Skirmish Miniatures Wargame

Cr editS

A Game by Croc & Geoffrey Picard.

Assisted by Jean-François Beney, Julien Blondel, Pierre Bouas, Thomas Cheilan, David Freeman, Sandy Julien, Joel
Lehner, Philippe Masson, Arnaud Ramonat & Manuel Sanchez.

Originally Edited by Yann Arndt & Alicia Simonnet. English Version Edited by Tim Crothers, David Freeman,
Joel Lehner, & Robert Noland.

Figurines

Miniature Concepts : Bertrand Benoit, Croc, Thomas David, Jacques-Alexandre Gillois & Geoffrey Picard.

Design Concept : Bertrand Benoit  .

Miniature Sculptors : Michael Bigaud, Thomas David & Jacques-Alexandre Gillois  .

Miniature Painters: Allan Carrasco, Thomas David, Jacques-Alexandre Gillois, Jérôme Otremba & Sébastien Picque.

Paint & Design Sets: Team Toulouse.

Illustrations

Layout and Design: Stéphane Gantiez, Cédric Giroux, Marc Mathaly & Thomas Kohler.

Cover : Anne Rouvin.

Interior Illustrations: Bertrand Benoit, Antoine Carrion, Anthony Jean, Gurvan Friederich, Stéphane Gantiez,
Romain Gaschet, Sébastien Grenier, Nicolas Hesse, Michel Koch, Stéphane Louis, Pascal Quidault, Jean-Baptiste Reynaud,
Jean-Marc Ringuet, Jean-Sébastien Rossbach, Anne Rouvin, Marc Simonetti & Alexandre Tuis.

Department Loved hands, nudges, kicks, strokes of genius

small finds, great ideas and expert advice.

Thierry Abgrall, Emmanuel Beltrando, Guillaume Beuriot, Charlotte Bousquet, Frédéric Condette, Thomas Hervet,
Séverin Keizer, Ileana Scharager-Polet, Mikaël Scharager-Polet & Timbre-Poste.

Julien de Albuquerque, Matthieu Balay, Jean-Marie Boisnard, Gatien Billon Maurin, Stéphane Dalban, Jean-Marie
Delhinger, Cyril Derny, Jérôme Fournier, Gabriel Fraval, Frédéric Frugier, Nicolas Fuseau, Cédric Giroux, Nicolas
Gourmaud, Marie Laurent, Thimotée Laurent, Marc Mathaly, Charles Paulet, Yannick Polchetti, Alexandre Quicroix,
Pascal Saradjan, Fabien Soutif, Alexis Stacke & Muse Tesson.

David Bauwens, Bruno Béchu, Valentin Boucher, Rémy « Blacksad » Guilemin, Thierry Heit, Erwan Hubert Lionel
Labreuil, Raphaël Motta, Tom le Portois, Coralie Rouillet, Christophe « Kris » Roque & Nicolas « Juan » Rouanet.

N°41, Joël « Wagih » Alarcon, David « Anakron » Ayral, Romain van der Bogaert, Jérémie Bonament Teboul, Julien Casses,
Vivien Chesnel, Laurent « Werewolf » Exposito Mas, Bruno Grelier, Vincent « Minivince » Mir, Jérôme Otremba, Dimitri
« Dim69 » Peyrard, Sébastien « Jakovazor » Picque, Manuel « Manumilitari » Sanchez & David Waeselynck.

A Special Thanks to:

Matthieu «Liancour» Balay, Philippe «Alaster» Carpentier, Sebastien «Darth-Swen» Longuet, Philippe «CCCP» Villé.

Cipher Studios 2011


Hell Has Not Always
Been Hell����������������������������� 4
The Gates of Hell ��������������������������13
The Thirty Years War ��������������������13
Passages to the Beyond �����������������15
The Europeans ������������������������������18
The Situation in Europe Since the
Opening of the Gates ����������������18
The Situation in the Colony of
New Jerusalem����������������������������18
Supplies and Pay ���������������������������18
Spiritual and
Material Motivations ����������������20
The Ottoman Empire �������������������20
The Empire Below ������������������������25
Geography of Hell ������������������������25
The first day ���������������������������������26
The People of Hell ������������������������ 27
Titles and Demonic Hierarchy ������28
The Lost ���������������������������������������29
Exploration & Conquest ���������������30
Rules and Game-Play �����������35
The Basics ������������������������������������ 35
Dice ���������������������������������������������� 35
Fathoms ���������������������������������������� 35
Distance ��������������������������������������� 35
Measurement �������������������������������� 35
Facing ������������������������������������������� 35
Contact and Control Area ������������36
Contact �����������������������������������������36
Control Area ��������������������������������36
The Armed Forces ������������������������ 37
Unit Ranks ����������������������������������� 37
Officers ���������������������������������������� 37
Independents ������������������������������� 38
Troopers ��������������������������������������� 38
Unit Statistics ������������������������������� 38
Movement (MVT) ������������������������� 38
Shooting Skill (SHS) ���������������������� 38
Combat (CBT) ������������������������������ 38
Defense (DEF) ������������������������������� 38
Protection (PR) ����������������������������� 39
Life Points (LP) �����������������������������39
Faith (FTH) ���������������������������������� 40
Command (CMD) ������������������������ 40
Weapon Statistics. ����������������������� 40
Power Table ��������������������������������� 40
Range ��������������������������������������������41
Damage Type ��������������������������������41
Weapons Abilities �������������������������41
Nature of the Units �����������������������41
Magic, Special Abilities,
and Orders �������������������������������42
Unit Base Size ������������������������������42
Value, Faction, and Availability
of a Unit �����������������������������������42
Dominance �����������������������������������43
Turns ��������������������������������������������43
Upkeep Phase �������������������������������43
Action Phase ���������������������������������43
Definitions ����������������������������������� 44
First Activation ���������������������������� 44
Being Outnumbered ���������������������45
Activation �������������������������������������45
Movement ������������������������������������48
Control Area Effects ���������������������49
Combat ����������������������������������������49
Close Combat �������������������������������50
Resolving an Attack Sequence ������50
Special Situations ��������������������������51
Ranged Combat ���������������������������� 52
Shots �������������������������������������������� 52
Shooting Into Close Combat ��������54
Explosions ������������������������������������56
Blast Weapons ����������������������������� 57
Command and Orders ������������������58
Command. ������������������������������������58
GlossarY
Orders ������������������������������������������ 61
Magic ��������������������������������������������62
Auras ��������������������������������������������62
Lemures and Spells ����������������������62
States ������������������������������������������ 64
Special Abilities ��������������������������� 68
Constructing your
Company ���������������������������75
Recruiting Mercenaries ����������������� 75
Larger Battles ������������������������������� 75
Factions ���������������������������������77
The Westerners ��������������������77
The Western Kingdom Below ������� 77
Identifying Our Enemies ��������������� 78
The War Effort ����������������������������� 78
The Free Companies of Hell ���������80
Francisco Vargas ����������������������������81
Baptiste Valombre ������������������������82
Sir Valet ���������������������������������������� 83
Vincenzo Maculano
de Fiorenzuola ��������������������������85
Georg von Holbein ���������������������� 86
Aidan St. James ���������������������������� 87
Alvaro Echeverria de Balaguer. �����88
Anna Bogna Pavlova ���������������������89
Sister Eloise ��������������������������������� 90
Sara Zingaresce ���������������������������� 91
Swashbuckler ��������������������������������92
Missionary ������������������������������������ 93
Arquebuser ���������������������������������� 94
Doppelsöldner ������������������������������95
Grenadier ������������������������������������ 96
Blade for Hire �������������������������������97
The Demons ������������������������� 99
Asaliah ����������������������������������������103
Samael ���������������������������������������� 104
Tsilla ��������������������������������������������105
Eurynome ����������������������������������� 106
Foulques the Black ��������������������� 108
Jinx ��������������������������������������������� 109
Infernal Ambassador ������������������� 110
Damned One of Pride ������������������ 111
Great Damned One of Pride ���������112
Great Dmaned One of Wrath �������113
Mourner �������������������������������������� 114
Succubus ��������������������������������������115
Damned One of Wrath ���������������� 116
Damned One of Gluttony �������������117
Damned One of Sloth ������������������ 118
Flesh Demon ������������������������������� 119
The Saracens ������������������������121
The Secrets of the Old Man �������� 121
A Series of
Strange Coincidences �������������� 121
A Quest Shared By All �����������������122
Islam, the Force of Purity as an
Antidote ����������������������������������123
The Progress of the
Spiritual Quest ������������������������123
The Muslim Presence in hell �������124
Salâh ad-Dîn ������������������������������� 126
Nazir ibn Hamid ibn Hajjad ��������� 127
Layla bint Suraya bint Javaira ������128
Tarik ibn Malik ibn Rushd �����������130
Chams al Majid ����������������������������131
Fâtina�������������������������������������������� 132
Jafar al Efrit ��������������������������������� 133
Alchemist ������������������������������������134
Hashishin. ����������������������������������� 135
Lancer �����������������������������������������136
Pillar of the Faith ������������������������� 137
Berber Chasseur ��������������������������138
Blessed Warrior ���������������������������139
Dibbukim ����������������������������������� 140 Battlefields �������������������������� 213
Hunting Panther �������������������������� 141
Setting up the Battlefield �������������213
The Lost ������������������������������ 143 Selection of the
Battlefield Type �����������������������213
Bran Carnoth ������������������������������ 146
Marking the Terrain Zones ����������213
Etruscilla ��������������������������������������147
Reconnaissance of
Kartikeya ������������������������������������ 149
the Terrain ������������������������������214
Isha-Akshay ���������������������������������150
Terraforming ��������������������������������214
Jaws of the Deep ��������������������������151
Terms Used to Describe
Wormpile ������������������������������������152
Terrain Elements ���������������������215
Saurav-Geet ��������������������������������� 153
Size of an Element �����������������������215
Vorenus ���������������������������������������154
General Effects of
Squamata Spitter ������������������������� 155
the Elements ���������������������������215
Sling Maiden
& Maggot Bearer ���������������������156 Conflict Zones ��������������������216
Fangs of the Pit ��������������������������� 157
Battlefield Type �������������������������� 216
Squamata Warrior �����������������������158
Generic Terrain Elements ����������� 216
Corvus Tormentor �����������������������159
1 Point Generic Elements ������������ 216
Squamata Tracker ����������������������� 160
2 Point Generic Elements ����������� 216
Retiarius �������������������������������������� 161
3 Point Generic Elements ������������� 217
The Mercenaries ����������������� 163 4 Point Generic Elements ������������ 217
Don Quixote de la Mancha �������� 166 Icy Wastes of Hell �������������� 217
Rocinante ������������������������������������167
Andre de Montbard �������������������� 168 1 Point Icy Wastes Elements ��������218
2 Point Icy Wastes Elements �������218
Gotz von Berlichengen ��������������� 169
Gilles de Rais ������������������������������170 3 Point Icy Wastes Elements ��������218
4 Point Icy Wastes Elements �������218
Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muldjam �������171
Alazais ����������������������������������������� 172 Icy Wastes Conflict Zones �����������218
Angelo Casaviecchi ���������������������� 173 Burning Hell ����������������������� 219
Charon ���������������������������������������� 174
Helle Møller ��������������������������������� 175 1 Point Burning Hell Elements �����219
Isaïa ben Moshe ��������������������������176 2 Point Burning Hell Elements �����219
Golem ������������������������������������������ 177 3 Point Burning Hell Elements �����219
Sha Ren Zhe ��������������������������������178 4 Point Burning Hell Elements ����219
Thirty Coins ��������������������������������179 Burning Hell Conflict Zones ��������219
Russian Trapper ������������������������� 180 Necropolis of Hell �������������� 220
Deserter �������������������������������������� 181
Damned Rank and File ����������������182 1 Point Necropolis Elements �������220
Squamata Nomad ������������������������183 2 Point Necropolis Elements �������220
3 Point Necropolis Elements �������220
The Immortals �������������������� 185 4 Point Necropolis Elements ������220
Cheng Xiao-Chen ����������������������� 189 Necropolis Conflict Zones ����������220
Li Tsu Tsin ���������������������������������� 190 Howling Plains of Hell �������� 221
Kuan Yin ��������������������������������������192
Chan Lee �������������������������������������193 1 Point Howling Plains Elements ��221
Blade Master, Human ����������������� 194 2 Point Howling Plains Elements �221
Blade Master, Hybrid �������������������195 3 Point Howling Plains Elements �221
Imperial Sentinel, Human ����������� 196 4 Point Howling Plains Elements �221
Imperial Sentinel, Demon ������������197 Howling Plains Conflict Zones ����222
Soul Carrier �������������������������������� 198
Miniatures Gallery ������������� 223
Peasants ������������������������������������� 199
The Lemures �������������������200
Rascal ���������������������������������������� 200
Candle ��������������������������������������� 200
Carabia ����������������������������������������201
Haborym �������������������������������������201
Babul ������������������������������������������202
Eludos �����������������������������������������202
Fahad ������������������������������������������202
Rabab ����������������������������������������� 203
Prizrak ���������������������������������������� 203
Ringhioso ����������������������������������� 203
Chung ���������������������������������������� 204
Xian ������������������������������������������� 204
Hou-Chi ������������������������������������� 204
Playing the Game ��������������206
Scenarios ����������������������������������� 206
Preparing for a Scenario ������������ 206
Definitions ���������������������������������� 207
Conquest ������������������������������������208
Scavenging ����������������������������������208
Defense ����������������������������������������211
Ambush ���������������������������������������212
 IntroductioN

L’Hell
enfer n’a always
has not pas tbeen
oujours
Hell
ét é l’enfer

B
efore our armies went down through the river, and before the crowned heads of Europe launched this
unstoppable charge into horror, Hell was only what our fears made it: a continent whose boundaries
were drawn by the vividness of our nightmares, and whose banks we filled with as many foul creatures
as we could imagine. A fantasy of crawling cracks, the ghost of an eternity of blood and pain. Hell had
always been the greatest of threats, brandished in the face of sinful souls just as heaven had always
been promised to the good and the pure. Paradise with its
pearly gates, its gardens of peace and well-being was given to
the souls of the virtuous, whereas Hell had only ever been
depicted as the source of absolute evil: a crawling, hostile
moorland, covered in ashes and sullied by the rivers that
carry the groans of the dead... Why has the realm of
the damned always been wrapped up in such an aura
of mysticism when the truth is so much more terrible
and stupefying? Why has Hell’s image always been
distorted so fiercely, if not to delay the inevitable
exploitation of the land’s resources and

4
 IntroductioN

inhabitants? Why did we believe, as hard as we could,

L’enfer n’a pas t oujours ét é l’enfer

that Hell was more than just a territory, more than just a
domain, the cradle of demon-kind, as surely as our Earth
was a cradle to humankind? A land made of blood just
as ours is made of stone. An earth cleansed by fire,
just as ours is washed by rain. A dry, wild and deadly
earth, but one that remains as caring and nurturing a
mother to the damned souls it gave birth to as the
one whose fruits mankind has always been nourished
with. No, Hell has not always been Hell. It became
Hell when we arrived. Until the year of our lord
1631, this new continent was just a land of sulfur, an
underground America awaiting its settlers, and we
came as conquerors to transform it, a little more
each day, into a field of battle whose harvests are
rich with souls...

I know what will be thought of me, but despite

my status in the kingdom of Hell, I have no more liking
for the demons than I do for my fellow men. I was born
a human, and human I will remain, even though the gift of
immortality has made me a special being. I am a pariah in the
eyes of those who abandoned me, as much as in the hearts of those
who have taken me under their wing. I have no feelings for any of them, neither
damned, nor mortal. I am a scientist. A historian. A simple scribe. I dedicated my adult life
to studying countries that I hoped to be imaginary, and that I know today to be more real than the stone walls of
a church. For over twenty years, I studied Hell and its regions, its rites and its inhabitants, and hundreds of times
I barely escaped being burned at the stake as a heretic by the same lords, the same crowned heads of
power or faith, who were the first ones to come seeking my knowledge the minute our soldiers
went down below the river.

They came to me for knowledge, for understanding. They came to me in the hope
that my impious activities, finally seen as a useful science after having
been branded as infamy for so long, would provide answers to the
questions that arose from Hell. They came to me as to a learned
one, a man of letters, and they sent me off through the portal to
guide our troops there along the banks of the Styx. As a scholar,
more used to the velvet silence of libraries than to the clash
of the battlefields, I was placed under the command of a
young captain, a feisty war hound who refused to see me
as anything more than a poor soldier. From the very first
morning of our expedition to the day of my sacrifice, I was
nothing to him but a useless, temporary guide, whose life he
could dispose of as he would that of a wounded horse. By forcing

f e r
me to cross the wall, the young captain turned me into a martyr. A pioneer. A

L’en f e r a
n’ p as t ou jo u rs ét é e
l’ n
5
 IntroductioN

legend. But thanks to that man, that solider so thirsty for victory and medals, I was given the honor of leaving
behind my mortality in our world and gaining eternal life in the world of the Damned...

I am Henri Latour, and I know that history will retain my name as that of the first man to cross the Wall of
Kohut. For quite some time I thought so too, before I found out that others had crossed those barriers before
me. But if history chooses to remember my name instead of those of the true pioneers, the ottoman soldiers who
discovered Hell years before we did, what I did remains true: I crossed the wall. I entered the circles of Hell and
laid my eyes on the Underworld, and I chose to remain here…

I am Henri Latour, but it has been a long time since I have been called by my mortal name. For all here, I have
become the Scribe. The Historian. The Archivist. A mortal lost in the Realm of the Damned, who entered it
during his own lifetime and wished to remain there until the end of time. I am a curiosity, a riddle for all, and a
strange and coveted object. It was this covetousness that allowed me to escape death and enter into the service
of a powerful lord. After having studied demonology for over twenty years and working for His Majesty the King
of Spain, it was only a few days until I repudiated the Holy Crown and the sash of faith, and kissed the hand of
the Prince of Thebes. After having taught the names of the infernal beasts to the crowned heads of conquering
Europe, here I was, teaching the customs and history of the mortal world to a demon lord. I say again. I have no
feelings for any of them, neither damned, nor mortal. I am a scientist. A historian. A
simple scribe...

I am Henri Latour, and this is my story.

I was born in Paris in the year 1583. My father was a theologian and my
mother was Hungarian. Back then, Hell was still nothing but a vague threat,
but many legends were already told about the depths. Great philosophers
from the Holy Roman Empire, England, France and Italy had already proved
their incredible daring by publishing the results of their research, still
considered at that time to be blatant heresy. I know that my younger years
will be of no interest to any of those who read this, but as I became an adult,
I remember reading a book which turned my juvenile interest in tortured
bodies into a deep hunger for understanding and codifying
all that the sacred scriptures had chosen to hide. It
was more than just a book it was a revelation. A non-
censored copy of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy,
passed on from hand to hand and kept hidden from
the throes of the Inquisition. The work of a visionary,
a man who would only be remembered by his first
name, but who, like me, would long be regarded
as the first to have visited the Underworld. The
description brushed by the Florentine poet was
full of blatant mistakes, and I was soon to be
able to correct them down to the minutest
detail, but his masterpiece had nonetheless
changed my existence. I was not yet thirty
years of age, and I was thereafter convinced
that one man had found his way into
the Underworld, and that he had

J e su is H en ri L at ou r, e t vo ic i m on h is t oi re 6
 IntroductioN
J e s u is H en r i L a t o u r, e t v o ic i m on
returned with enough strength of body and clearness of mind to tell the story of
his discovery...
h is t o ir e
From then on, much to the displeasure of my father, I decided to
end my studies and break my religious vows. My mother sold a few
pieces of jewelry to allow me to leave France and reach Spain,
where the inquisitors of the Holy Counsel of Seville prided
themselves in having the largest collection of accursed scrolls.

At first I was taken on as a scribe, and I had to perform

many tiresome and thankless tasks, but my enthusiasm
for copying and my French heritage lead me into the
circle of demonology that I had traveled so far to
join, and where I was to complete my knowledge
far beyond my greatest expectations. The secret
libraries of Seville taught me that for quite a few
centuries, Hell had already been described as a
physical place, an «earth under the earth», a kingdom
that could be reached if only one could find the way
there, and from which one could return as long as one
did not lose one’s soul there...

Many translations from Greek and Latin already mentioned the circles of Hell and
the lords who ruled over them. This was a proof that the Underworld, despite its
incredibly chaotic nature, was run according to feudalistic and military rules quite
similar to those of mortal men. For almost twenty years, I learned the myths and legends, the
geography, the names of the princes and fallen angels, the nature and contents of the circles, the rites, sacrifices
and ceremonies... For almost twenty years I learned everything that the wise men and the grimoires of Seville
could teach me. Looking back now, as a historian, I have to admit that at that time, before I had seen Hell with
my own eyes, I only considered this knowledge to be part of a philosophy, a science of the mind, and I never dared
to imagine that I would one day experience Hell so vividly. However, that day was to come sooner than I thought.
During the first days of the summer of 1632 my presence was requested by His Majesty the King of Spain, and I left
the Council of Seville to travel to Magdeburg in the soaking wet northern plains of the Holy Roman Empire. As I
traveled across war-ravaged Europe, I had no idea what was awaiting me. The part I would play, the sacrifice and
discoveries I would make, and the choice of immortality... My chest filled with impatience, I was walking towards
Hell as a young pianist awaits the rise of the curtain, with no idea that the curtain of the abyss was already open
and waiting for me...

I only have one vague and slightly guilty memory of my travel from Seville to Magdeburg. The whole of Europe
was crawling with famine and war. Wherever we went, there was nothing but devastated farms and villages,
burned out shells of barns, and bones of half-gutted livestock piled high in their enclosures. The roads were
nothing more than an endless procession of soldiers and wandering civilians, starving peasants, hobbling horses
carrying the wounded, makeshift carts, women and children with eyes misted up with mud and poverty, soldiers
who had lost a leg or an arm, and others whose faces were hidden behind a blood-stained bandage. Individuality
reduced to a human river of exile and defeat, trudging along under the hungry gaze of the crows and the rats.
Having spent half of my life studying the torments that Hell inflicted on the damned, I must confess with a heart

7
 IntroductioN

L’en f er é t a it b ien l à, e t n o u s l e s e
c on f u s é m en t , m a is n o u s m a r c h ionnst ion s t o u s
s u r l e fil a i g u is é d u d o u t e e t denec o r e
heavy with shame while I write these memoirs, that the sight of the starving bodies and the spectacle of broken
lives was only of a vague interest to me. I was not shocked or sad. My compassion was so reserved that it was
deeply unworthy of the scale of this human disaster. Studying Hell had given me a pale and emaciated taste of the
drama taking place around me, and all I could see was a huddled mass of paupers and defeated soldiers, as if the
scene required more blood and guts to be of interest to me. I could only think of Hell, and I realize now how very
worthy I was of it all along...

I learned the true reasons of my presence in the north of the Holy Roman Empire only a few hours after my
arrival. Judging by the dark looks that my brethren had given me, I had presumed that my mission, as well as
being important enough to require a meeting with His Majesty, must be linked to the discovery of a place, a
book, or human suffering from a rare type of possession. I was certain that I was to experience Hell in one of its
earthly manifestations. I would never have dreamed that not only was I to be allowed to enter the place itself,
but that I was expected to guide a hundred of our men and escort them down below... Staying only a few leagues
away from the ruined city of Magdeburg , I had no idea of the terrible events that had taken place there, and no
information at all had leaked out about the discovery of the portal. Hell was there, sure enough, and we all knew
it, somehow, but we were all working on the sharp wire of doubt and uncertainty. Hidden behind the vaulted
walls of my library, I had no idea of the fronts, the victories and the betrayals, the movements of the armies
that had ravaged Europe during the last few years. Admittedly, the names of Pappenheim, Tilly, Wallenstein,
Prince Henri II de Bourbon or Bernhard of Saxe were not totally unknown to me, but I could not have told ally
from enemy or trustworthy from traitor in this messy war, no more than I could have saluted the victor, if by any

8
 IntroductioN

chance this massive butchery

ever designated one.... I was
nothing but a scholar, a learned
man with uncertain eyesight, but if
there was one name I will never forget,
it was that of the young Captain unto
whom His Majesty had entrusted my life...

José Gasquez was a war animal, one

of those Spaniards who feeds on
ambition even more than on bread,
and whose training in prestigious
military schools had forged a

x .
personality as straight and

d ’o r of
as hard as a sword. He

f e rt s p ar le s gr an d s gé n ér au
lu s
was taller than half his

S ur p ri s p
men and broader

ar ce t t e f ou le , je le f us p
t la
than the other half.
At a whisper
from him the
en co re lo rs qu e je d éc ou vr is le cœ ur e
murmuring
of the hundred-odd
ra is on
soldiers he commanded would stop immediately. I don’t think he ever really realized where the Holy Crown was
sending him and his men: José Gasquez was trained to conquer. It mattered little to him if it was the whole of the
Underworld or the next village. His armor was ready, his orders stamped into his mind as if they were his mother
tongue, and his men awaited no more than a signal from him to plunge into the horror that was already hungry to
taste our flesh...

In the same way as Heaven sometimes sends us signs of its will, the benefit of the discovery of the bridge to Hell
was the end of the decades of war that had shaken Europe. Faced with a threat greater than all possible enemies
united, the generals of the great armies had found themselves forced to form an alliance, on the very grounds of
their last battle, and embrace the great project of exploration and conquest of this New World. There were more
nationalities their than I had ever seen: people had come from the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden, France, Spain and
even from the Papal states, and had united in a stronghold where all the religions and accents mingled. Outside
Magdeburg, which had now become a garrison of diversity, the banks of the small river were covered in workshops,
stalls and barracks where thousands of workers huddled. Carpenters, blacksmiths, grooms, all drawn by the
thought of earning a few gold coins from the great generals, set up their shops, furnaces, and stables.

Although I was surprised by this crowd, I was even more surprised when I discovered the heart and cause of this
enormous building site: a gigantic well, as wide as a tower, built in the deepest part of the river and surrounded
by hoists, pulleys and heavy lift-cages. When I finally asked Gasquez the question that had been burning my lips
since I had arrived, I saw his eyes narrow into two mean slits. Without taking his gaze off the circular pit, which
looked like a dark hole burning its way straight through the bowels of the Earth, he murmured just one word.

Hell...

9
 IntroductioN
When Gasquez sounded the signal for our descent after a short night filled with bad dreams, we marched
towards the lift-cages and were lowered into the well, huddled against one another, along with those who were to
be sacrificed. Each of us had taken care to wrap our weapons, our tobacco and our rolls of parchment in waxed
leather cases, as we were sure we would have to brave the water of the river, but we were all startled when we saw
that the well went down, not into the water itself but into the eye of a gigantic immobile cyclone, a long funnel,
a frozen whirlpool, that could have been crafted into the water by a Moses with fearsome powers. Around us,
the water seemed to swirl in slow motion, formed by some strange force into an abyss that reached down into
the belly of the Earth. Not a single drop of water touched our faces, but from the first creak of the pulleys to the
moment the lift cage came to a halt, I saw many a soldier close his eyes and cross himself with bated breath, as if
they feared to suffocate or spend the rest of their lives too far away from God and the Virgin Mary... The amazing
descent only lasted a short while, but what with the apprehension and the continuous roaring of the portal, I bet
that each of the men felt, as I did, that we had been descending into darkness for many long hours. As the light
of the sky above was fading above us, there was a thumping sound, the light disappeared and I felt my whole body
freeze. By the time our eyes became accustomed to the darkness, we were no longer in the land of mortal men...

