I've started a new Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound role-playing game campaign. Except, no one is playing a Soulbound character. Instead all are playing unbound undead characters using the Champions of Death book and ignoring the binding rules, mostly...
The background is that they are a group of Vampires in the court of Blood (and their mortal and undead minions!). All ostensibly serve Neferata, Mortarch of Blood. The Vampires in the group are nobility that originally held titles and land in Neferatia. During the Age of Chaos the land was invaded by a Horde of Khorne Daemons and Bloodbound and the characters lands were lost. For a time lived as refugees in Nulhamia - the capital of Neferatia - as guests of other vampire lords, but quickly wore out your welcome and were getting pressured more and more to go and take back their ancestral lands!
Eventually they were given leave to travel to Ulgu, Realm of Shadow, where they were to rebuild, conquer new land and raise an army to eventually aid Neferata in taking back their lands.
Passing through a Realmgate near Shadowvell, brought them to Ghyran and they discovered a short march of a day or so would bring them to a realmgate that would deliver them to Ulgu, on Cape Tenerax, near Misthåven.
Upon arriving in Ulgu, they found an old dilapidated keep, just a days march from the realm gate. The fortress had been built during the age of myth, but long since abandoned by its builders. At the time they discovered it, it was inhabited by a small pack of skaven. The skaven were cleared out, some minimal repairs were made to make it somewhat livable and moderately defensible.
It is a rather shabby looking place that most passersby would still think abandoned - or HAUNTED - as many in the region do!
And there they have remained for a century or more. Occasionally murdering lightly protected merchant caravans, stealing their stuff and taking any prisoners to drain at their leisure back at their keep. From time to time they would travel into Misthåven to trade their stolen wares and acquire anything they needed.
Nick is playing Lady Esmerelda (She/her) - a Vampire Lord
Orion is playing Sir Raven the Dour (They/them) a Blood Knight (also a Vampire)
Finnegan is playing Sir Renmould of Sylum Field (They/them) a Grave Guard Wight (essentially a magically an animated suit of armour with a skeleton inside.
Amanda was away during session zero and so before Session One made up a Spirit Torment character - a spooky Nighthaunt ghostie thing that hunts down wayward souls and drags them back to the deepest darkest underworld. Her character does not have a name yet.
There was a brief encounter in Session Zero a few weeks back (after making Characters) which started with a House Meeting during which Lady Esmerelda complained about SOMEONE plugging up the toilets. Sir Renmould pointed out it clearly was not them. Sir Raven blamed the two mortal Duardin familiars.
Suddenly they realized that Lady Mereneth was also in the room with them, though none had seen her enter, and none had noticed her when they entered!? Lady Mereneth is Neferata's Master of Spies and she had come personally to inform the group that Neferata was calling her banners and they were to march with the army they've raised back to Shyish and join in a campaign to eject the Bloodbound squatters from the realm, and retake their own ancestral lands!
And so... Session One began with preparations, where the group gathered up what they could in terms of liquid currency and as many of Lady Esmerelda's dresses and gowns and other outfits that their Skeletal and Zombie horde could carry - along with a cask of blood and a chest of gravesand. Sir Raven the Dour gathered up all five of their skeletal horses and his extra armour and lances.
The group marching out also included ten Deadwalker Zombies and ten Deathrattle Skeletons (we are hoping a fifth player may join next week and play a Necromancer...).
Amazingly, they had NO TROUBLE finding the realm gate!? (I'd set a DN of 5:2 as none of them had been there in over a century... and it is the Realm of Shadow... and despite not ONE of them having a single level of training in Survival - the skill used for land navigation - they ALL succeeded, some with EXTRA successes!?)
Upon arrival, however, they discovered that a small fortified Watch Tower had been built up around the realmgate and was garrisoned by a troop of Duardin gunners!
Luckily, being members of the Court of Blood, they were ALL Masters of Disguise! the vampires and grave guard HAD said before they left that they were disguising themselves as "mortals"... The three of them went forward and were hailed by the sentries atop the tower and the silver tongued Lady Esmerelda managed to convince the guards that they were living human nobles that just wished to pass through the realmgate. The Duardin allowed them to approach.
As they got close to the tower, the front gate was opened and a few of the Duardin came out to greet them. Upon closer inspection, however, Sir Raven and Sir Renmould's weren't entirely holding up. But, again, Lady Esmerelda's charm and quick talking convinced the Duardin that nothing was amiss...
Realizing there was no way they'd be able to convince these Duardin that they Zombies and Skeletons - nevermind the Spirit Torment - were just their retinue of totally alive men-at-arms and assorted servants... they attacked the Duardin once they entered the Tower.
When the first shots rang out, the Spirit Torment raced to join them... and all the Zombies and Skeletons started shuffling in the general direction of the tower.
More Duardin rushed in from the barracks upstairs and STILL more Duardin living in a mirror tower on the other side of the realmgate in Ghyran arrived to block the attackers from getting through...
All were slaughtered...
And that's kind of where we left off at the end of Session One!
Next Session they will be travelling through part of Ghyran, the Realm of LIFE, to get to the realm gate that will bring them back to Shyish, the Realm of Death!
The Group so far...
Front row, Left to Right: Amanda's unnamed Spirit Torment, Sir Raven the Dour, Lady Esmerelda, and Sir Renmould of Sylum Field, Behind them is their small force of Zombies and Skeletons.
Sir Raven the Dour has a mounted version!
I really should have run up and got the better camera...
Next time, maybe...
With any luck this will be a weekly sort of thing...? It was meant to be a short campaign - just to try out playing Vampires and other undead. I have about five or six sessions roughly sketched out... we'll see where it goes from there. If we only get through the five or six, that would be fine.
It's been a lot of fun so far. They're a hilarious group to play with.
Finnegan has been working out more backstory for Sir Renmould who despises Sir Raven and is extremely jealous of his undead nightmare mount and the bond they seem to have. Sir Renmould is determined to acquire some kind of mount for themself, but each attempt ends in disaster, with the mount either not bonding and running off or being destroyed in the most ridiculous and preposterous ways!?
I wonder if Sir Raven has something to do with it!
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