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AGE OF FANTASY - DARKNESS WITHIN
Introduction
Darkness Within is a narrative campaign for Age of Fantasy
that follows the story of Misha, a young princess who must rise
to the challenge and reclaim her throne after a vampire
uprising brings darkness to the realm.
This game expansion for Age of Fantasy takes players on an
adventure across 10 missions which are tied together by an
exciting story of epic proportions.
To play this campaign you’re going to need the core rules for
Age of Fantasy as well as some army lists, which you can find
for free on our website: www.onepagerules.com
About OPR
OPR (www.onepagerules.com) is the home of many free games
which are designed to be fast to learn and easy to play.
This project was made by gamers for gamers and it can only
exist thanks to the support of our awesome community.
If you’d like to support the continued development of our
games you can donate on patreon.com/onepagerules.
Thank you for playing!
Story Writing: Joe Fonseca
Game Design: Gaetano Ferrara
Illustrations: Brandon Gillam
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v1.0
Contents
Playing Narrative Campaigns ....................................................... 3
Prologue - The First Night ............................................................. 4
Chapter 1 - Misha’s Flight.............................................................. 5
Mission 1 - Courtyard of Death ...................................... 6
Mission 2 - Escape at Dawn ............................................. 8
Chapter 2 - The Valley of Death ................................................. 10
Mission 3 - Moonlit Ambush......................................... 11
Mission 4 - Last Stand .................................................... 13
Chapter 3 - The Pirate Duchess ................................................... 15
Mission 5 - Great Crossroads ........................................ 16
Mission 6 - Open Combat .............................................. 18
Chapter 4 - A Knight of the Order .............................................. 20
Mission 7 - The Revenge ................................................ 21
Mission 8 - Confrontation .............................................. 23
Chapter 5 - The Darkness Within ............................................... 25
Mission 9 - Enemy at the Gate....................................... 26
Mission 10 - The Twisted Idol ....................................... 28
Epilogue - New Dawn, New Night ............................................ 30
Army Sheet ..................................................................................... 31
 PLAYING NARRATIVE CAMPAIGNS
Introduction
Unlike regular one-off games, narrative
campaigns are a series of connected
missions that follow an ongoing story.
The missions have been designed to be
played back-to-back, so each chapter can
be played in a single session.
Campaign Structure
Story Sections: Follow the campaign by
reading each story section in order until
you reach a mission. At that point you
must stop reading the story and have to
play the mission. Only once the mission
has been completed you may continue
to read the next story section.
Playable Missions: Each mission has to
be set up as described in the preparation
section, and is then played using all of
the core game rules. Note that if you are
using the progression system for your
campaign, then you need to keep track
of which units are injured or level up
during a mission on your army sheet.
Tracking Victories: After each mission
has been played note down which army
won on your army sheet, as the outcome
will influence other mission and is used
to determine who wins the campaign.
Winning the Campaign: After the last
mission has been played check how
many times each army won:
• If the Humans have won the
majority of the missions, as
well as the final mission, then
they get a Major Victory.
• If the Humans have won the
majority of the missions, but
lost the final mission, then they
get a Minor Victory.
• If the Humans tied with the
Vampiric Undead, regardless of
who won the last mission, then
they get a Tactical Defeat.
Since the story is narrated from the point
of view of Humans, we only highlight
their result, but practically speaking if
the Vampiric Undead won the majority
of the missions, then it counts as a
Minor Victory for them (any other
result counts as a Tactical Defeat).
Preparation
The Battlefield: To play this campaign
you’re going to need a flat 6’x4’ surface
as well as at least 10-15 pieces of terrain
of different types. Because of the varied
biomes you will explore, we recommend
to use some forest terrain, some basic
human buildings and some swamps.
The Armies: Before the campaign begins
players must decide who will play as the
Humans army, with the other taking the
Vampiric Undead. Then the players
must pick a max. points value for the
campaign (we recommend 750pts), and
write down their complete lists on their
army sheets. Players may freely add or
remove units to their army sheet at any
point, even when playing with the
progression system. Note that for this
campaign the Humans army must have
at least one Champion and one Bounty
Hunter, whilst the Vampiric Undead
army must have at least one Skeleton
King and one Necromancer.
Using Other Factions: Even though this
narrative campaign was written with
Humans and Vampiric Undead in mind,
it is easy to imagine this type of clash to
be happening between any of the other
factions in the world, so feel free to swap
them out with whatever armies you
have available to play.
Quickplay Armies
Ready to Go: In order to get you started
with the campaign faster we prepared
two balanced army lists which you can
use for playing the campaign. Note that
these lists come with no upgrades, so
you can customize them however you
like when playing.
Humans:
• 1x Champion [1] - Misha
• 1x Bounty Hunter [1] - Igor
• 2x Infantrymen [20]
• 1x Greatswords [10]
• 1x Knights [5]
Vampiric Undead:
• 1x Skeleton King [1] - Hunter
• 1x Necromancer [1] - Vladimir
• 2x Skeletons [20]
• 1x Skeleton Guard [10]
• 1x Zombie Wolves [10]
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Progression System
Campaign Progress: The casualties and
xp systems are a simple way to add new
narrative elements to your campaign by
having units suffer injuries and become
stronger as the campaign goes on, but
this is completely optional.
Casualties: If the majority of models in a
unit were killed at the end of the game,
then that unit counts as a casualty.
Unit Recovery: For every unit that is a
casualty roll one die and check what
happens to it here:
Result Casualty
1 Injured - Unit gets -1 to all
rolls for the next mission.
2-5 Recovered - Unit recovers and
may be used without penalties.
6 Top Recovery - Unit recovers
and earns +1 XP.
Earning XP: Units earn XP in battle for
each of the following things:
• +1 XP: Not a casualty
• +1 XP: Killing a unit
• +2 XP: Killing a hero
Mark earned XP on the army sheet in
order to see when units level up.
Leveling Up: When a unit earns 5 XP it
becomes 25pts more expensive and you
roll one die to see what trait it gets:
Result Trait
1 Agile - Moves +1.5” on
advance actions and +3” on
rush or charge actions.
2 Headstrong* - Gets +1 to rolls
when taking morale tests.
3 Specialist - Gets +1 to rolls in
melee or shooting (pick one).
4 Resilient - Gets +1 to rolls
when blocking hits.
5 Elite - May re-roll one roll of
any kind once per game.
6 Fast Learner - May pick any
other trait from the list.
Each trait can only be gained once, so if
you roll the same result simply re-roll.
Units can’t earn more than 30xp, so they
can level up max. 6 times.
*Units with the Undead special rule and
Headstrong only roll half as many dice
(rounding up) when rolling for wounds
from morale tests.
 PROLOGUE - THE FIRST NIGHT
Misha looked down from her window
into the courtyard below. The men of the
guard moved in unison, their polearms
glinting in the morning light as they
performed their drills.
Ready, thrust, sweep, return.
Misha mimicked their movements for a
few minutes. Her paintbrush made a
poor halberd but her practiced muscles
moved in perfect harmony with the
sweating men below.
With a satisfied breath, Misha returned
to her desk and brushed aside the
Turgenev Family Records. She had a
sudden urge to paint, and the morning
light was near perfect.
Half an hour later Misha surveyed her
work. The light hadn’t been as nice as
she had hoped, the promising rays of
morning sun quickly hidden behind
swift moving clouds from the north, but
the painting captured the weight and
motion of the soldiers.
A knock at her door broke Misha from
her self-critique. Two maids let
themselves in followed swiftly by
Misha’s mother, Queen Galina.
“Misha, painting again?” Her tone
frustrated. “This morning you were
supposed to be committing the Eastern
Boyar’s lineages to memory. Need I
remind you of their coming visit?”
“Apologies, Mother.” Misha was barely
listening. The image of her mother, regal
as always, flanked by solemn maids,
seemed the perfect painting. She tried to
commit it to memory. The left maid,
Constance, demure and pretty, three
hairs breaking free from her tight bun.
The right maid, however ...
While Constance was upright and
proper, this one seemed crooked, her
neck tilting just so. Misha scanned her
face, not recognizing her. Her eyes were
grey. A mesmerizing grey. A grey that
seemed to suck in all the light around it.
“Misha!” Her mother’s voice struck like
a slap, freeing her from the maid’s hold.
“No more useless painting. No more
prancing about with the guards. You
will soon see your eighteenth summer,
and I demand you take your work
seriously. The Kingdom will need you to
be a strong leader. You know how we
are pressed from all sides!”
“Y-Yes, mother.” Misha could barely
believe what she had just felt, but before
she could look again, her mother and the
maids had turned sharply on the spot
and vanished. Wiping a sudden sweat
from her brow, Misha turned back to her
desk. The girl must be sick, she reasoned.
Throwing her hair back and quickly
working to braid it, she surveyed the
half-rolled scrolls on her desk. The
names of Counts, Burghers, and
Knights, all the important folk of a
nearby vassal.
Misha did not relish the work before
her. Her eyes drifted back to the
window and out to the courtyard. The
abandoned pikes, balanced upright in
neat rows of threes, looked so much
more appealing.
A scream cut through Misha’s dreams
like a knife. The endless sound chilled
her and sent her scrambling out of bed.
By the time she reached her closet,
wrapping a cloak around her and
unsheathing the dagger hidden at the
back, all that remained was the dull
sound of metal on flesh. Misha turned to
face the door, holding her blade
trembling before her.
4
A moment later the door was thrown
open, revealing the terrible sight of the
bloody form of her mother’s unknown
maid. Gore covered her once white
dress, running slowly from an open
mouth and poised knife. Behind her,
mangled and broken, was Constance.
Misha didn’t think. She couldn’t. She
rushed with all her might and collided
with the creature, driving her naked
dagger deep into its chest.
It was as if Misha had charged into a
wall. The grievous wound seemed not to
register, and with a screech the creature
brought her own weapon down. An
instinctive sidestep propelled Misha out
into the hall and over the body of
Constance.
I must reach Mother! Without a
backwards glance, Misha charged down
the hall. Sound now reached her of
distant fighting. Shouts, screams, the
pleading of dying men all drifted
through the halls in a jumbled
cacophony. Yet she saw no one.
Before she knew it, Misha was before
her Mother’s chambers. The door was
off its hinges and the eviscerated corpse
of her bodyguard was strewn
throughout the hall.
Stepping inside Misha couldn’t believe
what she saw. Four of her mother’s loyal
Boyars stood over her bed with swords
held high. Their fanged and inhuman
faces twisted in mocking snarls.
The Queen, half sitting, could only give
Misha a wide-eyed stare before the
swords descended.
Misha couldn’t even cry out at the
horror. As the monsters turned to face
her, she knew there was only one thing
left to do.
She had to escape!
 CHAPTER 1 - MISHA’S FLIGHT
Guard Captain Igor’s eye shot open in
the half-dark of the moonlight.
Something was wrong. A chill was
creeping into his flesh. A deep,
penetrating chill that he hadn’t felt in
years. In a moment he was out of bed
and reaching for his clothes.
“Up!” He shouted, one leg struggling to
work through his trousers, “The lot of
you, up! We’re under attack!”
Within a minute, as Igor reached the
oaken door leading to the courtyard, a
motley collection of half-dressed
guardsmen had gathered behind him,
bleary eyed and questioning, some
clutching knives or belting on
bandoliers, breath oddly visible in the
midnight gloom.
Throwing open the door to the
courtyard, Igor was horrified to find his
fear realized. The front gate of the castle
was thrown open, and the bodies of the
guards on duty were scattered about.
“Lev, Pavel, sound the alarm, rouse the
town! The rest of you, gather the men of
the east barracks and prepare to move
on the keep.” Igor thought for a moment
as his soldiers rushed to do his bidding.
“Feodor, Dmitri, come with me.” He
turned and marched deeper into the
network of rooms that worked through
the castle’s outer wall. The deep chill,
the silent murders, Igor knew what he
was dealing with.
Reaching an innocuous storeroom, he
quickly found the odd plank in the floor.
“There, lads,” he pointed, “Rip it up.”
Soon the two soldiers were hauling up a
dusty wooden crate. Pushing them aside
Igor fumbled with a key around his
neck. Throwing back the lid revealed a
long silver sword, naked and gleaming,
two ornate pistols, and the heavy cloak
and hat of the Order of Hunters.
“Curses!” The hunched form of the
necromancer moved with an unnatural
speed. “That bratty Princess must be
found. The mistress will be furious if she
escapes.” Two trailing skeleton warriors
made no sign of comprehension.
“She must be in hiding somewhere.” He
paused, reaching the broad dining
chamber. The aftermath of a one-sided
battle still littered the room. These will do
as well as any. Vladimir thought as he
focused on an incantation of living
death. The corpses slowly rose and
shuffled to join their brethren.
“Find the Princess and bring her to me!”
Princess Misha Chernigov tore through
the halls of her ruined home.
She had nearly fainted at the sight of her
mother’s death, but the hungry eyes of
the murderers had given her a speed
born of pure terror. She had no option
now but to flee or face the same end.
She had to reach the foyer. From there
the great doors of the keep would be
within her grasp. Beyond that, the open
courtyard, the town of Chekholma and,
she hoped, safety.
Misha was so preoccupied that she
barely registered the mass of men she
was running towards. Catching herself
at the top of the foyer’s grand staircase,
she took in the scene. A collection of her
guards was fencing with the undead.
Swift strikes to gangly limbs sent the
creatures crashing to the ground, where
heavy chops separated head from body.
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The organized force of guards, clearly
caught unawares at the start of the
assault, had taken casualties, but they
had rallied and formed a shield wall
near the grand entrance. The creatures can
be stopped! Misha thought, and she
rushed to join her men.
Pulling a sword from the hands of a
fallen guardsman, Misha threw herself
into the rear of the undead, her safety
forgotten in the adrenaline and fear.
Before long they had dispatched the last
monster. One of the guards tried to rally
the others. “Quick! To the Queen!”
“It’s no use!” Misha shouted over him.
“The Queen is dead, and the castle is
lost!” She hated hearing the words come
from her own mouth. “We must escape
while we can.” There were scattered
curses, but the guards formed up.
Through the open gates, Misha was
dismayed to see a bent form dominating
the center of the courtyard, blocking
their path to the town and freedom.
He was cackling and waving his arms
about frantically. From the ground
around him long dead corpses broke
free from the earth, an army of the
undead.
Just as Misha was losing hope, she saw
the upright form of Captain Igor emerge
from the barracks at the far side of the
courtyard leading a company of guards
and shouting them forwards.
Perhaps there was a chance, after all.
Mission 1 - Courtyard of Death
Princess Misha’s forces are separated by
the undead, who are trying and stop her
from escaping the courtyard.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the courtyard we suggest
placing castle buildings and walls near
the edges of the table, whilst only using
minor terrain like crates and barricades
in the center of the table.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Bounty Hunter - Igor
• Infantrymen
• Greatswords
• Marksmen
Set-Up
Place a straight line of castle walls with
one ore more gates, exactly 18” away
from zone A’s table edge, which serves
as a safe zone.
Objectives
The mission ends after 4 rounds, and if
Misha is within 18” of zone A’s table
edge, then the Humans win.
Deployment
Before the game begins the Humans
player must separate his army in two
halves, with Misha leading one part, and
Igor leading the other part.
Starting with the Humans, players then
alternate in placing one unit each, with
Igor’s half of the army being placed in
zone A, and Misha’s half in zone B,
whilst the Vampiric Undead may only
be placed outside of zones A and B.
First Turn
The Humans get the first turn.
Special Rules
Safe Zone: Vampiric Undead units may
never move within 18” of zone A’s table
edge, and may only attack units on the
castle walls with ranged attacks.
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
then you may put it in reserves at the
end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
activated, he may remain idle in order to
place one unit from reserves anywhere
within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Special Equipment
The Purifiers: Whenever Igor rolls a 6 to
hit when firing Pistols, the hit can’t be
blocked and deals +D3 wounds.

