Trial of the Five Blades
The dungeons below the Eightpoints are ancient. Indeed, many were old even before the coming of the Everchosen and his armies. Within great barrows and subterranean sepulchres the kings and dynasts of yore were laid to rest, guarding their accrued wealth - and indeed, their very souls - through powerful enchantments. Yet no mystic cartouche or revenant curse can stop the Undying King from taking that which he believes to be his.
You have descended into the bowels of one such dungeon, intent on claiming the soul-energies of a fallen king. Yet his resting place is sealed by a warded stone gate, and guarded by the remains of his five greatest knights. To gain access to the tomb and feast upon the deathly energies within, you must defeat each of these mighty warriors to open the seal. Be warned, though, that the passage of years has not dimmed their unique and deadly skills.
Set-up
Prerequisite: 4 dominated territories
Stake: 1 dominated territory
The Adversaries
The Adversary player musters a warband that consists of 5 fighters, each of which is one of the following:
- Wight King with Baleful Tomb Blade
- Wight King with Black Axe
Variations on the Wight King no longer exist, so simply use 5 Wight Kings.
The Challenger Warband
The Challenger musters a warband with the following amendments:
- The Challenger must muster a Death warband, and all fighters in the Challenger warband must be chosen from the Challenger's warband roster.
Special Rules
The King's Champions: Each of the fighters in the Adversary player's warband has a different title picked from the list below. Before the battle, the Adversary player picks 1 title for each of their fighters. Each title gives a bonus rule to that fighter.
The Flayed Knight: Add 1 to the Toughness characteristic of this fighter.
The Briar Knight: Add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of attack actions made by this fighter.
The Martyr Knight: Each time this fighter activates, you can remove D6 damage points allocated to them.
The Dolorous Knight: Count each critical hit from attack actions that target this fighter as a hit instead. First Sword of the Fallen King: Each time this fighter activates, it can make a bonus move action or a bonus attack action.
Entering the Tomb: The players' warbands are not split into battle groups. To deploy, the Adversary player sets up their fighters wholly within 6" of the centre of the battlefield. Then, the Challenger picks 1 entrance tunnel and sets up their warband wholly within 6" of it.
Battleplan
Terrain: See map.
Designer's Note: If the players have the Catacombs Board Pack, we recommend using the Halls of Velorum dungeon battlefield instead and setting up the dungeon scenery freely.
Deployment: See 'Entering the Tomb' above.
Victory: A player wins the battle as soon as every fighter in their opponent's warband is taken down.
Twist: Dark Shadows
The Spoils
If the Challenger wins the battle, they can choose 1 of the following spoils:
Treasure Hoard: See page 105.
Artefact of Power: The Challenger can give 1 fighter in their warband the following artefact of power:
Blade of the Deathless Order: As if to add insult to injury, you have bound the souls of the five knights into this eldritch blade, and can call upon their powers to bolster you at crucial moments.
Once per battle, the bearer can use this artefact to make
a bonus attack action, or to remove D6 damage points
allocated to them.