There are no words to describe the immensity of this land of horror... For as far as our eyes could see, the
horizon seemed to blend the earth and the sky into a desert of blood filled with dark figures. Our bodies were
heavier, our muscles stiffer, and a poisonous silence throbbed in our ears and tightened our throats, as if the air we
were breathing was somehow thicker. The whole of the emptiness seemed to be watching us. None of us dared to
move a muscle, and faced with this spectacle, even Gasquez paused for a long moment, as if he finally understood
the size of our human folly. I know that the soldiers had been trained to face a confrontation, but there wasn’t
even a single demon there to welcome us: around us, Hell was nothing but sand and twisted rocks. We could
hardly even hear the odd groan in the distance. Above our heads, ropes and chains hung down like the cut strings
of the puppets that we were. The sky of our world was now invisible, and another sky opened up through strands
of mist punctuated by flashes of lightning and heavy storm clouds.
As our eyes became used to the light of Hell, we could
see more of the new terrain around us, made up of
mountains, groups of black rocks, threatening cliffs,
the remains of winding tracks and the bones
of monstrous creatures half-buried in sand...
With one knee down in the mud, a soldier
pointed out recent tracks. Boot prints,
hoof prints, tracks of wheels and crates
being dragged: we were not the first
ones to visit Hell, but Gasquez already
knew this. With a wave of his hand,
he ordered us to follow him and
guided us, as if he already knew the
way, towards a high dune of sand that
rose around an enclosed plain. Down

av an t-p os t e
below, a long snake of ebony was digging

d e vien d ra it b ie n t ôt le p re m ie r its way through the red rocks, and I

realized why there were so many stories

d e l’h om m e
about the Styx. The river didn’t flow, it
literally tore the plains of Hell in two,
ripping the banks apart and poisoning
the rocks with its bile, as if it carried

10
 IntroductioN
more venom than the depths could take. Beside the majestic spectacle of the river, a ballet like that of an anthill
was taking place on the opposite bank. In a turmoil, thousands of arms and legs groaned from the effort, cutting
up tree trunks, hauling on ropes, uniting their efforts to erect the foundations of what was soon to become the first
advanced base of man in Hell. New Jerusalem was still but a vast encampment of wooden buildings, but the flags
that were already raised over the barracks, only a few weeks after the discovery of the portal, were a sign that a
long and bloody rush for the yet unknown riches of the Continent of the Dead was soon to begin.

sa is l’e n f e r av an t le s h om m e s, e t je sa is le
I am Henri Latour, and although I have never forgotten my mortal name, I sometimes find myself wandering

sa is le s p re m iè re s
through the labyrinth of my memory. To the memories of my first descent to the Underworld, marked by the

d est in d e s co lo n s. J e
smell of the Styx and the vision of its then unpopulated banks, are now joined the fragments of a forgotten past

gu err e s e n t re le s P at ri ar ch e s, e t je sa is
and of a future that I have been permitted to share with my master. I know of Hell before man, and I know the
fate of the settlers. I know the wars between the Fathers, and I know the name of the victor of the crusades of

d e s d e P él io n e t
the Pelion and of Ausonia. I know now what the Generals would have killed to know at the time they invaded the

le va in qu e ur d e s cr oi sa
Forbidden Realm, and I know the weaknesses that the Demon Lords used to plant the seed of discord among the

d ’A us so n e. J e sa is ce qu e le s gé n ér au x
great armies of men. Now that I have crossed the Wall of Kohut, I know how much suffering humans have caused
to the children of Hell. I know all this and much more, but I have vowed not to reveal any part of it. From the day

au ra ien t t u é p ou r co nn aî t re , à h
l’ e ur e où il s
I tasted the blood of He who made me immortal to the very moment that I choose to leave these memories to the
Styx, I promised to only lay down on this paper the life of a mortal man: the one that I had the honor to lead, as

ro ya u e in t e rd it , e t je sa is
short as it was, and that allowed me to understand how wrong we were, and had always been...

m
en va h is sa ien t le on t les S e i gn eur s D ém on s
We did not invade the Realm of the Damned.

les f ai bless es d r p ou r se m er la d is co rd e
We merely rediscovered the path that we had lost long ago.

on t ch oi si d e jo ues ar m ées h u m ain es. Et je

Hell has always been ours...

en t re les gr an d e e p ui s qu e j’a i f ran ch i la

sa is au jo ur dh’ ui, du t, co m b ien l’h u m an it é a
m ur ai ll e d e K ohen f an t s d e l’en f er… J e
f ai t so u f f rir les je sa is plu s en co re, m ai s
sa is t ou t cela, e t

No
d am us n
No n é ’a v o
ch e u s e s. n s p
L’en m in n a
f er . v on
s
11
 At the Gates of Hell
Aux The
portGates
es ofdeHelll’enfer
he Thirty
Years War
«If you knew what a soldier will do when he has no money,
you would not act as you do. The money I am asking for is
not for play or to spend frivolously. I’m not asking this for
myself, I’m asking this on behalf of my state.
Louis XIII Speaking to the Parliment of Paris, 1637.
In the heart of Europe the Holy Roman Empire of
the German Nation was being torn apart by internal
conflict. Traditionally the Empire had been ruled by
the House of Hapsburg but this was being contested by
regional princes. Princes and peoples, State Diets and
free town; all were being split apart by disagreement
over religion and privileges.
The Empire was divided between the Catholics, the
Lutherans, and the Calvinists. Such differing religious
views have served to create numerous local conflicts
over the freedom of faith. These clashes were still
occurring by the Peace of Augsburg in 1555.
The instability of the Empire was of great interest
to neighboring countries. A branch of the Hapsburg
dynasty ruled Spain which gave their family a domi-
nant hand in the affairs of Europe. The Hapsburg’s had
openly taken the side of the Catholic Reformation, or
Counter Reformation as it was more commonly known,
which demonstrated their support of Catholicism. This
official backing of Catholicism distressed the Protes-
tant princes. Seeing an opportunity to weaken the
Hapsburg’s dominance in Europe, several neighboring
rulers began secretly aiding the Protestant princes.
It was the crowning of Ferdinand of Hapsburg as
Emperor that started the sequence of events that even-
tually led to war across Europe. Ferdinand was to
succeed his first cousin Matthias II. Matthias II had
become Emperor in 1612. While Emperor he had
managed to reestablish hereditary control of several
13
provinces that had managed to split during previous
inheritance squabbles.
And so the enemies of the Hapsburg family began
to murmur that Ferdinand was to bring back the here-
ditary nature of the Imperial crown and to favor the
Catholics. This would in turn designate the King of
Spain as a successor and durably give dominance to
the Counter Reformation in the Holy Roman Empire of
the German Nation. The Protestant princes decided
they must intervene and the neighboring countries sei-
zed on this chance to undermine Hapsburg dominance
in Europe.
Ferdinand was elected King of Bohemia as required
by tradition as a precursor to being named Matthias
II’s successor. This accomplished he left Prague little
realizing the seeds of war were sprouting there in the
form of a legal conflict between the Catholic domina-
ted Regency and the Protestant controlled Assembly.
This legal battle lasted several months. Eventually the
Protestants prevailed and defenestrated two Catholic
governors of the council of Regency and a scribe. Ama-
zingly the three unfortunates managed to survive the
plunge of nearly 45 feet to the dry moat bottom through
the dubious luck of landing in a heap of manure. Their
survival not-withstanding, this proved to be the pivotal
event that sparked war. All wars begin somewhere;
the Thirty Years’ War began on May 23rd 1618 with the
“Defenestration of Prague”. Funds and troops quickly
poured in to the Imperials and the Protestant princes
as foreigner’s saw the chance to advance their respec-
tive agenda’s in the region. The Holy Roman Empire of
the German Nation was coming apart.
With sufficient historical context established, we turn
our attention to the interesting and inescapable aspect
of war: the bloodshed.
On August 28th 1619 Ferdinand was elected Empe-
ror. The following year the Count of Tilly managed to
crush the Protestant Revolt of Bohemia at the battle of
White Mountain. This defeat opened the door for a
brutal repression of the people by the Emperor’s allies.
The troops began seizing goods and lands regardless
of people’s religions or origins.
 At the Gates of Hell

The military and political moves aiming

to reinforce Catholicism and Imperial power
continued but in reality religion was but
a convenient pretext. The real goal was to
amass authority and power.
Attrition played a key role in the war and
the funding of the respective armies triggered
betrayals and defeats on both sides. Riche-
lieu was heard to say “More battles have been
lost in history by lack of bread and discipline
than by the efforts of the enemy’s armies”.
Mansfeld, the mercenary leader of the main
Protestant army from 1619 to 1625, serves
as a stark example of this. He died not on
the battlefield but rather from an illness he
contracted while he was trying to raise the
funds necessary to lead his troops back to
war. Conquering troops pillaged subjugated
territory for resources but this looting was
insufficient to support the troops alone.
The Imperial forces were no better off.
Sometime between 1621 and 1622 Hans de
Witte, a Prague banker, promised the Empe-
ror he could provide him the six million flo-
rins he needed to fund his army. De Witte’s
consortium was granted management of the
Bohemian mint and exclusive rights to buy
silver for one year. De Witte delivered on
his promise but in the process he specula-
ted on the devaluation of the local currency
to become extremely rich. The local Bohe-
mian landowning bourgeoisie, already devas-
tated by their defeat at White Mountain, saw
their remaining funds evaporate. De Witte
surrounded himself with fellow war entrepre-
neurs able to capitalize on the chaos. The
most notable example of the enterprising
individuals was Wallenstein. Wallenstein
started as a simple adventurer but managed
to marry into Bohemian nobility and become
a self-made general.
Phillip IV, the Spanish ruler at war against
the United Provinces, intended to conquer the
ports of the North Sea. The Hapsburg’s of
Vienna and Madrid, united in their common
support of the Counter Reformation, joined
forces in battle. This alliance had the poten-
tial to yield complete domination of the Baltic
Sea. Foreign control of the Baltic would be
devastating to Denmark so Christian IV, the
King of Denmark, was forced to launch mili-
tary intervention against the alliance. Den-
mark’s troops proved insufficient to the task
and were eventually defeated by two imperial
armies lead by the Count of Tilly and Wal-
lenstein. Seeing Christian IV’s defeat the King

14
 At the Gates of Hell
of Sweden decided to launch his own campaign to pro-
tect the Baltic.
Gustaf Adolf, Sweden’s King, had secretly obtained
assurance from Louis XIII that he would be receiving
regular funding. Due to Gustaf’s careful preparation
Sweden’s army was now the most modern in Europe
and consisted of mostly veterans loyal to their warrior
king. In comparison the Imperial army now consisted
of mostly untried troops. The experienced troops
were all largely dead and the remainder had not seen
combat at White Mountain for want of sufficient funds
to pay them. The Imperial forces were thus far behind
those of Gustaf’s.
Gustaf Adolf and his army entered the Empire’s ter-
ritory and took several German princes under his pro-
tection. For awhile Gustaf was able to avoid direct
conflict with Tilly’s army by remaining on the move.
In a gambit to push Gustaf Adolf into direct conflict
the County of Tilly launched at attack on the Swedish
garrison posted at Magdeburg.
assages to
The Beyond
May 1631. After several months of siege the
Protestant garrison finally gave way. Frustrated
by months of battle the soldiers took advantage
of the weakness of the defeated city and The
Imperial generals promptly lost control of their
troops. Massive carnage ensued. Some will say
that Tilly turned a blind eye to the atrocities, others
that Pappenheim was the one responsible. For the
victims the result was the same regardless of fault.
A massive fire burned the entire city to the ground.
Every woman in the city was raped repeatedly. The
Siege of Magdeburg and the following devastation
reduced the population of this once prosperous city
from 30,000 to 5,000…
For many years after the term “magdeburgization”
was used to refer to raping and pillaging. The
Protestants in turn began using the phrase
“Magdeburg justice” and “Magdeburg mercy” to
justify their own travesties against the Catholics.
While this barbarism was occurring scouts from
both sides began regularly reporting strange lights
appearing on the surface of the river downstream.
These strange phenomena began to cause disturbances
among the troops. A few boats were sent out to
inspect the area. Not a single boat returned and
consequently the terror continued to escalate.
The Count of Tilly began to take the matter
seriously. He ordered any scholars remaining in
the region, be they Catholic, Protestant or pauper,
15
to be found and brought before him. All were given
the same demands for an explanation of what was
occurring so he could put an end to superstitious
talk. None had answers.
Guards were posted and observation posts
established on both shores level with the place
where the boats would disappear. A wide disc of
light had appeared right in the middle of the running
water. More volunteers were found to enter the
area. Observers agreed that the boats seemed to
make a downward movement before disappearing.
The eventual consensus became that the disc
must be some sort of opening to a well that could
not be perceived from the shores. A gigantic crane
was constructed using materials scavenged from the
ruins of Magdeburg. New volunteers were sent out
and pulled across the disc by a system of pulleys
and cables.
This time the exploration crews returned. They
brought back mad tidings of an underground river
that carried dead people speaking the various
languages of Europe. They also claimed to have
located the survivors of the previous volunteers.
Apparently the survivors had made camp on the
banks of an underground river and were beset
by creatures with monstrous features. The news
of the discovery spread like wildfire out through
all the provinces until even the Emperor became
concerned.
Tilly commandeered everything that could float and
sent regiment after regiment of soldiers to explore
the underground river. Those who returned came
back forever changed. It soon became customary
to brand those who had gone beyond the disc with
a red hot iron to mark them out.
As the weeks progressed news sent back by the
explorers became abundant but it was most often
obscure or even incomprehensible. The further
the expeditions went underground the more of the
strange creatures, now commonly called demons,
they encountered. Even stranger was that the
more demons killed by the soldiers the more their
numbers seemed to grow.
The County of Tilly continued to send troops
below until eventually virtually all of the Imperial
army stationed at Magdeburg was deployed to
the Underworld. Tilly soon realized that it was
impossible to coordinate his army from the rear.
The orders and companies carrying them tended to
go astray and the reports that came back from the
vanguard no longer made any sense at all.
Pappenheim and Tilly decided to gather all the
remaining forces in Magdeburg and go see what
was happening first hand. They passed through
the passage and soon found themselves transported
into an unreal landscape. Paths of crimson rocks
 At the Gates of Hell
wound between the fires that burned on the sides
of mountains of ash and fields of bones.
The generals gradually gathered up the scattered
elements of their armies. They had been divided
up into fortified camps. The camps had been
battling small numbers of extremely hostile
creatures. Judging from the creature’s appearances
Pappenheim and Tilly were convinced that what
they were dealing with actually were demons. They
quickly reorganized the armies to conquer these
strange lands.
As they organized the Imperial troops
encountered some small contingents of Spanish and
French soldiers. The Spanish troops were quickly
assimilated owing to their common origins. The
French troops were simply killed.
Tilly decided to set up base camp on the shores
of the underground river to facilitate supplying his
forces. While thus engaged the Imperial soldiers
suffered a surprise attack from a French army lead
by Henri II de Bourbon, third prince of Condé. Tilly
realized that there must be at least two passages
into these lands as there had been no reports of
attack by his rear guards at the Magdeburg entrance.
Seizing on the fact that formal war had not been
declared between France and the Imperium Tilly
quickly opened negotiations for a truce.
Back in Europe news of the Sack of Magdeburg
had reached Gustaf Adolf and he was furious. He
dispatched Bernhard of Saxe to chase the Imperial
Army. Bernhard prepared his forces for a violent
battle in Magdeburg but was shocked to find only
a small garrison established on the banks of the
Elbe. The garrison primarily consisted of scholars
spending their time speculating on theological
considerations. Apparently the County of Tilly
had abandoned his rearguard to the army of
Wallenstein on whom he was counting on to relay
information. Bernhard heard fantastic stories of an
underground river carrying the dead and countless
fights with demons.
Discounting the stories Bernhard decided to press
on and find his lost enemies. Passing through the
gate with his army Bernhard discovered more than
a little truth in the stories. He followed the banks
of the underground river and came across Tilly’s
main camp. Vengeance in their hearts his forces
immediately launched a siege against the Imperial
troops. The French forces decided to make the most
of the circumstances and treacherously changed
sides and a particularly violent battle took place.
Eventually both sides realized that fighting
amongst themselves in this land would ensure all of
their deaths. Beset by demons and lacking supplies
their only hope was to work together and so the
Catholic and Protestant generals began negotiations
that eventually led to the creation of a de facto
16
alliance. Pappenheim, Tilly, Henri II de Bourbon
and Bernhard de Saxe negotiated the conditions
of a lasting truce. The Europeans realized that
the strange lands could be nothing other than the
Underworld. The battle became known as the
Battle of the Styx.
Above them in Europe Tilly’s gambit was playing
out as he had intended. Wallenstein, leading
the Imperial forces, and Gustaf, commanding the
Protestants, were both marching on Magdeburg.
Large numbers of troops on both sides had
disappeared and the most ridiculous superstitions
had reached the generals ears. They both decided
the only prudent course of action was to take
matters into hand personally. The scene of battle in
Magdeburg was even worse than the first. Catholic
mercenaries fought Protestant crusaders and the
battle turned to the advantage of the King of
Sweden. Saxons and Swedes, determined to avenge
the martyrs of the Sack of Magdeburg, cut off the
retreat of the Imperial troops and slaughtered them
without even stopping to eat or sleep.
Wallenstein was cornered and cut off. He
regrouped his remaining forces around the portal.
Seeing no other option to save himself, he abandoned
his remaining army and passed through the portal
with his personal guard. It was Wallenstein’s turn
to learn the truth of the stories circulating above
ground. Stunned, he made his way to the camp
on the banks of the Styx where he was welcomed
by Pappenheim and Tilly. Unfortunately for the
Imperials this meant that the Swedish troops now
controlled the gateway and they were totally cut
off from any hope of obtaining supplies. Luckily for
Tilly’s men, Bernhard de Saxe and Henri II de Bourbon
realized there was more to be gained by putting
aside their differences so they could concentrate on
exploring the Underworld. Bernhard returned to
the surface and convinced Gustaf to make a short
visit to the Underworld to judge things for himself.
The truth of his general’s reports became readily
apparent to the King of the Swedes.
Gustaf now completely controlled the portal in
Magdeburg and with most of the Catholic troops
in the Underworld that meant they could no longer
contest the lands of the Empire he had seized. He
could use the control of the lands to negotiate a
lasting peace with the Emperor.
The generals in the Underworld concluded their
best option was to maintain control of the lands
they had conquered. To maintain that control
they had to fend off the constant incursions from
the demons, send out expeditions to explore and
fortify their positions. To accomplish all of these
required re-establishing supply lines which had
been severed first by the arrival of the French and
then the Swedes.
 At the Gates of Hell

Rumors quickly began to buzz from returning simultaneously. Richelieu obtained an intervention
exploration parties about metals that didn’t rust, from the Pope which allowed him to mediate the
of a spring that, when drank from, staved off conflict and get all parties to agree to a truce.
hunger and eliminated the need to sleep and fuels The human colony on the banks of the Styx was
that never ran out. Wallenstein’s ambitiousness baptized New Jerusalem. On paper New Jerusalem
immediately led him to try to collect and capitalize was under the protection of the Pope. In reality it
on the information. While he was the first he was governed by a small council of representatives
was definitely not the last. While the Swedish of those rulers with a claim over the discovery of the
army firmly controlled the Magdeburg portal two Underworld. The council consisted of Pappenheim,
other portals were discovered to be open in La Tilly, Bernard of Saxe, Henri II de Bourbon and
Rochelled and Seville. Maneuvering for control in Ferdinand of Hapsburg.
the Underworld had begun.
Louis XIII, under the influence of Richelieu, chose
to handle the situation with diplomacy. Philip IV of
Spain decided to use other methods to insure his
interests. Until now Philip IV had been discreet
about the portals and contented himself with
placing spies. He decided to remind everyone of
his presence and sent a large contingent of armed
men lead by Ferdinand of Hapsburg the Caridnal-
Infante to establish claim to Spanish rule in the
Underworld. Soon after entrance to the Underworld
Ferdinand’s troops were attacked by the demons
and realized the folly of trying to fight two enemies

17
 At the Gates of Hell
he Europeans
The situtation in Europe since
the opening of the gates
The discovery of Hell had huge consequences for the
political situation in Europe. Most of the armies, those
of Pappenheim, Tilly, Wallenstein, Bernhard of Saxe
and Henri II de Bourbon, were down in Hell and had
agreed on a truce to explore this new world. The lack
of cannon fodder and competent ambitious war leaders
was slowly reducing the war in Europe to a succession
of small-scale pillages and slaughters.
Urged by the various signs and pleadings of their
counselors and theologians, the rulers of Europe were
beginning to wonder if the opening of the portals
wasn’t a message of divine origin; perhaps a message
unwise to ignore. Perchance even the partial truce
imposed by the armies and their generals was a sign
that God refused to watch Christians continue to kill
each other…
And so each side retained their territorial positions.
The Holy Roman Empire of Germany was split up
into Protestant and Catholic states. Sweden enjoyed a
strategic position that was favorable for its commerce.
Sweden had imposed the presence of its troops on the
Emperor and controlled the gate of Magdeburg while
the Spanish had control of the gate of Seville and the
French the gate in La Rochelle.
The war in Europe was out of steam for lack of
means so the rulers turned their ambitions to the
lands Below.
The Situation in the colony
of new Jérusalem
Below in Hell a large part of the armies had been lost
in the Battle of the Styx and due to lack of supplies, skir-
mishes between regiments, and the constant predation
of the demons. All this notwithstanding there was still a
sizable presence of Europeans from the four armies that
had descended to Hell.
The population was a military one and therefore predo-
minantly male. The absence of females had a significant
impact on the soldiers posted Below. New Jerusalem’s
council therefore closed their eyes to the commerce of
the flesh that subsequently took place with the Dam-
18
ned. The Europeans eventually realized that among the
inhabitants of the Underworld there were two types of
residents; the demons and the Damned. The demons
seemed to come from Hell but the Damned were actually
humans who had been sent there after their death.
The Damned were often docile and easily reduced to
slavery. They were used to help build the colony and
erect the fortified camps of the vanguard. They were
especially useful in the building of roads as they seemed
to possess an almost innate sense of direction. Since the
Damned followed their master’s bidding without hesi-
tation they were used for the most laborious of tasks
and, in short order, sold as prostitutes without a second
thought.
But what could have been but a footnote was soon to
become an affair of state for a great number of demo-
nologists had flocked to New Jerusalem to study the
Underworld. The demonologists were shocked by these
unnatural vices and rapidly reported them to the Pope.
Deeply shocked, the Pontiff quickly attempted to depose
the council that ran the colony. Several of the European
rulers intervened in support of the council. Those in
power feared there would be rebellion and riots were
the council to be changed. The council was composed
of individuals with strong ties to the crowned heads of
Europe and had managed to enforce their authority in
New Jerusalem.
The conflict was resolved by removing the Vatican enti-
rely from ruling in the colony. Simultaneously the Pope
was disavowed by all of the Catholic rulers in Europe.
This was a first for the Pope and a serious blow to the
Counter-Reformation.
Thus was full and total autonomy obtained in New
Jerusalem.
Supplies and Pay
Providing supplies for the colony was a constant pro-
blem. Goods were all imported to the Underworld by
three trade routes. This required continual negation
of commercial agreements with the rulers controlling
the three gates.
Likewise the soldiers of the four armies stationed
in New Jerusalem would only continue to comply with
the authority of the ruling council as long as they were
paid. Payment was problematic since the finances to
pay the troops normally came from levying royal taxes
and from the spoils of conquered land. To solve this
challenge the council demobilized most of the troops.
Only about a quarter, the most disciplined, loyal, and
elite of the soldiers were kept on payroll. Those retai-
ned became the army of the colony and were used to
enforce law and order and provide the colony’s defense.
The remaining troops were also used to control and
 At the Gates of Hell
protect the fortified positions along the roads between
the three portals and the colony.
The other three-quarters of the soldier chose to
remain and settle in New Jerusalem as they were
unwanted in Europe due to the various truces now in
place and consequently had no hope of earning pay
there. Becoming mercenaries and adventurers the
war-weary men managed to scrape by while waiting to
be hired by one of the expeditionary corps companies
with missions to explore and conquer Hell. Unsur-
prisingly the disenfranchised troops were constantly
causing trouble and disturbances within the colony.
In addition to the troops themselves the colony swel-
led with artisans, wives, prostitutes, legitimate and ille-
gitimate children. It did not take them long to follow
the soldiers once they had established the first Euro-
pean colony in the Underworld.
The council of six ruling representatives ran the city
collectively. Their influence was not restricted to the
colony itself though. Their authority spanned far out
from the walls for they were effectively the incarnation
of European power exerted for its rulers over the whole
of the conquered territories of Hell.
19
Although they were divided on matters spiritual,
political, economical and even strategically, the council
acted as a team and managed to acquire independence
from their respective rulers. While each of the council
members pursued their own agendas they each reali-
zed the fragility of the balance established by the truce
and the ease with which that balance could succumb to
the tensions at work in the colony.
The council played on the competition between
sovereigns to gain the political authority and material
resources they needed. Wallenstein was the one to
provide the solution that transformed the colony into
one of riches and commerce, however.
As a rich war entrepreneur, Wallenstein took it upon
himself to ensure the delivery of supplies and cost of
exploration with his own funds. This established him
as the main creditor of the city. In return he was
promised repayment with the profits made from any
future discoveries. Wallenstein also realized that ope-
ning the colony to European commerce would be a
huge boon for both New Jerusalem and the surface.
Because of the three portals the city was effectively
at a crossroads between Seville, La Rochelle, and
Magdeburg. Using the Underworld passage to trans-
 At the Gates of Hell
port goods between the three cities was much quicker
and cheaper than doing so on the surface. Not only
was the aboveground path much longer but the sur-
face route also required payment of numerous taxes
imposed by local towns along the way.
Once realizations of the benefits were made, the
colony increasingly established itself as the main
European crossroads. The application of a local tax
on the exchange of goods in New Jerusalem ensured
the richness of the colony. Wallenstein had therefore
created a pole of economical attraction that triggered
immigration from all over Europe. Merchants, artisans,
adventurers and the landless and undesirable folks the
European rulers found undesirable all flocked to New
Jerusalem.
Jan de Witte, the illegitimate son of the famous, vil-
lainous, and recently deceased banker of Prague, was
to play an important role in this new enterprise. Wal-
lenstein supported him and managed to convince the
rest of the council to use his services. Bernhard of
Saxe, once again sent off to Gustaf-Adolf, managed to
The War of religions
Men who came from the four corners of Europe
lived and worked together in New Jerusalem.
Despite this mixed population living in rela-
tive harmony the hatreds of old had not been
forgotten. Instead of bloody battlefields the
old rivalries were played out with words. Odd
names and nicknames hinting at insult beca-
me the norm.
Despite this tense atmosphere the various
companies remained united under the same
banner and fought side by side for glory, for-
tune, and their own survival. The necessities
of survival in this harsh environment left no
room for insults outside of the friendly jibe.
Men judged their comrades in arms by their
martial skills and the quarrels from Above
were found to be incompatible with life Be-
low. Differences within a company for any
reason only served to bring death to all.
Eventually only two slang words emerged to re-
flect the once profound divisions from Above;
Papist and Protestant. Papist was used to
refer to all Catholics regardless of their prac-
ticing as one. Protestant became the term of
choice to refer to Protestants.
20
gain the King’s agreement to let the De Witte consor-
tium use the Magdeburg portal as it wished. This gave
the consortium a privileged position and ensured the
flourishing of commercial activity for the colony.
Spiritual and
Material Motivations
The discovery of the gates in the middle of the Thirty
Years’ War was a complete moral shock. This shock
awoke a thirst for metaphysical knowledge in every
powerful individual on the continent.
One of the primary motivations for the conflicts
between Catholics and Protestants was the question
of the salvation of the soul. The discovery of Hell
suddenly provided a possible way to obtain an answer
to these questions once and for all. All too quickly
though, it became clear that these questions remained
unanswered and that the exploration of Hell was going
to be long and laborious. Consequently material
motivations replaced spiritual ones and became the
focus of everyone’s attentions.
Exploration was driven by the possibility of discovering
the Prima Materia. The transformation of the colony
into a commercial crossroads was ultimately a way of
funding that exploration. Alchemists believed Prima
Materia to be the substance to unlock the secrets of
all existence if one could but pierce the secrets of its
use. The discovery of natural resources with alchemical
properties in Hell was seen as proof of the presence of
Prima Materia. No one was exempt from the temptation
to find it.
The resources already uncovered were themselves
a source of commerce and conflict. Those resources
were quite rare themselves and so most people knew of
their existence only through rumor. This in turn served
to cause wild speculation. Strangely, as enthusiasm
about Prima Materia grew, some of the settlers began
to experience serious mental troubles.
he Ottoman Empire
Hassan ibn al-Sabbah was commonly known as the
“old man of the mountain”. Hassan founded a heretic
sect of the Nizari more accurately described as the
sect of the Assassins. He died in 1124 in his fortress of
Alamut in Persia. His death did not deter his followers
though and they zealously continued his work desta-
bilizing the Caliphs of the surrounding region. Assas-
sination was used as a political tool aimed at shaking
the basis of Sunni authority.
 At the Gates of Hell
In 1137, a few years after Hassan’s death, Saladin was
born in Tikrit. Saladin was born into a Kurd military
family in the service of Nurr add-Din, the Emir of Alep,
and was sent to Cairo to hold back the Crusaders.
Saladin later became a Vizier and abolished the Fati-
mid Caliphate and reinstated Sunnism. Saladin then
took advantage of Nurr add-Din’s death to found the
Ayyubid Dynasty in Egypt and Syria. While fighting in
the siege of Alep in 1176 to impose his newly acquired
authority, Saladin survived an assassination attempt by
the Nizari. Saladin fought against the crusaders until
his death in 1193 and reactivated the jihad that had fal-
len into disuse. Saladin acquired great notoriety throu-
ghout the Middle East and Europe where he was often
described as the “Muslim knight with a pure heart”.
Unfortunately from 1250 onwards Saladin’s heritage
began to crumble. While working for the Ayyubid the
Mamluks overthrew them and took control of Egypt.
Simultaneously the Mongol invasion of Iran and Iraq
put an end to the rule of the Abbasid Dynasty. The
Mongols razed Alamut to the ground in 1256. Four
years later they were defeated by the Mamluks at
Ayn Jalut near Nazareth. Stopped in their progress
the Mongols settled in Persia, converted to Islam and
founded the Llkhan dynasty.
21
It was the discoveries the Mongols made at Alamut
that served to entangle the threads of fate. Hassan
ibn al-Sabbah had been a follower of Ismailism and
long ago studied the precepts of balance. This science
of balance espoused discovering within each body the
connection between the apparent, or Zahir, and the
hidden, or Batin. Hassan had carried his research
so far that he had finally discovered the ta’wil which
the alchemists had given up hope of discovering. The
ta’wil was an alchemical operation which tended to
dissimulate the visible and to reveal the hidden.
The works of the “old man of the mountain” were
based on the encyclopedia of the Ikhwân al-Safâ –the
“pure hearted” – a thought group whose study center
was situated in Basra. After the death of Hassan ibn
al-Sabbah all the works of the study center were bur-
ned by the Sunni orthodoxy. The library of al-Sabbah
was in turn destroyed during the sack of Alamut. The
heritage of the “old man of the mountain” could have
been lost forever but for the discovery made by the
Mongols during their conquest.
While raiding the fortress the Mongols discovered
that the old alchemist had discovered a passage to the
Underworld using the ta’wil. Houlagou Khan, leader
of the Mongols, managed to keep this discovery secret
 At the Gates of Hell