Vampiric Undead:

• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Zombies
• Skeletons
• Skeleton Guard

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Vladimir couldn’t believe it. That
damned waif had slipped right between
his fingers. He surveyed the blood-
soaked courtyard in the early morning
gloom. Dozens of bodies, both his own
risen corpses and the fresh dead of
Misha’s guard, littered the field.
Vladimir’s elite skeletal warriors moved
mechanically across the space, swords
descending to snuff the life from the
abandoned wounded.
What am I going to do? The first signs of
morning light were giving him a
headache. Vladimir hated when the
living spoiled his plans. He hated it even
more when they disrupted the plans of
the powerful beings he served.
Him. I can always summon him.
The thought caused a shudder to run
down Vladimir’s crooked spine. It may
come to that, but I still have some time before
the damned girl spoils everything. The
town’s buildings are tall and its streets
narrow. The shadows will buy us time.
With a flourish, Vladimir concentrated
on raising the corpses of the recent
battle. He smiled to himself as he felt the
power flow through his body.
Every death a boon, every slip of the
enemy a chance to recover. He wasn’t
defeated yet. He just had to wear her
down. If she managed to slip through
again. Then yes, he would summon him.
A silent order brought all the risen dead,
new and old, to attention. From the
castles nooks and crannies skulked
horrible abominations torn from the
deep crypts below. Behind them, in the
shadow of the castle’s grand doorway,
five figures stood staring at Vladimir.
He shuddered. Few things on Tyria
scared Vladimir. Their disappointment
was one.
“What’s with the paintbrushes?” Igor
wiped sweat from his brow before using
the rag to clean the gore from his
shining silver blade.
“What?” Misha had hardly even begun
to untangle the horrible details of their
battle in the courtyard and their flight
into Starigrad. This made no sense.
“In your pocket, lass.” Igor was now
reloading his pair of pistoles. The sound
of the charms on his Hunter cloak
jangling quietly as he did so.
Misha looked down.
Past the flecks of blood and the tear
where a former guardsman’s blade had
nearly taken her throat, there it was.
Three paintbrushes poked out of her
breast pocket. She must have grabbed
one of her outdoor painting smocks in
her hurry to get dressed in the dark.
She couldn’t help but laugh. How
ridiculous she must look, a nightgown
wrapped in a woolen painter’s smock, a
mess of blood and sweat. Quite the regal
figure she must cut.
Igor chuckled too. “It’s good you’ve still
got that spirit, child. Gods know we’re
going to need it before the days out.”
He surveyed the wide hall of the inn
that their meagre force had barricaded
itself within. Guards and townsfolk
chatted quietly, sharing drinks and
bandaging wounds.
Igor knew that there was no point in
staying here longer than they needed to.
The town had fallen, and whatever
nightmare creature was behind this was
powerful enough to infiltrate the castle
without difficulty.
7
They would have to make a break for
the open countryside. Dawn was
breaking and it was tempting to stay
holed up in town, but Igor had battled
the undead before. They counted on fear
to keep their prey pinned in place
The longer they waited, the more
securely the undead’s fangs would sink
into Starigrad. If they tried to leave by
noon, every building between here and
the outer palisade would be filled with
monsters willing to risk the sun for flesh.
“Alright, Painted Princess” Igor gave
her a hearty slap on the shoulder, “We
need to get moving. It’s my hope that
we’re leagues from Starigrad by noon.”
“Leagues away?” Misha couldn’t help
but feel like she was abandoning her
home. Her mother. “But what of the
invaders? We can’t give up.”
“There’s nothing left to do, Princess.”
Igor could sense her ferocity, even
though it was hidden behind layers of
uncertainty and fatigue. “We owe it to
these people here, and all the ones who
fell in the courtyard, to get you out of
town safely. Only then can we think.
Can we plan.”
Misha knew she had to trust him. She
had never known he was a member of
the Order of Hunters, but they knew
more about the Undead than anyone.
She looked out to the men and women
assembled in the hall. She hadn’t noticed
that their conversations had stopped.
Guards, townsfolk, travellers. All looked
towards her and Igor.
“Yes” she agreed. “We must leave now.”
Mission 2 - Escape at Dawn
As the city of Starigrad falls into the
hands of the undead, Misha’s forces
need to escape before it’s too late.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the city we suggest using
lots of houses and ruined buildings, as
well as scatter terrain like crates, rubble
and barricades.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Bounty Hunter - Igor
• Infantrymen
• Furious Mobs
• Marksmen
Vampiric Undead:
• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Zombies
• Skeletons
• Skeleton Guard
Objectives
Before the game begins, count the total
number of units in the Humans army list
(combined units and heroes joining units
counts as one).
The mission ends after 4 rounds, and if
at least half of the Humans (as counted
before the game) are within the Undead
deployment zone, then the Humans win.
Deployment
The Undead must deploy their units in
zone A, and if they won Mission 1, then
they may extend their deployment zone
to the dashed line (note that only the
regular deployment zone counts for the
mission objective).
Then the Humans may deploy all their
units in zone B.
First Turn
If the Humans won Mission 1 they get
the first turn, else the Undead get the
first turn instead.
8
Special Rules
Knock Knock: Whenever a Humans
unit activates within 3” of a building, the
player may roll one die:
Result Event
1-2 Surprise! – The Undead player
may place a unit of Zombies
within 3” of the building.
3-4 No one home - No units are
added for either army.
5-6 Militia – The Humans player
may place unit of Infantrymen
within 3” of the building.
Each building may only be knocked on
once, no matter what the result is.
Rising Sun: At the beginning of each
round the Humans player may place a
burning light marker on X enemy units,
where X is the current round number.
Units with a burning light marker get -1
to all of their rolls.
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
then you may put it in reserves at the
end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
activated, he may remain idle in order to
place one unit from reserves anywhere
within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Special Equipment
The Purifiers: Whenever Igor rolls a 6 to
hit when firing Pistols, the hit can’t be
blocked and deals +D3 wounds.
A skeletal head exploded in a shower of
green sparks.
“Next!” Vladimir’s unhinged order
triggered another skeletal warrior to
march forward.
With a crack the skeleton’s skull burst
like his predecessor, the lightning arcing
from Vladimir’s fingers to his target. For
good measure Vladimir jumped on the
pile of bones, crunching some beneath
his heavy boots.
“How could you fail!?” He snarled,
stomping on the inanimate bones with
each word. “You had one task! Stop the
damned girl from escaping!” He halted
his tantrum to stare out at his unfeeling
army. Vacant eyes stared forward,
incapable of feeling Vladimir’s rage.
“Now I’ll have to summon Him. You
know what He’s like!” If they did, the
skeletons made no sign.
With as much dignity as he could
manage, Vladimir whipped his cape
about in a wide flourish and began
marching back towards the castle.
Starigrad burned and the heat warmed
Vladimir as he passed. It marked a
cooling contrast from the chance rays of
morning sun that broke through the
ruined buildings. The sun stung, but the
pain only served to invigorate the
frustrated necromancer.
All is not lost he thought. The town is ours,
the remaining living put to the sword. They
have their fortress. A niggling fear tugged
at the back of Vladimir’s mind.
The Mistress will be furious. But, that is
what He is for. No one has ever escaped
him…not even I.
“Three cheers for the painted princess!”
Misha stood in the centre of a crowd of
soldiers, wanting nothing more than to
collapse into a bed. She managed a
smirk and thrust her bloodied sword
into the air.
“Now one for you, brave soldiers of
Starigrad.” Their booming voices raised
her spirits an inch. “If it weren’t for your
bravery, no one would be alive this
hour.” She hazarded a glance over her
shoulder at the smouldering ruins of her
former home.
Misha faltered at the sight of the
destruction. They had left many to fall to
the blades of the undead in their flight.
She hated herself for that. So many had
already died so that she could escape.
Not even her mother had survived. She
had failed her again, as she had so many
times before.
The soldiers were looking at her,
obviously expecting her to continue with
a rousing speech. Suddenly Misha felt
like she would collapse if she had to
open her mouth again.
“I…,” she faltered when she saw so
many expectant faces.
“The Princess and I have much planning
to do, if we are to wrest our homes from
these wretched monsters.”
Igor’s commanding voice had come to
the rescue, once again.
“Petyr, looks like you’re in command of
first company now. Set a picket and see
that the wounded are cared for. Ivan,
secure some sort of screen for the
Princess, we need a command tend.
We will rest here for three hours, then
we must march to our allies for aid. I
expect everyone to be ready by then.”
“Sir,” Petyr looked far too young to be in
command of anything, “What about the
townsfolk? The survivors?”
“What of them, lad?” Igor sounded as if
were on a pleasure hunt. “They’re
coming along too. Make sure they’re fit
for travel.
9
When the haphazard tent was erected,
Igor made a grand show of escorting
Misha within. “No one is to disturb us.
We must have peace to devise a suitable
plan of attack.”
Behind the loose fabric walls Igor
dropped all pretence.
“You did, excellent Princess, but now
anyone can see that you need sleep.” He
undid his heavy Hunter’s Cloak and
balled it into a misshapen pillow. “Here,
rest. I’ll think of what to do.”
“Igor, no.” Misha tried to protest, but as
Igor gently forced her to lay down, she
felt the weight of the previous night, the
two terrifying battles, catch up to her all
at once. “Maybe closing my eyes for five
minutes will help…”
“Aye, five minutes only. I’ll rouse you
then.” Igor said with a warm smile. He
sat down heavily on the ground and
started cleaning his weapons. March to
our Allies, he thought, who even are our
allies anymore?
It was cold in the crypt. Vladimir hadn’t
been to the depths of Queen Galina’s
castle in a century, and he had vowed to
never return. Yet here I am.
There was nothing else for it. The savage
bust of a nightmare creature protruded
from the rocky alcove, looming over the
cracked sarcophagus.
As Vladimir launched into a foul
incantation of unlife, he brushed at the
eldritch writing along the coffin’s head.
“The Hunter of Kings”
 CHAPTER 2 - THE VALLEY OF DEATH
The sight of the valley behind them was
breathtaking. Misha sat wrapped in a
heavy cloak atop a bluff, watching her
little army stream slowly up the
mountainside. In the fading light she
could see the rear guard, made up of
some of her remaining knights, dutifully
sweeping the wide plains to check for
any undead scouts that had breached
the pockets of forest that crept up to the
mountain range.
If only she had her paints and something
to use them on. Misha toyed reflectively
with one of the brushes in her pocket.
Painting seemed very far away indeed
these past few days.
Their journey west had not been an easy
one. The day after their flight from
Starigrad, the column had been followed
by ferocious looking beasts that lurked
just beyond the treeline. Their attack that
night had been repelled relatively easily,
but the unending shadow of the undead
continued to plague their every move.
Igor had taken to steering them towards
villages and farmsteads as they moved,
collecting all the civilians they could
before the shadow of undeath could
overcome them. This had made the
column much larger, but for every few
dependants, Misha and Igor had gained
a good hard fighter.
Now that they had finally reached the
pass to Lev’s mountain home, things
were finally starting to look better.
Misha was so lost in thought that she
hadn’t noticed Igor had come to stand
beside her.
“I don’t like how close the forest comes
to the base of the mountains.” He
scratched his beard contemplatively.
“But I suppose there’s sense to being
protected in the valley during nightfall.”
He swung a pack from his shoulder and
held it out to Misha.
“Here. Some of the lads collected these
in the last village we passed.”
She reached out and took the pack,
opening it up. Several bottles of
coloured liquid clinked about next to a
pair of small linen canvases and a
collection of fine-tipped brushes.
Misha couldn’t believe her eyes, but
before she could thank Igor, he had
bowed deeply and began trotting back
down the slope.
Perhaps she did have a moment or two,
before the sun completely disappeared.
