/TG/heim:Sulemain's Magnificent Menagerie (Cult of the Possessed)
Intro
Out on the fringes of Mordheim is a... collector. Of things strange and twisted, of creatures fantastic and grotesque. He calls himself Sulemain, and to Mordheim he goes, searching for more raw "material" he can use as a canvas to display the horror of the human condition.
Warband Rating:102
Wyrdstone Count: 0
Treasury: 9 gold crowns
Record: 0-6
Heroes
Sulemain the Magnificent
Clad in bright, garish motley, this turbaned old man speaks altogether too rapidly, with the air of the utterly self-assured or the utterly insane. Sulemain the Magnificent, as he styles himself, describes himself as an artist dedicated to expressing the true state of humanity. That most of the people that he takes as his "canvas" are not volunteering for the opportunity does not bother him in the slightest.
Magister - 70
Lure of Chaos - 12" range, Opposed Ld+1d6 to control
+Dagger
Starting Experience: 20
Current XP: 22. Next Advance at 24.
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
"Lord" Ose
At a glance this creature could pass for human, save for the triple-jointed limbs, the uncanny lolling of the head, and the beastly wails that emit from it's throat. Ose is one of Ose's older creations, and suffers unfortunately from a jerkiness in the limbs and nervous system that has hampered his ability to fight, climb, or really, accomplish much of note in Mordheim.
Possessed - 90
+Daemon Soul - 20
Starting Experience: 8
Current XP: 14. Next Advance at 17
Advances: +1 Ld, New Skill
Mighty Blow - +1S in close combat
OoA's: 1 Warhound
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | 0 | 4(5) | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
Brother Barbados
Strange bulges underneath the cloak of this man hint at some fell disfigurement of the flesh. Barbados is Sulemain's lieutenant and warmaster. A former mercenary himself, Barbados has a penchant for tactics and strategy that Sulemain completely lacks but his exceedingly elaborate plans are often foiled by the poor discipline and training of the Menagerie's various warrior-morphs.
Mutant - 25
+Extra Arm (+1 to Attack) - 40
+Dagger
+Axe
+Sword
Starting Experience: 0
Current XP: 7. Next Advance at 8.
Advances: +1A, New Skill, +1WS
Step Aside - 5+ unmodified save vs. close combat wounds
OoA's: 1 Warhound, 1 Flagellant
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2+1+1 | 7 |
Sister Murmur
This woman speaks in a low rasp, and does not raise her face up to you from below her veiled hood. A former beggar "rescued" from the streets, Murmur is fanatically loyal to Sulemain, although the mutation process has left her somewhat deranged.
Mutant - 25
+Hideous - 40
+Dagger
+Mace
Starting Experience: 0
Current XP: 6. Next Advance at 8.
Advances: New Skill, +1T, +1I
Step Aside - 5+ unmodified save vs. close combat wounds
Old Battle Wound - roll a D6 before every battle. On 1, this warrior must miss the battle.
OoA's: 1 Warhound
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
Brother Crowley
This cultist has a wild, haggard look, his eyes twisting and darting about in their sockets. Crowley is one of Sulemain's Mordheim recruits and is the leader of the First Circle Brethren, having proved himself by cutting the throat Witch Hunter Jacob Schnell when he was sent reeling by a backhanded blow from Barbados. Unlike most of the wretched (ab)humans who serve Sulemain, Crowley is a burly and heavyset man, and Sulemain's experiments have only further heightened his endurance.
Brethren (promoted to Hero: Combat and Strength skill lists)
+Dagger
+Sword
Current XP: 6. Next Advance at 8.
Advances: Lad's Got Talent!, +1T (from promotion to hero), +1A, +1 WS
OoAs: 1 Witch Hunter (KIA)
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
Henchmen
"Men shaped like goats, you say? With horns and eyes and cloven hooves?" Suleiman wheezed, slumped in his chair as Barbados finished his report on the clash he had witnessed above between the Rieklanders and the raiders.
It had been a rocky start in Mordheim, and Suleiman was still half-bedridden and pale - a lingering side effect of the Liche's death spell, but his creatures had managed to set up a crude base of operations and began taking what living captives. Surprisingly enough, some recruits had appeared as well, twisted, mad, or desperate men seeking a way to survive on the streets of the accursed city.
"That give me an idea. Barbados, send one of the recruits down to the laboratory. The big dumb one, I forget his name. It matters not, he will not be needing it soon enough." Sulemain dismissed his mutant servant with a wave of his hand.
Channeling his chaos magicks would be difficult, between the crudeness of the equipment available here and his injuries, but his minions had discovered plenty of wyrdstone to fuel the process, and besides, now was the time for inspiration!
"Goats, goats... now what sort of eyes do goats have..." Sulemain mused to himself as he flipped through the tome beside him.
First Circle Initiates
Goat skulls and voluminous robes obscure the hunched over forms of these twisted men. First Circle Initiates are drawn from beggars, press-ganged prisoners, or even desperate recruits. Whatever their origins, Sulemain's experiments have left them just able-bodied enough, and just trusted enough, to be given weapons - in most cases, just a simple dagger. The First Circle Brethren are expected to prove their loyalty in combat, and most throw themselves at the enemy with fanatical abandon hoping to prove themselves worthy in the eyes of the Ruinous Powers.
Brethren (3 models)
+Daggers
Current XP: 2. Next Advance at 2.
Advances: +1 Attack
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
Deceased
"Duke" Eligos (Possessed) - Slain in combat with Iron Biter Captain Jugo.
Initiate Morax (Brethren) - Slain in combat by Warrior Priest Papa Francis of Van Helsing's Avengers.
Beastman Moloch (Beastman) - Slain in combat by Matriarch Bertha of Bertha's Redemption'.'
Notable Moments
Game 1 (vs. Wicked K's Company): Sulemain eats a Liche Doom spell, Eligos doesn't feel like doing anything except knocking over Zombies. After the battle, Barbados finds a single gold crown, and 3 shards of wyrdstone which are sold for 70 gc more.
Game 2 (vs. Iron Biters): Eligos slain in single combat against an Ogre Captain. Ose holds off two Ogres and miraculously survives against all odds, allowing the warband to retreat once more.
Game 3 (vs. Van Helsing's Witch Hunters): Surprise attack comes off perfectly. 3 warhounds and a Flagellant are taken out of action, and one of the Brethren shanks a Witch Hunter, killing him stone-cold. The Brethren gets promoted to heroic status for his accomplishment, but the Hunters rally and another retreat is called.
Game 4 (vs. Wu Manchu's Cathayans): Again, the Menagerie proves their greatest bane is T3. Although successful in retrieving the chest, and pulling off a perfect ambush, the Menagerie's blades (and claws, and tails, etc.) fail to find purchase in the thick and calloused skin of the Cathayan peasants. Barbados is captured by the unarmed fist-fighting monks and is ransomed for all wyrdstone found (1).
Game 5 (vs. Bertha's Redemption): An attempt to drive the Sisters away from a Sigmarite reliquary ends in failure, as Sigmar shields his servants from Sulemain's magics and empowers the Matriarch to cut down the Menagerie's best warriors. Barbados is captured again, but is ransomed for 1 wyrdstone out of 2(representing Sulemain's abandonment of the wyrdstone hunt to recover his lieutenant).