Lord Citrus Seltzer Confronts an Ancient Foe: House of the Beast 2


Turning his back to the vanquished RED TENTACLE (whose tip still lies wriggling on the ground), LORD CITRUS SELTZER marches his troops past numerous distractions –



 

"Yer loss, bub."


– And brings his host to the jungle's edge...



 

...To investigate the mysterious PALANQUIN and its accompanying WAR BAND.

 

 

On a sumptuously ornamented palanquin, borne aloft by a quartet of pantsless harem boys, lounges the war band's leader: a dazzlingly arrayed woman of great and exotic wealth, shielded from the already leaf-shadowed sunlight by the dutiful attentions of a parasol-maiden.



 

Around the feet of this strange conveyance stand 4 men of equally exotic garb and military bearing.



 

The most fearsome of them steps forward, swashes his steel-plated shield with a golden shamshir, and cries out:



 

"Stand aside, all, for the Queen of Serpents sets out to reclaim her own, to find him who was taken from her! Stand aside, or feel the terror of her displeasure!"


No host has marched under the livery of the Queen of Serpents for almost a century. The last mention of such a demonic force occurs in the Pantaloonian Chronicle of 1366, which detailed the bloody battles on the island of Crete between the Ottomans and the armies of Constantinople (including a large contingent of Pantaloonians under the command of legendary General Lamellar of Viper Island).


After months of fighting, both sides were beset by the unholy host of the Queen of Serpents, who enslaved Roman and Ottoman alike, worked numerous foul magics, covered the land in a plague of venomous vipers, turned men into beasts, and – most egregiously – banned the wearing of pants by any outside her chosen circle on pain of death. The Chronicle claimed that she was finally forced – through great tactical brilliance and at incredible cost – to withdraw in her gilded pleasure barge "to accursed shores unknown." The historical record has borne no mention of her since…

Either the sorcerous office has been revived under a new occupant… or the original she-tyrant has returned after a silent furlough of 97 years. Neither possibility is a comforting thought.

 


"Stand aside, I say, or face the dire consequences!"


The jungle is dense – maneuvering horses in its foliage will be quite difficult. If fighting must be done amongst the trees, cavalry will most likely have to dismount and fight as footmen.


The field LORD SELTZER currently stands in his much more conducive to mounted combat.



 

To the NORTH, the jungle trees curve away towards the HOUSE OF THE BEAST and a cliff-lined PASS.



 

To the SOUTH, the trees curve way towards the PAGAN SHRINE –

 


– guarded by what appears to be blue-clad PANTALOONIAN SOLDIERS.



 

BEHIND LORD SELTZER'S troops stands the ancient BURIAL MOUND (still moaning in the wind) and the unexplored FARMHOUSE with an adjacent fenced in FARMYARD.



 

What will LORD CITRUS do?

Stand your ground and demand to know what business the Queen of Serpents could have on your island, with…


1. Your best INFANTRY in front, you and your CAVALRY in back, positioned to swoop around and smash into the flanks of your enemy, if they attack you.

2. CAVALRY in front, ready to charge the moment anything emerges from the JUNGLE.

3. DISMOUNT and join your INFANTRY in a SHIELD WALL – most heavily armored soldiers in front, MUSKETEERS and BEGGARS in back.

Step aside and…


4. Take a defensive position on the BURIAL MOUND, from whence – if needed – you can charge or open fire with a bonus.

5. Take a defensive position in the FARMHOUSE's fenced in FARMYARD, where the sturdy wooden stockade will give you a defensive bonus.

6. Lead your troops SOUTH (the towards the PAGAN SHRINE) around the edge of the JUNGLE to see if you can FLANK the QUEEN OF SERPENTS and her war band.

7. Lead your troops NORTH (towards the cliff-lined PASS) around the edge of the JUNGLE to see if you can FLANK the QUEEN OF SERPENTS and her war band.

Take hostile action and…


8. Dismount and CHARGE into the JUNGLE to slay the sorceress and her minions!

9. Send your INFANTRY into the JUNGLE to flush the enemy out into the open FIELD, where you and your CAVALRY wait to ride them down.

10. Order your MUSKETEERS to OPEN FIRE and wait to CHARGE whatever emerges from the JUNGLE.

Or come up with your own crazy plan…


11. OTHER:__________________________

















 

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