It’s that time of year again – the time when Americans look to the woods for a plump bird to throw down on the big family table along with some canned cranberry sauce (anything else is anti-freedom) for a cozy meal. Unfortunately for our Silver Bayonet unit, they themselves might end up being the hunted.
Scenario: Cult of the Black Feather
Attention to orders: your Silver Bayonet unit is to proceed to the hamlet of Romangordo, Spain to investigate a recent disturbance. To put it bluntly, it is alleged that cultists serving a demonic entity of some sort are kidnapping children and the aged out of the village to sacrifice in the forest surrounding. What follows are reports taken by the Adjutant of Third Battalion, who are encamped nearby for winter quarters.
Account from Mayor of Romangordo. Received November 24, 1809
I had readied myself for bed two nights ago, had my sleeping gown on and was just blowing out the candle when I was disturbed by a hideous racket outside. I ran toward the shutters and heard a blood-curdling scream – I could tell it was Ms. Ramira, as they live across the street from my wife and me.
I ran over, lantern in hand, and spoke with her – she was frantic. Her son Reynaldo was missing from his bed, with the window open, even though it had been locked from the inside. What looked like a black feather had been inscribed with charcoal on the wall over the boy’s bed.
By then Gonzalo had already called up the town guard. They marched out of town with muskets in hand, at least a dozen of them. They searched the wood but could not find any trace of the missing boy.
Account from Sergeant of the Guard, Third Battalion. Received November 22, 1809
As Sergeant of the Guard for the evening watch, I had the responsibility of responding to any call-ups from the picket from midnight to six in the morning. I had stationed myself at the picket tent, going through various pieces of rigamarole paperwork the Adjutant had assigned me. Each 15 minutes I moved my pickets, going to each guard mount and taking report.
Around two thirty in the morning I heard a musket discharge and then ‘Sergeant of the Guard, guard post three!’. I ran as quickly as I could, along with our guard mount reserve just in case. Private Bland had discharged his musket and was reloading as we approached. I immediately questioned him as to why he had fired in the middle of the night, but was quickly cut short by the look on the man’s face; he looked like he had seen a ghost.
He was trembling slightly and had was merely going through the motions of loading; he had actually loaded three rounds into his musket. I had the second corporal take his musket from him and posted two more guards at the post while we took his report slightly back from the picket line.
What followed is one of the oddest, most disturbing things I’ve ever heard. Bland, a hardened veteran, reported that he had seen a giant lumbering bird with yellow eyes about 20 feet from his post. The bird had been approaching quietly and had begun to lunge at Bland. He fired as soon as he could – he claims he hit it – and it ran off into the wood. All we could find were three black feathers the length of a sabre.
Account from Quartermaster Sergeant, Third Battalion. Received November 22, 1809
I was awoken in the early morning twilight, around five, to a rustling outside my tent. We had a wagon load of supplies that had come in and it was waiting under guard to be distributed. I immediately threw open the flap of my tent to see our guard, his throat slit, bleeding out underneath the wagon. I could see from my vantage point two pair of buckled shoes on the other side of the wagon.
I picked up my pistol, loaded it, and advanced on the thieves. I called out “HALT! Who goes there?” As soon as I did, the thieves crouched low. In the twilight I couldn’t make out more than two shapes – one man and one woman. They were wearing oddly colored garb, as if they were going to a costume party. Seeing that they were not giving themselves up, I drew my sabre and fired the pistol, hitting the man in the shoulder. They turned and ran into the forest. I did my best for the private but he could not be saved.
Account from Sheriff of Romangordo. Received November 25, 1809.
We were called to the home of Thomasino at six in the morning, myself and my two deputies. The window on the second floor had been opened from the outside, we could see that on our way in. Going up the stairs, we came upon a dastardly sight – Thomasino, an old man, flayed open and pinned to the wall with daggers. His arms were spread wide with the skin of his back pinned out to look like what we thought were wings. The skin had been rubbed with charcoal so it looked black.
