Tomb of Achshad Freeblades Campaign

Faelon is a place of constant strife. Though it is said to live in a time of peace, peace is relative. Along the border between Haradel and Falkaar, war is always imminent. The border lands are always in contest with each side looking to gain the advantage and claim the border areas once and for all. Occasionally, all out war erupts bringing destruction to all sides and hurting the people that are caught in between.
During the least violent times, the conflicts are fought by freebands armed and funded by the nobles on both sides of the border. During times of greater conflict, even the Kings and Queens of Haradel and Falkaar are involved. One such time has just passed and once again the land and people attempt to heal from a war that has gained so little but cost so much.
With both Kingdoms having embroiled themselves in the War of the Inner Sea, King Mundar of Haradel and Queen Jerissa of Falkaar have re-established diplomatic communications and have ceased open conflict. In secret, however, both have given their border nobles standing orders to achieve whatever superiority they can over their opponents as the next border conflict is always right around the corner.
With this in mind, both sides have sought assistance from their libraries. These repositories of knowledge have long held knowledge and power hidden in plain sight for those that are patient and tenacious enough to find it.
In both Raman in Haradel and the Barony of Jehndal along Falkaar's Southeastern border, there are not only formidable libraries but groups of scholars who study the Dathglar; an area of Desert and magical wonder created by an ancient cataclysm that turned the city of Nehvodim and the surrounding area into a barren and mysterious wasteland.
These studies have yielded a surprising record: The Tale of Achshad.
Long ago, a Krai Jan ruler named Achshad united the people of Letheradim against the Traazorite uprising. Despite starvation and facing the utter annihilation of his people, he held out against a Traazorite siege that lasted nearly 3 months.
Near the end, as the last of the food supplies gave out and it seemed that only a miracle from the Ga'al would save them, Achshad organized the remains of his army and on foot sortied out against a superior foe. He struck on a moonless, cloudy night in a place where his scouts had determined the besieging army weakest. With all the ferocity his Phalanx could muster, they drove a wedge into the besieging rebels. Against the determination of their Achshad and his Krai-Jan warriors, the Traazorites broke and scattered. For a moment it appeared that Achshad and his forces would lift the siege. Achshad's plan, however, was not escape. He knew the situation better. Momentarily broken but not destroyed, the Traazorites rallied, but Achshad now had their attention. Collapsing their lines toward the Krai-Jan phalanx threatened to destroy Achshad’s small force. The Traazorite General was not dumb. With his troops rallying and the bulk of the Krai-Jan forces engaged in their failed sortie, He chose this time to force the city gates and end the siege.
As the dawn began to light the horizon, the Traazorites destroyed the front gate and began to pour into the city. At that moment, as the trade gate was destroyed, a second opened. From within the walls a second group emerged, mounted and riding from the rear gate like a gale. Those who could not fight: women, the young, the infirm, and a few chosen warriors and casters to protect and lead them, broke from the gate and galloped at top speed toward the gap that Achshad had created for them.
Those who could fight now did so ferociously, holding the Traazorite besiegers apart as the civilians fled between them. Achshad himself was at the front, wielding his magic like a storm. At one moment he would block the advance of the Traazorites with a wall of rocks, and in the next, he would open a gaping hole in the ground to consume his enemies. Surrounded by his personal cadre of guards and casters and bolstered by the remains of his garrison, he gave the diversionary force a chance to hold the Rebels off until his people could pass through and escape.
The Traazorites, seeing what was happening, poured everything into crushing the wedge. Despite their superiority in numbers and equipment, they could not crush Achshad's lines. His soldiers would not break, nor would they give up. They forced the Sun-Worshiping rebels to kill every last one of them, which of course they eventually did.
Achshad died last, having exhausted his magical energy. With heaps of his enemies around him and a prayer of thanks to the Ga'al on his lips, he was finally felled. As his eyes closed for the last time he saw the last of his people disappearing on the eastern horizon.
His sacrifice had worked. As the ferocity of Achshad's attack increased, the Traazorites had focused almost solely on him, allowing his people to escape to the safety of a nearby range of forested hills. They kept moving until they were sure that no Traazorite was pursuing them. Eventually they settled south of present day Raman where they kept a record of their people, their leader, and their way of life. Much of what is known of the Krai Jan on the Northern Continent comes from this small contingent of Achshad's people.
These survivors would live to become a rebellion in their own right, waging a clandestine war against the Traazorite empire for generations until they helped rid the land of their oppressors as the Faeler people emigrated south. As the Faelers settled the land, the remainder of Achshad's people settled among them and record of his people disappeared into history as they became part of the Faeler's reshaping of the land.
As the battle ended, it is said that a ray of light pierced the cloud cover and shone on the broken body of Achshad. The Rebellious Sun-Worshipers, upon seeing the column of light shine down from the sky, refused to touch the body or any of his retinue that the light touched. They took it as a sign that Runah, their God, honored Achshad's prowess as a warrior and was satisfied by his sacrifice to save his people. They erected a shrine on the spot, burying him beneath it with his armor and weapons. Around his body they buried his loyal retinue, a mix of casters and fierce warriors that died with him. The shrine, supposedly an image of the sun the size of the ray that pierced the heavens in honor of him, still existed to mark the final resting place of Achshad and his brave warriors.
Reading these accounts, both the Count of Raman and the Baron of Jendal believe that the weapons and armor of this hero could help them gain an upper hand in the next border conflict. Such powerful magic, without doubt blessed by both The Ga'al and honored by Runah, must be able to give advantage to whoever wielded it. With this in mind, both the Baron and the Duke put out a call for freeblades.
Further south, in the Free City of Tehradim, The Lord Mayor has also taken an interest in Achshad's artifacts. Word has reached her, as it often does, that the Border Nobles have begun a search for them. The Lord Mayor has known of these artifacts for quite a time, but believes that like so many things in the world they should be left alone as they lie.
Now, with Raman and Jehndal preparing to find the Shrine of Achshad, the Lord Mayor of Tehradim calls for freeblades as well. She intends to get to the Shrine first, using her first hand knowledge of the Shrine's location, to extract the artifacts and guard them from falling into the hands of those that may misuse them for power and advantage.