for a while. Houlagou was a blood-thirsty leader on the The corpse of Houlagou Khan was marked by fea-
battlefield but also possessed a mind hungry for science. tures so strange that the doctors of faith were sum-
He hoped to return later to exploit Hassan’s discovery moned from all branches of Islam to give their opi-
for his own benefit. At the time he had to finish the nion on the matter. Investigations were conducted,
conquest of the Middle East as commanded and entrus- numerous hypotheses were explored and all manner
ted to him by his brother Mongke Khan. Alas, Houla- of specialists were consulted. Eventually the sus-
gou’s plans and the Mongol invasion both were brought picions turned to Alamut as the source. While all
to an end four years later with his death at the hands of this was occurring the Mamluks decided to take over
the Mamluks during the battle of Ayn Jalut. the area and invaded Persia after having pushed the
crusaders out of Syria. During their conquest they
spread the rumor of something in Alamut and awake-
ned the Turkish interest in Alamut.
For forty years the valley surrounding
Alamut was the scene of numerous
battles. None of the victors managed
to retain control of Alamut for longer
than a few years at a stretch. In this
war of faith between the Shiite and
Sunni branches of Islam both sides
battled in vain. Each time the val-
ley of Alamut was conquered the
winner immediately sent whole
regiments through the portal
to explore.
Little by little, the Nizari
managed to achieve a posi-
tion as the guides of the
Underworld. This position
allowed them to maintain
neutrality with everyone and
remain in the valley throu-
ghout the entire conflict.
They exchanged safe passage
with the victorious armies for a
share of the knowledge about
the portal. They were also the
first people to discover traces
of the Prima Materia, one of
the five eternal principles esta-
blished by Razes. The subs-
tance aroused such an interest
that metaphysical considerations
were ignored and only the actual
locating of Prima Materia was
important.
At the beginning of the 14th cen-
tury the Seljuk Turks rules over the
region during a long period. With
the decade long fighting in
the area they were said to
have become as bloodthirsty
as the Mongols. The Mongols
were clever and respected their
promises. They used terror as a
tool against their enemies so they

22
 At the Gates of Hell
could comfortably exploit the trade routes they had
conquered. The Seljuks seemed to only use terror for
terror’s sake rather than as a tool.
The crimes and massacres were not limited to Persia.
The Seljuks attacked all the countries on their borders,
exterminating civilian populations and reducing towns
to piles of ash. Their conquests did not seem to follow
any logical path or appear to be motivated by anything
outside of a desire for destruction.
The few survivors of these attacks told of generals
with the heads of demons mounted on their pikes and
wearing suits of armor which made them invincible.
The string of Seljuk victories and carnage seriously
demoralized opposing armies. Finally the Turkish
Oghuz clans retreated from the region and hoped
that their lack of hostility towards the Seljuk’s would
spare them from the Seljuk fury. Only one young boy,
Osman, from an Oghuz clan vassal to the Seljuks of
Anatolia, dared to protest the Seljuk calamity in the
name of the Prophet.
With a company of only a few hundred men, Osman
launched a surprise attack on the Seljuks as they
were returning from a campaign. They won decisively
23
and scattered the Seljuk army. Osman’s proud vic-
tory against the Seljuk’s soon rallied all of the Turkish
clans to his side. He crossed region after region as the
striking arm of the Prophet and handed defeat upon
defeat to the armies of Iblis. He pursued his enemies
all the way from their refuge in the valley of Alamut
to Persia. With the support of the regional dynasties,
Osman finally put an end to the brutal savagery of the
Seljuk’s there in Persia. It was this victory that gained
Osman the allegiance of many Caliphs and allowed
him to found the Ottoman dynasty.
But Osman had yet to pierce the secrets of the Ala-
mut. Osman asked the Nizari to be his guides for
the journey through the portal. Osman had made
detailed observations of the Seljuk’s during his long
campaign with them. As a result he remained on his
guard against the manipulations of the assassin sect.
His distrust led him to discover that the Nizari were
using the Prima Materia to lure their rivals and taint
their souls, thus leaving the Nizari free to explore the
Underworld as they pleased without hindrance.
And so it was that Osman discovered that the secret
world was none other than Hell itself and that only
 At the Gates of Hell
pure souls searching for al-Haqq al-Awwal, the First
Being, could walk there without fearing to be corrup-
ted by its evil influences.
By invading the Underworld with his troops Osman
forced the hidden leader of the Nizari to show himself.
Hassan ibn al-Sabbah, the “old man of the mountain”,
appeared in person to negotiate the conditions of the
peace treaty. Hassan had taken refuge in Hell to elude
the course of time and had been searching for a gate
to Heaven since the 12th century.
Thereafter the Nizari acted as guides for the Otto-
man exploration companies travelling through Hell.
Osman busied himself making sure that his dynasty
would ensure that all Muslims, Sunni and Shiite alike,
were guaranteed the respect of their faith in the lands
that were to become the Ottoman Empire.
Over the next three centuries the Ottomans spread
all the way to the edge of Europe. They followed pre-
cepts laid down by Osman that required them to wage
war on the enemies of the faith so as to ensure the
quality of the troops and to be certain the art of killing
was passed down without fail from the veterans to the
young recruits.
War with their enemies notwithstanding, the Otto-
mans were not particularly interested in what was
happening outside its borders and despised the strug-
gles of influence occurring between heads of state in
Europe. In return the Europeans treated the Otto-
man civilization with complete disdain. The European
rulers regarded Ottoman society as both fanatic and
archaic. Europe had accomplished important technical
and industrial progress not shared by the Ottomans.
The Empire appeared to them to be stuck in time with
24
no significant progress being made since the death of
Osman. There were even reports of civilian popula-
tions being butchered all around the Empire for reasons
unfathomable and disproportionate to the punishment
being inflicted. The Ottoman lords were seen as iso-
lationist and unwilling to parley yet enforcing reigns of
terror. Despite all this, many travelers returning from
the Middle East refuted this view.
Those defenders claimed that the Ottoman Empire
had flourishing commercial activity and the harvests
there were easily sufficient to fulfill everyone’s needs.
There appeared to be no indications of famine or
disease in the Empire. Town destroyed in the previous
Mongol and crusader incursions had been rebuilt to
their former glory. Everything appeared as if the wars
prior to Osman were nothing but skirmishes that had
left nothing but small signs of their occurrence at all.
All of the branches of Islam were coexisting peacefully.
Everyone had freedom of their faith as required by
their lords.
Yet all was not bliss either. The purges rumored in
Europe for over two centuries were no myth. Wide
scale executions were conducted against any popula-
tions that were branded as corrupted. Any impurity
received no mercy or pity. If a town became accusto-
med to degradation of any kind the whole of the city
was considered to have been tainted by the corrup-
ted minority and held responsible. All workers whose
professions happened to be even indirectly tainted by
corruptions were subjected to severe punishment.
The whole of the Ottoman Empire was concentrated
on a single spiritual quest for al-Haqq al-Awwal and
could not afford to be diverted by human weakness.
 At the Gates of Hell
While unable to fathom the reasoning behind the
Ottoman lords’ actions the Europeans were beginning
to suspect the secret of Alamut, the forbidden moun-
tain, said to hide a colossal building built during the
reign of Osman..
he Empire Below
By observation and exploration the humans acqui-
red, little by little, some rudimentary knowledge of
Hell and its inhabitants.
The accounts transcribed below are far from univer-
sally agreed upon. The Europeans were often blinded
by their preconceived ideas of what the Underworld
should be.
The Ottomans had treaded these lands for centuries
and tended to be more humble in their analysis but
protective of their knowledge from the second wave of
immigrants the Europeans.
25
Geography of Hell
Just how large is Hell? No one can say exactly. Even
the Demon lords themselves do not agree on the
subject of its size. The idea that the Underworld is
divided into nine circles as described by Dante is far
from believed by all. Hell does not seem to be infinite
however. One good indicator of this is the number of
wars going on at any given time between the Demon
lords seeking to enlarge their own fiefs. Another sign
of Hell’s finite size is the overflow of Damned ones that
occurred after each new war. The inhabitants of Hell
have problems controlling their population when too
many souls arrive at one time.
Regardless of size, everyone, no matter their role in
Hell, agrees on one thing. The Underworld is divided
up into specific circles separated from its neighbors by
walls of dark matter. Some describe that dark mat-
ter as a mush of blackened human flesh while others
characterize it as the dark waters of some evil muddy
marshland that flows vertically.
The circles themselves are divided up into fiefs that
each belong to a Demon lord.
 At the Gates of Hell
Crossing the Wall
The Spanish captain José Gasquez was one of
the first Europeans to encounter one of the-
se strange “walls”. Glancing around ques-
tioningly to his men, he was unsurprised to
find none of them volunteering to attempt a
passage to the other side. Earlier the Dam-
ned ones they had encountered had assu-
red him the passage was not dangerous. He
now regretted having them gutted for their
vulgar manners without keeping a single
one as prisoner.
After removing his helmet and scratching the top
of his head in what he hoped was a look of
friendly dismay, Gasquez called the demonolo-
gist Henri Latour to his side. Latour was accom-
panying the expedition by order of the council.
Gasquez didn’t like Latour. It wasn’t so much
because of his French upbringing as it was the
annoying way he was constantly holding up the
expedition. He had seemingly thousands of
inane excuses and so-called scientific observa-
tions to perform. In fact, Latour had no military
training whatsoever and wasn’t able to keep up
with the rest.
Gasquez lured him to a spot near the “wall” by
pretending to show him a spot on the ground.
He then pushed Latour through the strange
substance. Latour returned almost immedia-
tely due to what he claimed was a large army
of hostile demons waiting on the other side.
His return proved to all that passage through
the wall was safe.
Ironically without knowing it, Gasquez had use
exactly the same trick employed by Hassan
when he had first encountered the same obs-
tacle centuries earlier.
As for Latour, he never returned from the ex-
pedition lead by Gasquez. Legend says that
he crossed the “wall” of his own accord to
satisfy the requirements of science. For this
feat his memory is honored in demonology
schools the world over.
The difference in landscape and climate between
different fiefs is astounding. One fief might be a fro-
zen expanse, the next a plain of burning coals, the
next a rocky desert and the next a swamp-like lake
26
the size of a whole region. Eventually it was realized
that the appearance of a fief is entirely dependent on
the taste and particularities of the Demon lord owning
it at the moment.
On both sides of a “wall” the circles can have similar
landscapes even though time might not be passing in
the same way on both sides. Many questions about the
nature of these boundaries remain unanswered. The
Damned claim that a considerable amount of space
exists between the circles despite the perception that
crossing the “wall” seems to be instantaneous. This
space between circles is part of Limbo and its vastness
is impossible to measure.
To this day the Europeans and Ottomans possess
very little information about Limbo. The only real
concrete observation made so far is that somehow
Limbo helps the souls of the dead travel through Hell.
The First Day
In addition to their discovery of Hell itself the Euro-
peans discovered its many inhabitants. The Euro-
peans initially massacred them, demon and Damned
alike, without distinction. The residents were forced
to defend themselves but were eventually driven out
as they were outnumbered by the European troops
coming in. The natives resorted to harassing the rear-
guard in an attempt to locate the various Damned that
had been scattered and lost during the many battles
and troop movements.
Initially the human invasion did not encounter much
resistance as the region they entered was an outlying
one that several Demon lords were fighting over. It
was also the same region the gate from Alamut ope-
ned in four centuries earlier. Thus the region had
initially been invaded by Hassan ibn al-Sabbah and
his Nizari, then the Seljuk Turks, and finally Osman
and his armies.
The “Saracens” had left hardly any traces of their
passage but they had succeeded in ridding the region
of most of its demons. Once they had established the
colony of New Jerusalem the Europeans proceeded to
attack any demons they could find on sight. But as the
companies made more progress in their explorations
they found the demons to be both more numerous and
more resistant to their attacks. Strangely the demons
did not appear to want to massacre the Europeans but
rather seemed open to negotiations.
As it happened, the Demon lords did not take the
Europeans conquest of the Underworld seriously and
consequently were ready to offer an alliance against
one of their rival Demon lords. Realizing this the
council of New Jerusalem made the most of the divi-
sion amongst demonic rulers and used it to facilitate
their campaign of exploration and conquest.
 At the Gates of Hell

The People of Hell

While there was a difference between
the demons and the Damned there
appeared to be no well-defined boun-
dary between the two. While the
demons were born and bred in the
Underworld and the Damned were the
souls of humans sent to Hell after death
it was apparently possible for a Damned
to become a demon by showing proper
devotion to his masters for a few hun-
dred or thousands of years.
All the creatures of Hell could die, be
they demon, Damned, or human. Upon
death their soul was swallowed by Limbo.
Later the soul would reappear as a lemure
and begin yet another long and painful
cycle of transformation. Most of the
lemures managed to evolve into Damned
after a while. Some of these Damned
eventually made it to the final, ultimate
status of demon but they were rare and
a chosen few.

The main role of demons seemed to

be to torment the Damned. Did they do
it for pleasure or out of duty? Was there
a supreme master of the land Below who
decided to reward his deserving servants?
The creatures of Hell did not seem to know
the answer to these questions.

There was found to be a certain hie-

rarchy among the demons that was
dominated by the Demon lords and fal-
len angels. They referred to a supreme
master for whom they gave many names
and forced their troops to praise his
glory. It was if the rise to the higher
levels of hierarchy gave a demon grea-
ter knowledge of the secrets of Hell and
made him aware of the concept of duty
and loyalty to a leader.

But references to an ordered hierarchy

are not exactly correct either. The minor
demons earned their title by imposing
their will on others by strength or cunning.
Once they ruled enough of their fellow
demons the demons of higher rank came to see them Fiefs were acquired in the same way as titles; by
as their equals. Demons had also been known to give imposing oneself upon other demons. There were
themselves titles they did not earn. This was a common generally four to six fiefs per circle. Ruling each
form of usurpation which had sparked many conflicts fief was a Demon lord or rarely a fallen angel. The
between demons. angels tended to prefer to rule over veritable kin-

27
 At the Gates of Hell
The Circles
The term circles came naturally to the Euro-
peans as the initial explorers thought they
were travelling through Hell as described by
Dante. They quickly realized there was far
more to these circles than that described by
the poet but by then the term was already
widely used by the troops.
No one could explain the origins of the names
the demons and the Damned gave to these
circles. Their source had been long lost in an
immemorial field of pain and suffering. Each
of the fiefs of a circle tended generally to take
on the name of the Demon lord that ruled it.
Occasionally due to the incessant feudal wars
fought between the fiefs an entire circle would
come to be controlled by a single Demon lord.
Kohut
This was the circle in which the river Styx could
be found, that the portals of the humans ap-
peared, and that New Jerusalem was built.
The scattered troops of Demon lord Zaebas
were present in this circle.
Thebaïde and Ampharaüs
These circles were accessed from Kohut by fol-
lowing the dusty tracks made by the passage
of the Damned.
The Demon lords Xaphan, Sabrac, Ronwe and Oray
were fighting over Thebes. Ampharaus had been
partially invaded by the Ottoman armies and only
the fiefs of the Demon lords Ayperos and Botis
were still present there.
Ausonia
Continuing their exploration of Hell from Am-
pharaus the Ottomans discovered the circle
of Ausonia. There the fiefs of lords Marbas
and Raum had allied in an attempt to get
their hands on the fief or Eurynome.
Pelion
The best way to fine Pelion was to follow the cour-
se of the river Styx. This circle was divided into
two fiefs, those of the Demon lords Zaebas and
Thamuz. A third Demon lord, Adramelech, see-
med to want to gain control of their lands.
28
gdoms that consisted of several fiefs potentially cros-
sing multiple circles.
The Demon lords were constantly bickering among
themselves and attempting to enlarge their own fief by
conquering the lands of their neighbors. This strife
was a boon to the humans who capitalized on the
division between the demons..
Titles and Demonic Hierarchy
From the information gathered about this subject from
the Damned each being living in Hell has a rank that
determines their place in the infernal pecking order:
Arch-demon – Fallen angel
Prince
President of the Underworld
Archduke
Demon Lord
Demon
Damned One
Lemure
The arch-demons were made popular by the Old Tes-
tament. This also tended to prove that links already
existed between the two worlds before the gates
appeared in Europe and the Middle East.
There were nine arch-demons: Angra Mainyou, Aka
Manah, Indra, Taurvi, Zairitsha, Naon Haitshya, Ahri-
man, and Aeshma.
The fallen angels were positioned on the same level
as the arch-demons as they did not recognize the
authority of any being in Hell save themselves. The
fallen angels came and went as they pleased. Someti-
mes they would usurp the position of a Demon lord if
it pleased them. Whether justified or not, they were
greatly feared and even arch-demons avoided coming
into conflict with them.
There were an infinite number of intermediate titles
in between the primary ones. These quite often extra-
vagant titles were often given by a high level demon
but just as commonly self-proclaimed and thus mostly
just ignored by the demon hierarchy.
Authority among the demons of the Underworld was
organized in a Feudal society. A Demon lord would
pledge fealty to an archduke and so on down the line.
The demons maintained vassal to lord relationships
between themselves. At the top of the hierarchy the
arch-demons ruled over their vassals and their vassals’
fiefs. This meant that the arch-demons did not have
authority over a circle necessarily but rather over the
sum of the fiefs of their vassals.
 At the Gates of Hell
It was common to see a circle divided into fiefs that
belonged to Demon lords pledged to different archdu-
kes. The Demon lords fought amongst themselves
as each would only recognize the authority of their
own archduke and care nothing for their those of their
neighbors.
The Europeans made the most of this complex sys-
tem of allegiances although they never seemed to work
out which vassal was pledged to which lord.
he Lost
The Lost were typically found in small independent
groups. They were former Damned ones who had lost
or had voluntarily abandoned their lords. They tended
to reject all notions of demonic hierarchy as they no
longer considered themselves Luciferians and had no
respect for the titles or authority of the Demon lords.
Because of this separation their physical evolution
in the Underworld tended to follow patterns that were
radically different from the paths followed by demons
and the servile Damned ones.
29
The reasons for their rejection from demonic society
were many. Sometimes they had shown such loyalty
towards their previous lord that upon his destruction
they refused to obey the rule of any other lord. Some
had participated in revolts against their masters and
subsequently fled to avoid fighting an enemy that
outnumbered them. Often these Damned ones had
no choice but to become independent as the forces
invading their fief were intent on destroying them and
returning them to lemures after their defeat.
Frequently other Demon lords were unwilling to
accept their allegiance for fear of sparking a conflict
with another Demon lord.
Thus, slowly over thousands and thousands of years
of feudal wars, the Lost became a caste apart. They
clustered together in small, extremely nomadic groups
following many different goals. There was no par-
ticular bond between these groups or chief capable
of uniting them all. If they were seen as a separate
caste it was because they all shared in common the
fact they lived outside the boundaries of the demonic
hierarchy. While the Lost no longer considered them-
selves to be Luciferians it did not mean they had lost
their essence.
Individual Lost companies would sometimes sign
alliances with both the European and the Ottoman
armies. They acted as mercenaries and offered their
services as guides, scouts, or just simple reinforcements
for the companies exploring in the isolated areas where
the Lost lived. They also maintained links with the
demons and performed services for them. Examples
included reinforcing a company of Luciferians in a fight
with a neighboring Demon lord or simply guarding some
Damned ones. They even did more unique things like
organizing special entertainment such as staged fights
in an arena. In exchange for these services the Lost
negotiated safe passage across demonic territory or
assurances that land they wished to occupy peacefully
would be free from depredations.
These efforts clearly demonstrated the leaders of
the Lost companies were capable of working towards
a greater goal. While making alliances with all of
the other factions the Lost always ensured that their
 At the Gates of Hell

efforts worked towards securing territo-

ries for themselves where they could come
and go as they pleased. Their nomadic
existence hadn’t prevented them from
controlling certain routes and enlisting
with the enemies of those who attempted
to conquer a free land.
The migrations of the Lost appeared to be
organized. They came from free lands and
traveled through the countries where the
Demon lords were at war. They harassed vic-
torious armies to prevent their taking control
of the old ruined fiefs. They also enrolled the
servants of the fallen warlords into their ranks
thus gaining power and numbers from the
desolation of others.

xploration
& Conquest
The council of New Jerusalem conti-
nually sent out franc-companies to explore
consisting of soldiers from the four corners
of Europe. Protestants and Catholics that
had once been at each other’s throats in
the Holy Roman Empire now found them-
selves marching side by side in the expe-
ditionary corps.
The colony had seemed to appear before
their eyes as the European styled buildings
had been built at a frantic pace by the now
enslaved Damned ones. Soon the mer-
chants arrived in great numbers bringing
with them goods from all over the world
above be it the Americas or Sweden. Even-
tually the dregs of Europe appeared looking
for a chance to start anew, Below.
The city was very dangerous, especially in
the peripheral areas. Men went from being
a soldier one day to a brigand the next. Each
man survived as best he could while waiting
a chance with a new captain looking for men
to join an exploratory mission. The jobs
were especially infrequent so equipment was
kept in good repair and drunkenness at a
minimum lest one miss an opportunity.
The companies left the city by one of the
sixteen roads being constructed by the Dam-
ned ones. The soldiers were not unhappy to
leave the colony and its permanently threa-
tening atmosphere. In the city danger could
come from an old war comrade reduced to
abject poverty as easily as a demon or an

30
 At the Gates of Hell

assassin sent by the Ottomans to strike at random and

demoralize the troops.

While the mortality rate of the expeditions was par-

ticularly high, the most important thing was to resist
succumbing to the fear of these strange lands. One
learned to protect ones soul with a thousand tricks
carried from the lands Above such as wearing amulets
of protection or the first verses of St. John’s gospel.
Weapons were enchanted by “magical arts” and tiny
slits were made into the skin so fragments of consecra-
ted relics could be placed inside.
Eventually an exploration company reached the end
of a road under construction, their last link with human
civilization. Ahead lay the realm from Below and they
wondered how the captain would manage to find his
way through this hell. But the captain didn’t seem lost
for he was sent by the council and so he pretended
to have control of the situation, all the while following
the tracks worn by the never-ending passage of the
Damned travelling to the fiefs of the Demon lords.

Initially the Demon lords found the incursion of the

humans a great source of amusement. The Europeans see-
med to have made great progress in the art of killing each
other during the last few centuries. All of their stinging,
piercing, and burning weapons could be very useful against
rival Demon troops.
The Demon lords were no longer laughing.
The more demons slain by the European companies
the more proud they became of their hunting trophies.
At first the simple charge of a Damned one of Wrath
was enough to create widespread panic in the human
soldiers. Now so many Damned had fallen to the bul-
lets that many of the demonic garrisons were starting
to look rather deserted. The Demon lords began to
regret using the Europeans as cannon fodder against
their rivals by sending a few horned diplomats to show
them the proper tracks to follow and explain to their
infernalists the kind of food to give their lemures. All of
that imparted knowledge was now being used against
them as well.
The Ottomans made it a matter of honor to never
betray an alliance and would only attack a fief to cross
it deeper into the bowels of Hell. The Europeans
showed no such constraint and never ceased to reach
further and further while destroying anything they
could get their hands on. One day they would be fen-
ding off the Demon companies of a rival and create a
second front along his ranks. The next day they would
turn around and attack the companies of the neighbo-
ring enemy Demon lord instead of using the victory to
break through into the first Demon lord’s fief.
The Europeans filthy habit of building “Above-style” as
if they were making themselves at home was beginning
to get distinctly annoying to the Demon lords as well.
Never mind how they were exploiting the Damned with
European-style tortures which may be fine for the living
but were definitely no way to punish the dead.
The Demon lords had finally realized they were
facing a true invasion. Unfortunately after untold
centuries fighting amongst themselves they could not
reconcile themselves to the idea of a truce with each
other so they could focus on the humans. Only the
fallen angels who had arrived from the bowels of Hell
to observe the problem began to draw up a coherent
plan to confront the invaders.
Using hastily recruited demonic companies from the
lands through which they traveled, the fallen angels
began harassing the front lines of the European forces
and launched intrusions all the way to New Jerusalem.
The fallen angels had tolerated the Ottomans and the
Lost for centuries. Now they began attacking them
too, pushing them towards the Europeans to spark
repeated conflicts between them.
The Ottomans had been coming and going through
Hell for four hundred years. They hadn’t foreseen the
European invasion that had come to trouble them in
their quest. Hassan ibn al-Sabbah and his Nizari had
been exploring Kohut since the 12th century. They had
learned to find their way around the Underworld using
the Damned ones as guides. They had avoided conflict
with the demons where possible. Unfortunately for the
Ottomans the Mongols and Seljuks had wiped out most
of the demon forces present in Kohut which in turn had
allowed the European forces to settle there without mee-
ting any real resistance.