She eagerly set the pack down and
began to examine the paints within.
Vladimir hated how He walked. Always
so purposeful, always such heavy steps.
It was all Vlad could do to not blow up
another skeleton in frustration. But he
had to maintain his temper. It wouldn’t
do to show any weakness before the
Hunter King. Not again.
Unaware or uncaring of Vlad’s
contempt, the Hunter King continued
his march. The undead legion at his back
had grown considerably as they pursued
Princess Misha across the plains of
western Galina.
It seemed stupid to Vlad to follow the
princess into the narrow valley that led
into the mountains of Galina’s border
region. There was an unturned Boyar
she could seek the aid of, and the terrain
favoured the defenders.
Whatever! Vlad thought with a vicious
smile. If this fool wants to lead our armies
into a trap, it won’t be my neck on the
chopping block.
10
Just then the Hunter King held up a
heavy mailed fist. The horde stopped as
one, from armoured knight to shuffling
zombie. Two wights floated forward
and listened to the growled order of
their new commander, Vlad forgotten in
the shadow of the Hunter King’s
daunting presence.
What is the fool planning now?
The Wights and a third of the army
began to march again, peeling off to the
left and into the trees.
“You simpleton” Vlad spat, “Why send
them there? There’s nothing to find but
the foot of the mountain itself.”
“Yes.” The Hunter King’s reply, as
heavy as his armoured frame, shot a
momentary doubt into Vlad’s mind.
“The humans guard the pass. Their
scouts range the field.” Red eyes boring
into Vlad from behind an ornate helmet.
“None guard the mountain itself.”
With a swift motion of his arm, the
Hunter King signaled the rest of the
army to move forward.
“You and I, Vladimir. We lead the main
force towards the valley.”
“The valley!?” Vlad’s pride was stung,
but he still had a sense of survival. “We
aren’t going to simply march up the
pass, are we?”
“Where else do you think we’ll meet the
Warrior of the Order?”
Vlad had seen what Igor had done to his
creations back in Starigrad. He wasn’t
sure he wanted to meet him again.
Mission 3 - Moonlit Ambush
The alarm is raised as the Undead are
spotted near the Human’s encampment,
and they must now fight to secure the
perimeter whilst surrounded.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the valley we suggest
placing lots of forest terrain near the
long table edges, whilst only using
scatter terrain like rocks and bushes in
the center of the table.
If available, then you can place tents and
fireplaces in the Humans deployment
zone to represent the camp.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Bounty Hunter - Igor
• Infantrymen
• Greatswords
• Marksmen
Vampiric Undead:
• Skeleton King - Hunter
• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Ghouls
• Skeletons
• Giant Bats
Objectives
Place 3 objective markers as shown in
the mission diagram below.
At the end of each round, if a unit is
within 3” of a marker while enemies
aren’t, then the objective is seized and
remains seized even after leaving.
Wavering units can’t seize markers, and
if units from both sides are contesting a
marker then it becomes neutral again.
The game ends after 4 rounds, and if the
Humans have seized most markers, then
they win the mission.
Deployment
The Humans player must first deploy all
of their units in zone B.
Then the Vampiric Undead player must
select half of his units (rounding down)
to act as a flanking force, and must then
deploy the rest of his units in zone A.
First Turn
The Vampiric Undead get the first turn.
11
Special Rules
Flank Assault: At the beginning of each
round after the first, the Undead player
must roll one die for each unit that has
not been deployed yet, and on a roll of
3+ may place it anywhere within 6” of a
long table edge, at least 6” away from
enemy units. At the start of round 4 any
unit that still hasn’t been deployed may
be placed without having to roll.
Cloudy Moon: At the beginning of each
round roll one die. On a 1-3 the clouds
cover the moon, and all units get -1 to
hit when shooting for that round, whilst
on a 4+ the moon is clear and there is no
penalty for shooting.
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
then you may put it in reserves at the
end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
activated, he may remain idle in order to
place one unit from reserves anywhere
within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Special Equipment
The Purifiers: Whenever Igor rolls a 6 to
hit when firing Pistols, the hit can’t be
blocked and deals +D3 wounds.
Ravager Sword: Whenever Hunter
attacks an enemy unit with 10+ models,
he may double his attacks.
Misha couldn’t believe it. The Undead
were falling back.
Some of their number were hacked apart
by eager guardsmen before they could
be restrained by their sergeants, others
simply crumbled to dust as the majority
turned on the spot and began walking
back down and out of the valley.
The moon was high, and the light was
strong enough to reveal the horror of the
battle. Dozens of bodies littered the
ground at the mouth of the valley. Igor
had been right to try and hold the
monsters at the pass, but it had come at
a terrible cost.
Throwing her eyes to the mountains that
abutted their position to the right, Misha
was horrified to see the amount of
damage wrought by the Undead’s flank
attack. Even Igor had been caught
unaware at first. A not insignificant
portion of their reserve and many
civilians had perished as a result.
Could any of this even be called a
victory? Was any of this worth it?
“Misha!” Igor’s stern voice revealed a
hint of worry. “We must act fast Lass,
but it’s not pretty work.”
“What do you mean, Igor? What else
could we possibly have to do? Don’t you
think everyone’s suffered enough
tonight? Let them have their victory.”
“No, Princess.” His voice chilled her.
“I know the undead. They will be back.
There is a force more powerful than a
necromancer leading them now.”
“But that is all besides the point” he
continued, “We must take care of our
dead quickly.”
“What do you mean?” Misha was sore,
and tired from the fight, but Igor’s
urgency brought her quickly to alert.
“We’re holding this position, so we
cannot allow the undead to come up
from within us.” He paused, gripping
her shoulders, his eyes glinted with a
sorrow that was so unlike him. “We
must burn them all. Even those too
wounded to recover.”
Misha recoiled from his grip. She
couldn’t believe what he was asking.
She looked to her soldiers. They were Vlad turned to see what The Hunter
dressing ranks and distributing ammo. King had signaled and was surprised to
see a Wight leading hundreds of undead
None had broken formation to chase the
warriors though the dark trees.
fleeing monsters. None had disgraced
themselves during the terrible fighting. All were clad in ancient armour, some
riding mailed skeletal steeds, some
Even the civilians had held their own,
presenting banners of families Vlad
battling as part of her units where they
knew to be hundreds of years dead.
could fill a gap.
“Now it is time for my army.”
She then looked out at the growing rows
of dead, their forms barely visible
rectangles in the moonlight, their
numbers far greater than Misha had ever
wanted to see. Then she cast her eyes
over to the torches that illuminated their
makeshift field hospital.
“I understand.” Misha said through
gritted teeth. She began a slow walk
towards the hospital, refusing to meet
Igor’s eyes as she passed him.
“Quickly boys! Quickly!” Sweat
A great bonfire rose from the valley, streaked from the brow of Boyar Lev,
brightly illuminating the remaining cousin to Misha and Defender of the
formations of Misha’s army. The glow of Western Passes.
the fire was enough even to brighten the
forest edge where Vlad and the Hunter Galloping through the dark atop a
gigantic warhorse, Lev led a company of
King stood.
his personal knights along the dark and
“Clever, that Order Knight.” Vlad narrow mountain paths.
mused. “It looks like your little flanking
“There’s no telling how much time they
maneuver failed, though.” He cast a
have left!” He leaned into the horse,
sideways glance at his imposing
willing it to run faster.
companion, hoping to catch if his words
had any effect on his stoic disposition. Word had only just reached him of the
events at Starigrad, and now he could
“Indeed. Though it served its purpose.
We now know the extent of their power. see the glow of a great bonfire leading
I now know how the Order Knight him to his new Queen.
thinks. “ He turned a helmeted head, If only he got there in time.
“and all it cost us were a few of your
measly sacks of skin and bone.”
“Measly!?” Vlad was furious, “Those
measly sacks are all the army you have!
You’d better learn to show some respect
for my power, Hunter! I’m the one who
woke you, you realize!”
“I know your power and its limits well,
Necromancer,” He raised a mailed fist,
“and as I said, your army served its
purpose.”
12
Mission 4 - Last Stand
Misha’s forces have to withstand an
almost endless onslaught by the Undead
whilst waiting for reinforcements.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the valley we suggest
placing lots of forest terrain near the
long table edges, whilst only using
scatter terrain like rocks and bushes in
the center of the table.
If available, then you can place tents and
fireplaces in the Humans deployment
zone to represent the camp.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Bounty Hunter - Igor
• Infantrymen
• Greatswords
• Marksmen
Vampiric Undead:
• Skeleton King - Hunter
• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Skeleton Guard
• Vampire Knights
Set-Up
Before the game begins, the Humans
player may place a 3” wide piece of
bonfire terrain anywhere in their
deployment zone.
Objectives
The game ends after 4 rounds, and the
Humans win if both Misha and Igor are
still on the table.
Deployment
The Humans player must first deploy all
of their units in zone B, and if they won
Mission 3, then they may extend their
deployment zone to the dashed line.
Then the Vampiric Undead player must
deploy all of their units in zone A.
First Turn
The players must roll-off to see who gets
the first turn.
13
Special Rules
Darkest Night: All of the Human units
get -1 to hit in melee and shooting.
Firelit Valley: Human units within 12”
of the bonfire don’t get -1 to hit, and if
they lost Mission 3, then extend this
bonus to within 18” instead as there are
more bodies to fuel the fire.
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
then you may put it in reserves at the
end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
activated, he may remain idle in order to
place one unit from reserves anywhere
within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Onslaught: Whenever an Undead unit is
fully destroyed, then you may put it in
reserves at the end of the round. At the
beginning of the round all reserves units
may be placed within 6” of any table
edge, at least 3” away from enemies.
Special Equipment
The Purifiers: Whenever Igor rolls a 6 to
hit when firing Pistols, the hit can’t be
blocked and deals +D3 wounds.
Ravager Sword: Whenever Hunter
attacks an enemy unit with 10+ models,
he may double his attacks.
 “Victory! Victory!” Lev’s voice cracked
as he shouted in the morning light. He
swung his warhorse around on the spot,
surveying the carnage around him.
Most of his knights were riding down
the undead as they slowly marched back
into the dark woods.
Groups of Misha’s men, looking like
they had just crawled through the
deepest dungeons of the rift, slowly
moved over the battlefield, putting their
own mortally wounded out of their
misery and starting to make bonfires of
the dead, both new and old.
Throwing off his helmet Lev tried to
spot Misha amongst the bloody mass of
soldiery that held the pass into his
mountain domain.
There she was, but she didn’t look
triumphant. She was sitting, surrounded
by several of her men, with her hands
folded under her chin.
“My Queen!” Lev rode over, “We have
won a major victory today! These foul
monsters have been repulsed!”
“Look around you Lev.” Her voice was
harder than Lev had ever heard it
before. “This is a victory only for the
vultures.”
Somewhat deflated, Lev looked at her
soldiers for any sign of agreement. He
found none in their cold eyes. For a
moment they looked almost as dead as
the monsters they had just put to flight.
“I cannot thank you enough for coming
to our rescue, but we’re fresh out of
victories.” Misha said. She raised her
eyes to meet him, a slight grin creeping
up in the face of his vigour.
“I am wrong. The victory belongs to you
and the men of the Western Watches.
Without you there is no way we could
have survived the night.”
“Tis the duty of any true Boyar of the
realm!” Lev bowed as low as he could
from atop his monstrous warhorse. “It
will always be my heart’s desire to serve
the Queen with all of my being!”
“The Queen is dead, Lev.” Misha’s guilt
returned. “I am all that is left.”
“No.” It was one of her guards. “You are
the Queen, and Sir Lev is right. We will
all follow you. No matter the cost. We
are soldiers of the Painted Queen!”
“Painted Queen?” Lev looked Misha up
