Kingdom Death - Campaign LY3 Narrative

Prologue - LY1 - LY2 (Previous entries). With the lion defeated, the hunting party left the settlement in search of a new quarry. The survivors wandered aimlessly for a time, before losing Nemia to the darkness. They had almost resigned themselves to her disappearance when she came running toward them, breathless and shouting for them to hide.

The sound of innumerable hooves clacking on the plain of faces grew with alarming speed before reaching its crescendo as a massive herd of horned beasts ran past their hideaway. This was no mere migration and the rapid hoof beats died away ahead of ponderous footfalls which shook the earth. Driving the antelope herd, a colossal being strode passed, its size evident solely by the gargantuan foot illuminated in the muted glow of their lanterns.

The survivors rose once the air quieted to find Mindy had lost her garment in the confusion. Unconcerned, she followed naked in the wake of the titan. Before long, it was clear that a weak member of the herd had broken off and been left behind to graze near a large tree.

Mindy cared not for subterfuge and ran headlong for the tree. The antelope startled and ran toward the group without even a sidelong glance at Mindy who was busy burying her arm in the bole of the tree. The survivors ran to meet the antelope, with Freda imbibing a drink made of the previously slain lion's testicles. Her frenzy was unstoppable and she raked the axe back and forth in an unstoppable assault.

Mindy finally contorted her arm into the trunk up to the shoulder. Pushing hard, the last inch was rewarded with a sharp bite on her remaining hand. She recoiled indignantly and stood, before casually plucking acanthus plants from the ground and ignoring the greater battle.

The antelope screamed in horror and careened around aimlessly at Freda's continued onslaught. The sight of the gaping under maw gibbering across the ground was too much for Ole, and simply died. He collapsed as a marionette with its strings cut.

Freda, unstoppable with her axe, ended the antelopes life with a brutal slash to the back and it took her a moment to regain her composure as the effects of the frenzy drink wore off.

The survivors returned to the settlement with the monster's and Ole's bodies carried between them before harvesting what they could. Mindy's cold body was found shortly after; small bite marks were evident across her limbs and pieces of her own flesh hung from her slack mouth.

Not all was grim however, and the settlement welcomed its first children. Promising to protect the twins and shelter them the best they could, the settlement devoted its efforts to devising ways to create stronger weapons and forged a grand blade from a giant cat bone that had been previously secreted away.