31
 At the Gates of Hell
New Jerusalem
Nestled in the crook of a bend in the wide and
thick-flowing Styx, New Jerusalem was a metro-
polis with two faces. On one side was the mo-
dern city, a fortified structure of obsidian in the
shape of a sixteen-pointed star. On the other
side, thousands of poor souls who had descen-
ded seeking Hell Dorado lived in the crawling
tentacular suburbs.
A little further away were the gates, and then…
Hell.
The Upper City
The upper city was fortified and protected by a high,
thick surrounding wall made of obsidian reinfor-
ced with earth. On that wall were cannon towers
and external defensive structures. The external
defensive structures consisted of pre-walls, half-
moons, and ravelins to defend the gates. The pre-
walls were lower walls built outside and parallel
to the main wall. The half-moons were an advan-
ced structure situated between two bastions to
32
defend them with their firepower. Additionally
the upper city walls were defended by a fearsome
artillery battery.
The upper city was laid out like a chess board
around its fortified palace. Scattered around the
palace were all the essential buildings for the ad-
ministrations and defense of this part of the city
such as barracks, main powder store, arsenal,
hospital, and stocks.
The city itself began outside this fortified sector
and was separated into six areas by nationality
or affinity. These six areas consisted of Spain,
France, Sweden, the Holy Roman Empire, the
Protestant alliance, and the free quarter. The
Holy Roman Empire’s quarter included all of the
Germanic states whose prince was Catholic. The
inhabitants of the Protestant Alliance’s quarter
included those from the reformed states of
the Empire, England, the United Provinces, and
all those who called themselves Protestants
except for the Swedish. The free quarter was
designated a neutral area controlled by the
council. It was the seat of power for the large
corporations and those that did not wish to
show their alignment too outwardly such as
Jews, subjects of other countries, merchants, or
adventurers of all kinds. Each quarter had a
 At the Gates of Hell
unique architectural style, its own customs and
traditions and political autonomy.
While most of the buildings along the main avenues
were made of stone the typical building inside the
city was a three-story half-timbered house. Once
you passed the main defensive wall a wide ditch
flanked on either side by canals reached clear to
the covered way, a part of the second circle of for-
tifications. Many forts looked out over the plane.
Each fort was at the summit of a high cluster of
rocks spotted with poisonous weeds. Artillery
and muskets had plenty of room to bring their fi-
repower to bear. A ditch full of spears sat ten fa-
thoms below as the final separation between the
fortified city and its outskirts.
The Outskirts
The lower city was a true cesspool swarming with
life and poverty consisting of an accumulation of
tents and makeshift shelters heaped together over
half a league between the docks and the city. Most
of New Jerusalem’s inhabitants lived here. Every
month thousands more unfortunates came to tread
the rut-ridden muddy ground of the suburbs. A
single paved road connected the port to the star-
shaped city. Epidemics and fires caused frequent
changes to the layout of the place. A true ode to
chaos, hell truly began here. This urban cancer
spread to the edge of the fortifications that sur-
rounded the infernal gate along the side of the
river. A wide, thick-flowing river, brown and foul
smelling, wound around the metropolis in a broad,
lazy loop. A stone bridge with a barbican and ei-
ght arches with towers had been hastily erected by
Damned slaves over the river’s putrescent waters.
After the Seljuk period Osman had forced the Nizari
and the “old man of the mountain” to pledge allegiance
to him. Given their similarity of spiritual motives this
was effectively an alliance between the Nizari and
the Ottomans. Subsequently Hassan ibn al-Sabbah
became seen as the first general of the Muslim armies
of the Underworld.
Always searching for al-Haqq al-Awwal, the Otto-
mans thought that the Underworld had a center over
which the nine arch-demons ruled. They felt it was at
that center they would fine the keys to their quest. To
this end they sought to make their way always further
inwards. To accomplish this they had assembled a
very large Muslim army in Ausonia which was entirely
unknown to the Europeans. The Europeans naively
believed that the Ottomans had sent very few troops
Below. Nor did the Europeans realize that the gate
33
The bridge linked the gate to the main road that
snaked its way into the circle of Kohut. The third
circle of fortifications completed the city’s defen-
ses in the form of a string of eight monstrous forts.
These strongholds were spread out at regular dis-
tances from each other in strong positions. Each
fort bristled with cannons providing cover for each
other and “hellish” firepower in all directions.
The Gates of Hell
The gates were over two hundred fathoms deep. Gi-
gantic bolts of lightning ripped through the skies
to hit the ground and river below. The crimson
sky was shaken by almost hypnotic multi-colored
convulsions. A hot, humid climate ruled over this
place. Sulfurous winds seemed to carry loads of
curses with them. This was the arrival point of the
great infernal gate of Magdeburg. Hung by a mul-
titude of chains from enormous cranes, gigantic
barges traveled between Hell and the world Above.
Dozens of docks had been built and equipped to
cater to these leviathans. Behind a thick fortified
wall surrounded by bastions a multitude of ad-
ministrative buildings, warehouses and boarding
rooms had been built. The gate employed a consi-
derable amount of workers in the form of dock
hands, captains, guards and customs officers. Ba-
sically anyone who could sell their arms or minds
to the great enterprise were welcomed. Every week
new buildings grew up from the ground as they
were born from the shovels and pickaxes of the
enslaved Damned. The Damned wretches were in
turn penned in like animals in accommodation pits
soaked with the fetid waters of the river.
of Alamut lead into Kohut. The passage from Alamut
had so far been kept secret. So too had the paths that
provided supplies between Kohut and Ausonia through
Amphauraus.
The Ottomans had destroyed the fiefs of the
demons along their way. This had in turn boos-
ted the number of Lost who had come to live in
these areas, sometimes as allies and sometimes as
enemies.
As they explored the Europeans found themsel-
ves confronted with Ottoman companies that they
believed to be isolated. They were, in fact, the
scouting parties sent ahead to ensure safe passage
of the supply convoys.
 Rules of the gamE

Rules
Rulesof
and tGame-Play
he gamE

S
o, here you are, eagerly gripping your little
pewter figures still sticky from their last lick of
paint. You have agreed with your opponent on
how large and powerful your armies will be,
and you have laid out a glorious battlefield. All
you have to do now is learn the following rules by heart
(more or less).
Golden Rules
If a game effect contradicts a game rule, the effect
always takes precedence over the game rule. When two
effects clash because of their timing, and can’t be resol-
ved by having them happen simultaneously, the effect
of the active unit will apply before that of its opponent,
possibly canceling out the use of the latter.
each d6 will be considered independently, rather than
the total of all dice rolled being considered.
Fathoms
The standard unit of measurement used in Hell
Dorado is the fathom, which was used at the time in
which Hell Dorado is set to measure distances on land,
although it’s now only used to measure nautical depths.
It is equivalent to an average man’s height, but on our
battlefields, we will scale it down to a standard inch.

he Basics
Dice
Playing Hell Dorado only requires six-sided dice, also
known as «d6». Ideally, each player should have at least
5d6 handy. Throughout the game up to that number
of d6 might be rolled at once. In general, the result of
Introduction  example, measure the distance between two units,
This chapter will give you the basic, essential
concepts you will need to understand the
rest of the rules. If you don’t understand
everything to begin with, don’t worry, you
can come back to it later. In any case, you
will quite probably have to read the rules
several times, in their entirety, to fully
absorb them.
Distance
When the rules state that a unit should be at or within
a certain distance from another unit or from a spot on
the battlefield, this means that any part of its base that is
at that distance fulfills that condition. A unit is conside-
red to be inside an area from the moment when any part
of its base is inside the area.
Measurement
When playing Hell Dorado, players can measure
any part of the battlefield at any time. You can, for
between one of your own units and a point on the
battlefield, or between one of your units and one of
your opponent’s, etc.
Facing
Miniatures in Hell Dorado don’t have a specific
facing. Each unit turns automatically to face danger or

35
 Rules of the gamE

Unit A is inside the explosion area 3’’

B
Unit B is 3 fathoms away from its opponent

1 measuring distances between units and effect areas

an enemy. While having a facing can add some inte-

resting tactical options, it normally causes more argu-
My, What Big Sculpts ments than it is worth.
You Have!

Contact and Control Area

We’re just as mad about miniatures as you are. That is
why we can only encourage you to modify your minia-
tures to suit your tastes. Such changes can however
bring about some technical problems when modified
Contact
miniatures are used to play. Therefore here are a few A unit is in contact with another if their bases are
rules to apply to modified or converted miniatures: physically touching. If a unit has enough Movement
For games between friends... if you can’t find some so that it can be placed in a position where part of
sort of agreement, find another friend
the figure itself touches part of the enemy figure, then
For games played in an official framework (league, these two units are also in contact with each other.
tournament, etc.): This situation is only acceptable if base to base contact
Any purely aesthetic modifications are legal can’t physically be made due to the size and positio-
Any modifications causing a possible change in how ning of the two figures, and if the moving unit could
the unit interacts with the rules (change of height, move far enough to be in base-to-base contact.
reach, etc.) unfortunately must be, illegal...
We can only encourage you to get extra miniatures as Control Area
replacements when you show up with modified mi- Most of the Hell Dorado models have a control area of
niatures to a game, just in case.
one fathom. This means that any unit that comes within
This being said, we strongly encourage referees to one fathom of an enemy unit will be inside that unit’s
show as much open mindedness as they can when control area.
it comes to managing this sort of situation. Thus,
when the modified miniature doesn’t cause trouble
between players, there would be no reason for ban- Once a unit is engaged it no longer exerts, or loses, its
ning it. In any case, if a modified miniature is accep- control area.
ted by the referees and the players, the player using
it obviously accepts that modified miniature will in-
teract with the rules affected by the modifications in

Friendly Disagreement
the most disadvantageous way possible.

Example: Thomas has decided to base his Baptiste Va-

lombre miniature on an imposing bit of rock, giving If, at any point in the game, the rules alone do not
it an extra fathom of height. To determine whether
enable you to resolve a conflict between players, here
Baptiste is in cover, the 50% rule will be applied to
the entire modified miniature. When determining are two solutions that you could possibly use:
Valombre’s Line of Sight while firing, we’ll consider The first is the well known heads or tails technique.
that his head will be at the initial height of the minia- Basically, you pick some handy object, such as a coin,
ture (as it was when unmodified), thus one fathom
or a frying pan, and you flip it up into the air, after
lower than the one Tom has brought to the table.
betting on which side you think will be visible when
Of course, Valombre’s opponent can decide not to it hits the floor. Obviously, if you want to use this
take advantage of this rule, but this comes down technique to end an argument, it tends to help if both
to an understanding between players. When ques-
players pick opposite sides.
tions of this type come up in a public setting, the
referees should always enforce this rule.

36
 Rules of the gamE
2 two miniatures engaged by their bases, then by the figures
The second option is our personal favorite, albeit
one requiring a lot of understanding and therefore
best if only used by players who know each other
very well: a tap on the cheek. When an argument
cannot be settled by simply applying the rules, the
first of the two players to gently tap the other on the
cheek wins. This should be done with caution, as,
if the tap turns into a slap, the too-brutal slapper is
immediately disqualified. A slightly safer version is
the tap on the back of the hand, though this option
is, of course, much less fun.
In any case we encourage you and your friends to
solve your disagreements in a fair and sporting way
between yourselves.
3 diagram of a miniature’s control area
37
In this case, the
Swashbuckler is in contact
(base-to-base) with the
Retiarius, but Aidan Saint
James isn’t.
he Armed Forces
Unit Ranks
Each unit is either a lemure or has one of the three
following ranks: Officer, Independent, or Trooper. The
Officers are unique (they can only be included once
per Company) as are the Independents who have an
identity. Troopers and anonymous Independents can
possibly be used several times in the same Company.
Officers
Officers are the soldiers who lead Companies into
battle. They are unique individuals who all have their
own identity (they actually have a distinct name).
These units have unique support and Command abi-
The control area of a unit affects
the way enemy units can move.
See the section on control area
effects on page 49.
 Rules of the gamE
The Company
In Hell Dorado, each player has control of a
Company of soldiers or units. Each unit is
physically represented by a miniature. They
are all different, with differing ranks, stats,
types, base sizes, etc. All these concepts
are explained in greater detail further on. A
whole chapter (p. 68) is entirely devoted to
their special abilities.
lities. Officers automatically possess the orders Vae
Soli and Vae Victis (p. 61).
Independents
Independents are elite soldiers who join Companies
seeking fame and fortune, or just for the pleasure of but-
chering invaders or natives. These soldiers have special
abilities which are often exceptional. When put to good
use, they can change the course of a whole battle on
their own. Independent units with an identity (their own
name) are unique and can only be hired once per Com-
pany. For all others, their Availability (p. 42) will tell you
how many you are allowed to have in a Company.
Troopers
Troopers are the huddled masses of soldiers who are
the heart of a Company, the nameless cannon fodder
who fight and die for the glory of their Commanding
Officers. Multiple Troopers of the same kind can be
used in a Company. The limits to their recruitment are
defined by the unit’s Availability (p. 42).
Red and Green
On most stat cards, the units’ statistics are printed
on two different colored backgrounds: red and
green. The value of the red stat is the basic value.
The value of the green stat is the one that should be
applied when the unit is wounded. One exception:
on the bar of Life Points on the back of the card,
the green backgrounds are for the point from whe-
reon the unit is considered to be wounded.
38
Unit Statistics
Each unit on the battlefield is defined by a series of
statistics. These are outlined in the unit’s entry in this
book and on the cards that come with each miniature.
Movement (MVT)
This indicates the distance in fathoms that a unit can
move in one turn when walking at a normal pace.
xample: the average human unit has
a Movement score of 5 if it is carrying
little or no armor. In most other cases
the Movement will be 4.
Shooting Skill (SHS)
This represents a number of dice. This is the number
of dice that will be rolled when the unit attacks with a
ranged weapon (bow, arquebus, throwing dagger, gre-
nade, etc.). This stat represents the unit’s skill at using
ranged weapons.
xample: the average human unit will
have a SHS score of 2 if it carries a
ranged weapon. If it doesn’t, then the
unit won’t have a SHS.
Combat (CBT)
This also represents a number of dice. This is the
number of dice rolled by the unit during close combat.
This stat represents the unit’s talent for attacking, its
physical abilities in combat and its equipment. It is both
a reflection of the unit’s warrior spirit and pure skill.
A unit with no Combat (a -) cannot fight, even if it
receives a CBT bonus later on. All attacks against it will
be on sided. Such a unit automatically has the Har-
mless special ability.
A unit with a CBT stat of 0 will not usually roll any
dice during a mêlée, but it can receive a bonus that will
allow it to do so.
xample: An average human unit has a
Combat of 3.
Defense (DEF)
As the name suggests, this score is an indicator of
the difficulty that enemy units will have hitting the unit
during a battle. This is the score that the unit’s oppo-
nents will roll their attack dice against when attacking
the unit. This represents the unit’s speed, skill and mar-
tial talents. Unless specifically stated, a unit’s Defense
can’t be greater than 5.
xample: An average human unit will
have a Defense of 3.
 Rules of the gamE

Front Faction Symbol

Movement
Units Name
Defense
Faith
Command
Availability
Special Abilities
Keywords
Army Points

Back Units Name

Life Points
Shooting Skill
Command
Combat
Faith
Defense Life Points Bar
Protection (Wounded State in Green)
Power Table
Weapons
Damage
Damage Type
Hits
Orders & Auras

4 Analysis of a stat card (front and back): Augustus Raimond

Protection (PR)
Protection (full plate armor, chain mail and
This score is a representation of the unit’s armor
shield, full body shell).
(natural or not) and its resistance to damage. It is sub-
tracted from the total damage whenever a unit is hurt. Life Points (LP)
This is the amount of damage a unit can take before
dying in battle. If this value is followed by a second
xample: a Protection value of 0
one printed on a green background, this second stat
means a total lack of armor; a value
indicates the number of Life Points at or below which
of 1 means light armor or natural
the unit becomes wounded. This second value is cal-
Protection (leather, small shield, thick skin), a
led the Wound Threshold (WT). The initial number of
value of 2 means a medium armor or natural
Life Points is reduced after each hit depending on the
Protection (chain mail, leather and metal-
amount of damage inflicted, and the new value becomes
plated armor, partial metal armor...), and
the current Life Point total.
a value of 3 means heavy armor or natural

39
 Rules of the gamE
A unit dies when its current Life Point total is equal
to or less than 0.
A unit is Wounded as soon as its current Life Point
total is reduced to or below the Wound Threshold prin-
ted on the green background.
xample: An average human unit has
an initial Life Point total of 4/1. This
means it has a total of 4 Life Points
and will become wounded as soon as it only
has 1 Life Point left. In the same way, a unit
with a Life Point total of 5/2 has a total of
5 Life Points (it will take 5 damage before
dying) and it will become wounded as soon
as it has 2 (or fewer) Life Points left.
Faith (FTH)
This stat represents the unit’s spiritual strength
it can provide a bonus for magical effects that are
associated with specific beliefs, and also helps
to resist hostile magical powers. A unit with the
keyword Unbeliever (p. 41) doesn’t have a Faith stat,
and any ability, spell or aura that requires Faith will
have no effect on it.
xample: An average human unit has a
Faith of 1
40
Command (CMD)
This stat represents the ability
the unit has for influencing the
behavior of its allies during battle.
This value is added to the com-
mand pool of the Company when
the game begins (p. 58).
When a unit with a command
of at least 1 is eliminated, its
score is immediately removed
both from the Company’s origi-
nal total command and from the
command pool (p. 58).
xample: An average
human Officer has a
Command of 4.
Weapon Statistics
Power Table
What a unit’s weapon does is
represented by a power table,
showing the amount of damage
inflicted depending on the number of hits scored on
the attack roll.
For melee weapons, this table is both a representa-
tion of the unit’s strength, the weight of the weapon
and the unit’s ability to «hit where it counts.»
For ranged weapons, this table represents the strength
of the unit for some weapons (bows, slingshots, throwing
weapons...) and the natural power of the weapon itself
for the others (arquebus munitions, crossbow bolts). As
well as the accuracy of the unit’s aim.
A power table always indicates the damage inflic-
ted by scoring 1-5 hits, even if the unit doesn’t have
a CBT that enables it to score this many hits. This is
in order to accommodate any bonuses that may affect
the unit.
Some special effects can be triggered by a certain
number of hits.
The player controlling the attacking unit can choose
to inflict fewer hits than they obtained with their
attack roll (or even none at all).
 Rules of the gamE

• Independent
• Trooper
xample - A Succubus using her whips
Its Species (or profound nature)
has the following power table:
• Angel
• Animal
• Damned
Number of Hits Damage • Demon
1 3 • Lost
2 4 + Pain 2 • Human
3 6 • Lemure
4 8 Its Gender
5 6 + Knocked Down • Asexual
• Female
She rolls 3 hits against an opponent on • Male
her attack roll. She can therefore inflict Its Religion
6 damage, inflict only 4 damage to her When it comes to religion, the units can be given a
opponent but make them suffer Pain for 2 general belief in certain principles (Christianity, Satanism,
turns, inflict 3 damage or take 0 hits and Islam...) or a more precise belief in certain dogmas.
inflict no damage. Units who believe in a specific dogma are affected by
the effects of their general belief and those associated
R ange (For R anged Weapons) with their particular dogma.
This stat helps define the difficulty of a ranged • Atheist
attack. The value is a number of fathoms, which will be • Buddhist
multiplied to obtain the levels of difficulty depending - Yanluowang
on the distance between the attacker and its target. • Christian
You will find the rules about shooting distances in the - Papist
chapter on ranged combat (p. 52). - Orthodox
- Protestant
Damage Type • Jewish
Most weapons have a keyword that defines the kind • Muslim
of damage they will inflict. The most common ones are - Shiite
slashing, piercing and blunt, there are many more, inclu- - Sunni
ding more exotic ones (gaze, powders to be inhaled, etc.). - Kharijite
This keyword doesn’t have any effect on the game but is • Satanist
used to trigger certain special abilities. Some weapons can - Luciferian
inflict multiple types of damage. Unbeliever (this is applied to all units who can never
be affected by the powers that concern religion. They
Weapon Abilities do not have a Faith statistic.).
Some weapons have special abilities that will dis- Practice of Magic
tinguish them from others. See page 68 for the full • Infernalist X/Y
description of these abilities. Infernalists are units that can control lemures.
This keyword is special in the sense that it is fol-
lowed by two numbers. These indicate the number
of lemures that the unit can control at one time (X)
Nature of the Units and the total number of lemures that it can invoke
during a game (Y) (p. 62).
Each character is defined by a number of keywords
that should give you a better idea of who they are.
xample: Asaliah has the keyword
These keywords will determine if a unit is eligible to
«Infernalist 2/3». This means she can
be the target of a special attack, if it will be affected
invoke up to 3 lemures during the game,
by magical effects or not, etc.
and can control up to 2 at the same time.
The nature of a unit can therefore be defined by
several elements of its personality: • Mentalist
Mentalists are units that have one or more auras
Its Rank (p. 37) is listed on the stat card as a (p.62).
keyword.
• Officer