and down, “Oh, I like that! Very grim,
your highness! Blood of your enemies
painting your face, eh? Very macabre!”
“No, no,” Misha began. It’s because
of…” She trailed off as she reached
instinctively for the brushes that still
rested in her pocket.
“You’re right. Blood of my enemies. Our
enemies.” She stood up and tried to
stretch some of the ache out of her
muscles. “Where is Igor? I need to
consult with him.”
She strode off onto the battlefield,
wiping the grime from her sword and
sheathing it as she went.
“Will you be joining us as we figure out
how to reclaim our realm?” She called
over her shoulder.
“Yes, your Majesty!” With a grin Lev
kicked his horse into a trot after her.
Vlad’s toes couldn’t quite reach the
ground, with his neck in the Hunter
King’s great mailed fist.
“Your insistence on failing is beginning
to grate on me, Necromancer.”
“Our…failing.” Vlad gasped
“Why were you weaseling about behind
the lines? Where were your powerful
magics when the horsemen arrived?”
“Thought…you…didn’t…need…’em!”
Vlad did all he could to smirk while the
great beast of a man choked him.
14
The Hunter King let go, dropping Vlad
into a heap. You’ll pay for that. And soon.
“Your incompetence cost me my victory
and my chance at killing that Order
Knight.” He pounded a fist into an open
hand. “It will not happen again, or I will
drag you before the council myself.”
“You may have been the one to wake
me, but I know my duty is to them, and
my own pride. You will damage neither
a second time, you snivelling worm.”
“Then what do you propose? Hunter-
Who-Failed-to-Hunt?” Both our armies
are broken. The girl and the Order
Knight live. We have Starigrad, and the
villages in between. But she will surely
be on the move soon.”
“Of course she will!” The Hunter King
said, “And we will be waiting for her.”
“She must now move southwards
towards the coast. Unless she wishes to
hole up in these pitiful mountains for
the rest of her life. That means she must
follow the Queen’s highway if she wants
to make haste.”
“So What?” Vlad rubbed his throat.
“Fool. Even you should know what
awaits at the Great Crossroads.”
“The Great Crossroads!” Vlad was
suddenly filled with excitement. “We
must leave at once!”
 CHAPTER 3 - THE PIRATE DUCHESS
Misha chuckled to herself as Lev came
crashing through the underbrush atop
his giant warhorse.
“Come lads, don’t let them get away!”
The feral boars that Lev and his knights
were chasing gave defiant snorts and
plunged deep into the woods.
The men closest by in the marching
column looked on with a mixture of
disbelief and humour.
“Go, dear cousin! Destroy the beasts and
feed us all!” Misha called after Lev with
a laugh as he ducked a low branch,
following the boars into the dense trees.
Even Igor, riding beside Misha and
cleaning his pistol for the hundredth
time, couldn’t hide a soft smile.
“He’s a good lad, Misha.” Igor said, “I’m
glad he came when he did.”
Putting away the pistol he watched the
scattered collection of knights whoop as
they charged through the trees. “You’ll
have to rely on good folk like him when
you’ve reclaimed your throne.”
“I never doubted him.” Misha still
smiled. “Would you believe he’s older
than I?”
“Not for a second.” Igor said as they
both watched a boar circle around a tree,
causing Lev to fly from his saddle as his
horse followed.
“Do you think Duchess Manya will be as
swift to help?” Misha couldn’t help but
think of what awaited them on the coast.
“It’s hard to say. Her duchy is rich and
well defended, so she has the means.”
“But she and mother were never too
close.” Misha added.
“I suppose we shall have to see what
happens. For now, our priority is to
actually make it to the coast.”
“Do you think the undead will try to
stop us? With Lev’s reinforcements and
those we’ve gathered along the way, we
have quite the force with us.”
“I’ve never known the undead to sit idly
by. We need to be careful.” Igor thought
for a moment, “there’s really nothing
between here and the coast that could
hinder us.”
“I hope you’re right, Igor.”
Misha couldn’t shake the feeling of
tension at the back of her mind. But
there was nothing for it. The sun was
bright and the air clean. Perhaps things
would work out after all.
They rode on in silence, save for the
sound of the hunt and the marching of
thousands of boots along the highway.
“Do you feel it, Necromancer?” The
Hunter King stood tall beside the way
marker at the center of the crossroads.
“Here even you can stand the sun.”
It was true. As Vlad emerged from the
shadow of the house, stepping over its
recently silenced occupants, he felt no
pain from the sun’s light.
“This is a powerful place indeed,
Hunter.” He said, feeling the vile magic
coursing through his veins, invigorating
him and strengthening his resolve.
“We shall stop them here then?” He
asked, looking at the wide fields to his
left and right.
“Yes. They must take this path to the
coast, to the next seat of power in this
pathetic realm. To avoid this spot is to
add days to their travel.” He dug a
gauntleted nail down the post. “Besides,
I doubt the foolish child even knows this
place exists.”
“I shall stay close to this pillar.” Vlad
suggested. “Its power is truly
something. I may reach deep into the
depths when I raise my host.”
“Indeed.” The Hunter King strode away
from the protective pillar along the road.
15
“What of the sun, Hunter? Does it not
hurt?” Vlad asked.
“Not enough for me, Necromancer.”
“Besides, I have no intention of letting
the Princess and the knight slip by me
this time.”
He scanned the distant trees. “My host
should be joining us momentarily. The
strongest will endure the light with me,
the rest will stay near you.”
“Excellent.” Vlad said “Leave the
highway to me.”
“I leave nothing to you alone,
Necromancer.” The Hunter King’s deep
rumble hiding a fierceness beyond the
usual contempt. “I will not be made a
fool by these humans again.”
Vlad looked on, a frustrating respect
forming as he saw the Hunter King’s
skin steam from beneath his armour.
“Hunter King,” he called out, “What
makes this crossroad in particular so
powerful? Crossroads alone rarely offer
this much protection.”
The Hunter King’s host began to
materialize from the dark woods
marching towards them, a mist of
burning flesh rising from them as they
marched into the daylight.
“It was here that I fell, Necromancer.”
“Here that I made a pact with a rift
demon with my dying breath. A rift
demon more powerful than any vampire
that has ever walked this earth.”
Mission 5 - Great Crossroads
The Undead await the Humans, ready to
stop them once and for all whilst under
the protection of the great crossroads.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the battlefield we suggest
placing a large crossroads that intersects
at the center of the table, with a few
houses and fields around them, as well
as some scatter terrain like rocks, bushes
or small patches of forest.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Bounty Hunter - Igor
• Infantrymen
• Marksmen
• Knights
Vampiric Undead:
• Skeleton King - Hunter
• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Zombie Wolves
• Skeleton Guard
• Vampire Knights
Objectives
Before the game begins, count the total
number of units in the Humans army list
(combined units and heroes joining units
counts as one).
The mission ends after 4 rounds, and if
at least half of the Humans (as counted
before the game) are within 24” of the
table edge opposite to their deployment
zone, then the Humans win.
Deployment
The Vampiric Undead player must first
select half of his units (rounding down),
and place them within 9” of the center of
the table in zone A.
Starting with the Humans, players then
alternate in placing one unit each, with
the Humans placing units in zone B,
whilst the remaining Undead units may
be placed anywhere else on the table.
If the Humans lost Mission 4, then Igor
and Misha start the game with 1 wound.
First Turn
The players must roll-off to see who gets
the first turn.
16
Special Rules
Brightest Day: All of the Undead units
get -1 to hit in melee and shooting.
Dark Power: Undead units within 9” of
the center of the table get +1 to hit in
melee and shooting.
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
then you may put it in reserves at the
end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
activated, he may remain idle in order to
place one unit from reserves anywhere
within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Special Equipment
The Purifiers: Whenever Igor rolls a 6 to
hit when firing Pistols, the hit can’t be
blocked and deals +D3 wounds.
Ravager Sword: Whenever Hunter
attacks an enemy unit with 10+ models,
he may double his attacks.
Misha’s battered column marched
wearily towards the high walls of
Portovygorod. The battle at the
crossroads had been fierce and costly,
but they had managed to prevail.
The undead had retreated after several
painful hours of battle, but Misha didn’t
quite understand why.
Igor had been quite insistent that they
move on quickly, only able to give their
fallen the most rudimentary of burials.
“There it is, at last.” Igor said. “The
grant port city itself.”
The smell of sea air had finally reached
their nostrils, stirring old memories of
trips to the coast with her mother in
Misha’s mind.
“I haven’t seen the Duchess in years”
she said, “I hope I can convince her of
what is coming.”
“Don’t worry, Painted Queen,” Igor said
with a grim smile. “I gathered some…
trophies… of our last victory to present
to her. If she doesn’t believe that the
undead have returned, she will by the
end of our visit.”
* arms wide in greeting. The salutation
“Why did you sound the retreat,
Hunter?” Vlad asked from the shadows.
“I felt we had a good thing going.”
“The plan has changed.”
The Hunter King strode back and froth,
a circle of elite skeletal knights standing
in silent vigil between them.
“I received word from one of my
wraiths, after the second clash, of an
important development.”
“Important development?” Vlad was
intrigued, “What do you mean?”
“I mean that the Princess now walks into
a trap, and by letting her pass, we now
control her only two means back
towards the capital.”
“What? A trap? That was why you
called off the fight?” We had them in a
good spot at the crossroads, you fool!”
“Do not dare to presume, Necromancer,
lest I come over there and remind you of
the lesson you should have learned one
hundred years ago!” The Hunter King’s
ferocious rebuke stifled Vlad’s vigour.
“There are elements within the Pirate
Duchess’ court that welcome the arrival
of the undead and their… efficiency.”
“Elements?” Vlad asked.
“Yes. Powerful elements indeed.”
“Welcome Princess Misha!”
Manya the Pirate Duchess opened her
diminished only slightly as she lounged
on a grand throne, one leg cast
comfortably over an arm rest.
“What brings you and this… er… escort,
to my quiet little corner of the world?”
“Thank you, dear Duchess Manya.”
Misha began, “but I’m afraid I bring
grave news.”
“Is that so?” Misha thought she saw a
hint of a smile curling at the corner of
Manya’s mouth.
“Indeed, I regret to be the one to inform
you of my mother’s death. I come to you
as Queen of Galina, now.”
“My condolences.” Manya’s dry tone
belied any hint of sincerity. “And this
tragic turn of events required marching
an army to my front door?”
“No, dear Manya, you mistake me.”
Misha had not been prepared for this.
“The truth of the matter is of gravest
concern to the entire realm. Perhaps
even beyond.
17
She tried to stand tall and speak with
power. “The undead have risen and
taken control of Starigrad.”
She paused, giving a second for the rest
of the court to digest her words.
“They ransacked the castle in the middle
of the night and murdered your queen,
my mother. It was all I could do to
escape. They pursue me even now.”
“The undead, you say?” Manya’s drone
began to grate on Misha. “Do you have
proof of this?”
Misha nodded towards Igor, who
unceremoniously dumped a heavy sack
on the floor.
“Here, your Majesty.” He said briskly.
From the sack tumbled the ghoulish
head of a dire wolf.
“I see.” Manya said from atop her
throne. “I suppose you want help in
ousting these invaders? And you come
to me for it. I am touched, Misha.”
“Boyar Lev of the Western Marches has
already joined us with a considerable
force.” Misha continued, undeterred.
“You are our most powerful and loyal
vassal. I beseech you to fulfil your oath
to your queen.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise,
dear Misha.” Manya’s grin was plain for
all to see now. “You will have my finest
soldiers accompany you tomorrow for
your march on Starigrad.”
She clapped her hands together. “For
now, rest and eat. You and your… men,
must be tired.”
Misha looked over her shoulder at
Duchess Manya’s soldiers as they
marched at the head of her column.
They looked much better rested and
much better armed than most of her
own men.
“They’ll be good in a fight, Misha.” Igor
had ridden up beside her.
“I don’t doubt that, Igor.” She said. “I
just wish I trusted them to fight for us.”
Mission 6 - Open Combat
With her ranks bolstered with fresh
soldiers, Misha is ready to take on the
Undead in a straight fight again.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the battlefield we suggest
