over Varys about to eat him whole, Tyrion pulls out his sword and charges in... and manages to wound the creature!  Maester Qyburn manages to Cure Light Wounds on Podrick and frees him of paralysis.

Meanwhile, Crom has been hit with a paralyzing shot.  Temujin now recovers and enters the fray.  Shagga and Thundarr take turns chopping at the Shadow thing with their axes.

Podrick is hit and falls below zero hitpoints, knocking him out.  
Tyrion:  Maester Qyburn, we can take this thing if we attack it together!  (looks around and finds himself alone)  Qyburn...?
The Worm rears up and prepares to strike the hapless lone Dwarf...

At that moment, Beowulf charges in shoulder first, knocking the Worm away from Tyrion.

Maester Qyburn keeps running.... straight into another Swamp Worm!

Dude, you are agro-ing all the monsters, you prick!
Stop Leroy Jenkins-ing the Swamp Worms!

Crom has recovered, he and Temujin charge the Shadow Monster.  Thundarr is down to a measly 2 hitpoints.

Beowulf slays the Worm. Tyrion takes a few more stabs to its head, just to make sure.

The Shadow Monster falls, and the barbarians hack it into so many shadowy little bits.

Everyone rushes towards the center to kill the other Worm, except Maester Qyburn of course who runs in the opposite direction.

With their combined might they slay the last Worm.

Temujin caves in its skull.
Tyrion:  Loot the bodies!  We will figure out xp and divvy up the gold later.

Tyrion:  Everyone into the cave!  Quick before anymore wandering monsters appear!
Maester Qyburn, out of heals, tosses healing potions to Varys and Thundarr.
Shagga and Temujin watch the back, while the rest of the party moves in.

Tyrion helps carry the portly Varys.  He may be fat and useless in a fight, but Varys is the smartest person in the group.  At some point, he may become more powerful than anyone else in the party.

Podrick with a guitar on his back walks beside Crom.
Shouldnt I be a bard? I want to reroll my class!
Thats only in the advanced version!
At the front, Beowulf and Thundarr lead the party into the unknown darkness of Moria...

Beowulf:  Someone light a torch!  
Varys:  (Varys casts Light) We are in a 10' corridor heading east.  The walls and floor are littered with bones.  There is a faint sound of water dripping down from stalagmites off the ceiling.  There seems to be a long dark dungeon ahead of us...  what do you want to do now?

---

So another nice little skirmish, to test the mettle of these newcomers to Moria.
Did you guess what rules I was using?
You will notice I used the term party, hitpoints, saving throws... 
Of course you did!  Im using basic D&D, red cover, Moldvay edition!  Look at that Erol Otus artwork!  Everytime I look at it, I hear metal guitars harmonizing.

Getting that old school D&D vibe there?  Its what I intend for these guys.  If Easthold is about gaming Oldhammer in Moria, the Savage Lands is for gaming wierd fantasy pulp, Tyrion and friends are about that traditional dungeon crawling experience.

The barbarians are fighters, Tyrion is a dwarf, and Maester Qyburn is a level 2 cleric, and I gave him a couple of healing potions to help out.  Varys is a magic user, and only has 2 spells.  I decided to use random spell generation, and Varys got Light and Read Languages!  Which is extremely fluffy, but makes him useless for now.  Oh, I should add to the fluff, that even though the doors were open, Varys used "Read Languages" to read the inscriptions on them.  So he knows the name of the place is Moria.

The Swamp Worms were baby Carrion Crawlers, modified to be less deadly, and the Shadow Monster I used rules for a Thoul (a ghoulish Troll with paralyzing touch). Again, I lessened its hitdice.  I didnt want a total player kill for my first adventure encounter.
Even with all the downgrading of the monsters, the party is in very bad shape. 


So I decided that Podrick, Varys, and Qyburn should be subject to Morale rules.  Checks happen when they witness friendly deaths/knockouts, and if the party is reduced to half strength with a modifier.  The barbarians are too bloodthirsty to ever run involuntarily.  I decided that dropping to negative hitpoints, doesnt mean death, but unconsciousness. -10 hitpoints is real death.  This way monsters can keep attacking or eating a fallen PC until it dies.  Which means, a PC better have some friends nearby to help them out!

So there you go.  Using D&D to play a Game of Thrones character in a Middle Earth location, where Warhammer characters are to be found.  Crazy, I know... Im testing the limits of sanity here.

Will I continue using D&D, I dont know...  maybe.  Thought it would be a fun little change of scenery... and it was.
But the next few posts go back to Easthold and the upcoming siege and for that type of game we need some Oldhammer!

Cheers,
Mar

Bonus feature: Soundtrack To This Post!
This is going to be a new feature I will start adding.

I made a Youtube playlist of music to listen to while playing the game.
Some proper 80s 'Eavy Metal... Those album covers look like D&D modules!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUipMnVM0esh_vVNfOJQkc9X2f325J2W4
Exciter - Long Live The Loud
Omen - Battle Cry
Savatage - Hall Of The Mountain King



When I played the previous Ziggurat of Doom game, I listened to:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUipMnVM0esiDbkC8yNUL3cukRHV4xdRg
Hawkwind - Warrior On The Edge Of Time
King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
Rainbow (w Dio) - On Stage Live
Yes - Tales From The Topographic Oceans