41
 Rules of the gamE
Magic, Special Abilities and
Orders
Some units exude auras or control lemures (see
above). Most of them also have special abilities that
give them various bonuses (p. 68). Abilities which
are printed in red have an effect on the unit which is
(at least partially) negative. Finally, Officers and some
other units can use orders (p. 61). All of these special
powers will be described fully in their own respective
chapters.
Unit Base Sizes
All the units in Hell Dorado are mounted on round
bases that are suited to their size and mass. There are
three base sizes, and some of the game’s rules take
these sizes into account.
Regular (30mm diameter)
Large (40mm diameter)
Extra Large (50mm diameter)
Value, Faction, and
Availability of a Unit
All units are worth a certain number of army points
(AP). This number represents the unit’s power on the
battlefield. Usually, a player may spend up to 200 AP
5 three units side by side
Large Units
Extra Large Unit
on their Company. This is the size that we recommend
for standard Hell Dorado games.
Each unit belongs to one of the game’s factions (Wes-
terners, Saracens, Immortals, Demons, the Lost and
Mercenaries). The Mercenary Troopers and Mercenary
Independents can be hired by other factions (p. 75).
Faction, much in the same way the term
unit is used, is a keyword referenced by the
game rules. The Faction that a unit is part of
is shown by the symbol in the top right hand
corner of the unit’s card.
Mercenary Officers can also be tolerant towards other
Factions (if they have the special ability Prestige) and can
therefore hire Troopers and Independents from those
Factions under certain conditions (p. 74).
All units have an Availability. This represents the
number of times the unit can be recruited when buil-
ding a Company (p. 75).
Unique : The unit has an identity: it can therefore
be present only once per Company, no matter the size
of the Company.
Limited X : The unit can be included multiple times in
a Company. There can be up to X of the unit included for
every complete, or partial, 200 AP in a Company.
Limited X/Y: Sometimes a unit has two possible
variations. In these cases a units Availability is indicated by
two numbers. This means that the maximum number of
this unit is limited to X for each complete or partial portion
of 200 points, and out of these X units, a maximum of Y
can be of the type described by that specfic profile.
Example: Pillars of Faith, Halberd, Limited 3/2.
A Company of 200 points can use a maximum of
3 Pillars of Faith (all types) and out of those 3; a
maximum of 2 can be halberdiers.
42 Regular Unit
 Rules of the gamE
Unlimited : The unit can be included as many times
as desired in a Company. There is no limit to the num-
ber these units can be hired in a Company. This is the
default for all units.
Associated (Name of Unit) : This miniature can only
be used if the unit named in parentheses is included
in the Company. There can only be X specific units
associated with one named unit.
Transformation (Conditions • New Shape) : This
model can change its shape and statistics during the
game. This transformation will take place once the
conditions indicated between the brackets are fulfilled.
A transformed unit appears with full Life Points, even if
the previous shape had suffered damage.
ominance
The concept of Dominance is one of the key ele-
ments of Hell Dorado. It represents the way the war-
riors in each Company feel during the battle, whether
they’re feeling superior or if they have a vague fear of
being overrun. As you will see later on, Dominance
is used to resolve many situations and to determine
which player starts each turn. If necessary, Dominance
can be physically represented on the table by a marker
held by the player who is Dominant (a large marble, a
quarter, etc…).
Before the battle begins, both players must work out
their initial Dominance. This is equal to the sum of
the CMD of the Officers and the Independents in the
Company, plus the number of non-insignificant units
fielded by the Company, plus any First Contact values
(a special ability which some units may have) that units
in the Company have. The CMD of units that aren’t on
the battlefield at the beginning of the game is counted
when figuring initial Dominance.
If both players have an equal Dominance score, the
player with the most units in their Company is Domi-
nant. If there is still a tie, the player with the Officer
Initial Dominance
The basic CMD of the Company = the sum
of the CMD of all Officers and Indepen-
dents in the Company.
Dominance = the basic CMD of the Compa-
ny + the number of units in the Company
+ the sum of the First Contact values of
any of the units in the Company.
43
that has the highest CMD is Dominant. If the tie per-
sists, flip a coin.
At the beginning of the second and subsequent turns
of the game, Dominance is determined by the number
and the nature of the units that were killed during the
previous turn.
Both players count the number of units (Insigni-
ficant units don’t count) that they lost during the
previous turn.
The player who has lost the least units is Dominant
for the next turn.
If both players have lost the same number of units,
then the player that was already Dominant remains so
through the next turn.
urns
A game of Hell Dorado is split up into turns. In basic
battles, the number of turns in a game is limited (see
scenario details on page 206).
Upkeep Phase
It is during this phase – the first phase of every turn –
that the players resolve any special effects or situations
that last more than one turn.
1) At the beginning of the Upkeep Phase, the cur-
rent Command Pool of each player is reset to the total
CMD of the Company.
2) The question of which player is Dominant is resol-
ved as outlined above.
3) Then any damage that should be dealt is inflicted,
followed by any healing. In both cases, this is done
simultaneously by both players.
4) Finally, each player resolves any other powers,
orders, auras and abilities that have an effect during
this phase. If this causes any timing problems, the
Dominant player gets to choose the order that
effects are applied in.
Action Phase
Once both players have finished their Upkeep Phase,
the Action Phase begins.
During this phase, the players will be making their
units act in turn. The basic rule of this phase is this:
as soon as a player has finished the action of a unit, it
is the other player’s turn to act. However, as we will
soon see, this rule is quite often abused. In any case, a
 Rules of the gamE
Essential STuff
A Hell Dorado turn is split up into two phases:
The Upkeep Phase and Action Phase.
During the Upkeep Phase, the players work
out who is Dominant, Command Pools
are reset to their total values, and all the
special effects that take place during this
phase are applied.
During the Action Phase, players alternate
activating their units one by one, until all of
them have performed their actions. Once this
has happened, a new turn begins.
unit can only be activated once per turn, and all units
must be activated every turn.
Once a player has finished their unit’s action, they
need to let their opponent know that they are free to
play. A standard phrase can be chosen, such as «The
table is yours,» or even «Dude, s’your turn», but what is
important is that the opposing player be notified that it
is time for them to choose one of their units to activate.
Once this has been done, the previously active player
can no longer use a Vae Soli order.
44
Definitions
A unit that has not yet taken an action during the
current turn is said to be waiting.
A unit that is currently taking an action is said to
be active.
A unit that has already taken its action for this turn
is said to be already activated.
A unit that is in contact with an enemy unit is said to
be engaged with the enemy unit.
A unit that is not in contact with an enemy unit is
said to be free.
Allied units are all the units currently controlled by
the same player.
All Allies or other Allies
Sometimes an effect will refer to allies in
a general way, (“[all] the [unit’s] allies”) this
means that the unit from which the effect ori-
ginated is affected. Other times an effect will
refer to allies in a possessive form (“its allies” or
“the allies of the”) or an exclusive form (“other
allies”), either of these mean that the unit that
the effect originated from is not affected.
Enemy units are all the units controlled by the other
player or players (even temporarily). Enemy is synony-
mous with opponent.
First Activation
At the beginning of the Action Phase, the Dominant
player chooses which of the two players will activate one
of their units first.
 Rules of the gamE
The player that is chosen has to activate one of their
units, even if they have fewer units on the battlefield
than their opponent.
Being Outnumbered
When a player has to activate one of their units and
they have fewer waiting units than their opponent,
they can choose to make their opponent activate one
of their units instead. They can continue to skip their
activation for as long as they have fewer waiting units
than their opponent.
As mentioned previously, this rule doesn’t apply to
the first unit activated each turn. The side to activate
the first unit is always chosen by the Dominant player.
xample: Ileana is Dominant. She controls
8 Lost units. Her opponent, Arnold, has
4 Westerner units left. Ileana chooses
Arnold to play first at the beginning of the
Action Phase. He is therefore forced to activate
one of his 4 units. Then Ileana chooses one
of hers to activate. When it’s Arnold’s turn to
choose his second unit, he refuses, as he only
has 3 waiting units and Ileana has 7. In this way
he can make her play all her units until she also
has only 3 waiting units left. However, Arnold
does have the option to resume activating his
units at any time after each of Ileana’s moves.
Activation
Once a unit is activated, the player that controls it
must choose, announce to his opponent, and then per-
form a single action from the list below with the acti-
vated unit. See page 47 for more details. All units must
act once per turn. A unit can’t normally be activated
more than once per turn. A free unit can activate and
choose not to perform an action.
Walk
Normal movement • No contact with an enemy
unit • Free units only
The unit can move a distance up to the value of its
Movement in fathoms before ending its activation. The
unit can’t end its activation in contact with an enemy unit,
but it can enter an enemy control area. This action can
only be performed by a free unit.
Run
Movement X 2 • No contact with an enemy unit •
Free units only
The unit must move a number of fathoms greater
than its MVT, and may move up to to a number of
fathoms equal to double its MVT before ending its
activation. The unit can’t end its activation in contact
with an enemy unit but it can enter an enemy control
area. This action can only be performed by a free unit.
45
Attack
Normal movement • Contact with enemy unit •
Free units only
The unit moves as if it was performing a Walk action,
but it must end its activation in contact with an enemy
unit, triggering a normal attack sequence (p. 49). This
action can only be performed by a free unit.
Charge
Movement X 2 • Contact with enemy unit • -1 CBT
when contact is made • Free units only
The unit moves as if it was performing a Run action,
but must end its activation in contact with an enemy
unit. This immediately triggers an attack sequence
affected by Charge modifiers (p. 51). This action can
only be performed by a free unit.
Shoot
Normal movement • Ranged attack • No contact
with an enemy unit • Free units only
The unit can perform a ranged attack against any eli-
gible target (p. 52). It can also move a distance up to or
equal to the value of its Movement score before or after
shooting. It cannot end this movement in contact with
an enemy unit. The unit can either move and then shoot
or shoot and then move, but it cannot move part of the
distance, shoot, then continue moving. This action can
only be performed by a free unit. This is the only action
that allows a unit to use a ranged weapon.
Retreat
Movement X 2 • No contact with an enemy unit •
Triggers one-sided attack during Retreat • Engaged
units only
The unit announces its intention to Retreat from the
combat it is engaged in. It immediately suffers a one-
sided attack from one of its opponents, to which it cannot
retaliate (p. 51). It can then use a Run-type movement,
unless the previous attack killed it or caused it to suffer
a change of state (p. 64). It is impossible to come into
contact with an enemy unit when using a Retreat action.
This action can only be performed by an engaged unit.
If, during the one-sided attack, the enemy unit has less
than 1 attack die, the attack is canceled and the Retreating
unit can then use its Retreat action to a Walk, Run, Attack
or Charge, as if the unit had the Huge ability. If, during
the one-sided attack, the enemy is Harmless, the attack
is cancelled and the retreating unit may use its retreat
action to perform a Walk, Run, Attack, Charge, Shoot,
or Concentration action. If a retreating unit does wish
to replace its Retreat with a different action as described
above, it must first leave contact with the enemy unit.
Concentration
Free units may move normally • No contact with
the enemy
Engaged units may not move • Modified attack
sequence
The unit announces its intention to use an active
(see Special effects and timing, page 60) power (spell,
special ability, order...).
 Rules of the gamE
If the unit is free, it can move a distance up to or
equal to its Movement score, either before or after
using its power. It cannot end its movement in
contact with an enemy unit. The unit can either
move and then use its power, or use its power and
then move, but it cannot move part of the way,
use its power and continue its movement.
If the unit is engaged, it cannot move and it trig-
gers an attack sequence, with one of the non-Har-
mless enemy units it is in contact with, affected by
Concentration modifiers (p. 51). If the outcome of
the combat is a change of state for the unit (or its
death, of course), the power has no effect (however,
all costs must still be paid).
Focus
Free units may not move
Engaged units may not move • Triggers one-
sided attack
The unit announces its intention to use an exhausting
(see Special effects and timing) power (spell, special
ability, order...).
If the unit is free, it cannot move at all, neither before
nor after using its power.
If the unit is engaged, it cannot move and one of the
non-harmless enemy units it is in contact with gets to
make a one-sided attack against it. If the result of the
attack involves a change of state for the unit (or its
death, of course), the power will have no effect (howe-
ver, all costs must still be paid).
Mêlée
Limited movement • No loss of contact • Normal combat
• Engaged units only
The unit triggers an attack sequence against an enemy
unit in contact with it. This action can only be perfor-
med by an engaged unit.
6 Different types of movement
B
C a Charge action
46
Attack Sequence
Protagonists
Normally, when a unit takes a Charge, Attack or
Mêlée action, the player controlling it will be
the one to choose the unit (in case of contact
with multiple enemies) that the attack se-
quence will be made against.
Normally, when a unit takes a Retreat, Concen-
tration or Focus action, it’s the player who
controls the enemy units in contact with the
active unit that will choose which unit will
make the attack sequence against it.
At the beginning of its activation, if the unit is
engaged by only one enemy, it is allowed to move
where it wishes to as long as it remains in contact with
the enemy unit. It must however end its activation in
an area of terrain on which it could normally move
over (p. 215).
If, during this movement, it comes into contact with
another enemy unit, it can choose with which of the
two it wants to engage with the attack sequence, while,
of course, remembering that in this situation the two
enemy units will be providing each other with support.
If the unit is already engaged by multiple
enemy units, it cannot move, but gets to pick which
of the enemies it wants to fight (oppose in an attack
sequence).
Unit A has performed
a Walk action
Unit B has performed
a Run action
Unit C has performed
Unit D has performed
an Attack action
Unit E has performed
D a Mêlée action
 Rules of the gamE

Quick Chart of Actions

For Free Units

Walk Movement normal • No contact with enemy units
Run Movement x 2 • No contact with enemy units
Attack Movement normal • Contact with enemy units
Charge Movement x 2 • Contact with enemy units • -1 CBT when contact is made
Shoot Movement normal • Ranged attack • No contact with enemy units
Concentration Movement normal • No contact with enemy units
Focus No movement
For Engaged Units
Retreat Movement x 2 • No contact with enemy units • Triggers a one-sided attack
Concentration No movement • Modified attack sequence
Focus No movement • Triggers a one-sided attack
Mêlée Limited or no movement • No loss of contact • Normal attack sequence

If the unit is engaged by multiple enemy units but

If Saurav-Geet had possessed a passive
only one of them has a CBT that isn’t ”-“, then the unit
power, he could have used it before
can move as long as it stays in contact with the unit that
he began the attack sequence. He
has a CBT that isn’t “-“
could also have chosen to use it after
It is important to remember that a passive power can be
the attack sequence. During the attack
used at any time during a unit’s activation, no matter what
sequence, Stephen can choose to spend
action is being performed at the time. This does not trigger
1 or 2 of his Command Points to add
any particular reaction, whether the unit is free or engaged.
1 or 2 to Saurav-Geet’s CBT, thanks to
It can even be used before or after – but never during – an
Isha-Akshay’s Vae Victis order. The Vae
attack sequence or a ranged attack.
Victis order is a free power, and it can
A free power can be triggered at any time during the
therefore be used at any time during
Action Phase, whether the unit has already been activated
the Action Phase, whether the unit who
or not, even during an enemy unit’s activation, but never
possesses it has been activated or not,
during an attack sequence or a ranged attack.
and as many times as the player can
You may decide to not perform an action with a free unit
afford to do so.
when it is activated. Of course it won’t be able to act later
on during the same turn, as it has been activated.
Once Saurav-Geet has finished his
An engaged unit must act once it is activated (Mêlée,
activation, Stephen can spend one
Retreat, Concentration or Focus actions).
Command Point, to give a Vae Soli order
Once a unit has finished its action, in order to remember
(free power) and therefore activate
which units have been activated, you can flip their stat card
a second unit, possibly Isha-Akshay,
over. By doing this, all players can easily see which units
immediately.
are still waiting and which have already been activated.
In Hell Dorado, declaring what action your unit will take
doesn’t lock the unit into performing that action no matter
what. A player may change what action their unit will per-
Example: Stephen has 2 Lost units.
form as long as they haven’t done anything with the unit
One of them is Saurav-Geet, who
that would only be possible by performing a certain action.
is engaged with an enemy unit.
The other is Isha-Akshay. When his turn
comes to act, he decides to activate Example: Alain says that his
Saurav-Geet and have him perform a Lancer will Charge. He wishes
Concentration action. He can then use to Charge Isaïa, who is slightly
his Exuvia power (an active power) if he behind the Golem, and in contact with
survives an attack sequence as modified it. While moving, the Lancer enters
by the Concentration action, meaning -1 the control area of only the Golem
CBT and -1 DEF for Saurav-Geet. before coming into contact with Isaïa.
Therefore, to perform a Charge action
the Lancer should move into contact with

47
 Rules of the gamE

the Golem. However, once the Lancer’s
controller realizes that his unit has
entered the Golem’s control area, and
consequently won’ t be able to make it to
Isaïa, he could decide to stop the Lancer
in the control area of the Golem thereby
performing a run action, or continue with
the charge and engage the Golem.
Making the declaration of what action a unit will per-
form mandatory helps maintain clear and open com-
munication between players. By declaring what action
a unit will perform, a player allows his opponent a clear
time to react to that action or, in the spirit of good
sportsmanship, point out why it is illegal for the unit to
perform said action. You can’t just roll dice and then
say “My Arquebuser just shot your Blessed Warrior”
and think that it would be obvious that you are shooting
without moving so as to gain the bonus from Trained
Gunman. Similarly, one could move their figure across
difficult terrain while still within their units MVT, and
then continue on to run or charge with the unit hoping
that their opponent won’t notice that they should pay
1 CMD point. By declaring what action the unit will
perform situations such as these become much clearer
to everyone at the table. Declaring what action will be
performed allows your opponent to react to planned
actions, possibly preventing them. If your opponent
uses a power or ability in reaction to your declaration
of what action a unit will perform, then you can’t with-
draw your declaration
Example: Alain has his Alchemist
in contact with John’s Aidan
Saint James. The Alchemist is
also within the range of John’s Russian
Trapper’s Trap Laying order. Alain
decides that he will retreat with his
Alchemist. After Alain declares that his
Alchemist will retreat, John says that
he will use the Trap Laying order on
the alchemist at the beginning of the
retreat. Alain can’ t then change his mind
and perform some other action with the
Alchemist, who finds himself knocked
down at the feet of Aidan Saint James.
ovement
All Movement distances are measured in fathoms. A
moving unit doesn’t have to use all of its Movement
potential, you can even choose not to move it at all. A
moving unit doesn’t have to move in a straight line. A
movinh unit can’t move across the base of another unit
with its own base. Some terrain elements can block or
hinder Movement.

7 Examples of minis entering enemy control areas

A Unit A decides to stop its movement.

Unit B decides to engage the enemy unit.
Unit C decides to engage enemy unit E.
Unit D decides to engage enemy units F and G.

B
E

G
48
 Rules of the gamE
C
If unit A wants to engage unit B, it must spend
1 Command Point. Engaging combat with C will
cost nothing.
8 a miniature inside a control area decides to act
Control Area Effects
Units in Hell Dorado have a control area of one
fathom’s radius from their base. Control areas affect
the movements of other units in the following way:
A unit entering the control area of an enemy unit
has only three choices. It can:
Continue its movement so as to engage its enemy
directly (by the most direct route, even if this means
entering another unit’s control area).
Approach its enemy as stated above, but stop
moving before making contact.
Stop moving immediately.
It cannot continue its movement and leave the
control area, or move around within the area unless it
is to engage the enemy. If it decides to end its move-
ment before making contact with the enemy, the two
units are not engaged.
If a unit simultaneously enters the control areas
of several enemy units, it can:
Stop its movement immediately.
Pick one of the enemy units and engage it by moving
to make contact by the most direct route (this may
take it out of the control area of one or more of the
other units).
Move to simultaneously engage several enemy
units.
While engaged, a unit no longer exerts a control area.
A unit that begins its activation within the control
area of one (or more) enemy units can:
49
A
B
Choose not to act.
Perform an action that will allow it to engage its
enemy as directly as possible (or one of them).
Perform a Concentration, Focus, or Shoot action
(no Movement when using a Shoot or Concentration
action).
Pay 1 Command Point at the beginning of its acti-
vation to be able to either move around inside the
control area it is in without engaging the unit that
exerts the area, or leave the control area. The unit
will have to pay 1 Command Point for every control
area it is in at the beginning of its activation to be
able to move around freely or leave. This can only
be done to leave control areas that the unit is in at
the beginning of its activation. It cannot pay to move
through a control area during its movement without
stopping there. Spending Command Points in this
way is not an Order.
Control areas have no effect on a unit that moves
during a Mêlée action. On the other hand, a unit that
moves during a Retreat action is affected by control
areas (except for the one it is Retreating from).
ombat
In this section, you will find a detailed description
of all the possible combat situations, both close and
ranged, that can occur during the Action Phases of a
game. It is important to have a good grasp of all the
following concepts to be able to make the most of
playing Hell Dorado.
 Rules of the gamE
Friendly Fire
In Hell Dorado, a player cannot attack allied
units, be it in close or ranged combat.
Close Combat
An attack sequence in Hell Dorado represents a flurry
of blows between engaged units. An engaged unit can
fight all the units around it, for as long as it can resist their
number. However, every time an attack sequence happens
it can only involve two units at a time (an ally and an
enemy), any other units in contact will only provide sup-
port to the main fighters. A player cannot choose to attack
allied units (either from their own Company or controlled
by an opposing player).
A unit without a Combat stat cannot engage in com-
bat, even if it receives CBT bonuses later on. Any attack
sequence against this kind of unit will be one-sided.
Resolving an Attack Sequence
The same procedure is used whenever a close com-
bat attack sequence is resolved.
A. Both players work out how many Combat
dice they need to roll.
In close combat, both players roll a number of dice
equal to the Combat of their unit that is involved. This
number will of course be modified by any bonuses or
penalties applied to a unit’s CBT. If a unit would roll
a number of dice greater than 5, it will only roll 5 and
any extras can be taken as re-rolls (see below).
A unit cannot have more than 10 dice to roll (5 rolls
and 5 possible re-rolls). If a unit gets over 10 dice, each
die over 10 allows it to inflict one automatic damage
point per extra die to its opponent Protection is ignored
and these points are inflicted even if the unit doesn’t
score a single hit with its attack roll.
xample: William has a Damned One of
Wrath engaged in an attack sequence.
The Damned One of Wrath has a CBT
of 4 and has a total of 3 extra points added to
its CBT (from orders, spells, etc...). William
will therefore roll 5 dice and may re-roll up to
2 of them.
50
B. Both players roll their combat dice
Each of the dice that rolls a number equal to or grea-
ter than the opposing unit’s Defense stat scores a hit.
Each of the dice that rolls a number lower than the
unit’s Defense stat is a miss. A die that rolls a miss can
be rolled again, once and only once, as a re-roll. This
means that if a player has 3 possible re-rolls and only
2 misses, the third possible re-roll will not be usable,
no matter what the result of the re-rolls are. Once all
re-rolls are done, the players count the number of hits.
xample: The enemy unit William’s
Damned One of Wrath is fighting
has a Defense of 3. William rolls his
Combat dice and obtains 3, 4, 2, 6 and 4. He
has scored 4 hits. He re-rolls the 2 and gets
a result of 1. Even though he had 2 possible
re-rolls, he cannot re-roll the 1, as any die can
only be re-rolled once. In this case, he does
not benefit from his second re-roll. William
has scored 4 hits.
C. Both players apply the result of the attack
rolls simultaneously
The players check the power table of the wea-
pons they used to work out how much damage
should be inflicted and/or any special effects that
have been triggered. Once the damage has been
applied then any changes of state or special effects
triggered will occur.
A player can always choose to reduce the number
of hits inflicted by his own unit (this can, for example,
allow him to trigger specific effects that may be a lot
more helpful than what the full number of hits would
do). The defender’s Protection score is then subtracted
from the damage. The final result will be the number of
Life Points the unit will lose. Damage is inflicted simul-
taneously to both units engaged in the attack sequence.
The same is true for any change of state. Even if a unit
dies, all the damage it caused is applied, and any spe-
cial effects are triggered.
Attack Sequences and
Power Timing
Once the attack sequence has begun, powers
and passive or free abilities can no longer be
used until the sequence is over. The most ob-
vious exception to this rule is the Vae Victis
order (p. 61).
 Rules of the gamE
Specific Modifiers
Charge -1 CBT for the active unit
Concentration -1 CBT and -1 DEF for the active unit
One-sided attack during Retreat One-sided attack
One-sided attack during Focus One-sided attack with -1 DEF for the active unit
Support +1 CBT for each allied unit in contact
Vae victis +1 or +2 CBT depending on Command Points spent
xample: Arnold’s missionary can inflict
4 damage with the 3 hits it rolled
during the attack roll. However, Arnold
chooses to reduce the number of hits inflicted
to 2, so he can inflict Stunned and not deal
any damage.
The missionary’s enemy, a Damned One of
Wrath, manages to score 5 hits and inflicts
10 damage, which, despite the missionary’s
Protection score, kills him.
The Damned One of Wrath will still suffer
from the Stunned state, as the affects of the
attack sequence are applied simultaneously.
D. The Grim Reaper claims his due
Units whose Life Points reach or go below 0 are
dead with all that it entails. Units that still have 1
or more Life Points stay on the battlefield. Depen-
ding on the result of the attack sequence, a unit
can become free or remain engaged.
Special Situations
Charge
When a unit takes part in one or many attack
sequences while taking a Charge action, it suffers a -1
CBT penalty. Attack sequences made after the end of
its activation are not affected.
One-sided Attacks
One-sided attack sequences work just like normal,
except one of the units involved doesn’t roll dice as
they can’t fight. All abilities and modifiers that affect
normal attack sequences can affect one-sided attacks.
Attacking From Above
Any unit standing on ground at least half a fathom
higher than its opponent gets +1 CBT. On the other
hand, if the lower unit’s head is lower than the base
of the higher unit, no contact – and therefore no close
combat – can occur between the two.
51
Concentration
When a unit performs a Concentration action
while engaged by a non-harmless unit, it takes part
in an attack sequence at the beginning of its acti-
vation, but suffers -1 CBT and -1 DEF. If several
non-harmless enemy units are engaging the unit, as
normal, only one of them (chosen by their control-
ling player) will fight, the others will only provide a
support bonus.
One-sided Attacks During Retreat
When a unit suffers a one-sided attack because of
a Retreat action, a normal attack sequence is perfor-
med, but only the enemy unit gets an attack roll. If
several enemy units are engaging the Retreating unit,
only one of them (chosen by their controlling player)
performs the attack, the others will only provide a
support bonus.
One-sided Attack During Focus
When a unit suffers a one-sided attack because
of a Focus action, a normal attack sequence is
performed, but only the enemy unit gets an attack
roll and the unit currently Focusing suffers -1 DEF. If
several enemy units are engaging the Retreating unit,
only one of them (chosen by their controlling player)
performs the attack, the others will only provide a
support bonus.
Support
A unit gets +1 CBT for each allied unit engaging
the enemy unit that they’re fighting. This is called a
support bonus. A unit can provide a support bonus
multiple times in one turn. A unit that can’t fight (no
CBT, Immobilized, etc.) doesn’t provide any support.
Weapon Damage Types
Most of the weapons carried units in Hell
Dorado cause a specific kind of damage, indicated
on the stat cards. However, some weapons will
list several types of damage. In this case, the type
of damage inflicted is always chosen by the player
controlling the unit. If a weapon doesn’ t indicate
a type of damage then, it inflicts damage with no
 Rules of the gamE
B
Unit A receives a support bonus of +1 CBT.
Unit B receives a support bonus of +2 CBT.
Unit C does not receive any support.
.
9 multiple units and support
type. Note that the kind of damage inflicted by
a weapon does not imply that any special rules
should be applied unless otherwise stated. For
example, the keywords Blunt, Slashing or Piercing
are not associated with any special rules. They
are only used as keywords when dealing with
some specific effects.
Multiple Weapons
When a unit carries several weapons (with
different power tables) that can be used during
10 Units and damage types
This Damned One of Wrath can cause both Pier-
cing and Slashing damage. Depending on the
type of resistance its opponent has, the type of
damage will be the one that is more favorable
for the attacker.
ranged or close combat, its controller must state
which weapon is being used for the current attack
sequence before rolling attack dice. If the player
fails to do so, the defender gets to choose which
power table is used to inflict damage. Obviously,
only close combat weapons can be used by an
engaged unit and only ranged weapons can be
used by a free unit.
Ranged Combat
As with close combat, ranged combat is resolved
during the Action Phase. There is, however, one big
difference between the two: during ranged combat, the
targeted unit cannot respond to the attack.
Shots
During the Action Phase, as with close combats, ranged
attacks are resolved during the attacking unit’s activa-
tion. These ranged attacks are called shots. When a unit
wishes to shoot, the ensuing steps are always the same.
A. Choosing a Target
Units wishing to perform a ranged attack must tar-
get the enemy unit that is nearest to them. There are,
however, three exceptions to this:
If the nearest possible target is in cover (see below)
that gives it a Protection bonus equal to or greater than
its natural Protection, the shooter can choose the next
closest eligible target. If the next possible target has a
similar amount of cover to the previous one (cover that
provides Protection at least equal to the unit’s natural
52
 Rules of the gamE

Protection score), then the next closest target will be
examined and so on.
If the nearest enemy unit is engaged, the shooter
does not have to choose it as the target and can choose
the next closest eligible target.
An enemy unit that cannot be a target (because of
an ability or an aura, etc.) never counts as the nearest
enemy unit.
Allied units cannot become targets, unless they can,
somehow, temporarily be considered enemy units.
B. Cover and Line of Fire
You can consider that there is a clear Line of Fire
between a shooter and its target if an imaginary
straight line could be drawn between the center of the
shooter’s base at head height and any part of the target
(base, weapon, body of the figure...).
Terrain elements naturally prevent a shooter from
aiming at an enemy unit if there is no clear Line of
Fire between the two, no matter how far the enemy
unit is from the terrain element. On the other
hand, in Hell Dorado, lines of fire are never bloc-
ked by other units (enemies or allies). It is treated as

Cover
Essential Stuff
Cover Bonus
Targets Base Size (added to targets
protection score) A shot is an attack sequence, just like a hand-to-
Regular 3 hand attack. Therefore the normal rules for the
Large 2 timing of powers apply in the same.
Extra Large 1

11 aiming a shot at certain minis

D E
B

11’’
10’’
8’’

9’’

Unit A wishes to shoot. Usually, it would have to pick the nearest enemy unit, but...
Unit B has a cover of 3, and its natural Protection score is 1.
Unit C is engaged in close combat.
Unit D also has some cover, although it is not better than the unit’s natural
Protection score (cover of 1 and Protection of 3)
Unit E is not under cover.
Unit A can therefore pick units B, C or D as its target for this shot.
 Rules of the gamE
though the warriors are not standing still on the battle-
field. As one moves forward at a fast pace to intercept
an enemy, another one will have the time to exchange
blows with several enemies and a shooter can wait until
its target is in view as other units move out of the way.
If the target is partially covered by terrain elements
(from the shooter’s point of view), it will receive addi-
tional Protection from the cover if at least 50% of the
figure is concealed by the obstacle and if it is a fathom
(or less) away from the obstacle. To work out if at least
50% of the figure is hidden from the shooter’s view,
you can either lean over and see for yourself «what the
mini can see,» or use a laser pointer.
If a target does have cover, then it receives a bonus to
its Protection depending on its size (a large warrior would
naturally find it harder to hide than a smaller one would).
C. Measuring Distances
The distance between the shooter and its target is
always measured from the edge of one base to the other.
In Hell Dorado, there is no limit to the range of
most throwing or ranged weapons. The weapons’
Range score is only an indication of how difficult
the shot roll will be depending on the distance from
the target as explained in the table on page 55.
The difficulty used for the shot is equal to the distance
difficulty or the target’s Defense, whichever is higher.
D. Gather & Roll Combat Dice
The shooting unit rolls a number of combat
dice equal to its Shooting Skill (SHS). This num-
54
ber of dice may be modified by the unit ’s state
or other modifiers.
This works just like rolling to hit in a close combat
attack sequence with the shooter gaining re-rolls
if their SHS is above 5 etc... The only difference is
that the target of the shot doesn’t get to retaliate.
Each of the dice that rolls a number equal to or
greater than the shot’s difficulty scores a hit.
E. The Shooter Applies the Results of the shot
The player checks the power table of the weapon that
has just been used to work out how much damage to
inflict and/or what special effects may have been trig-
gered. Again this works just like the similar step from
close combat attack sequences, except only the shooter
will deal damage.
F. The Reaper Claims His Due
Any unit whose Life Points are reduced to 0 or less
are dead with all that it entails.
All units who still have one or more Life Points left
stay on the battlefield.
Shooting Into Close Combat
When a unit decides to perform a ranged attack on
an enemy unit engaged in close combat, the shot takes
place as normal (measuring distance, consideration of
cover, etc.).
The difficulty of the shot is the highest value
between the Defense of the target, the Defense of all
unit engaged by the target, and the difficulty imposed
by the distance.
 Rules of the gamE
The shooter has a clear The shooter (A) has no possi-
Line of Fire to D but the ble Line of Fire to B, as part
element it is behind gives it of the terrain is completely
a Protection bonus of 2 (the C blocking any Line of Sight
target has a Large base). between the two units.
B
D

A
E

The shooter has a clear Line

of Fire to E and the scenery is
hiding less than 50% of the
figure. The shot therefore
takes place as normal.
The shooter has a clear Line of Fire The shooter has a clear
to C but the element it is behind Line of Fire to F and
gives it a Protection bonus of 3 (the the scenery is over 1
unit has a Regular base) as less than fathom away from the
50% of the figure is visible. figure. The shot the-
refore takes place as
normal.