using a few large pieces of terrain like
forests, hills and lakes with some pieces
of smaller scatter terrain like rocks and
bushes spread around the table.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Bounty Hunter - Igor
• Infantrymen
• Greatswords
• Marksmen
• Knights
Vampiric Undead:
• Skeleton King - Hunter
• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Zombie Wolves
• Skeleton Guard
• Vampire Knights
Objectives
Before the game begins, the players
must place D6+1 objective markers on
the table. The players roll-off to see who
goes first, and then alternate in placing
one marker each outside of deployment
zones and over 9” away from each other.
At the end of each round, if a unit is
within 3” of a marker while enemies
aren’t, then the objective is seized and
remains seized even after leaving.
Wavering units can’t seize markers, and
if units from both sides are contesting a
marker then it becomes neutral again.
The game ends after 4 rounds, and if the
Humans have seized most markers, then
they win the mission.
Deployment
Players roll-off, and then alternate in
placing one unit each within their
deployment zones, starting wit the
player that won the roll-off.
The Undead place units in zone A,
whilst the Humans place units in zone B.
First Turn
If the Humans won Mission 5 they get
the first turn, else the Undead get the
first turn instead.
18
Special Rules
Gloomy Day: At the beginning of each
round roll one die. On a 4+ the sky is
clear, and all Undead units get -1 to hit
for that round, whilst on a 1-3 the clouds
cover the sun and there is no penalty.
Traitors!: Whenever a Humans unit is
destroyed, the nearest friendly unit with
line of sight to it must take a morale test.
If failed, the unit betrays Misha and may
be controlled by the Undead player until
the end of the game. Note that units
with heroes are not affected by this rule.
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
then you may put it in reserves at the
end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
activated, he may remain idle in order to
place one unit from reserves anywhere
within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Special Equipment
The Purifiers: Whenever Igor rolls a 6 to
hit when firing Pistols, the hit can’t be
blocked and deals +D3 wounds.
Ravager Sword: Whenever Hunter
attacks an enemy unit with 10+ models,
he may double his attacks.
Misha looked out over the makeshift
gallows. The line of surviving traitors
was long. Too long. It churned Misha’s
stomach to look at them.
The first five were led up the rickety
stairs, hands bound behind their backs.
Members of their own company, those
who had refused to join the undead,
watched grimly from the crowd of
Misha’s soldiers.
“It’s time, Misha.” Igor whispered in her
ear. “Show them your resolve.”
Misha marched to stand before the
gallows. The light of the battlefield
bonfires behind her illuminating the
condemned in an eerie glow.
“For the crime of high treason against
your queen and the realm. I sentence
you to death by hanging.” Misha hated
saying the words but knew there was no
alternative.
Morale hung by a thread. Seeing so
many of Manya’s men turn on her own
when the battle began to shift towards
the undead’s favour terrified her like
nothing else. That such actions could be
taken by her own people…
The loud clunk of the lever dropping the
floor from beneath the traitors shook
Misha out of her thoughts.
One struggled for a bit, but the other
four were taken by the short fall itself.
When it was finished some of her men
took the bodies down and goaded the
next batch up the short walk to the
waiting nooses.
Seeing men kill men on the field was a
different kind of horror, Misha realized.
This was something that betrayed the
true nature of what awaited her once she
reclaimed her throne. If I reclaim my
throne. She thought.
“For the crime of high treason against
your queen and the realm.” Misha began
again, casting a quick glance at the
huddled mass of traitors morosely
waiting for their time to come. It would
be a long night.
“The living are weak.” The Hunter King
spoke to no one in particular as he
surveyed the ongoing executions from
the cover of the nearby forest.
“We shall have to personally remind
that waterlogged fool of a duchess what
she was meant to do.” Vlad appeared
beside the Hunter King.
He looked towards the regiments that
had refused to swap sides. “They failed
to understand what power awaited
them in the council’s embrace. But no
matter. They will all soon learn the folly
of standing by their human queen.”
“So, what now?” Vlad asked
impatiently. “We’ve clashed so many
times, and yet we’ve never been able to
properly destroy this foolish child.”
“Tomorrow evening will be the end of
it.” The Hunter King pounded his fist in
anger. “The army doesn’t matter. None
of it matters. They will fall when she
does. I will seek her out and take her. If
that knight of hers wants to involve
himself, I’ll end him.”
Vlad cackled. “If you can, you mean! I
saw what he can do on the battlefield in
Starigrad. You saw it yourself in the
valley and at the crossroads. He is no
mere hedge knight.”
“And neither am I.” The Hunter King
said with a scowl. “I will rend his head
from his shoulders and toss it at the
princess myself. It will be the last thing
she sees before I drag her back to the
council and the High Queen.”
19
“Here they come!” The scouts came
pounding back towards Misha and her
hastily forming army. Hot on their heels
were outrides of undead cavalry and
slavering dire wolves.
Some sharpshooters arrayed in a
skirmish screen before the main force
fired off a few shots, knocking the odd
horsemen off of their steed to crumble in
a pile of bone and armour.
Lev rode up to Misha with a grim look
on his face. “Your Highness, it is time.”
The vast horde of the undead stretched
to fill the field in the twilight as they
steadily marched to meet them.
Misha, her face a terrifying mask of
black and white paint, rose.
“I know. Thank you again Lev. Now get
Igor and send him left. Take the right
flank yourself. I will lead from the front.
It’s time everyone knew that I was able
to lead them myself.”
But, Misha,” Lev began to speak, but
looking at the Painted Queen arrayed for
war, he stopped himself.
“I understand, my Queen.” He saluted
her with his sword. “Keep safe, and rest
assured that I will not give up the left
flank. They shall have to ride over the
bodies of each of my knights, and my
own to do it!”
Misha smiled, “Oh Lev. I believe you.
But it will not come to that. It can’t.”
It can’t.
 CHAPTER 4 - A KNIGHT OF THE ORDER
Misha held her sword out before her,
point aimed squarely at the hulking
form of the Hunter King in the distance.
“Begone from my lands, Monster.”
She tried to sound as powerful as she
could, but something about the soulless
eyes of the Hunter King brought back all
the terror she had ever felt in the
presence of the undead.
“These lands belong to the council now,
girl.” The Hunter King lowered his great
weapon and extended a hand towards
Misha, “If you knew what was good for
you and all your people, you would end
this now and come with me.”
“I will end this now!” Misha said
through clenched teeth.
The two armies stood behind their
leaders; the host of the Painted Queen
restless as they watched their hope stand
alone before the great armoured beast.
The skeletal hordes motionless behind
the Hunter King.
“No!” Pushing aside a guardsman Igor
walked forward drawing his sword. “I
am a Knight of the Order of Hunters”
He declared as he went. “As you all are
my witnesses, I challenge this beast of
the underworld. It is my right.”
“Igor!” Misha was furious, fighting back
embarrassment at this intrusion. “Return
to the line!”
“I will not do that, Lass” He stopped
between the two, “The Order answers to
a higher power than you, I’m afraid.”
Igor looked back at Misha, “It’s not your
time, Misha. It’s mine.”
“As Knight of the Order of Hunters, I
challenge you to single combat, beast.
Do you accept?”
A cheer rose from the ranks of Misha’s
army, their excitement tingling the air.
“I have been waiting for an opportunity
to end you, Knight.” The Hunter King
seemed to laugh.
“I accept.”
Knowing Igor had trapped her, Misha
reluctantly fell back several paces.
“I must accept the right of an Order
Knight to fulfill his oaths!” She shouted
for her soldiers to hear. “May the gods
protect you, Igor!”
Misha returned to the line, hoping that
her painted visage would hide her anger
and worry.
Destroy him, Igor!
The two warriors began to pace, sizing
each other up properly for the first time.
Igor stepped lightly, balancing his
sword in one hand while resting his
other on his pistol.
“You’ve caused more than enough
trouble, Knight.” The Hunter King said,
“The council wants your head almost as
much as they want the princess.”
“You will have neither, beast.”
Igor lunged forward, his thrust turned
aside with a grace that belied the size of
the monster before him.
The Hunter King’s quick riposte almost
took Igor’s head, but a quick dodge
brought him safely out of range.
They continued to pace, the ferocity of
their exchange bringing a hush over the
living spectators.
The Hunter King charged, a wild swing
meeting air as Igor stepped quickly
aside. In a single motion, Igor drew his
pistol and fired it into the Hunter King’s
gargantuan frame. The beast stumbled,
but a vicious backswing dug into Igor’s
jangling cloak as he tried to make room
between them.
20
The two were close now, and soon their
dance became a whirl of blades, flowing
cloaks, and glinting armour.
Misha couldn’t stand waiting there for it
to finish. She knew Igor had saved her,
but she was tired of being saved. It was
her realm to save. Her people to protect.
Her blood to give for them. But now…
The battle was starting to take its toll.
The Hunter King’s armour was rent in
multiple places, the magic of Igor’s
blade finding crevices and burning
undead flesh. Igor himself was bleeding
from a dozen small cuts.
Misha could see he was tiring as he
quickly wiped blood from his eyes in
between swings.
Suddenly Igor’s persistent attack broke
through, and the Hunter King collapsed
to one knee as Igor’s blade tore through
a shin guard.
The Hunter King snarled and swung
wildly pushing Igor back a few paces
but, sensing triumph, the Knight
launched forwards again.
Then Igor stumbled.
His foot wrenched back causing him to
twist and fall forwards, his sword too
low to counter the Hunter King’s
incoming swing.
It was the longest moment of Misha’s
life. Igor fell to his knees, sword
dropping from his hand. Even the
Hunter King looked surprised he had
succeeded. Igor collapsed.
But there, plainly visible in the grey
earth behind Igor, a fleshy skeletal hand
stuck out of the soil, still clutching Igor’s
torn bootstraps.
“Coward! Destroy them all!” Misha’s
rage had blinded her. All she could see
was the Hunter King, and all she could
hear was the roar of fury from her
soldiers behind her.
Mission 7 - The Revenge
Igor has fallen, and Misha’s forces are
eager to smash down the Undead in
order to avenge their friend.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the battlefield we suggest
leaving the center of the table empty,
and placing forests and hills around the
edges of the table, with some scatter
terrain like rocks and bushes spread
around the table.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Infantrymen
• Greatswords
• Marksmen
• Knights
Objectives
Before the game begins, the players
must place D3+2 objective markers on
the table. The players roll-off to see who
goes first, and then alternate in placing
one marker each outside of deployment
zones and over 9” away from each other.
At the end of each round, if a unit is
within 3” of a marker while enemies
aren’t, then the objective is seized and
remains seized even after leaving.
Wavering units can’t seize markers, and
if units from both sides are contesting a
marker then it becomes neutral again.
The game ends after 4 rounds, and if the
Humans have seized most markers, then
they win the mission.
Deployment
Players roll-off, and then alternate in
placing one unit each within their
deployment zones, starting wit the
player that won the roll-off.
The Undead place units in zone A,
whilst the Humans place units in zone B.
First Turn
The Humans get the first turn.
Special Rules
Fueled by Rage: During the first D3
rounds all Humans units get +1 to hit in
melee, but also -1 defense in melee.
Cloudy Moon: At the beginning of each
round roll one die. On a 1-3 the clouds
cover the moon, and all units get -1 to
hit when shooting for that round, whilst
on a 4+ the moon is clear and there is no
penalty for shooting.
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
then you may put it in reserves at the
end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
activated, he may remain idle in order to
place one unit from reserves anywhere
within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Special Equipment
Painted Queen: Misha gets the Fear rule
and units within 6” of her take wounds
from the Undead rule on rolls of 1-3.
Ravager Sword: Whenever Hunter
attacks an enemy unit with 10+ models,
he may double his attacks.

