(Fistful of Gnomes) Dire Wolves

Most gnome historians who focus on the 2nd California-Deseret War only focus on the battles.  Few cover the logistical nightmares the evolved after both sides self-sabotaged their rail lines.  Thousands were lost or stranded throughout the Western Nevada Terrirtory.  

The men under the command of Mormon Sergeant John Hyrum Taylor were particularly hardened, both in war, but also within their hearts.  Taylor was but a young teen volunteer during the 1st War, so the incompetence and lack of support made him long for peacetime, and a discharge from service.  His men, a motely collection of the faithful throughout the Theocratic Kingdom were not too far behind.  Weeks without proper food, and days with insufficient water had left them salty, and ready to stray from God.

Rising over a ridge, the troopers viewed a small river down below, meagerly supporting a farm.  Private Isiah Thompson became excited. 

"I'm home!"  Ike said.  

Indeed it was the family farm Ike grew up on, but among his fellow soldiers, it was his death sentence.  The youngest of the seven, he would speak non-stop about any subject, just to keep from listening to silence.  All throughout the campaign, he had mentioned his family farm, and rumors that, during the 1st War, his uncles had buried some heretical California gold on the premises.  He had gone so in-depth that he detailed possible locations.  

While shelter and hospitality sounded like a welcome respite.  Sergeant Taylor and the older veterans strayed to stray from the Lord.  The gold would be theirs, and Ike, nor anyone else in family, were going to stop them.  

As they reached the farm near dusk, Ike was concerned. The family farm was empty.  Their was no sign of any gnomes, and the inside of the farm house marked chores in the middle of being down.  They appeared to leave in a hurry. 

The Sergeant decided it was best to rest for the night, scrounge up some food, and replenish their water.  

In the middle of the night, they were awoken by the sound of a gnome screaming.  A quick policing determined that Ike was the trooper performing guard duty, and their was no sign of him.

There was, however, multiple howls bellowed across the night sky.

"Those aren't coyotes," Sergeant Taylor spoke with resignation.  "Those are Desert Wolves.  I pray to God Private Ike went quickly."

There was a change of plans.  Murdering Ike and his family for the gold was no longer necessary.  Fighting off the wolves, finding the gold, and heading west into California to start new lives was the new plan. 

The Mormons 

Set-up:  In teams of two, each facing a direction 

(Northeast)

Sgt Taylor  (Shoot 10, Close Combat 8) Rifle, Knife  - Deadeye, Encouraging, Cool-Headed

Private Samuel "Sam" Gardner

(South)

Private Benjamin "Ben" Hale

Private Nathaniel "Nate" Jensen

(West)

Private Elijah "Eli" Porter

Private Ezekiel "Zeke" Harris

All Privates are Shooting 8 (Deadeye +1 to shoot),    Close Combest 6, with Bayonets for +1 wound rolls.   

Objective:  5 points for finding the treasure and moving it off a table edge (closest preferred).  1 point for each gnome alive when that happens.    The gnomes may spend one action while touching the marker.  Roll 1d6.  On a 6, the gold is revealed.  And +1 cumulatively for each marker past the first searched. 

Desert Wolves (Most Dire, Indeed!)

Close Combat d10, Speed 8, Ignore Shock results.

Objective: Kill! Kill! Kill!  Two points for each gnome rendered out of action.

The now-abandoned Thompson homestead. The gems represent the alleged hidey-holes.

Round One:  One wolf came sprinting out the early morning fog from the south, neither  Ben nor Nate could hit the beast, much less kill it.  

As the rest of the pack emerged from the multiple directions, Sgt Taylor was happy he paired with the most senior Private, Sam Gardner.   Sam fell one particular large beast with but a single shot.  

Sgt Taylor decided the best defense was scouring the farm for gold, and while Sam was scouring the fields for the next wolf, the NCO hopped the fence looking for the closest alleged cache.  

Private Sam spies another wolf, and Sgt Taylor is nowhere to be seen

Over on the west side of the farm, Privates Eli and Zeke could hear the snarls  Smith hopped the fence and went out to search for the treasure. 