12 Line of Fire and Protection

Range and Difficulty of Shots

Distance Between Shooter and Target Range Distance Difficulty
No greater than the weapon’s Range Point Blank 3
Greater than the weapon’s Range but no greater than Range X 2 Short 4
Greater than Range X 2 but no greater than Range X 3 Medium 5
Greater than Range X 3 Long 6

55
 Rules of the gamE
While resolving the attack (once all re-rolls are done),
if the result is at least one hit, then the number of odd
and even dice scores are compared (compare all the
dice, those that provided hits and those that didn’t).
If there are more odd scores than even ones, the shot
hits another of the units engaged in the close combat,
chosen randomly (give each of them a number and roll
a die, or mix up their stat cards and pick one...).
The damage is then inflicted as normal, based on the
number of hits scored (in this case it is impossible to
choose to reduce the number of hits).
xample: Ileana is playing her Berber
Chasseur, who is firing at an enemy
Blade for Hire that is engaged in
close combat with two of her units. Her two
units have Defenses of 3 and 5, the target’s
Defense is 4 and the shot is at short range
(distance difficulty of 4). This means that
the shot’s difficulty will be 5 (the highest
of the previous values). Ileana rolls 3 dice
for her shooter. The results are 5, 6 and 3.
She gets 2 hits, but as there are more odd
results than even ones, the shot will hit one
of the other engaged units (meaning one of
hers) picked randomly.
If the shooter picks a target that is behind
an ongoing close combat, the same rules apply.
However, the unfortunate victim is chosen from
amongst all of the units whose bases are at least
13 Distance and difficulty
All the shooters in this example are using arquebuses (range of 8).
Shooter A’s target B is 19 fathoms away from him. The difficulty of
Shooter C’s target D is 5 fathoms away from him. The difficulty
will therefore be 4 (4 DEF score and a 3 distance difficulty).
B
56
partially on an imaginary line drawn between the
center of the shooter’s base and that of their tar-
get, as well as all units engaged by any unit on
that line. Of course, if the shooter and/or its tar-
get are on a higher level than the units between
them, the Line of Fire is not blocked and the shot
can take place as normal.
Explosions
A shooter who carries a weapon which produces
explosions aims it at a point on the battlefield. It can be
a place where a unit is standing, or any other spot on the
ground. Important note: the unit does not have to aim
at the closest enemy unit.
The unit will require a free Line of Fire to the spot it
wishes to target.
As a default, explosions will affect a circular area
with a 3 fathom radius, centered on the targeted spot.
The shooter then performs a normal ranged attack
based on the distance difficulty (Defense stats are
not taken into account here). If the shooter scores
at least one hit, then the shot successfully hits the
targeted spot.
If the shooter doesn’t score a single hit, then the shot
misses and inflicts no damage (as if the weapon had misfi-
red or the shot had missed completely and hit some deser-
ted bit of terrain...).
If the shot hits, the explosion template is placed on
the battlefield with its center on the targeted spot. All
units that are touched (allies or enemies) by the tem-
plate will be affected by the explosion, even if only a
tiny part of the miniature or its base is inside the area
of effect.
The Defense score of all targets is 4.
the shot roll will therefore be 5 (4 DEF score
and a 5 distance difficulty).
 Rules of thegamE
Ranged weapons with explosive ammunition have
two stats: a difficulty and a power. They are always
displayed in the following way: Explosion (Type of
Damage, if necessary • X/Y). Here, X is the difficulty
and Y is the power. In some cases, these two damage
stats will be replaced by a specific state. In this case,
any unit even partially inside the effect area will auto-
matically be affected by the aforementioned state.
The shooter rolls 5d6 against each unit inside the
area of effect of an explosion. Each of the dice that
rolls greater than or equal to the explosion’s difficulty,
scores a hit. Each hit inflicts a number of damage equal
to the explosion’s power. The damage for each hit is
added up, and then the unit’s Protection is subtrac-
ted from the total to figure the number of Life Points
the unit will actually lose. The shooter can’t choose
to reduce the number of hits scored when using an
explosive weapon.
There are no bonuses to PR due to cover for units
inside an explosion.
The Vae Victis order cannot be used during explosion
damage rolls, although it can be used during the roll
that determines if the shot hits its target or not.
xample: One of Stephen’s Sling
Maidens shoots with an «Exploding
Maggot, Explosion (3/1)» weapon at a
point that allows him to touch two enemy
units, but also one of his own units, with the
area of effect. The targeted spot is at long
range. Stephen rolls 2 dice for his shot: he
scores a 2 and 6. This single 6 means that
the shot has hit its target. For each of the
three units inside the area of effect, Stephen
then rolls 5d6 against a difficulty of 3, as he
would with a normal shot. Each hit inflicts 1
damage. The Protection of each unit is then
subtracted from the total number of damage
it suffered to determine how many Life Points
it will lose.
Blast Weapons
Before we begin, it is important to differentiate the
two kinds of blast weapons: cloud blasts and ammu-
nition blasts.
Whatever the type of blast, the attack is resolved in
the same way. The shooter places the blast template,
the triangle 6 fathoms long and 2 fathoms wide at
the base, where he wants on the battlefield, the only
condition affecting the placement of the template is
that the tip of the cone must be in contact with the
shooters base. The shooter doesn’t have to «aim» at
any specific enemy unit. Every unit (ally or enemy)
touched by the template will be affected by the blast,
even if only a tiny part of their base is touched by
57
Full Cover
During an explosion or an impact blast (but not du-
ring a cloud-type blast), if a unit is totally under
cover (none of the miniature is visible) from the
point of origin of the attack (center of the explo-
sion, tip of the blast cone), then it can’t be hit by
the attack.
the template. Using a blast weapon does not require a
shooting roll.
Blast weapons have four stats: type of damage, type
of blast (cloud or impact), difficulty and power. They
are always displayed in the same way: «[blast type]
Blast (Type of Damage • X/Y)». In this example X is the
difficulty and Y is the power. In some cases, these two
stats will be replaced by a state. In this case, all units
even partially touched by the template will automati-
cally be affected by the aforementioned state. Vae Vic-
tis can’t be used during a shot using a blast weapon.
The shooter can’t choose to reduce the number of hits
scored when using a blast weapon.
Cloud Blast Weapons
The shooter rolls 5d6 against each unit touched by the
template of a cloud blast effect weapon. Each die that rolls
equal to or greater than the blast’s difficulty scores a hit.
Each hit inflicts an amount of damage equal to the blast’s
power. The damage for all the hits scored is totaled, the
unit’s PR is subtracted, and the remainder is the number
of Life Points the unit will actually lose. There are no PR
bonuses due to cover for units inside a cloud blast wea-
pon’s area of effect.
Cloud blast weapons usually utilize substances like
flames or burning gases. You may note that this type of
weapon works like an explosion, except with a different
shaped template that must touch the unit that is shooting.
xample: A monstrous creature
projecting a cloud of acid across the
battlefield has an attack «Cloud Blast
(Acid • 5/2)». Each die rolled by the creature
that scores a 5 or higher will cause 2 damage.
Legal Target
An enemy unit able to be legally hit by (in regards
to special effects) an attack sequence, a shot, an
explosion or a blast attack is called a legal target.
An allied unit is never a legal target on its own for
purposes of a blast attack or an explosion. Thus,
you cannot place a blast or explosion template
over enemy units who are not legal targets (due to
the use of Discretion, for example) even if an ally is
caught in the template.
 Rules of the gamE

Impact Blast Weapons
An impact blast works exactly like a cloud blast
except for a few key exceptions. The first target
that the blast will be resolved against is the one
closest to the shooter. When rolling to determine
how many hits are scored the shooter rolls their
SHS +5 dice. After the shot has been resolved
against the first target you continue on to the
next closest target touched by the template, and
the shooter rolls a number of dice equal to the
number of misses that where rolled against the
first target. Continue in this fashion until there
are either no units left in the area of effect to roll
against or there are no dice left to roll. Being able
to claim cover will work as normal and provide a
PR bonus versus an impact blast. If two or more
units are at an equal distance from the shoo-
ter, determine the order that they will be rolled
against randomly. Impact blast weapons usually
fire clusters of ammunition Ex a blunderbuss, or
cannon loaded with lead shot, etc ...
Explosions, Blasts and Close Combat
When resolving an explosion or a blast attack
hitting a unit currently engaging at least one enemy
who is not in the area of effect of the blast or of
the explosion, the active player rolls a d6. On an
even result, only the unit in the area of effect is
hit. On an odd result, one of the units it is engaged
by, and not in the area of effect, will be hit as well.
Which enemy is hit will be randomly determined
between all units engaged by initial target. In the
case of an impact blast, the effects of the blast are
first applied to the original unit, then to its oppo-
nent before moving on to other potential victims.
ommand and Orders
Command and Orders are important notions in Hell
Dorado. These are the factors that will probably make
the biggest difference between two Companies. Mana-
ging Command Points is particularly important to vic-
tory on the battlefield.
Command
The notion of Command is essential to games of Hell
Dorado. Each player has a certain number of Command
Points that will be used to “pay” for the orders that
some units can use. You can use cardboard tokens,
glass beads, or some other easily understood book
keeping device to keep track of how many Command
Points each player has left in their Command Pool.
At the beginning of the game, all players work out
the number of Command Points they will start with.
This is done by totaling the Command of all the units
on the battlefield in each Company.
A Company’s total CMD is different than the number
of Command Points the Company currently has. We
will refer to the current number of Command Points a
Company has as that Companies Command Pool.

14 Impact Blasts

Grenadier A, carrying a blunderbuss «Impact Blast (Piercing • 4/2)» shoots at a group of 3 units. Its Shooting Skill
is 2. It therefore rolls 7 dice against unit B and scores 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6. This means that it hits unit B 4 times,
and therefore inflicts 8 damage, before unit B’s PR is applied. The Grenadier then rolls 3 dice (the dice that missed
during the previous roll) against unit C. The shooter rolls a 4, 6, and 6, for three hits, which deals 6 damage, again
before unit C’s PR is subtracted. Unit D therefore suffers no damage, even though it is inside the blast effect area,
as there are no dice left to roll against it.

C D

58
 Rules of the gamE

The total CMD of the Company will only be changed manent expenditures, it is very possible for a Company
by permanent loss of Command Points, either due to to reach a total CMD of 0 during the game.
units being killed, or the cost of abilities. The Com-
mand Pool keeps track of how many Command Points
a player has available to them at a given time, so per-
xample: Arnold is playing a Westerner
manent losses or costs will both be taken from the
Company and has 7 total CMD at the
Command Pool.
beginning of the game (4 points for the
At the beginning of each turn, during the Upkeep
Frank-Captain, +1 for the Swashbuckler, +1 for
Phase, the Command Pool of each Company refreshes
the Missionary, +1 for the Sergeant). During
so that each Company has a number of Command
the first turn of the game, he decides to
Points equal to their total Command.
spend 3 CMD Points to use a few orders: he
has 4 CMD Points left in his CMD Pool, even
So therefore:
though his Companies total CMD remains 7.
When a player spends CMD to pay to pay a cost,
they remove CMD Points from their CMD Pool.
During the Upkeep Phase of the following
When a player spends permanent CMD Points,
turn, Arnold’s CMD Pool refreshes so that
they are removed from the total CMD of the Company
he has 7 CMD Points in it once again, due
- as well as from the CMD Pool.
to his Company’s total CMD being 7. During
When a unit with a CMD stat is killed, a number
this turn, Arnold spends 4 CMD Points and 2
of CMD Points are removed from the total CMD of the
permanent CMD Points to use a few different
Company and the CMD Pool equal to the CMD of the
orders: at this point, he only has 1 CMD Point
killed unit. Obviously, if there are less CMD Points in
left in his CMD Pool, and the total CMD
the Company’s CMD Pool than the CMD of the killed
of his Company is now 5 (7 – 2 permanent
unit then all points in the pool are removed.
CMD points). Before the turn is over, Arnold
loses his Officer who had a CMD of 4. He
It is, of course, impossible to use an order if the
immediately subtracts 4 from his Companies
player doesn’t have enough CMD Points in their CMD
total CMD, which is reduced to 1 (5 – 4), and
Pool to pay for it. Depending on unit losses and per-

59
 Rules of the gamE
Special Effects and Timing
Before we go any further, we’ll repeat the golden rules here:
If a game effect contradicts a game rule, the effect always
takes precedence over the game rule. When two effects
clash because of their timing, and can’t be resolved by
having them happen simultaneously, the effect of the
active unit will apply before that of its opponent, pos-
sibly cancelling out the use of the latter.
When a unit is named in the description of a permanent
aura is on its card, or if that aura is inclusive or not, then
these traits reference that particular unit and not others
with the same name. Ex: While Tsilla’s Aura of Conscience
doesn’t affect her, it will affect other Tsilla’s on the battle-
field the same as any other unit. However, if the origina-
ting unit is named in the italicized resume line that begins
a permanent aura, that aura will affect other copies of the
originating unit in the same way that it affects the origi-
nating unit. Ex: Jinx is immune to the Aneurysm Aura, of
any other Jinx present on the board, because it is treated
in the same way, as the originating Jinx, who is immune.
A power or ability of any kind will be described using a
few common terms:
• Duration: A Permanent power is always on, a player
cannot voluntarily choose to stop it. Temporary powers
are, by default, only active until the end of the current
turn. Once used, players can’t voluntarily choose to stop
the effect before the end of its duration. When a dura-
tion of X is indicated for a temporary power, the current
turn is always considered to be the first turn of the X
value. Thus, an effect with a duration of 1 will end at the
end of the current turn, an effect with a duration of 2
will last through the current turn and end at the end of
the next turn, etc. Normally, only auras have a duration.
• Trigger: exhausting, active, passive or free (sorted by de-
creasing complexity).
• An exhausting power requires the unit to perform a
Focus action to be used.
• An active power requires the unit to perform a
Concentration action to be used.
• A passive power can be used at any time during the
unit’s activation, no matter what action it chooses to
perform. This does not trigger any reaction from its ene-
mies, whether the unit is free or engaged. This type of
power can’t be used during an attack sequence, but it
can be used just before or after the attack sequence.
• A free power can be used at any point during the Ac-
tion Phase (during an opponent’s activation, during an
allied unit’s activation or its own, or even between
two activations), whether the unit in question has
already been activated or not. This type of power
can’t be used during an attack sequence, but it can
be used just before or after the attack sequence.
If none of these four triggers are indicated for a permanent
power, then it is always in effect.
If none of these four triggers are indicated for a temporary
power, then it will be triggered as indicated in its full
description.
60
A temporary aura will appear as follows:
Temporary * Trigger * Area of Effect * Subtype (lingering
or instant) * Keywords (immunity, unique, etc …).
A permanent aura will appear as follows:
Permanent * Area of Effect * Keywords (immunity,
unique, etc …).
The area of effect is the radius of the circular area around
the unit that has the aura that it will effect. There are two
types of aura, permanent and temporary, their precise
nature is outlined in their full description in the upco-
ming aura section. Auras can be associated with a few
keywords. These are explained in more detail in the fol-
lowing aura section.
xemple :
Aura of Inspiration
Temporary • Active • 4 fathom radius •
Lingering • Muslims
Muslim units gain +1 CBT.
This ability is an aura. It lasts until the end of the
turn (temporary). To use it, a Concentration action
is required (active trigger). It affects all Muslim
(keyword) units within a range of 4 fathoms from the
unit’s base (area of effect). Auras have another trait
(the type: lingering or instant): we will go into this in
more detail on page 62. Using this aura doesn’t cost
any Command Points (no cost indicated).
An order will appear as follows:
Trigger * Cost (permanent or not) * Unstoppable (or not) *
Reaction (or not) * Unique (or not)
Only orders with a trigger can be unstoppable.
The effects of unstoppable orders will affect units that
normally cannot be affected by or receive orders.
Ex: a maverick or stunned unit will be affected by an
unstoppable order.
Any power with the keyword Unique can only be used once
per game.
An order that is a reaction will outline a specific situation
that it can be used in reaction to. Once that situation has
come about, the order that is a reaction can normally be
used at the end of the activation.
The cost indicates the number of Command Points that
must be spent to use the order. In some cases the
points will be spent permanently (p. 59).
Any CMD spent as part of the affect of an order are also
part of the cost to use the order.
xample :
The Lord Guides My Hand
Active • 2 Permanent CMD • Unique
The Swashbuckler gets +1 MVT, +2 SHS, +2 CBT and
+2 FTH until the end of the game.
This ability is an order. It has a permanent effect
(see description). To use it, a Concentration action
is required (active trigger). It only affects the
Swashbuckler. This order can only be used once during
the game («Unique» keyword) and it costs 2 permanent
Command Points (as stated in its cost).
 Rules of the gamE
from his CMD Pool, which is reduced to 0 (1 –
4, with a minimum of 0).
During the following Upkeep Phase, Arnold
will only get 1 CMD Point in his CMD Pool,
as his Companies total CMD has been
greatly reduced.
If, for some reason, a unit enters the game after the
first turn, its Command is added to the total Com-
mand of its Company during the Upkeep Phase of the
following turn, before CMD Pools refresh. If a unit
leaves the battlefield during a game, its Command
will be subtracted from the total Command of the
Company, and the Company’s CMD Pool, exactly as if
it had been eliminated.
Some units may contribute either Light or Dark
Command. These function in the same way as any
normal CMD Points; however some abilities can only
be payed for with either Light or Dark CMD or will
do certain things depending on the relative amounts of
Light and Dark Command. A unit that contributes only
Light or Dark Command will have either a white or black
dot next to their CMD on their card to denote which
they contribute. If you are playing a Faction that has
abilities where the amount of Light and Dark Command
matter, then any unit in your Company that doesn’t
have one of these dots on their card can contribute any
combination of Light and Dark Command that you like,
though you must decide this and notify your opponent
of it at the beginning of the game and this will not
change throughout the game.
Orders
Some units in Hell Dorado can use orders. These
effects often allow the unit to break some of the basic
rules of the game, and they therefore have great tac-
Orders Without Triggers
Using an order without a trigger (exhausting, active,
passive, or free) is not «giving an order» or «recei-
ving an order.»
Example: Samael and one of his Succubi have been
Stunned (incapable of giving or receiving orders)
by enemy units. If Samael dies, he can still use
his Ultimate Sacrifice order and the Succubus can
benefit from it.
61
Frequent Use of
Vae Victis and Vae Soli
After your first few games of Hell Dorado, using these
two orders will become second nature. However,
don’t forget that your Officer is the one who allows
you to use them and that if they die, you won’t
be able to use them anymore. Also, don’t forget
that if an Officer is Stunned or Knocked Down
(for example) you temporarily won’t be able to use
these abilities anymore either.
tical potential. Normally, orders cost Command Points
to use.
Using an order is called «giving an order».
Being affected by an order from a friendly unit is
called «receiving an order».
An order is received when it is given.
An unstoppable order is never received. Therefore, it
will still affect units that can’t receive orders.
A “legal target of an order” is any unit or game ele-
ment (terrain, CMD Pool, etc… ) that can be affected
by the order.
An order with a trigger can’t be given without a
legal target.
Orders follow the same general rules as effects (see
Special Effects and Timing on page 60).
Orders with the keyword «Unique» can only be used
once in each game.
There are two special orders that all Officers – and
only Officers – can use: these are Vae Victis and Vae Soli.
Vae victis
Free • 1 or2 CMD
As long as a Company has at least one unit able to use
this order on the battlefield, the player who controls it
can give one of their units a +1 CBT or SHS bonus for 1
CMD Point, or +2 CBT or SHS for 2 CMD Points. This
order should be used when the number of dice is being
calculated for the combat or shot roll. The bonus only
lasts for the current attack sequence or shot. This order
is an exception to the rule that states that free trigge-
red powers cannot be used during an attack sequence.
This order cannot be used during a shot with a blast
effect weapon or when rolling for damage after using
an explosive weapon. As this order has a free type trig-
ger, it can be used several times during any one Action
Phase even when an enemy unit is resolving an action.
Even if several units have the ability to use this order
within a Company, it is not possible to spend more than
 Rules of the gamE
2 Command points and so obtain a CBT or SHS bonus
higher than 2 for any one shot or attack sequence.
Vae soli
Free • 1 CMD
As long as a Company has at least one unit able
to use this order on the battlefield, the player who
controls it can spend 1 CMD Point immediately after
one of their units has finished its activation to activate
a second unit immediately. This order can’t be used to
allow a player activate more than two units in a row.
agic
There are two ways of using magic in Hell Dorado:
the first is by using magical auras, the second is by cap-
turing small demonic creatures and feeding them magi-
cal ingredients and using them as power containers.
Auras
Some units are able to use magical auras. These
auras obey the rules of special effects (see Special
Effects and Timing on page 60). A unit with at least
one aura is called a Mentalist. Many auras are linked
to the units’ religions: if so they represent the powers
of Faith.
As we discussed earlier there are two types of auras:
permanent and temporary.
There are two sub-types of temporary aura, lingering
and instant auras:
• A lingering temporary aura will only affect the
units that are inside its area of effect and no longer
affects units once they leave that area. The effects of a
lingering aura end if the unit that produced it dies (but
not if its state changes), or at the end of a turn if the
unit is still alive. As usual the effects of two identical
auras can’t be applied jointly to any one unit (the
effects of identical auras don’t stack). Permanent
auras work in this way as well, except that they are
permanently in effect.
• An instant temporary aura will only affects the
units inside its effect area at the time it is triggered.
The effects of an instant aura end at the end of the
current turn, even if the unit who triggered it is killed
before that.
By default permanent auras do not affect the unit
that originates them and their effects don’t stack with
auras of the same name. There are a few keywords that
apply only to permanent auras. They are inclusive and
cumulative:
62
• Inclusive: auras with the inclusive keyword do
affect the unit that originates them.
• Cumulative: auras with the cumulative keyword do
stack with other identically named auras.
Lemures and Spells
Some of the units in Hell Dorado have learned how to
capture and train some of the small creatures that live
in Hell like rodents on Earth for use as vessels for the
magical powers that seep through the infernal planes.
These units are called Infernalists.
These people know what to feed the strange little
creatures so they can obtain surprising – and some-
times explosive – effects...
On the battlefield, lemures are represented by their
own special miniatures. Also, like all other units,
lemures have their own stat cards. However, they do
follow some special rules.
Entering the Battlefield
When they are captured, lemures are tiny creatures,
only an inch or two high, like a kind of demonic grub.
Infernalists feed them various things (gold coins, herbs,
potions, rocks...) to get the desired effects from them.
As soon as the lemure has eaten all of the required
ingredients for a specific spell, it grows incredibly fast,
growing from a grub of less than 4 inches to a fully
grown specimen of 1.5 to 3 feet tall in a few seconds.
Unless stated otherwise, an Infernalist can choose to
invoke any lemure to cast a spell (as long, of course, as
the corresponding miniature and its base are available
and painted). A lemure that has been destroyed (either
because it was killed or because its power was triggered)
is available again immediately.
My Lemures are Your
Lemures
The rule in Hell Dorado is that all players should
bring their own miniatures for the lemures they
plan to use during the game. However, during
friendly games, if both players agree, the lemu-
re miniatures can be put to one side all together
and shared by the players. This way, the players
can dip into the lemure pool every time they re-
quire one of these strange little creatures for
one of their Infernalists.
 Rules of the gamE
Madagascar ?
A lemure (rhymes with secure) is not a lemur
(rhymes with steamer). Lemures are drooling
demonic creatures that live in Hell. Lemurs are
cute little furry, wide-eyed, monkey-like mam-
mals that live on the island of Madagascar. They
do not explode. Does this make things clear?
Invoking a lemure is an exhausting power that
requires a Focus action. Once this has been done, the
miniature of the chosen lemure is placed on the battle-
field in contact with the Infernalist’s base, though it can’t
be placed in contact with an enemy unit.
A lemure cannot be activated during the turn that
it was invoked.
Every time a lemure is invoked, its owner must clearly
tell their opponent which of the invoking Infernalist’s
spells will be associated with it (only one spell can be
associated with each invoked lemure). The specific spell
associated with each lemure might even be indicated by
some kind of marker. If an Infernalist can invoke several
lemures, it can associate the same spell with any number
of them, casting the same spell multiple times if you wish.
Activating Lemures
Unlike other units, lemures are activated twice per
Action Phase.
If a player controls a lemure that has not been activa-
ted at all and his opponent has no units left to activate,
the lemure can only be activated once. It is therefore
important to remember which lemures have already
been activated. This can be done by placing tokens
beside the miniature or the stat card. The stat card
can also be turned 90 degrees after the first activation
and turned over after the second as a means of easy
book keeping.
Lemures can only perform their own specific actions
during their activation. Although it resembles a Walk
action, it is still a specific lemure action and also
allows them to trigger their magical power. A lemure
may always perform this action regardless of control
area restrictions.
When performing an action a lemure can:
Move, at most, the number of fathoms indicated in its
Movement stat. It can engage an enemy unit, but this
will not trigger a combat sequence. It can also break
contact with an enemy without triggering an attack
sequence or a one-sided attack, but it cannot make and
63
then break contact with a unit during the same activa-
tion (even in regards to two different enemy units).
AND a lemure may also release the spell that it is
associated with.
So, during its activation, the lemure can move up to
a number of fathoms equal to its MVT and may also
release the spell that is associated with it. A lemure
never “Runs”: it always moves, at most, the number
of fathoms indicated by its Movement stat. Lemure’s
ignore control area effects.
Only lemures with the Strider ability can enter or
end their turn in Difficult terrain.
As long as a lemure has not been activated twice during
an Action Phase, it will count toward the number of waiting
units when working out inferiority of numbers (p. 45).
Special Abilities of Lemures
Normally lemures will have the following special
abilities: Harmless, Elusive, Insignificant, Maverick
and Invulnerable. The Elusive ability of a Lemure can
never be nullified and only protects a Lemure from an
attack of opportunity.
The Effects of Spells
Any spell that can be associated with a lemure is lin-
ked to the Infernalist and all of the details of what the
spell does will be outlined on the invoker’s stat card.
There are two keywords that are specific to spells:
• Vanished: This means the lemure associated with
the spell will be destroyed when it releases the spell.
• Residual: This means the lemure associated with
the spell will not be destroyed when it releases the
spell. Normally residual spells will have ongoing effects
that affect an area around the lemure.
Limited Numbers of Lemures
Each Infernalist can only control a certain number of
lemures at any one time.
Movement Special Abilities
and Their Effect
on Lemures
A lemure with the Strider ability can enter
and/or end its activation in Difficult
terrain.
A lemure with Burrower, Intangible or
Levitation abilities will be able to pass
through Difficult terrain, but it will not be
able to end its move there unless it also
has the Strider ability.
A lemure is not affected by the Attraction
ability.
 Rules of the gamE
What’s more, the ingredients that Infernalists carry
to feed the lemures will only allow them to invoke a
certain number each game of Hell Dorado.
These two limits are indicated on the stat cards in
the X/Y format. These two numbers are the maximum
number of lemures that the unit can control simulta-
neously (X) and the total number of lemures that the
unit can invoke throughout the game (Y).
Finally, when Infernalists are killed or eliminated, all
the lemures that they invoked and that are still on
the battlefield disappear immediately without releasing
their associated spells.
tates
A unit can be affected by a wide variety of states
during a game of Hell Dorado. You will find a detai-
led description of these states in this section. A unit
whose state prevents it from giving any orders is also
prevented from using its free orders.
Some states have a duration, while others will affect
the unit for the rest of the game, or until some specific
event happens. Each state has a description of how
long, and under what conditions it will continue.
64
Bonuses, Penalites, Stacking and Resolution
The stats of a unit can potentially be modified by
many different things. It is important to note that DEF
can’t be reduced below 1 (which of course means any
die rolled against the unit’s DEF will automatically score
a hit), and any other stat can’t be reduced below zero.
Additionally a unit’s DEF can’t normally be greater than
5. It is also very important to note that these minimums
and maximums are checked after a bonus or penalty has
been applied. Penalties are applied, then maximums and
minimums are checked. After that, bonuses are applied
and once again, maximums and minimums are checked.
If a stat is above or below the maximums or minimums,
then it will be raised or lowered accordingly. Whenever
a unit receives a bonus or penalty, then the total calcu-
lation must be redone.
xample: An Arquebuser, 3 CBT, has
been affected by a few different powers
which in total have given him +1 CBT
and -4 CBT. Since penalties are applied, and
then bonuses, the Arquebuser ends up with
a CBT of 1. Later on the same Arqubuser is
affected by another power, this time granting
+1 CBT. The calculation is done again, 3 CBT
-4 +1 +1, resulting in a CBT of 2.
When the name of a state is followed by an X, this
variable usually represents the number of turns during
which the state will be applied to a unit. To keep
things simple, if the name of the state is not followed
by a value, and it is supposed to have a duration, X will
be equal to 1.
Accelerated X
+2 MVT • Activation by reaction
The unit’s reaction speed and movement speed are
increased for some reason. An Accelerated unit can be acti-
vated immediately after the activation of another unit from
the same Company. This activation does not require the
expenditure of an additional Command point. Vae Soli and
Accelerated can’t be used in concert to allow three units
from the same Company to be activated in a row.
Berserk x
Immediately cancels the effects of Wounded and Immo-
bilized states • No orders • Immediately after having kil-
led an enemy unit, roll 1d6: on a score of 1 to 3 the
Berserk unit stops all actions; on a roll of 4 to 6, it must
immediately move 2 fathoms towards the closest unit. If
it manages to engage the closest unit, an attack sequence
takes place immediately. If several units are at equal dis-
tance from the Berserk unit, choose the target randomly.
The warrior becomes a madman, thirsty for blood and
violence. He no longer feels the effects of fatigue and
wounds, and although he has become a lethal danger for
his enemies, he is also now a considerable risk for his allies.
 Rules of the gamE

When a Berserk unit hits one of his comrades, its

controller’s opponent is the one to decide whether
or not to reduce the number of hits, but the unit’s
controller is the one to roll the dice.
A Berserk unit never benefits from support when it
attacks one of its allies.
The unit cannot give or receive orders.
Stacking State Changes
State changes that affect a unit can only be cumulative
when they are different.
When a unit is affected multiple times by the same
state, the greater value of the two effects is the one
that remains.
xample: a Stunned 1 unit,
suffering another Stunned 1 state
in the same turn will still only be
Stunned 1. It’s not added together.
xample: A Swashbuckler is hit by a
1/5 fire-type Consumed effect which
will cause 1 damage point for the next
5 Upkeep Phases. He has already suffered
damage during an Upkeep Phase, so he will
be suffering Consumed 1/4 at this point. He
then gets hit by a new Consumed state, but
this time it’s a 2/3 (2 damage for 3 Upkeep
Phases). His fire Consumed status is upgraded
2/4, taking the highest for each value.
Therefore, he will suffer 2 damage during
each of the next 4 Upkeep Phases.
Controlled x
A unit to whom this state is applied becomes Control-
led by its controllers opponent for the next X activations
• No orders • Limited actions
When this state is applied to a unit, it becomes Control-
led by a different player from the one who controlled it
originally. It becomes an enemy unit if the player who
gains its control is an opponent of its original controller.