Vampiric Undead:

• Skeleton King - Hunter

• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Zombie Wolves
• Skeleton Guard
• Vampire Knights

21
The Hunter King smashed skeletons and
zombies out of his way, sending bones
and limbs flying in all directions. He
knew the cowardly necromancer had
fled into the Underway after the battle
turned against them.
He hadn't noticed the simple entrance,
once a grand gateway into the earth, but
clearly Vlad had.
“Where are you, you honourless
cretin!?” He didn’t even notice that some
of the undead were attempting to fight
back. Their pinpricks and slaps doing
nothing to his ancient armour.
“Show yourself before I tear down every
last wall in this accursed maze!”
The Hunter King focused on the bond he
and the Necromancer shared, but to no
avail. The undead energies were mixed
in the underground highway.
“Why? Want to thank me?” Vlad’s
cackle seemed to be coming from
everywhere. The Hunter King’s sense of
direction was scrambled in these dank
and twisted underways.
“I will pulverize every bone in your
wretched body!” The Hunter King
roared. “Then I will string you up and
leave your broken husk for the painted
girl to find.”
“I don’t think she’ll be finding me, oh
great Hunter King.” He laughed. “But
what’s so great about you? Almost killed
by a mere mortal. I should have left you
in the dirt.”
“An honourable defeat is far better than
the travesty you brought upon me,
Necromancer. Show yourself, and I will
explain my actions to the council myself
after I’ve finished with you. Vampires
have honour, after all.”
“No! You will not!” Vlad seemed almost
manic. “I will return to them, tell them
of your betrayal, my execution of the
fool knight, and my clever trap.
You were convenient to get the council
off my back for a moment, but I believe
you’ve outlived your usefulness, my
dear Hunter.”
The Hunter King continued to smash the
undead around him, growing thankful
that their numbers appeared to be
thinning. More and more of his own
loyal undead, the same souls that had
served him millennia ago, when his
heart still beat, were entering the large
underground chamber where he
continued to hunt for Vlad.
Their defeat at the hands of the humans
had unnerved him. Not in centuries had
the Hunter King seen such ferocity in
humans. They had cleaved through his
and Vlad’s minions, and pushed them
deeper into the moorlands.
Only the appearance of the gate to the
Underway had allowed for their retreat.
Even the Hunter King had no
knowledge of this place, or where any
other exits might lead. But there was no
point in staying on the surface,
especially since Vlad had already
disappeared as soon as the battle swiftly
turned against them.
Suddenly the Hunter King was aware
that a wall was shifting. One of the
tunnels out of this grand chamber was
slowly disappearing into the wall itself,
stones sliding with ease.
Another followed, and then another,
and before the Hunter King knew it, he
was trapped in the cavern, with only one
entrance remaining.
“Find peace again, dear King!” Vlad’s
cruel cackle penetrated stone and
armour to strike at the Hunter King’s
core. “Or don’t!”
Light drifted in from the only remaining
doorway, along with the sound of heavy
boots on cobblestone.
“Curse you, Vladimir, you vile traitor.”
The Hunter King turned to face the
oncoming host, his loyal servants
forming ranks before him.
“I will find peace, in victory or death.”
22
“Go! We cannot let them escape!”
Misha’s voice was hanging on by a
thread. She had been shouting nonstop,
egging her soldiers forward, crushing
the undead beneath blades and boots as
they pursued their fleeing enemy
through the tunnels of the Underway.
Her own sword arm was covered in the
viscera of combat, most of which she no
longer remembered. After seeing Igor
fall, it was all she could do to keep her
rage directed at the monsters that
continued to take everything from her.
Suddenly she found herself in an open
chamber. There, standing amidst the
ruins, was the Hunter King.
He was still, proudly standing tall
amidst the flickering of endless torches.
His remaining forces had rallied around
him and were organizing into ranks.
“There!” Lev shouted, “There’s the
coward!” He and his chosen knights
strode boldly into the chamber to stand
by their queen.
“For the Painted Queen and her
traitorously murdered knight Igor,” He
began, “I will see to it that you do not
escape this grave, monster!”
“Come then.” Was all the Hunter King
gave in response.
“Lev,” Misha clenched his shoulder.
“We do this together. All of us.” No
more heroics, no more death.” Lev
balked at the hardness in her eyes.
“Yes, your Majesty.” He swallowed.
Misha’s own men were trickling into the
chamber, ready for the final
confrontation with the monster that had
done so much harm.
“This ends here.” Misha called out. “For
the realm, and a bright sunrise!”
The Hunter King nodded from across
the hall and hefted his ancient blade.
“To an honourable death for all!”
Mission 8 - Confrontation
Vladimir has left Hunter stranded in the
caverns, giving Misha the perfect chance
to corner him and defeat him in a duel.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the battlefield we suggest
leaving the center of the table empty,
and placing forests and hills around the
edges of the table, with some scatter
terrain like rocks and bushes spread
around the table.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Infantrymen
• Greatswords
• Marksmen
• Knights
Vampiric Undead:
• Skeleton King - Hunter
• Zombie Wolves
• Skeleton Guard
• Vampire Knights
Set-Up
Before the game begins, the Humans
player may place D3+2 torch markers
anywhere on the table.
Objectives
Place 4 objective markers as shown in
the mission diagram below.
At the end of each round, if a unit is
within 3” of a marker while enemies
aren’t, then the objective is seized and
remains seized even after leaving.
Wavering units can’t seize markers, and
if units from both sides are contesting a
marker then it becomes neutral again.
The game ends after 4 rounds, and if the
Humans have seized most markers, then
they win the mission.
Deployment
Players roll-off, and then alternate in
placing one unit each within their
deployment zones, starting wit the
player that won the roll-off.
The Undead place units in zone A,
whilst the Humans place units in zone B.
If the Humans lost Mission 7, then
Misha starts the game with 1 wound.
If the Undead lost Mission 7, then
Hunter starts the game with 1 wound.
First Turn
The Humans get the first turn.
23
Special Rules
Unstable Caverns: At the beginning of
each round, the players must roll one die
for each of their units. On a 1, the unit is
hit by falling debris and takes D6 hits.
Darkest Dungeon: All of the Humans
units get -1 to hit when shooting.
Torchlight: Undead units within 3” of a
torch marker are lit up, and Humans get
+1 to hit when shooting at them.
Duel: If at any point Misha and Hunter
move within 6” of each other, then they
must detach from their units and engage
in a duel. They may not attack or be
attacked by other units, and they may
ignore all units when moving. Whenever
Misha and Hunter attack each other, the
players must first see if the attacker
flinches. Both players start the duel with
4 tokens, and when attacking they must
each secretly pick any number of
remaining tokens, and then reveal them
to each other at the same time. If the
attacker bid an equal or lower number of
tokens, then they flinch and gets -1 to
hit, and all of the selected tokens are
discarded. At the start of each round the
players get 1 new token each.
Special Equipment
Painted Queen: Misha gets the Fear rule
and units within 6” of her take wounds
from the Undead rule on rolls of 1-3.
Ravager Sword: Whenever Hunter
attacks an enemy unit with 10+ models,
he may double his attacks.
Misha stood over the vanquished ashes
of the Hunter King. His hulking form
disintegrating upon the dark stone. All
that remained was armour rent by a
dozen deep gashes.
“My Queen,” it was Lev, “It is done.
You have avenged your knight Igor.”
“No.” Misha felt no solace looking at the
debris before her. “It will not be done
until the Necromancer is brought to
justice and the taint of undeath driven
from our lands.
“I agree, your Majesty, but should we
not celebrate? Just a moment to reflect.”
Lev’s worried gaze caught Misha off
guard. His usual jovial attitude had
disappeared, replaced in the dim flicker
of the underway with that of a man who
has aged greatly in a short period.
“Fine.” Misha said. “Get everyone out of
this forsaken causeway and back to the
surface. Who knows what else lurks in
the shadows.”
“Aye, your Majesty.” Lev turned and
walked to his diminished house knights.
Misha noticed even they seemed more
reserved than usual.
I suppose everyone has their limits. She
thought. I’ll give them rest, give Igor a
hero’s burial, and then tomorrow we march.
The victorious army moved slowly.
Misha saw friends supporting the
wounded between them, sergeants
collecting weapons, and horsemen
wrangling scared steeds.
What has my drive gotten me? She mused,
more exhausted than the had felt since
the valley. Would it not be better to leave
this place to the undead? Can it all be worth
the suffering?
A pair of young spearmen, one arm
around the shoulder of the other who
hobbled on a gashed leg, passed Misha.
They stopped, turned, and both gave a
deep bow.
“We’re sorry, your Majesty, for the loss
of our good knight Igor.” The wounded
one said through clenched teeth.
“Would that any of us could have taken
his place.”
The other spoke up, “As he gave
everything, so do we all swear to do so,
here, at Starigrad, or at the very edge of
the Great Rift.”
Misha could see their defiant smiles,
hunting for encouragement.
This is why. She thought, this is why I
must be strong. They are all so much greater
than I. “I thank you, men. Rest assured,
tonight we will send off Igor with all the
grandeur his sacrifice commands.
Tomorrow, we march.”
“Aye, your Majesty!” With another bow
they were on their way.
With a final look at the defeated Hunter
King, Misha began the long walk back
down the tunnel.
“Yes, High Queen, it is exactly as I
describe it.”
Vlad the victorious Necromancer
chanced a quick glance upwards from
his deep bow. The Council of the Night
were seated in opulent thrones around
the castle’s courtroom.
From his position, nose scraping the still
bloodstained carpet, Vlad could hardly
tell if they had accepted his story. It’s not
like anyone’s around to refute it!
“Vladimir, rise.” The High Queen’s
voice was level, betraying no hint of her
true feelings.
Vlad scrabbled quickly to his feet and
brushed himself off. Two of the three
skeletons he had brought along as
entourage slowly joined him. A swift
kick to the third brought it up too.
24
“I believe the brat…” He caught himself,
but not in time. He coughed, “Princess.
Yes, the princess will now march on
Starigrad itself.”
The bright grey eyes of the High Queen
burned into Vlad’s soul. The snarl
creeping upon her face was enough to
cow even the mightiest rift demon.
“Why would she do that?”
The barely human snarl of one of the
council members drew Vlad’s gaze.
“Why come here? Surely after these
battles you speak of, the treachery of the
Pirate Duchess, the Princess cannot
come here in any strength.”
“The treachery of the Hunter King cost
us much of our standing army.” Vlad
was ready, “and she appears to be
drawing quite the collection of misfits
and townsfolk to her banner. She now
goes by the moniker, ‘Painted Queen’.
