The stench of blood was in the air but the sound of battle had finally ceased. Senior Gunnery Officer Benedict von Neale hefted his mace over his shoulder and looked down at the body of the ogre. The foul beasts had ambushed the caravan in overwhelming numbers. They were far beyond the lands of the Empire and the Border Princes and the men knew that there would be no reinforcements. The fighting had been intense born out of the desperation to survive. Benedict looked around and noted that the attack had taken its toll as only a remnant of the caravan remained alive. The few survivors that could still stand were working their way through the carnage looking for other survivors whose injuries were more severe. He could see that most of the wagons were still in tact even though some of the horses and mules had been slaughtered. The ogres were not interested in gold and trade goods but in fresh meat. Human meat.
Benedict was near the head of the destroyed caravan and he now started walking back towards the centre. His squad of marksmen and pistoliers had been hired to guard the caravan. There had been promise of a rich payment at the successful return of the caravan from the distant land of Cathay. It was an odd assignment for teachers and students from the famous Gunnery School of Nuln. There had been little choice for him. Due to an unfortunate incident with some faulty pigeon bombs his options had been to either resign from his position at the school and live out his life in shame or to lead this expedition. The students who accompanied him were the near drop-outs from the school. They chose this journey over returning home as failures and bringing shame to their families. As Benedict worked his way through the dead men towards the small huddle of survivors he knew that many would now regret that decision.
As Benedict approached the group of injured men, Benson – the only other teacher who had chosen to join the squad – walked up beside him. Benson was an instructor at the school and a damn good one at that. Therefore it still puzzled Benedict as to why Benson had turned his back on the prestige of his position to join this group of rejects on this ludicrous mission.
“I have only counted eight of us capable of standing.” Benson whispered. “I've ordered two men to stand guard and the other four to come with me and attend to the wounded.”
Benedict nodded his head in agreement. There had been over two hundred men in the caravan from merchants to servants and guides to guards. The priority now was to save as many as possible and then to move on quickly as there were probably more ogres lurking in this area. His thoughts also turned to the wagons and the trade goods within. The odds were definitely against them but there was still the chance to reach Cathay and return home with silk and other exotic goods. Also, less men also meant that there would be less portions to give out and greater riches for all survivors. The lure of that fortune was still too great to resist...
Warband Roster: The Lone Squad
Warband Type: Gunnery School of Nuln
Objective: Lure of Fortune
Rating: 80
Campaign Points: 0
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