The War in the Willows - Chapter One

The Misfits fanned out, senses on high alert, as they crept closer to the crazed laughter. The tension increased, and the smell of smoke wafted through the air.

Suddenly, Morrigan’s sharp eyes spotted movement. “Look out!” he cried, just as fireballs erupted from seemingly nowhere, hurtling towards the group.

The Misfits dove for cover, the fireballs exploding in a chaotic burst of flames and sparks. The Templars and Shroom men were closing in, dodging the wild fireballs with eerie precision.

Maximiliano shouted, “¡Cuidado! It’s the wizard – he’s firing blind!”

Maverick yelled back, “Split up, find cover!”

The group scattered as fireballs continued to rain down, the Templars and Shroom men converging, their motives unclear. The mad wizard’s laughter grew louder, his fire magic spinning out of control.

Maverick gave Neville a sharp nod, and Neville’s eyes sparkled as he cast Haste, followed by Push on Maverick. The magic surged, and Maverick was catapulted forward like a bullet, crashing into the fray.

The mad wizard, flapping a flaming sleeve, was duelling two burly Shroom men amidst a whirlwind of fire and sparks. Maverick burst into the melee, blade flashing, as the wizard cricked his neck and grinned maniacally.

“Ah, a new toy! BURN!” he screeched, swinging a fiery staff at Maverick.

The Shrooms closed in, but Maverick was a blur, dodging and weaving through the chaos. The wizard’s laughter peaked as he unleashed a fireball – but Maverick ducked, and it blasted a Shroom into splintered fungus.

Maverick seized the opening, charging the wizard. “Barry!” he shouted, amidst the flames. “Where’s Barry?”

The wizard crooked his head, eyes wild. “Barry? Who’s Barry?”

While the chaos unfolded, William, Rose and Philippe slipped away, their eyes scanning the abandoned houses of the wizard’s settlement.

“Time to see what treasures the old coot has hidden,” William said with a grin, his hands already working the latch on a nearby door.

Philippe chuckled, his French accent thick. “Ooh la la, ze loot, she is calling our name, no?”

The trio slipped into the houses, their hands quickly finding valuables, potions, and oddities left behind by the wizard’s previous… experiments.

As they looted, they kept an ear out for the sounds of the fight – but for now, there were shiny things that had their attention.

The wizard leapt into the air, landing on the nearby pile of debris. With a crick, he leapt onto a broken beam and began to climb, his tattered robes flapping like wings. He clambered maniacally as he scaled the side of his hut, reaching the thatched roof in seconds.

As he perched atop, he waved a hand in a wild gesture, and a burst of flame enveloped him. The Misfits watched in awe as the wizard’s wounds began to heal, his wild energy growing more erratic by the second.

“He’s gone full loopy,” Morrigan muttered, his feathers ruffled.

Maverick’s eyes narrowed. “We need to end this fast.”

Maximiliano nodded, his accent thick. “Sí, we’ll keep the Shrooms off you.”

The Misfits charged forward, determined to find Barry as the wizard’s laughter echoed through the settlement.

The wizard’s laughter peaked, and in that instant, Bramble’s arrow whispered through the air. It struck true, plucking the wizard from his perch atop the hut. He plummeted, his manic laughter cutting off with a sickening crunch as he hit the ground.

The Shroom men paused, as if confused, and slowly disappeared back into the forest.

The Misfits froze, taking in the sudden silence. Morrigan landed beside Bramble, impressed. “Nice shot.”

Bramble lowered her bow, her expression unruffled. “He was a danger.”

The Misfits searched the wizard’s chambers and every nook of the crumbling hut. But Barry was nowhere to be found.

A hollow feeling settled over the group. Morrigan’s feathers drooped. Maximiliano shook his head. “No… no Barry.”

Maverick’s jaw clenched. “We looked everywhere.”

Bramble’s calm demeanour cracked slightly, her eyes clouding. “He was just… gone.”

The group stood silent, the weight of failure settling in. Finally, Maverick spoke, his voice low.

“Back to the Den. We’ll regroup.”

The Misfits trudged out of the wizard’s settlement, their steps heavy with disappointment. Barry was missing, and they had no leads.

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This was another really quick game, which was ended by Bramble effectively one-shotting the Wizard off the top of a building.  Technically, his last two wounds were taken from the fall, but it was the shot that caused him a whopping 15 points of damage, even though he had Tough 7 against ranged attacks that set the ball in motion

Bramble rolled well with a shooting skill of d8, adding to that Expert Shot and focusing.   Then, adding Wounding Shot, Crippling Shot, and Mortal Poison.  The Wizard, on the other hand, rolled badly.

Obviously, I was lucky, and that may not always happen, but I can see things like this having the potential to be a bit of a problem as warbands get more advanced.  If I can do that to an NPC, then it is very likely that the same can happen to me; in fact, it already has with Maverick being one-shot taken out of action by a fireball in a previous game.

Anyway, I will do the post-game phase of this soon.   I am now looking forward to the final conflict, which is set for the 29th of March 2026.   I have no idea how that will play out, but I suspect it could be a massive multiplayer game.