Direct Stat Modification

Brave X
+1 MVT • +1 SHS • +1 CBT • +1 FTH
This state indicates a certain level of euphoria felt by
the affected unit, it will be more efficient in combat and When a power directly changes the value of a statistic,
its mental state will also be affected. not by adding or subtracting from it but by saying
“This statistic is X”, then that type of modification
Consumed (Type of Effect • Durable or will be applied after the process relating to bonuses
Not • X/Y) and penalties outlined above has been resolved.
The affected unit loses X Life Points for the next Y When two different direct modifications of a statis-
Upkeep Phases • By performing Focus action, the unit tic are in effect, then it will be the last one that was
can remove all non-durable Consumed states on it. applied by the active unit that takes precedence.

This state is applied to a unit that has caught fire,

xample 1: A Hashishin under the
been doused with acid, or any other type of ongoing
effect of Fanatic and Stunned is
harm. When the state is triggered (usually due to a hit,
engaged by a Traveller perfoming
a shot, or on entering a specific area), the unit is imme-
an attack action. The Hashishin had a
diately affected. While affected, it will suffer X damage,
DEF of 5 (5 – 1 for Stunned = 4 + 1 for
ignoring PR, during each of the next Y Upkeep Phases.
Fanatic = 5). The Voyageuse’s Judgment
It is possible to remove this state before the end of
of God order directly modifies the DEF
its duration, by “Stopping, Dropping, and Rolling”. To
value of the Hashishin for the attack
do so, the unit must perform a Focus action. If it does
Sequence to 4.
so, all Consumed states it is currently suffering from
are immediately removed, even if they are of different
types. However, if the state has the keyword «durable»,
xample 2: Tarik has just engaged
then it can’t be removed in this fashion. Different types
a Succubus, who has already
of Consumed states can be inflicted concurrently.
activated her Shield of Lust
When a unit is affected by two Consumed effects of
(DEF 6 against males), using an attack
the same type, values X and Y are modified to take on
action. Tarik uses his Critical Hit order.
the highest available value for each.
As Tarik is the active unit, it’s the
modification caused by his order (DEF
3) which will now be applied to the
Succubus.
65
 Rules of the gamE
Complicated stuff: Consumed
over an area of effect.
When a Consumed state is inflicted on units that enter a
certain area, things start to get complicated. These ru-
les are to represent a burning building or some similar
situation. To begin with, the time duration is no longer
applied to the Consumed state for as long as the unit
remains in the area. The damage will simply be suffe-
red during each Upkeep Phase the unit is present in
the area. As long as the unit is inside the effect area, it
can’t try to remove the Consumed state. If it moves out
of the area, or if the area no longer causes the Consu-
med state for some reason, the usual rules for Consu-
med rules are applied again, as stated above.
xample: A damned one is in an area
that causes «Consumed 2/5». During
each Upkeep Phase, the damned one
will take 2 damage, ignoring PR. If it leaves
the area, the damned one will be affected by
Consumed 2/5.
Simple, isn’t it? Unfortunately, there are still a few si-
tuations to clarify. The first one is the rule to apply if
a unit enters such an area and leaves it in the same
move. In this case, the unit is affected by the Consu-
med state that was affecting the area. The second si-
tuation is about what happens when a unit with an
existing Consumed state enters a Consumed area of
the same type. Well, let’s be honest, this case should
The player who gains control of the unit will control
it for the next X activations (using it as if it was his
own unit during the Action Phase). The Controlled unit
will remain waiting or already activated the change
in control will no change this. A Controlled unit can
only perform the following actions: Walk, Run, Attack,
Charge, Melee, Shoot or Retreat when activated. A
Controlled unit cannot give or receive orders, use
its non-permanent auras or invoke lemures. Lemures
already invoked by the Controlled unit are destroyed
without releasing the spell that was associated with
them when the unit becomes controlled. A Controlled
unit is not an ally of its new controller’s Company,
while Controlled it is not an ally of its original Com-
pany either, though it will still contribute to its original
Companies total CMD. If it is killed while Controlled it
is its original controller loses total CMD and CMD Pool
equal to the CMD of the unit as normal.
Cursed X/Y
Once the Cursed unit has finished all of their possible
re-rolls in an attack sequence, they are forced to re-roll
66
be avoided as much as possible anyway. If you’re unit
is «just passing through» the area, it’s easy: you just
apply the usual rule (apply highest X and Y values). But
if, for some reason, a unit already suffering a Consu-
med state decides not only to stray into the Consumed
area but also to stay there, what happens? In this case,
the duration of the original Consumed state the unit
was suffering when they entered the area is noted for
later and is not reduced as long as the unit is in the
area. Instead, it will be hit by the higher of the two da-
mages (between the original Consumed and the area’s
Consumed) during each Upkeep Phase until it leaves
the area. As soon as the unit leaves, the usual rules
apply, the highest of both X and Y values will remain.
xample: Let’s suppose that a friend
sends a unit with a Consumed 2/3 effect
into a Consumed 1/5 effect area of the
same type. During the next Upkeep Phase
it will suffer 2 damage (greater value of X).
However, none of the 3 remaining duration will
be removed. During the unit’s next activation
it leaves the area. Its Consumed state then
changes to Consumed 2/5 (using the greater
values of X and Y). Therefore, the unit will
suffer 2 damage during each of the next 5
Upkeep Phases (it ends up with an extra 2
duration; what a present!).
up to X dice that scored hits. Please note that this state
can force a player to re-roll dice that may have already
been re-rolled. This state lasts for Y turns.
Devoured
This only affects units with a base of smaller or equal
size to that of the attacker • Eliminated • No actions •
No orders • No attacks (close or ranged)
When hit by this state, a unit with less than 10
Life Points (as its starting stat) is always Devoured.
A unit with more than 10 Life Points (again as its
starting stat) must roll a score equal to or less than
its current DEF on a d6 to avoid being Devoured.
For as long as the unit remains Devoured and alive,
it will suffer 3 damage, ignoring PR, during each
Upkeep Phase. If the unit that has Devoured a victim
is killed, the Devoured unit reappears and will be
played as though it had already been activated this
turn. A unit can’t Devour more than one enemy unit
at a time. It must wait till its first victim is killed
before Devouring another. While a unit is Devoured,
it is eliminated (it cannot give or receive orders, any
 Rules of the gamE
Command Points are deducted from its Company’s
total CMD, etc.). If it is freed, it re-enters the game
as usual.
Immobilized X
-3 DEF • No actions • No orders • No attacks (close or
ranged) • No control area
An Immobilized unit cannot do anything during its
activation. It can’t respond to an attack in close com-
bat, so all attack sequences against it are one-sided,
and it will be an easy target for ranged attackers. It is
incapable of performing actions and giving or receiving
orders. An Immobilized unit has no control area. An
Immobilized unit must be activated X times before this
state ends. An Immobilized unit, obviously, can’t sup-
port allied units in close combat. Each time an Immobi-
lized unit is activated, one enemy (chosen by the player
controlling them) engaging it gets to perform a one-
sided attack against it. An enemy unit in contact with
an immobilized unit is never engaged, therefore when
activated, it can perform an action, though it can only
perform engaged actions while still in contact with the
immobilized unit. Some special abilities can’t be used,
or aren’t in effect, while a unit is Immobilized. Special
abilities of this type will be marked with a [*] after their
title in the following Special Abilities section.
Knocked Down
-2 CBT • -2 DEF • No orders • No actions, other
than getting up • No control area • Gets up during its
next activation
The unit has been knocked to the ground, greatly
impacting its ability to fight. During the unit’s next
activation after being Knocked Down, the unit will
get up. It cannot perform any other action, or give or
receive orders while it is knocked down, or during the
activation in which it stands up. A Knocked Down unit
can neither give nor receive orders, nor can it support
allied units in close combat. A Knocked Down unit has
no control area.
If the Knocked Down unit becomes the target of a
close combat attack sequence, it jumps to its feet imme-
diately to attempt to defend itself, but fights during the
attack sequence with -2 CBT, -2 DEF, and is still unable to
give or receive orders during that attack sequence. If the
Summary of Main Effects
Immobilised -3 Defense • No actions • No orders
Knocked Down -2 Combat • -2 Defense • No orders •No actions other than getting up
Stunned -1 Combat • -1 Defense • No shooting • No orders • No control area
67
Eliminated
Removed from the battlefield • Company loses
the CMD of the unit from their pool • No activa-
tion • No orders • Can’t be attacked • No control
area • No auras • Invoked lemures are destroyed
An eliminated unit is removed from the batt-
lefield and can’t affect the game with any of its
powers. Nor does it contribute its CMD to its
Company’s total CMD. An eliminated unit can’t
be affected by order powers from units still on
the battlefield. Lingering and permanent effects,
as well as invoked lemures, originating from the
eliminated unit end or are destroyed as soon
as the unit is eliminated. Again, the difference
between an eliminated unit and a dead one is
that normally, an eliminated unit has some pos-
sibility of returning to the battlefield while the
later has none. An eliminated unit isn’t a loss
towards dominance.
Dead
Eliminated • 0 LP • Loss towards dominance
A unit with 0 or less LP is dead and elimi-
nated. if the unit had not yet been eliminated,
then it is, with all the usual effects. The main
difference is that a dead unit will not normally
have a chance of returning to the battlefield at
a later point in the game. A unit dying counts
towards figuring which Company is Dominant at
the beginning of the next turn.
Knocked Down unit survives the attack sequence, it is
no longer Knocked Down, unless of course it is Knocked
Down again due to the resolution of the attack sequence.
No attacks (close or ranged) • No control area
No control area • Gets up during its next activation
 Rules of the gamE
Eliminated or Dead
A unit removed is eliminated. An eliminated unit
has some effects on the game (loss of CMD,
etc.). A killed unit is dead. A dead unit has
some effects on the game as well (counting for
Dominance in the next upkeep). A dead unit, if
not yet eliminated, is also eliminated with all that
it entails. While we present eliminated and dead
in the states section, they aren’t states.
If the unit attempts to get up while engaged by an
enemy unit, an attack sequence is fought between the
two units following all of the rules that where just outli-
ned above. A Knocked Down unit doesn’t engage enemy
units that are in contact with it. Some special abilities
can’t be used, or aren’t in effect, while a unit is Knocked
Down. Special abilities of this type will be marked with a
[*] after their title in the following Special Abilities section.
Slowed x pecial Abilities
-2 MVT • Last to be activated
The unit’s reaction times and movement speed are
greatly reduced. A Slowed unit will always be the last
unit in its Company to be activated. If several units
in the same Company are Slowed, then once all the
other units have been activated, their controller can
choose the order in which the slowed units are activa-
ted. Even the use of Vae Soli cannot cause the affec-
ted units to be activated earlier in the Action Phase.
A Slowed unit must be activated X times before this
state ends.
Stunned X
-1 CBT • -1 DEF • No shooting • No orders • No
control area
The unit is Stunned and has problems focusing on
its surroundings. It is therefore an easy target on the
battlefield. It cannot give or receive any orders. It
cannot perform ranged attacks. A Stunned unit has
no control area. A Stunned unit must be activated X
times before this state ends. This state disappears at
the end of the last of the X activations.
Black and Red
So it is easier for you to remember during the
game, all the special abilities that are prin-
ted in red on the stat cards affect the unit
in some negative way, while those in black
represent positive abilities.
68
Wounded
-1 MVT• -1 SHS • -1 CBT • -1 DEF • -1 FTH
When a unit’s Life Points are reduced to equal or
below its Wound Threshold, it is Wounded. It will
therefore be less agile in combat, because of the pain
of the wounds and fear of impending death. Some
effects triggered by terrain and some special abilities
can apply a Wounded state without the unit’s Life
Points being reduced equal to or below the Wound
Threshold. It is interesting to note that some units
have special abilities that change their stats in a spe-
cific way once they are in a Wounded state. On the
stat cards, the statistics of a Wounded unit are indi-
cated in green. A unit with no Wounded state on its
stat card cannot be affected by this state.
If the state was caused by a loss of Life Points,
this state is permanent unless a Healing effect
brings the Life Point level up above the Wound
Threshold again.
In this chapter, you will find the list of all the special
abilities which make each unit in Hell Dorado unique.
It is important to note that a special ability is not
necessarily a positive thing for the unit that possesses
it. Unless otherwise mentioned, all special abilities
are active all the time and they cannot be deactivated.
It is important to realize that there are two kinds of
abilities, those that are linked to the unit itself, and
those that are the abilities of specific special weapons
a unit may be carrying, which are called «Weapon
abilities» and will be specified as such in the ability’s
full description.
Some special abilities are marked with a [*] after
their title. This means that the ability can’t be used,
or won’t be in effect, while a unit that has it is Immo-
bilized, Knocked Down, or effected by something that
prevents it from engaging units.
A dvance Deployment X
Units with this ability may be setup X fathoms
farther out than the deployment zone would nor-
mally dictate. Also, units with this ability do not
have to be setup until all units without this ability
have been setup.
A mbush
Units with this ability may be setup in any area of
obstructive or opaque terrain. Though this means a
unit with this ability can setup almost anywhere on
the battlefield, they may not be setup within an enemy
control area. If the unit’s controller doesn’t wish to
 Rules of the gamE
Special Ability With or
Without a Value of X
When the name of an ability is followed by
an X, the variable represents a parameter
of the ability that will be explained in the
full description. To keep things simple, if
the name of the state is not followed by a
value and the ability normally should have
a value, X will equal 1.
deploy it in this way it may of course be deployed in
their normal deployment zone. In either case, a unit
with this ability will be set up after all units without
this ability have been set up, along with units that have
Advanced Deployment.
A mmunition X
Weapon Ability
The number of shots a ranged weapon can fire. Once
the weapon has been fired this many times, it can no
longer be used.
69
A mmunition Carrier*
This unit carries or makes the ammunition that is
used by a specific piece of artillery (see the Artil-
lery weapon ability). Each carrier is linked to a spe-
cific piece of artillery and cannot be used by ano-
ther, even if the original one is destroyed.
Arch-Enemy (Keyword) X
When a unit with this ability is in close combat a specific
type of enemy, as defined by the keyword, the unit gets +X
CBT and its enemy gets a bonus of half of X to its CBT.
xample: If the value of X is 1 then both
units receive a +1 CBT.
Artillery
Weapon ability
All the units that carry a weapon with this ability are
accompanied by another unit with the special ability
Ammunition Carrier. No Shooting or Reloading can be
performed by this unit with its Artillery weapon, unless
the Ammunition Carrier is in contact with the shooter.
 Rules of the gamE
Attack of Opportunity X
Units with this ability automatically deal X damage
to any enemy unit that enters their control area, igno-
ring PR. Invulnerable units take full damage from this
ability. This ability has no effect when this unit moves
towards an enemy unit and therefore causing it to enter
this unit’s control area. A unit with this ability can’t use
it against a unit that somehow appears in contact with it
(therefore removing its control area) unless it has some
way of retaining its control area while engaged.
Attraction X
While this unit is free, any unengaged enemy unit that
begins its activation within X fathoms of this unit must
move into contact with this unit by the most direct route
possible. While a unit is affected by this ability, their
movement is not limited by any control area or difficult
terrain. If, along the most direct route, the effected unit
must engage another enemy unit, it immediately stops
its move and fights that unit. If a unit in the area of
effect of this ability can’t engage an enemy unit (During
it’s move towwards the Attracting unit) with a Charge
or Attack, then it is not affected by this special ability
during its activation. A unengaged unit that begins its
activation within the range of several Attraction abilities
can choose which Attracting unit it will move toward.
Berserker
This unit becomes Berserk when it becomes Woun-
ded. While Berserk, a unit with this ability gets +2
CBT and -1 DEF. If it is healed later on and is no longer
Wounded, it also stops being Berserk.
Bloodthirsty X
If your company has more Dark than Light CMD
points during the Upkeep Phase, after resetting CMD
Pools, units with this ability, until the end of the turn,
get +X MVT, Teleportation, and when a Vae Victis
order is given to them, up to 3 CMD may be spent on
it to give them +3, rather than the normal 2.
Bodyguard *
Units with this ability will give +1 PR, to a maximum
of 3, to any allied units it is in contact with. This ability
will have no effect if it would be part of a series of
bonuses that raise a units PR above 3.
Burrower
This unit’s Movement is not hindered by terrain or
by other units. However, the unit cannot end its activa-
tion in the same place as another unit or in Impassable
terrain. The unit is not affected by control areas during
its Movement, but it is at the beginning and the end of
it (for example, it must pay 1 CMD to leave the control
area of an enemy unit if it starts its activation there).
However, this ability cancels an Attack of Opportunity
if the unit ends it activation in contact with an enemy
70
unit with that ability. A lemure with this ability will be
able to Burrow under difficult terrain, amongst others
(p. 215), but it can only end its activation there if it also
has the Strider ability.
Camouflage X
While in cover, a unit with this ability gets +X PR.
Chaotic Charge
The unit may move up to triples its MVT when
Charging.
Charisma X
Other allied units within 4 fathoms of the unit
with this ability get +X CBT. A unit may only benefit
from one copy of this ability per attack sequence
(the higher).
Combat Sense
Units with this ability get +1 DEF in close combat
attack sequences.
Combined Attack X
If the unit with this ability is getting at least one support
bonus, they also get +X CBT.
Concentrated
If the unit with this ability performs a Concentra-
tion action while engaged, it is worked out as normal
without the normal Concentration drawbacks. Addi-
tionally, if the unit with this ability performs a Focus
action while engaged, it won’t be a one sided sequence,
a normal attack sequence is triggered instead.
Counter Attack
During an attack sequence that a unit with this ability
is fighting in, any dice rolled by this unit’s opponent that
score a 1, causes the opponent to take 1 damage. This
damage is added to the total damage that the unit with
this ability causes during the attack sequence before PR
is subtracted. If the unit with this ability’s DEF is reduced
to 1, then this ability will no longer have an effect. Rolls
are, of course, not final until all re-rolls have been taken.
Cumbersome X
Weapon ability
During the second and all subsequent attack
sequences against the same enemy unit, the unit using
a Cumbersome weapon suffers -X CBT. This penalty
only applies if contact wasn’t broken between the dif-
ferent sequences.
Defensive Combat X
During any close combat attack sequence, the unit
with this ability can reduce its CBT by X to reduce
its opponent’s CBT by X. This ability is used after
applying all other modifiers, and both units will get to
 Rules of the gamE
roll at least 1 die if their CBT’s were at least 1 before
this ability was used. This ability can’t be used when
the unit with it is the target of a one-sided attack.
Defensive Shot
If contact is made with a unit that has this ability
while it has yet to be activated, is free, and has a ranged
weapon available, the unit with this ability may take
a point blank shot at the enemy that has contacted it
before close combat begins.
Demoralize
When a unit with this ability kills an enemy unit that
has at least 1 CMD, the loss of total CMD and CMD
Pool is doubled.
Discretion X
This ability has no effect if the unit that has it
is engaged. The unit with this ability can’t be the
target of a Shoot or a Charge action unless the attac-
king unit is within X fathoms. Also, players can’t
use an explosion or blast weapon if all the targets
inside it are enemy units whose Discretion abilities
all affect the shooter. If a unit has both the Discre-
tion and Attraction abilities, the Attraction ability
takes precedence.
Dodge X*
When a standing free unit with this ability becomes
engaged, it can attempt to Dodge away. Roll a d6. On
an X or less, the unit is moved a distance of up to 3
fathoms. The engaging unit cannot continue moving. A
unit with this ability can only attempt to Dodge once
per turn. The Dodging unit can’t contact other enemy
units with the Dodge move. If the Dodge move can’t
be made, the Dodge can’t be attempted. A unit that is
Immobilized, Knocked Down, or already engaged by a
non-inoffensive unit can’t use this ability.
Eager X*
Weapon ability
A unit with this ability gets +X CBT during the
first attack sequence it has with an enemy after
engaging it.
Elusive
The Movement of a unit with this ability isn’t affec-
ted by enemy control areas. It can therefore move
through them without triggering any particular effects.
This ability cancels the Attack of Opportunity ability.
Emancipated
A lemure with this ability begins the game on the
battlefield, just like any other unit and can’t be invo-
ked. It can’t be associated with a spell.
71
Enlightened
If your company has more Light than Dark CMD
points during the Upkeep Phase, after resetting
CMD Pools, units with this ability get Fanatic until
the end of the turn.
Entangle
If a unit with this ability is engaging with another
unit whose base is of equal or smaller size, then the
other unit can’t Retreat.
Erratic Movement X
When targeted by a ranged attack, a unit with this
ability gets +X DEF.
Evasive
A unit with this ability can’t be chosen as the tar-
get of a close combat attack sequence by an enemy
unit if there are other allied units engaged with the
enemy unit. If all the units in contact with an opposing
unit possess this ability, the player who controls them
decides which of them will fight the enemy unit.
Expertise
A unit with this ability may perform a Concentration
action to use an exhausting ability instead of a Focus
action. Any power that usually requires a Focus action
may be used by this unit by performing a Concentra-
tion action instead.
Fanatic
Instead of suffering the normal Wounded modi-
fiers, a unit with this ability gets -1 MVT, -1 SHS, +1
CBT, +1 DEF, and +1 FTH. On the stat card, a unit’s
«Fanatic» stats are indicated in green.
Fast X
When performing a Charge or Run action, a unit with
this ability will be able to move up to X fathoms farther
than it normally would be able to. Example: a unit with
a MVT of 4 and Fast 3 would be able to move up to 11
fathoms when Running or Charging.
Fierce X
If a unit opposing a unit with this ability during an
attack sequence is getting at least one support bonus,
the unit with this ability gets +X CBT.
First Contact X
When calculating initial Dominance, units with this
ability give +X to their Company’s total.
Frenzy
When a unit with this performs a Melee, Charge or
Attack action, it triggers two attack sequences, one
immediately after the other. If the Frenzied unit is
Knocked Down or Immobilized after the first attack
 Rules of the gamE
sequence, then the second isn’t fought. Charge penal-
ties will effect both attack sequences.
Fury
When a unit with this ability performs a charge
action, it doesn’t suffer -1 CBT.
Harmless
Units with this ability have no control area. A unit
with no CBT (-) is always Harmless.
Healer X*
This is an exhausting ability. When this ability is
used, the unit with this ability, or any allied unit it is in
contact with, recovers X LP. Invulnerable units are not
affected by this ability.
Heavy
Weapon Ability
A unit using a weapon with this ability can’t move
when performing a Shoot action with it.
Huge
When this unit performs a Retreat action, after the
one-sided attack, and after leaving contact, it can then
transform the Retreat it is performing into a Run,
Attack, or Charge action. This replaces the normal
execution of a Retreat action.
Immunity (keyword)
Units with this ability take no damage from the type of
damage or attack listed in the keyword part of the ability.
States associated with the damage will still be applied. It
may therefore be Knocked Down, Stunned... A unit that
is Immune to fire can still be affected by the Consumed
state; it will just not suffer any damage from it.
Impressive
This unit can be targeted by a shooter even if it is not
the closest unit. If a shooter has a clear Line of Fire to
several units with this ability, it can choose which one
to target, though it doesn’t have to choose any of them.
Insignificant
Units with this ability are not counted when figuring
dominance.
Intangible
While moving, a unit with this ability can ignore terrain,
other units, and control areas. Once it stops moving, it is
then affected by them normally. A unit with this ability
doesn’t trigger a one sided attack on breaking contact and
doesn’t pay a Command point to move out a of a unit’s
control area. A unit with this ability can’t end its activation
on top of another unit or in impassable terrain. A unit with
this ability can transform a retreat it is performing into
a run, attack, or charge action. This replaces the normal
72
execution of a retreat action. A lemure with this ability will
be able to pass through difficult terrain, but it can only end
its activation there if it also has the Strider ability.
Intercept X
A unit with this ability has a control area extending X
fathoms from its base that only affects lemures. A unit with
this ability nullifies the Elusive, Burrower, and Intangible
abilities on enemy units within its control area. If it also
has the Attack of Opportunity ability, that ability can be
used against even an Elusive enemy. An intercept control
area has all the normal control area effects on a lemure. A
lemure getting into or breaking contact with an interceptor
triggers a one-sided attack sequence before it can release
its spell. A lemure leaving contact with an interceptor will
ignore their control area until the end of the activation. A
unit with the Harmless ability and this ability still has a
control area of X fathoms that does affect lemures.
Invulnerable
Units with this ability can only be wounded by
weapons with a power table, explosions, or blasts,
and will only suffer 1 damage for each hit scored that
corresponds to a row on the power table that inflicts
damag. It only suffers damage from blasts and explo-
sions at a ratio of 1 point for every 6 rolled when
checking the number of hits. The damage dealt in
the end can never be higher than the amount which
would’ve normally been caused due to the number of
hits rolled.
xample: Assaliah has the following
power table
1 Slowed 2
2 Stunned
3 Life Drain 2
4 Immobilized
5 Consumed (fire • 2/5)
If 1 or 2 hits are scored, Assaliah doesn’t cause any
damage to an invulnerable unit. With 3 hits, Assaliah
causes 1 damage on an invulnerable unit. With 4 or 5
hits, Assaliah doesn’t cause any damage to an invulne-
rable unit (though 3 hits can of course be chosen).
An invulenrable unit is not affected by modifiers due
to states (Wounded, Knocked Down, Consumed, etc.),
whether they are positive or negative. The DEF of an
Invulnerable unit is always 6 and can never be modified,
unless this is specifically mentioned. The Protection of
an Invulnerable unit works normally against the damage
caused to it.
Leader
Units with this ability have their CMD doubled when
figuring how many Troopers their Company can include.
 Rules of the gamE

Levitation
The movement of a unit with this ability is
not hindered by difficult terrain. It can move
over units that are less than 3 fathoms tall,
though it is still affected by control areas nor-
mally. A unit with this ability can’t end its acti-
vation on top of another unit. A lemure with
this ability will be able to Levitate over difficult
terrain, but it can only end its activation there
if it also has the Strider ability.