Thomasino’s wife, an 82 year old woman, was nowhere to be found. We reported her missing to the army stationed outside town, as we felt that perhaps they would find the culprit in their ranks.
Set-Up
This scenario is played on a 3’ x 3’ table. Place an altar or standing stone in the center of the table. The table should be mostly clear within 6” of the center. The rest of the table should be heavily covered in trees, underbrush, and scattered rocks.
Place five clue markers on the table – one 8″ from three different corners toward the center (ie. draw a line to the center of the table, measure 8″, and put down a clue marker”, and two on opposite sides of the center 3″ toward a corner with a clue marker in it. It should look like this:
Deploy the player’s unit in the starting area, within 6″ of the corner that doesn’t have a clue marker in it.
After all the unit members are placed on the table, place one Cultist near each clue marker. Then place a Possessed touching the altar or standing stone.
At the end of turns 1,2, and 4 place another Cultist on the table at the center point of a random table edge. At the end of turn 3, place a Demon (the Gobbler!) at the center point of a random table edge.
Special Rules
Your unit has been sent to the forest during twilight hours. All Shooting Attacks made at targets over 7″ away suffer -1, while Shooting Attacks at targets over 14″ away suffer -2.
At the start of turn 3, a friendly patrol has heard commotion in the area and double-quicked to take a look. Place three infantrymen under your control at the center of a random table edge.
The scenario continues until there are no soldiers, or no monsters, left on the table. Soldiers may not exit the table until after turn 5.
| The Cult of the Black Feather Clue Marker Table | |
|---|---|
| Ace of Spades | Bag of Salt: The Investigating figure's Shooting Attacks count as salted for the rest of the game. |
| King of Spades | Bag of Salt: The Investigating figure's Shooting Attacks count as salted for the rest of the game. |
| Queen of Spades | Soldier's Charm: A soldier has dropped a charm that was very valuable to them. The Investigating figure's Melee attacks count as blessed for the rest of the game. |
| Jack of Spades | Chef's Cleaver: The local restaurateur, Marcos, dropped his special cleaver here (as he was being kidnapped by the cult). The Investigating figure's Melee attacks count as blessed and Strong for the rest of the game. |
| 10 of Spades | Child's doll: A small straw doll has been dropped by a kidnapped child. Footsteps point toward the direction of the Altar or Stone, giving the unit hope that they can find the Gobbler and destroy it. You may add one Power or Skill die to your Fate Pool. |
Rewards
Units receive the following bonus experience points for this scenario:
• +1 experience point if the unit Investigates three or more clue markers.
• +1 experience point if the unit kills three or more Cultists.
• +2 experience points if the unit kills the Gobbler.
• +1 experience point if at least two soldiers either exit the table or are left on the
table at the end of the scenario.
• +1 experience point if at least four soldiers either exit the table or are left on the
table at the end of the scenario (cumulative with the previous rewards).
• +1 experience point if at least six soldiers either exit the table or are left on the
table at the end of the scenario (cumulative with the previous rewards).
Miniature Sources
My favorite cultists for The Silver Bayonet are the official North Star Military Figures cultists which can be found here. For the gobbler, there are a number of turkeys you can choose from.
The Dire Turducken from Reaper
The amazing Turkey Man from BadSquiddoGames
The Dark Turkey from Grinning God on MMF
The Autumn Dragurkey from The Dragon Trappers Lodge on MMF
Epilogue
The Silver Bayonet, if successful, will find out that the Cult has been sacrificing villagers to feed the Gobbler. They believed that by the end of November the Gobbler would be sated enough that they could lead it to Romangordo to take over the village.
If the unit kills the Possessed, they find ancient writings that detail the end result of feeding the Gobbler until the last Thursday in November; the Gobbler ate all of the previous cult and moved on. It has been moving through Europe for years, ending cults and avoiding the table, growing fatter each year.
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