Vlad shot a quick glance back at the
head of the room, “An obviously
ludicrous and illegitimate appeal to the
idiot masses, your Highness.”
“Misha, Misha.” The High Queen stood
up and walked towards Vlad in the
center of the grand chamber.
“Always with the painting.”
The opulent form of Queen Galina came
into magnificent focus in the light of the
chamber. The vampiric curse had
twisted her face into something
beautiful and unearthly, the hard focus
of her grey eyes hiding traces of a deep
and deadly mania.
“Let her come.” She came within an inch
of Vlad, who could not help but cower.
“I will see to her myself.”
 CHAPTER 5 - THE DARKNESS WITHIN
Misha and Lev stood at the head of their
grand host. It had taken several days of
marching to reach Starigrad and they
had taken many small detours to gather
the rest of her living vassals to their
army’s banners.
The land around the capital had
changed dramatically.
Once verdant fields were now a sickly
grey. The royal forests had wilted at the
touch of the undead’s curse. What had
once been the vibrant heart of Galina’s
realm was now an open sore.
“Here they come.” Lev said, tightening
his grip on his horse’s reins.
The great gate of Starigrad had opened,
and an endless procession of undead
were marching out to stand before the
dark walls.
“They don’t fear the sun here.” Lev
continued. “The undead’s curse must be
too strong.”
“Indeed. This is what awaits the realm
should we fail today.”
Misha was determined. Any feelings of
fear she had might have felt had long
since been ripped from her.
“We end it today.”
A trumpeter blew the order and the
grand host of the Painted Queen
descended slowly to take up positions
opposite their foes.
When everyone had reached their
assigned position, a heavy silence fell
upon both armies, broken only by the
low howl of the wind, blowing dark
clouds to cover the battlefield.
Vladimir pushed himself towards the
front of the undead host.
“False Queen!” He shouted. “Tell your
men to lay down their arms and cease
this pointless rebellion.”
“Rebellion!?” Misha roared. “You shall
pay for that remark Necromancer, as
you will pay one hundred times over for
your cowardly interference in an
honourable duel!”
Her soldiers roared in agreement.
“Make no mistake, Necromancer, before
this day is finished, I will be mounting
your head from the walls of my castle!”
“Now, now Misha.” A familiar voice,
calm but with an unnatural power
reverberating it around the battlefield,
silenced both of them.
“That kind of barbaric talk will never be
fit for a princess.”
The ranks of skeletons parted to give
way to elegant form of Queen Galina.
She strode purposefully forward to
stand beside Vlad.
“Your place was always by my side,
dear. I had thought for sure that my
maid would have given you the kiss
without issue.” She tutted. “It seems I
had underestimated your foolish
prancing about with the guards.”
“M… Mother?” Misha’s head felt like it
was about to explode. “Is that you?”
“Of course, Misha. Who else?”
“But… I saw you die!”
“No, you saw my birth.” She smiled
hungrily. “Though I admit you startled
me, bursting in right as the ritual was
coming to its end.”
“No!” Misha felt weak. “You cannot
truly be her. You are one of them, a
monster turned to their will!”
“You were never the smartest, dear
Misha.” Queen Galina laughed evilly.
“Did I not tell you we were surrounded
by threats? Did I not insist you learn the
world of diplomacy? Did I not get it
through to you how weak we were?
How close to total subjugation by our
neighbours!?” She was maniacal now,
her tirade drumming into the ears of
every soldier.
25
“Did you not see it yourself!? How long
do you think it would have taken before
that sea urchin Manya rose against us?
That fool Lev? The Orcs, Rift Demons,
and Beastmen of the Eastern Woods?
How Long!?”
“Enough!” Misha screamed. “You
betrayed not only me, but our entire
realm! Our people! They relied on you,
and now you bring them war, suffering
and death!”
“No, foolish child. I bring them peace
and security. You bring them war. You
bring them violence. End this now.
Submit to me as you should have from
the day you were born!”
“I…” Misha could feel it all coming
undone. Everything she had sacrificed,
all the vile things she had done, all the
pain and suffering of the last few weeks
came rising up to swallow her whole.
“I stand with the Painted Queen! I stand
with a free and pure realm!” Lev had
ridden out to interpose himself between
the Vampire Queen and his own.
“I stand with the Painted Queen!” Came
a shout from within her ranks. Then
another joined it from Lev’s men. Then
another from the coastal knights. Soon
Misha’s entire army was shouting their
support for her.
“Begone, witch!” Lev roared, “Lest we
strike you down where you stand.”
With a cackle, Queen Galina
disappeared back into the ranks of the
undead. “Come then, daughter. End this
war for good.”
Mother. I am sorry. Misha drew her
sword and ordered the advance, her
painted face hiding slowing falling tears.
Mission 9 - Enemy at the Gate
Misha has finally made her way back
home, only to be confronted by her
mother’s army in a straight fight.
The Battlefield
For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it.
To represent the city’s entrance we
suggest placing a few buildings within
the safe zone, whilst only placing small
scatter terrain like rocks and bushes on
the rest of the table.
The Armies
For this mission you’ll need two armies
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts).
Below are some recommended units you
can use for this mission. Note that when
using custom armies they must contain
the underlined units.
Humans:
• Champion - Misha
• Infantrymen
• Greatswords
• Marksmen
• Knights
Vampiric Undead:
• Necromancer - Vladimir
• Zombies
• Skeletons
• Zombie Wolves
Set-Up First Turn
Place a straight line of castle walls with a If the Humans won most matches in
few gates 18” away from zone A’s table the campaign they get the first turn, else
edge, which serves as a safe zone. the Undead get the first turn instead.
Objectives Special Rules
Before the game begins, the players Safe Zone: Human units may never
must place D3+2 objective markers on move within 18” of zone A’s table edge,
the table. The players roll-off to see who and may only attack units on the castle
goes first, and then alternate in placing walls with ranged attacks.
one marker each outside of deployment
Endless Horde: Whenever a unit of
zone B and the safe zone, and over 9”
Zombies or Skeletons is fully destroyed,
away from each other.
then you may put it in reserves at the
At the end of each round, if a unit is end of the round. Whenever Vladimir is
within 3” of a marker while enemies activated, he may remain idle in order to
aren’t, then the objective is seized and place one unit from reserves anywhere
remains seized even after leaving. within 6” of his position, and at least 6”
away from enemy units.
Wavering units can’t seize markers, and
if units from both sides are contesting a Special Equipment
marker then it becomes neutral again.
Painted Queen: Misha gets the Fear rule
The game ends after 4 rounds, and if the and units within 6” of her take wounds
Humans have seized most markers, then from the Undead rule on rolls of 1-3.
they win the mission.
Deployment
Players roll-off, and then alternate in
placing one unit each within their
deployment zones, starting wit the
player that won the roll-off.
The Undead place units in zone A,
whilst the Humans place units in zone B.
If the Humans lost most matches in the
campaign, then Misha starts the game
with 1 wound.
26
The last of the Skeletal warriors were
being crushed against the stone walls of
Starigrad. Some had managed to retreat
into the walls before the gates were
closed, but not many.
The battle had been swift and deadly,
neither side holding anything back as
they tore into each other. Blades cut
flesh and shattered bones. Cavalry both
living and dead, rode again and again
into the press.
The remnants of Misha’s black powder
weapons cast the battlefield in an acrid
mist. It was as if the Great Rift had
opened beneath their feet.
Misha dispatched a charging dire wolf
with a wide swing, sending another
reeling when the corpse collided with it.
It was swiftly finished by Lev, who rode
by and pinned it to the ground with a
long lance.
Then she saw him. Surrounded by
steadily crumbling skeletons stood
Vladimir, the one who had been
plaguing her since this nightmare began.
The one who had tripped Igor.
Misha was filled with a renewed vigor
born of vicious hatred. She charged
towards the recoiling figure as he tried
desperately to raise more defenders.
“You are finished, Necromancer!” Misha
shouted as she cleaved through two of
his flailing guards. She didn’t even
register when the point of a spear
scraped off of her breastplate and cut
into her arm.
“Wait!” Vlad screamed, the fear coating
his face in sweat, “I can be of service to
you, O Painted Queen!”
“Your demented scheming ends here!”
She said as she closed the distance
between them.
She looked at him for a moment. Then at
her sword. It was covered in a mixture
of undead viscera and the bright blood
of the tainted human before her.
What… am I becoming? Misha asked
herself, turning to face the blasted
battlefield behind her.
Lev was rallying the men and bringing
forth the siege engines to batter down
the walls. Pockets of risen undead were
collapsing as Vlad’s magic left their
rotting flesh.
They had won. There couldn’t be many
undead left within Starigrad. Yet Misha
knew they would have to fight for every
last inch of the city.
She picked up Vlad’s head by the hair
and slowly walked back to where Lev
was organizing the troops.
“Painted Queen!” He was almost his
usual cheery self. “You have vanquished
the vile necromancer!”
“Indeed, Lev.” She dropped the
gruesome trophy on the ground by his
feet. “Let us end this, once and for all.”
Just as the first cannon was readying to
fire at the gate, it began to creak open.
The city within had been razed to the
ground. Only a few buildings remained
in the shattered remnants of Misha’s
former home.
She was chanting something and raised
in her hands a still beating heart.
“Quickly!” Lev called out to the soldiers
arrayed behind him, “into the city!”
Misha and Lev led the quick march
within. She knew this was some kind of
trap. But it didn’t matter any more.
Misha had no other choice but to push
onwards and end this nightmare.
A heavy raindrop thudded into Lev’s
helmet, followed by another. Rain began
to fall all around the city. It smelled
sickly, and the deep colour of the
raindrops stained everything they
touched a rotten crimson.
The drizzle became a torrential shower,
covering Misha, Lev, and their army in a
deluge of blood.
“What foulness!?” Lev wiped at his eyes.
“This is their final trick,” Misha said,
uncertain herself, “We must press on!”
Emerging from the ruins of Starigrad
were the most foul monstrosities that
Misha had ever seen. Ancient undead
wearing the blood soaked uniforms of
her own family, hideous beasts from the
depths of the crypts, and even the
vampires themselves marched forth,
revelling in the blood rain.
“My daughter!” Queen Galina’s voice
penetrated the heavy rain with a
supernatural ease. “I gave you the
choice of joining me willingly! Now I’m
afraid I must insist. We will tear the
flesh from each one of your pathetic
soldiers until we find you!”
“No need Mother!” Misha retorted,
striding out to stand alone in the
crimson rain. “I’m right here.”