Eli:  "Cover me, I'm checking out the treasure."  

It was close enough that he reached the spot, uncovered the old box, opening the lid, his eyes grew wide, just before a wolf leapt out from the crops.  Eli's was only knocked down, but his weapon went flying, crashing into a rock, the stock shattering.  He was close enough to the spot bring his hands together is greed over the Mormon. Something was in that cubby just then another wolf silently leaps out of the field, knocking him down, sending his weapon flying and crashing against the rocks. 

Private Eli is in trouble. Prone (-1), in shock (-1) and weaponless (-1)

Round Two

Acting on pure instinct, Private Eli spun to his feet, throwing haymakers at a very confused wolf.  Private Zeke sat behind the fence in disbelief.    The wolf bides its time and quickly Eli is knocked back onto the ground, gushing blood, searching for a stick, a rock, anything to defend himself against the beast.  

A second wolf bursts from the fields onto Ben and Nate from the south.    The original wolf kills Nate in close combat, while Ben wounds the new creature.  

Sergeant comes up empty handed in the suspected cache, and assuming Sam has everything well in hand, works around the supply shed only to see Zeke stare down a completely different wolf. 

It should be noted that Sam, who "had everything in hand" pulled the trigger to his weapon with a resounding *CLICK* and hastily retreated towards the other troopers.

Round Three

Private Eli's lifeforce is extinguished with a savagery from the wolf that no man could resist.   It's maw covered with blood, the wolf begins moving towards it's next victim:  Sergeant Taylor

Sergeant Taylor sneered at the man-killer "Not today, Devil." and with a single shot, fell the wolf.  He then casually walked up to the scrum between another wolf and Zeke, and sliced at that beast with his knife.  

In the south, Private Ben withstood the attack of the wolf with his trusty bayonet, then spying a gargantuan version of its brethren, aimed cautiously, to only realize that, he too was out of ammo. 

Sheer panic in front of the barn

Round Four:  Sergeant raised his knife to the sky and plunged it between the wolf's ribs, killing it.

Sergeant John Hyrum Taylor - Mormon Badass

Private Ben had managed to reload his weapon seconds before the new, monstrous wolf knocked him down, shredding his arm.  

Back at the shed, Sergeant Taylor was bout to order Private Zeke to hop the fence, check the treasure cache, and high-tail it away from there, but an unseen force hit them from behind.  

The "man-killer" that Taylor had labelled wasn't dead, merely wounded, and it recovered enough to no only attack Zeke and the Sergeant but hurt them both. 

Blindside attack a la Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka

Private Sam also managed to reload, but was soon meeting the inevitable same fate as Private Ben.

Round Five:  The wolves finally dispatched Same and Ben, reveling in the feast of their flesh.  

Back at the shed, the wolf easily murdered Private Zeke, but left an open position for prone Sergeant Taylor to crawl over and stab the beast, killing it.  The wolf's body landed on Taylor, trapping him underneath.  

Round Six and Beyond:  Sergeant Taylor lay underneath the carcass of the wolf.  All the noises left on the farm were not human.  His survival instinct raging, He carefully extracted himself from under his furry shelter.  If he only got over the fence, he might have enough energy to escape the wolves and their pre-occupied feast.  Alas, he had gotten his body up onto the fence, straddling the beam, when one of the other wolves was alerted to the movement and charged 

RIP Sergeant Taylor.  Only God knows your transgressions this day.

Game Notes:  Fun Fact: I gave the Mormon sergeant the base stats for an officer.   Had I given him the actual modern NCO stat block, his trait of Determined "Ignore all shock and wounds in close combat"  would have been even more devastating.  

This scenario is an interpretation of the Flintloque scenario, Dead Birds Don't Lie by Tony Harwood. It was originally published for Orcs in the Webbe on All Hallow's Eve, the 31st October, 2016.

Rules are Fistful of Lead by Wiley Games.  Figures are Gnome Wars by Brigade Games, with a mixture of Games Workshop and Ral Partha wolves. 

I used wolves because (surprise surprise) I actually don't own any of the Znombies   I do plan on reusing the scenario and proper zombies for a later game.