The Armory

Rules
The Tomb of Achshad is a Freeblades Campaign. It uses the Campaign rules from The Living Rulebook (pages 148-158). Those rules are in effect along with the additions and changes noted in this Campaign.

Who's in Charge?
The Gamemaster (GM) is the person running the campaign, a term synonymous with Campaign Organizer, but possibly more relatable to gamers.

Freeband Size
Each player begins the game with a starting treasury of 150 gold royals with which to recruit their initial freeband.

Heirlooms
Each player may also choose an Heirloom for their freeband. This represents a magic item that your freeband has come into possession of, be it handed down through a family, found during one of its adventures, or perhaps take from a mighty enemy. It may be assigned to any model. Once assigned, the item may only be employed by that model, or a model from another freeband who has acquired it. A model is always treated as having the Hate [model holding the heirloom] talent. The heirloom is not counted as part of the freeband value of the freeband of its origin.
To acquire an Heirloom, roll three times on either of the two magic tables (page 88 LRB). Choose one of the generated magic items.

MAGIC ITEM DUPLICATES
At any time a freeband acquires an item that is to be randomly determined, it may continue to reroll until it results in an item the freeband does not possess.

ALTERNATE HANDICAP
If all players in a game agree, the normal handicap rules are not employed. Instead, the freeband in that game with the lowest freeband value uses its entire freeband. All other freebands may only deploy models and items adding to the same freeband value as that set by the lowest. Playtest Models and Freebands
A Player may use Playtest models and freebands if the GM allows. However, if he or she does, their opponent gains one Destiny stone at the beginning of the game.

Dispatches
At the end of each game, the players send a dispatch to the GM. This may be done over an agreed Facebook page, over an email, or merely reported on site.
Dispatches take the following form: Name, freeband value at start of game, Date, Opponent, Scenario, Result, Gold gained, AP gained. For example: Matt, 225, Oct 25, Julie, Looting Spree, Loss, 10 gold, 7AP

Winning the Campaign
The player that returns the most Magical items found in Scenario three to their patron wins the Campaign. If there is a tie, the winner is the freeband with the best Win-Loss Record. If it is still a tie, a leader fight is inevitable. Also, the following honors will be given out as well:
Blademaster – The model with the highest MAR.
Archmage – The Caster with the highest CAR.
Deadeye – the model with the highest RAR.
The Dentist – the model with the highest KNW.
Inglorious Bastards – the freeband with the highest freeband value.
Faelon Retirement Community – the freeband with the highest combined base cost and treasury.
The Expendables – the freeband with the most injuries.

Dramatis Personae

Patrons
Each player will choose one of several important personages of Faelon as their Patron, the person to whom their freeband is warranted. Each Patron comes with a special rule that applies to the players who are warranted to him.
Prior to the start of the campaign, each player will select a patron according to rules provided by the GM. This process could be simple choice, or it may be more complicated, such as a draft or a bidding process.

Patrons for the Tomb of Achshad Campaign:

Count Yalev Raman of Raman
Raman is a vassal to the Warden in Arsmouth. The town itself sits upon a gold mine and the Count keeps a large force of knights and militia quartered in town to patrol his long border. Located in the southwestern corner of Haradel Raman is the gateway to the Dathglar and southern Falkaar. Count Yalev Raman focuses his efforts on maintaining a strong force to repel both the threat of war and the strange things wandering the dunes of the Dathglar.
Special Rule: Plentiful Troops. In a freeband with Raman as Patron, one follower per game may be recruited for 4 less gold than normal and hireling followers cost 2 less handicap points.


Baron Darmen Talas of Jendal.
Jendal guards the southern border of Falkaar and is home to one of the finest and most renowned bladeschools in Faelon. Bladeseekers of Jendal roam far and wide looking for those with the innate talent to someday wield the dangerous kolekar. Special Rule: Trained by the Best. On any advance table roll, a player with the Baron of Jendal as their Patron may choose to accept the result or the one right above or below it on the table.

The Lord Mayor of the Free City of Tehradim
Tehradim is a free city located in the unaffiliated area between Falkaar and Haradel. It is primarily a trade city, with docks full of ships that might not be allowed in other ports because of political affiliation and trade disputes. The masters of the Free City have long sought to bring balance to the politics and conflicts of Faelon. They have many resources not commonly available to other powerful actors and work to prevent any faction from becoming too powerful. The Lord Mayor is often an arbiter of disputes between the realms and none want to gain her ire.
Special Rule: Balance of Power. At the start of any turn before initiative is rolled, the player may assign a fatestone to any of their models. Then, they must assign a fatestone to an equivalent Ready non-NPC enemy model (hero for hero, leader for leader, caster for caster, follower for follower). There must be an equivalent Ready non-NPC enemy model for this ability to be employed.