“Please! I cannot die!” He raised both
hands before her.
“We shall see.”
Misha swung, and the headless body of
Vladimir the Necromancer crumbled to
the ground against the wall of the castle.
Across the way, in front of the gate to
Galina Castle where it all began, a
monstrous idol had been erected.
A terrible twisted form, vaguely human
and clutching an ornate staff, the idol
hurt to look upon.
Standing before it was Queen Galina
herself, flanked by the vampiric
members of her new council.

27
Mission 10 - The Twisted Idol Set-Up First Turn
The end is near, and Misha must now When preparing the table, make sure If the Humans won most matches in
keep her cannon safe as they load up to that there is a straight line of sight the campaign they get the first turn, else
shoot down the Twisted Idol. between the cannon and the idol. the Undead get the first turn instead.

The Battlefield Objectives Special Rules

For this mission you’ll need a 6’x4’ table Place 2 objective markers as shown in Twisted Idol: All Undead units within
with at least 10-15 pieces of terrain on it. the mission diagram below, with the 6” of the idol get +1 to hit, +1 defense
cannon belonging to the Humans and and move +2” when charging.
To represent the ruined city we suggest
the idol belonging to the Undead.
using lots of ruined buildings and a few Blood Rain: All Human units move -X”
intact ones, as well as lots of scatter At the end of each round, if a unit is as they get soaked with blood, where X
terrain like rubble, barricades and piles within 3” of the enemy marker while is the current round number.
of corpses. enemies aren’t, then the objective has
Special Equipment
been secured and its marker is removed
The Armies from the table. Painted Queen: Misha gets the Fear rule
For this mission you’ll need two armies and units within 6” of her take wounds
The game ends after 4 rounds, and if the
of equal cost (we recommend 750pts). from the Undead rule on rolls of 1-3.
Humans have managed to seize the idol
Below are some recommended units you without the Undead seizing the cannon,
can use for this mission. Note that when then they win the mission.
using custom armies they must contain
Deployment
the underlined units.
Players roll-off, and then alternate in
Humans:
placing one unit each within their
• Champion - Misha deployment zones, starting wit the
• Infantrymen player that won the roll-off.
• Greatswords
The Undead place units in zone A,
• Marksmen
whilst the Humans place units in zone B.
• Knights
If the Humans lost most matches in the
Vampiric Undead:
campaign, then Misha starts the game
• Zombies with 1 wound.
• Skeleton Guard
• Vampire Knights
• Zombie Dragons

28
Misha charged towards the demonic
idol. Whatever power it gave to the
vampires had to be stopped.
The battle had swung back and forth as
the torrents of blood rain drove both
sides to a frenzy of violence.
It was clear to Misha that there would be
no victory until her mother had been
stopped and the idol she had used to
begin this terrible ritual destroyed.
Wiping blood from her eyes and mouth,
Misha pushed ever onwards, Lev and
several of her best soldiers keeping pace.
A horrific matted monster dove from
behind a ruined building, taking two of
her men down with its gigantic claws
before turning to snarl at the rest.
“Go Misha! We will hold the beasts
here!” Lev shouted over his shoulder as
he turned to face the creature.
Misha knew better than to stop. She
rushed ahead, stopping briefly to
separate the head of a minor vampiric
knight from its body.
Then she was before her mother and the
idol. The rest of the Vampiric council
melted away into the darkness of the
ruins around them, leaving Misha and
Galina alone.
“Mother. Stop this. Please.”
Now that she was here the sight of her
mother rent her heart. “Maybe there is a
cure for this? Maybe we can fix it?”
“Misha. You were always too soft.”
Galina spoke quietly now, her words
meant only for her daughter.
“There is nothing in this world but
horror and death. The sooner you accept
that the sooner we can secure ourselves
against whatever may come.”
“That isn’t true, Mother.” Misha said.
“I’ve been surrounded by good, honest,
honourable people this entire time.”
“They’re honourable now. But it
changes. It always changes.” She drew a
sword from her hip. The blood rain
quickly turning the blade red.
“I will turn you myself, Misha. Then you
will see what it means to have the power
to protect what you love.”
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
Queen Galina moved with a swiftness
born of her supernatural power.
It was all Misha could do to keep herself
alive, parrying and sidestepping barely
fast enough to dodge the deadly strikes.
Galina pushed her further and further
back, away from the idol and towards
the ruins of a building. Hungry eyes
looked out at Misha from within.
She was growing tired, each blocked
strike threatening to force her sword
from her hands.
“It’s over, Misha. Submit.”
“No!” Misha rushed forward and
tackled her mother to the ground. The
queen’s strength was almost too much,
but the quick blow had caught her off-
balance and sent her crashing down.
Misha poised to bring her blade down
into Galina’s chest, but hesitated as she
looked into her mother’s eyes.
A flicker of her past self crossed her
blood splattered face. A look of worry,
fear, and regret.
Then it was gone, and Misha cried out as
a searing pain burst in her side. “Now
submit!” Galina roared, her voice losing
any hint of humanity as she wrenched
the dagger from Misha’s thigh.
With a roar of her own Misha forced her
blade down into her mother’s chest.
Galina seized as the metal bit deeply
into her heart, granting Misha a moment
to wrench it free and roll to the side.
“Sorry, Mother.”
Misha brought down the blade as hard
as she could on Galina’s neck, clenching
her eyes shut in her pain and anguish.
A strangled cry signaled the end of it all.
29
Misha couldn’t move.
The rain gradually stopped. She heard
voices. Shouting. The clattering of
armour to the ground. It was all noise.
Then a whisper. “Very good child. The
council is impressed. We will speak to
you later, I think.”
Strong hands grasped her and shook
hard. Misha came rushing back to reality
and opened her eyes. Lev, bloody and
worried, looked down at her.
“You’re alive! Thank all the gods!”
“I… I am, I suppose.” Was all Misha
could muster.
“Come now, Misha.” It’s alright, you’ve
done it!” He pulled her to her feet, the
pain of her wound throbbing and
causing her to stumble.
“Almost, Lev.” Misha threw and arm
over his shoulder, “Take me to that idol.
We must destroy it.”
The two hobbled towards the horrific
creation. Cast in a black glass, the idol
seemed to repulse them with its mere
presence.
“It looks like… No, it cannot be.” Lev
muttered. “It looks like the old sigil of
Lazarus, the First Vampire.”
“To hell with him and all his kind.”
Misha pushed away from Lev and
hefted her sword.
She hesitated only a moment before she
brought the sword down with a cry, the
idol burst into a thousand pieces as her
blade cleaved through it.
 EPILOGUE - NEW DAWN, NEW NIGHT
“How fare you, Queen Misha?”
Lev, down on one knee before her
throne, chanced a grin.
“As fine as I can be, dear Lev.” Misha sat
straight in her throne, doing her best to
ignore the aching in her side.
The castle bustled with activity. A newly
appointed Knight of the Order of
Hunters was stomping about, ordering a
trio of pledges around in an effort to
root out any lingering corruption.
Outside the last bits of the desiccated
royal forests were being chopped down,
their wood good for little. Misha was
happy to see, even at this distance, some
foresters moving at intervals, planting
the seeds of a new forest.
“How go the talks with Manya?” Misha
returned her attention to Lev and the
task at hand.
“I am happy to report she has agreed to
triple this year’s tithe, as an act of
contrition and to affirm her allegiance.”
“Please thank her, when you return.”
Misha was glad to hear Manya had
caused no trouble. “We shall see that it
is distributed to the realm as equally as
possible. There are hard months ahead.”
“I will, your Majesty.” Lev stood, still
smiling, “I was worried she would put
up more of a struggle honestly. But
seeing me return with the few remaining
companies of her own men was more
than enough to keep her on the straight
and narrow for now.”
“I appreciate you doing that on my
behalf, Lev. I would have gone myself,
and I will in some time, once this
damned wound heals.”
“Never you worry, Misha. She’s a crafty
one, but that’s it, I believe.”
He scratched his chin, “Treat her better
than your poor mother did and I’m sure
she’ll do what’s right.”
“With that, I must be on my way.” He
gave another bow. “Thank you, Misha,
for what you did for us and the realm.”
“I owe it all to you and the men, Lev.
You know this.” Misha smiled at him.
“I will see you in two weeks time for the
grand assembly then?”
“I wouldn’t miss it, dear Queen. Besides,
it will be nice to see the other Boyars,
Dukes, and Duchesses. We’ll have a lot
to discuss.”
“I agree.” Misha said. “We have a realm
to rebuild. But we’ll manage, together.”
With that Lev turned and strode from
the throne room, leaving Misha alone to
her thoughts.
“Guard Captain?” she called.
A stout young man approached from an
adjoining room. It was Petyr, looking far
older and wiser than when Igor had
given him command outside of
Starigrad all those months ago.
“Yes, your Highness?”
“May I have the latest reports from the
eastern reaches? I trust all your scouts
have returned? What of the Beastmen of
the woods? Did they make any moves
while we suffered our troubles?”
“Well that was a fool’s errand, wasn’t
it?” The sulking form of a vampire lord
sat in a darkly appointed throne,
sloshing a cup of coagulating blood
between two fingers.
“What do you mean, Cassius?” A silky
voice intoned; the boredom accentuated
with annoying purpose. “Didn’t you
have fun?” The Vampire took a sip of
her own drink.
30
“Fun wasn’t the point of it, Lenora, and
you know it.” He put the cup down and
shifted in his seat. “We had that damned
queen wrapped around our finger. If it
wasn’t for that bratty princess, we could
have had an entire realm under our
thrall in the north.”
“There will be other queens and other
realms, my dearest.” Lenora continued
to drink, treating Cassius’ contempt
with the mildest interest possible.
“Why don’t you go out and join Havoc
in his fun. Last I heard he was running
about a Ratman burrow sinking his teeth
into anything that moved.”
“As if I’d join that thing in anything he
deems entertaining. What about Alaric?
Where did he scurry of to?”
“He went to report your…” She laughed
coquettishly, “I mean our failure with
Queen Galina. You know how the Dark
Lord likes to be kept abreast of
happenings across Tyria.”
“What!?” Cassius shot up out of his seat.
“That bastard! It was our fault!”
Lenore just laughed.
“No, it was that princess’s fault.” He
paced back and forth in their pitch-black
chamber. “She had the rage, Lenore. You
saw it too.” It was a statement, not a
question. “We could get to her like we
did her mother.”
“Perhaps,” Lenore hadn’t yet moved,
still content to drink in place. “We can
always try again in a few years. Who
was that energetic lad that followed her
around like a puppy? Lev, I think.” She
took another sip.
“We could always look into him.”
ARMY NAME: Mission 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Winner

Unit Name: Unit Name:

Notes: Notes:

1xp 5xp 10xp 1xp 5xp 10xp

15xp 20xp 15xp 20xp
25xp 30xp 25xp 30xp

Unit Name: Unit Name:

Notes: Notes:

1xp 5xp 10xp 1xp 5xp 10xp

15xp 20xp 15xp 20xp
25xp 30xp 25xp 30xp

Unit Name: Unit Name:

Notes: Notes:

1xp 5xp 10xp 1xp 5xp 10xp

15xp 20xp 15xp 20xp
25xp 30xp 25xp 30xp

Unit Name: Unit Name:

Notes: Notes:

1xp 5xp 10xp 1xp 5xp 10xp

15xp 20xp 15xp 20xp
25xp 30xp 25xp 30xp

Unit Name: Unit Name:

Notes: Notes:

1xp 5xp 10xp 1xp 5xp 10xp

15xp 20xp 15xp 20xp
25xp 30xp 25xp 30xp

31