Life Drain X
Weapon Ability
Damage of this type ignores PR and Immunity
(other than Immunity to Life Drain). The unit that
causes this type of damage will recover a number
of LP equal to the number of LP that the unit suf-
fering this type of damage actually lost.

Limited R ange X
Weapon ability
Unlike other ranged weapons, a weapon
with this ability can’t be used to attack a tar-
get that is further away than X times the wea-
pon’s range.

Loyal
A unit with this ability can’t be included in a
Company that is lead by an Officer that is not
of the same Faction as this unit.

Lunge X
Weapon ability
The control area of a unit carrying a weapon with
this ability extends X fathoms from their base.
M an-at-Arms X
A unit with this special ability can, once an enemy
unit in contact has finished all possible re-rolls, force
it to re-roll up to X dice that had scored hits. Please
note that this ability can force a player to re-roll dice
that may have already been re-rolled.
Pain X
Weapon Ability
While this ability is in effect on a unit, it will be affec-
ted by the negative effects of being Wounded, even
though it hasn’t reached its Wounded Threshold, for
a duration of X turns. Nothing happens if the unit is
already Wounded. A Fanatic or Berserk unit will be
affected as usual (for these units, the effects will be
partially positive). A unit who does not have a Wounded
state will not be affected by this ability.

M averick Penetrating Strike X

A unit with this ability cannot receive orders from any Weapon Ability
unit other than itself. During an attack sequence, the unit opposing a unit
using a weapon with this ability gets –X PR. This ability
Moving Shot can’t reduce a unit’s PR below 0. During a ranged attack,
When performing a Shoot action, a unit with this this ability will also reduce the PR bonus given by cover.
ability can take part of its movement, shoot, and then
finish its movement. Prescient
A player who has at least one unit with this ability
Natural Talent X can choose which conflict zone triggers on the battlefield
A unit with this ability can always re-roll at least X of their rather than randomly determining it. If both players have
combat dice. Prescient units, the player with more of them decides. If
this is also a tie, the Dominant player decides.

73
 Rules of the gamE
Prestige (faction) X
A unit with this ability allows the inclusion of units of the
specified faction in its Company. A number of units from
the specified Faction up to X may be included, though all
other Company composition rules must be respected.
Protective
The unit does not lose its control area when engaged
by one or more enemies.
R apid Strike (attack or defense)
A unit with this ability will deal damage before their oppo-
nent instead of simultaneously with them. If the unit has the
Attack keyword with this ability, it only works when the unit
with the ability initiated the attack sequence. If the unit has
the Defense keyword with this ability, it only works if the unit
with this ability didn’t initiate the attack sequence. If both
units have this ability, then they strike simultaneously. State
changes due to these attacks are all applied simultaneously
at the end of the attack sequence as normal.
Receive Charge X*
Weapon Ability
A unit using a weapon with this ability gets +X CBT
during an attack sequence versus an enemy using a
Charge action against it.
Regeneration X
A unit with this ability recovers X LP each Upkeep Phase.
Reloading X
Weapon Ability
Once a ranged weapon with this ability has been shot,
the unit with the weapon must perform X Focus actions
in a row if they wish to reload the weapon and be able
to shoot it again. If the unit is engaged while reloading,
it has two options: either it fights as usual and has to
start the reloading from scratch once the combat is over,
or it retains its previous Focus actions and continues to
Reload, but suffer one-sided attacks while Focusing.
Resistance (keyword) X
A unit with this ability gets +X PR against damage of
the type specified in this abilities keyword.
Ricochet X
Whenever a unit with this ability loses LP due to being
dealt damage, it causes X damage, ignoring PR, to the
enemy unit that caused the original damage. This abi-
lity only works when damage is suffered during a close
combat or ranged attack sequence (but not to damage
caused by a state, an order, an aura, a special ability, an
explosion or a blast).
Runaway
A unit with this ability can move away from being
engaged by taking a walk or run action, without trig-
74
gering a one sided attack. At the end of this move, the
running away unit can’t be in an enemy control area or
have an enemy unit in its control area.
Scout
This unit allows its controller to have more options
when setting up the terrain for the battle. The full
rules for using Scouts are fully explained on page 214.
Slow
When a unit with this ability Charges, the attack
sequence that ensues will be a one sided one that the
unit with this ability doesn’t fight in.
Sniper
The unit does not have to pick the nearest enemy
unit as its target. It can choose any target to which it
has a clear Line of Fire.
Spiritual Damage
Weapon Ability/Damage Type
When a unit performs an attack sequence using a wea-
pon with this ability, the opposing unit’s FTH stat is sub-
tracted from the damage instead of its PR. As long as a
weapon is affected by the Spiritual Damage special ability,
it loses all other damage types. Being an unbeliever is not
a Protection against Spiritual Damage. This ability can only
be added to weapons that possess a damage table.
Spite (keyword)
A unit with this ability can’t be included in a Company
of the Faction specified in the keyword of this ability.
Strider
Units with this ability don’t have to pay the 1 Command
point to be able to Run or Charge through difficult
terrain. Lemures must have this ability to be able to
enter and/or end their activation in difficult terrain.
Teleportation
A unit with this ability cannot perform a Run, Charge or
Retreat action. The unit’s moves aren’t affected by terrain or
other units. When this unit moves it must be done in one
jump. The unit cannot, however, end its activation inside
another unit or within Impassable terrain. The unit is not
affected by control areas during its Movement. Though it is
affected by control areas it starts or ends its Movement in.
However, this ability cancels out any Attack of Opportunity
if this unit ends its move in contact with a unit with that abi-
lity. During a Melee action, it behaves like any other unit.
Tenacious X*
If a unit with this ability is free, hasn’ t been acti-
vated yet this turn and becomes engaged, it gets
+X CBT in the ensuing attack sequence.
 Rules of the gamE
Terror X*
Enemy units engaged with a unit with this ability
suffer –X CBT. A unit can only suffer from one copy of
Terror at a time. Use the highest possible.
Terrifying
When an enemy unit wishes to come into contact
with a unit that has this ability, they must spend 1
CMD. If the CMD isn’t, or can’t, be spent then the
unit can’t come into contact with the unit that has this
ability. Obviously when this unit causes contact with
an enemy unit no CMD need be spent by either unit.
Trained Gunman X
If a unit with this ability doesn’t move during a shoot
action, it gets +X SHS for that shot.
Uncontrollable
When a unit with this ability is activated, its control-
ler must spend 1 CMD to make this unit perform any
action other than Attack, Walk, or Melee (Any of these
three actions can be perfromed as normal).
Vicious X
When a unit with this ability fights in a one-sided
attack, or against a Wounded, Stunned, Knocked
Down, or Immobilised opponent, they get +X CBT.
Vulnerability (keyword) X
A unit with this ability’s PR is X against the type of
damage indicated by this abilities keyword. The Vulne-
rability ability will only be applied to a unit if its cur-
rent PR value against the source of damage in question
is higher than its Vulnerable value.
Whirlwind Attack
When a unit that has this ability causes damage to
a unit in close combat, it inflicts half that amount of
damage to every other non-invulnerable enemy unit in
contact with it as well.
onstructing
Your Company
Before beginning to build their Companies, the players must
decide on the number of Army Points (AP) they will get to
spend. The standard size of a Hell Dorado game is 200 AP.
When deciding what units to include in a Company,
the following restrictions must be followed:
All members of the Company must belong to the
same Faction.
Each Company must have one Officer (no more,
no less).
75
Unique Independent units can only be included
once in a Company. Non-unique Independents can be
included up to a number of times as indicated by the
Limited or Unlimited keyword on their card.
A Company can’t include more Troopers than its
total CMD.
In any case, units with the Limited keyword cannot be
hired more than X times per 200 AP or fraction thereof. If
Limited Troopers are hired, both limits must be taken into
account (Limited number of each type of unit and the Com-
pany’s total CMD limit to the total number of Troopers).
xample: a Limited 6 Trooper can
only be included 6 times in a 200 AP
Company. Unfortunately, the Company
only has a total CMD of 5. So, only 5 of this
unit can be included.
Obviously, the AP total of all the units in a Company
can’t exceed the total that was agreed upon to begin
with, normally 200 AP.
Recruiting Mercenaries
Mercenary units can be recruited by Companies of
any Faction. However, the following restrictions must
be followed:
Obviously if a Mercenary Officer is leading a
Company units from other Factions can’t be included.
Therefore it is impossible to include a Mercenary
Officer in a non-Mercenary Company.
A Mercenary Independent’s CMD can’t be used to
include Troopers from a non Mercenary Faction; they
only allow the inclusion of Mercenary Troopers.
You can include as many Troopers, Mercenary or
not, as you like, as long as you do not include more of
them than the total CMD of your Company.
Example: the total CMD of your
Company is 7, so you can include
up to 7 Troopers. However, 2 of
your 7 CMD are provided by a Mercenary
unit. Therefore, you can include up to
7 Troopers, but if you choose to hire
more than 5, the last 2 will have to be
Mercenaries.
Larger Battles
You and your friends may wish to fight battles larger
than 200 AP. You should be able to do this with the above
rules, though the game will probably last quite a bit longer
and be less balanced. The only thing that we can see that
really needs clarification, if you choose to play battles lar-
ger than 200 AP, is that no matter how large the game, a
Company can and must only include 1 Officer.
 The westernerS
L es occident
Factions aux
he Westerners
Intelligence Services of the Western Kingdom Below First
report, completed and annotated
By the master-spy referred to as «The Farseer»
To the Lords of the Council of the Six,
My most humble salutations to you, my Lords of the
Nations Above. As you no doubt appreciate, I can only be
effective in my profession if my identity is unknown and
thus must keep my name to myself. For practical reasons,
my agents refer to me as «The Farseer». Indeed, it is my
great honor to be at the head of our Intelligence ser-
vices. The following notes and thoughts have been gathe-
red through considerable effort over the last two years.
During this time, we have lost many men and spent an
unfathomable amount of resources in a bid to improve our
position in, and our understanding of, the Underworld.
You will see that my conclusions are both truthful and
impartial. And I hope, my Lords, that I have served your
interests as best I could, whatever your race, origin or reli-
gion. So, let us take a closer look at the extent and the
potential of these lands that have cost us so much.
The Western Kingdom Below
Due to the rapid and zealous progression of our
armies, we can now say that a quarter of Kohut is ours.
Other parts are still undergoing pacification and stabi-
lization. The center of our Kingdom Below is of course
located in New Jerusalem, the jewel with two faces, lost
in the middle of nowhere. The Upper City is now home
to over thirty five thousand souls in just over ten thou-
sand homes. The chaotic nature of the surrounding
suburban sprawl makes it impossible for the marshal’s
services to keep a precise count of its inhabitants. The
closest estimation is that it is home to roughly four or
77
five times the population of the palatial city. Every
God-given day dozens of buildings appear, growing like
mushrooms after a shower of rain. The economic acti-
vity is intense, and therefore an effort must be made
to improve and enlarge the docks and the other supply
facilities. Taking into account the ever growing num-
bers of arrivals, a break in the growth of our main city
is totally unimaginable. As we will see later in this
report, the general situation of the suburbs is particu-
larly intolerable. They must be dragged back into order
and civilization.
The deployment of our invading forces has followed
the sixteen roads established by the tracks of the dam-
ned. The terrain upstream has become more and more
difficult as it rises (see the Montecuccoli report). This
has become one of the main factors that is holding
back our progression. The boundaries of our lands are
still poorly defined but landmarks have been built to
improve this situation. Indeed, at least thirty six for-
tified sanctuaries are now scattered around the edges
of invaded Kohut. These sanctuaries are the result of
the collaboration between armies, religious bodies and
civilian organizations. These asylums are now used as
places of prayer, centers for all kinds of studies, and
also as places for trading activity. They have grown into
small towns. Our demonologists, explorers, priests and
soldiers find the sanctuaries to be ideal, peaceful places
in which to go about their business. This building pro-
gram is a true success. Similarly there are Westerner
bastions being raised in newly conquered territories.
Their fire power has been multiplied and their garrisons
reinforced. The heroic resistance of the Saint Michael
monastery is probably the most striking example of the
success of these installations.
These pillars of civilization allow the creation of
peaceful, secure areas open to economic development.
Scattered amongst them, dozens of major mining or
agricultural concessions have been established. Several
hundred small colonial communities have been develo-
ped with the aid of thousands of damned slaves. The
success of colonies is, regrettably, varied. But through it
 FactionS
all, the incredible amounts of resources extracted from
the Underworld are a sign of rapid, intense expansion
and of a prosperous future.
In order to maintain the speed of our growth, several
free companies have been sent out on deeper explora-
tion missions throughout Kohut and beyond. Their aim
is to discover, inform and prospect. In spite of all these
encouraging signs, a few dark clouds still remain on
the horizon. Unwatched, these clouds could become a
tempest which could wipe out our colonies in a fires-
torm with no forewarning.
Identifying our Enemies
The Demons: Satan’s most powerful subjects and the
masters of the damned. Although they were scattered
and hesitant when first faced with our offensive, they
seem to have gathered a relative amount of cohesion.
The massive attacks that have wiped out some of our
more advanced positions seem to show that a truce
has been established between several archdemons.
Even some of the fallen angels seem to have joined
their cause. The millions of damned who populate the
Underworld remain a constant source of unease for our
armed forces. On their own these unholy creatures are
cowardly. However the demons have a certain amount
of power over the damned. By some cunning witch-
craft, the demons are able to change the damned’s phy-
sical appearance and drive them to fight with fury and
fanaticism. The damned we have encountered are of all
kinds, sizes and abilities. They are quite often affiliated
with one of the seven deadly sins. The more obvious
their corruption, the more they tend to become the per-
fect incarnation of the vice they embraced when alive.
The demons, however, are of a different class altogether.
We have been able to classify a great number of these
beings thanks to the teachings of the Bible. Unfortuna-
tely the Book leaves many gaps in knowledge and omits
the names of the incredibly powerful creatures that lie in
the very heart of the desolate plains of the Underworld.
No human has ever laid eyes on such a titan of demon-
kind. If pressed, the demons whisper in fearful tones
of a prophecy announcing the return of these age-old
abominations. If such a day were to come, the eternal
laments of the plain of bones would not be enough to
cover the thousands of human cries of those in the throes
of agony.
The Saracens: our enemies of yore have obviously
established a powerful kingdom in a neighboring circle.
They have also built a good many forts, sanctuaries and
other places of worship here in Kohut. Despite a cer-
tain ambiguity in their intentions, it seems that our own
colonies were of no concern to them until we went...
too far. Some of our captains violated their boundaries
78
and then profaned in blood some of their holy places.
The Saracens are now treating us with the utmost cau-
tion, and no longer hesitate to raid our positions. The
inconsiderate acts of a few religious fanatics of our own
brotherhood could well push the Moors into all out war.
I hereby send you warning, my Lords: if our men are
not subjected to a more rigorous rule, we may have to
battle on several fronts at once.
The Muslims of the Underworld are embarked on a
mystical quest. The purpose of this quest still eludes
us. Anything that concerns this topic is meticulously
avoided during conversation. I must admit that these
Saracens are masters in the art of saying no one thou-
sand and one times without ever using the same excuse
twice. The art of evasion is one of the most wondrous
gifts they possess, a quality to reflect upon, my Lords.
One cannot spend three hundred years in Hell without
learning to adapt and allow for compromise.
The Lost (or free-damned): some of you will hear this
name for the first time. It would be a very grave mistake to
consider Demons and Lost as one and the same. The Lost
seem to be former demons or damned ones according to
our most reliable sources (mainly Saracen). As far as we can
see, the reasons for their independence are many. Some
have lost their old masters, others have rebelled. Some of
them even aspire to create their very own kingdoms. As
time goes by, these gangs of Lost Ones have become a
serious thorn in our expansion plans. They thrive freely in
the very heart of our lands, hiding in the vast devastated
expanses. Whenever they feel the urge, they undertake
the foulest of depravities and pillages. This threat pushes
us to triple the armed escorts that accompany our sup-
ply caravans. Worse still is the fact that our expansion
has been seriously hindered in some areas. Many small
colonial communities live in fear of these scavengers as
neighboring communities have become deserted by their
inhabitants. When a gang of Lost Ones has decided to
raid the area the best way to survive is to fight ‘till the end.
Surrendering is not an option. Strangely enough, some of
our captains have managed to hire the services of some
of these gangs. In exchange for an often ridiculously low
fee such as a native relic of some kind, these elite soldiers
will bear arms alongside our troops for a while. They then
disappear, as fast as they came.
The War Effort
The success of our military operations is mainly due to
the cooperation that exists between the different forces.
To begin, I will provide you with an analysis of the impact
of our more conventional units; infantry, artillery and
cavalry. I will then undertake to list the many benefits of
the addition of the infernalist and missionary additions.
 The westernerS
Finally we shall examine the mixture of these forces in
free-companies and their use for special missions.
The infantry: The infantry and its foot soldiers are
the very core of our armies. Hardened by many years
of conflict, their discipline works wonders. Our gene-
rals’ strategy has been to focus more on ranged than
on close combat weapons. Sixty out of every hundred
soldiers are now arquebusiers or musketeers. The stan-
dard kit is an arquebus and a sword for the charge.
For protection, the soldiers are given a steel breastplate
and a falling buffe burgonet helmet. Some differences
still remain such as the Swedish which still prefer to
keep their «Dutch pot» helmets.
New arquebuses will be provided to our troops before
next year. They will give greater precision and more fire
power. These flintlock arquebuses can put out eight shots
at a speed of three shots per minute. Please note, my
Lords, that our current arquebus overheat after only four
shots, becoming unusable for a considerable length of
time. Alongside the usual ranged weapons, groups of
grenadiers have been developed to dislodge the damned
ones. Their results are quite simply spectacular.
The current military strategies have forgotten the
virtues of infantry close combat. Many officers have
requested sword and pike troops with enough protec-
tion to stand up to the monsters that live Below.
Indeed, even intense fire power is not enough to hold
back the onslaught of a demonic horde. Some solid
elements have needed adding to the established regi-
ments. Three months ago, regiments of doppelsöldners
were newly trained. These solid veterans are equipped
with heavy swords and covered in armor from head to
toe. They slice their way through the enemies’ ranks
with vim and vigor.
To mark out our way, groups of hired blades have
been formed and made available to our armies. When
they make it back alive, these scouting parties bring
back valuable information to our armed companies.
Our progression through Hell is the result of the return
to fashion of the use of armor. From pikemen to mus-
keteers, all today wear some form of protection.
The cavalry: the number of men in our cavalry regi-
ments is extremely low. Only twenty soldiers in every
one hundred can be considered cavalrymen. This is
grossly inadequate. Mobility is one of the key elements
of our success. Mobility serves both to keep informa-
tion flowing and as a means to violently take the enemy
by surprise. The lay of the lands Below is such that our
horses can find nothing good to feed upon. Supplies
of grain have to be transported through the gates of
Hell. The commanding officers are forced to spread
their stocks of grain throughout the network of fortified
relays. Due to these constraints, units of cuirassiers,
79
riflemen and dragoons have had to be dismantled and
redistributed to other units.
Obviously an effort must be made to work towards main-
taining mounted units. The cuirassiers, attacking in waves
six ranks thick, are veritable onslaughts of steel that drive
off the demons and the damned. The riflemen harass
the enemies’ flanks with their shots, creating disorder and
chaos. The dragoons, our mounted infantry, allow us to
hold strategic positions thanks to their superior mobility,
while fighting like infantrymen once dismounted.
The artillery: With its impressive firepower, our artil-
lery is at the core of many a successful battle. During
the offensive, cannon fire alone has succeeded in ope-
ning many a locked door. The Demon fortresses have
fallen one by one as their outer walls are torn asunder
by the powerful barrage of our siege weapons. By
escorting our invading forces, the cannons rip through
the ranks of the enemy troops with their fiery fury. The
effect of this cannon assault is often devastating, espe-
cially if the enemy officers are hit.
Furthermore, it is in a defensive situation that our
artillery provides its greatest support. As part of the
defenses of a fortified position, long range shots greatly
reduce the enemy’s enthusiasm. Meanwhile the shots
from shorter range weapons take out a large part of the
waves of demons. The excellent performance of the
many Swedish gunners, lent by his majesty Gustaf-Adolf
of Sweden, must be highly commended.
I would also like to underline the importance of the
supply train. Our dozens of outposts and colonies sur-
vival often depends on the punctuality of our provision
and supplies. And while we examine the matter of
supplies, I have been informed that this was a matter
of vital importance for General Wallenstein. I must say
that I fully agree with him on this subject. There can be
no war without weapons and healthy, able men.
To complete the inventory of our invading forces, I
would like to describe to you the new «weapons» at our
disposition: infernal power and divine might. Enrol-
ling infernalists and missionaries has become more and
more frequent, and allows us to multiply the efficiency
of our companies. The range of spells and miracles they
provide allows us to try varied and original approach
techniques. An infernalist who masters spells of fire
can multiply our fire power while at the same time pro-
viding us with an alternative possibility for a defensive
retreat. The men of God, with their faith and moral
strength, are able to heal the wounded or improve the
soldiers’ morale. These forces therefore allow the com-
pany to survive longer.
 FactionS
The Free Companies of Hell
In the name of flexibility and efficiency, the Council
decided a year ago to create semi-autonomous free
companies. These elite forces are trained to face all
manner of situations. Their duties are quite varied:
reconnaissance, exploration, information, negotiation,
elimination, and so forth. I will spare you, my Lords,
the full inventory of the tasks they perform. Know,
however that most of the special tasks they are given
are far beyond the abilities of our more conventional
regiments. The rate of human losses in these compa-
nies is extremely high, but the strong individualities of
the people that make up these groups can quite often
change the outcome of a desperate mission. All of the
conventional categories of soldiers are represented in
these companies.
The keystone of these units lies in the technical abili-
ties of their officers. Hired and paid by the members of
the Council, they are the Captains who, by their efforts
and the composition of their company, have made their
own mark on the Underworld. My Lords, I would like
to introduce three of these men, the finest selection of
the elite units of the Western forces. They are efficient,
loyal and all have service records that would make an
archdemon tremble.
Francisco Vargas: this noble Castilian has served for many
years under the orders of Count de Spinola. In those times
of all-out war, he was already in charge of the special mis-
sions of his General. He was tasked with hitting places
that his master could not reach. He fulfills in Hell the exact
same role that he was given in the service of the Empire.
He possesses a tactical form of genius that is out of the
ordinary. Just as important, Vargas also has the reputation
of a hard and merciless man. He fights beside his men.
This free-captain also has a gift for choosing comrades with
brilliant and colorful personalities. His point of view is that
he can only lead his troops efficiently if he has men that are
able to apply and transmit his orders to perfection... and
with talent. My instinct tells me that we will hear much of
the efficient Francisco Vargas in the days to come.
Georg von Holbein: this captain is the champion of the
catholic cause. Fury surrounds this man-in-armor like a
thunder cloud. Perched on Honor-and-Glory, his pitch
black armored warhorse, by the time his enemies hear
the biblical curses that spew out from inside his suit of
plate armor it is often too late for them. He was recently
made a free-captain due to the loss of his company of cui-
rassiers. He has since been hunting down every Saracen
and Demon that fate places in his path. He is an adept
of frontal combat and grants no quarter. He favors the
support of the doppelsöldners, missionaries and inqui-
sitors. The only warning I may utter against him would
be about his fanaticism that seems to know no limits. It
80
sometimes borders on actual madness. That said, if this
man can be unpredictable with us, his allies, just imagine
what he can do to the worst of our enemies!
Baptiste Valombre: Valombre was the first Westerner
to set foot in the Underworld. As a free-captain he has
become an adventurer with somewhat obscure goals.
During my research, I have found his name mentioned
in all four corners of the known world. He seems to be
always searching for objects forgotten by even time itself.
He is not only an accomplished swashbuckler but also a
talented demonologist and a renowned scholar. By tur-
ning his back on the divine, this Parisian has also found
himself in the black books of the Christian Churches.
Valombre seems to have a network of informers at his
disposition throughout all of the Underworld and among
all factions. He has rapidly become indispensable to our
intelligence services. His price for hire is excessively high
and his wage as occasional captain is virtually unreasona-
ble. To accomplish his tasks, Valombre usually hires spe-
cialized fighters, extremely talented and most often quite
eccentric. In the world above and below, his political and
religious ideas are seen as revolutionary.
I would suggest, my Lords, that he be granted the immu-
nity of the Council that he rightly deserves. Dogmatic
quarrels must in no way get in the way of the accomplis-
hment of our objectives.
To conclude this report, I will end with a note tinted
with bitterness. Dissensions are, indeed, currently bli-
ghting our wonderful quest, created by people who dream
of taking control of our kingdom. These troubles are partly
spread by the more conservative elements of our different
cults. A crusade is growing in their hearts, my Lords, and
it is threatening to rot from the inside everything that we
have undertaken so far. Beware of the tidal wave that
could well be caused by these first ripples. Several reports
have brought tidings of demonic influences, unholy pacts
and other forms of devilish seduction. We must not for-
get where we are setting foot, my Lords! The apparent
weakness of the Demons may only be a trick, a lure, with
the bulk of their forces located in other spheres, exploiting
the inherent weaknesses of men. There is also the pro-
blem of the dozens of lodges and other organizations that
wish to exploit the wealth of Hell to be considered. This
is quite a simple problem, but we must bear it in mind all
the same. But we should rejoice! If we are able to conquer
these few problems, Hell and its age-old riches and
knowledge will be ours to hold and to treasure.
Destiny is each man’s own to seize!
You will find in the annexes of this report many exam-
ples, notes and documents that will complete these few
words of mine. I salute you, my Lords, may you make
good use of these lines.
« The Farseer», your humble, loyal servant.
 The westernerS

Francisco Vargas, Frank-captain

The French pavilion of the Council’s palace was swarming with an unusual amount of activity. The
excessive size and luxuriance of the war room dwarfed two of the most powerful people in either of
the two worlds. Cardinal de Richelieu, Prime Minister of his majesty Louis XII and Henri II de Bour-
bon, General in chief of the French expeditionary corps in the Underworld.
«My Lord de Bourbon, it would please me immensely if we could hire the services of sire Vargas,
immediately.»
«Eminence, why such haste in this matter? Many others could undertake this task quite honorably, Officer
noble gentlemen who would be a little less...»
«Spanish?» interrupted the Cardinal. Henri’s mouth eased a smile.
«I see that your Eminence still reads the hearts of men with the talent he is renowned for.» answe- Human
red de Bourbon.
«Henri, please, grant me the kindness of a heedful ear for my request; are you ready to listen to
what I ask?» Male
«Eminence, you know that your opinions are always of great importance, for myself as for
the King...»
«Very well! In that case I will go straight to the point. Yes, the man is a Spaniard. It is
Christian (papist)
unfortunate, but we can do nothing about it, and at least he is a good Catholic. We certainly
cannot say as much of all of our allies. Furthermore, I prefer to be sure that he is busy taming
the demonic rabble Below rather than killing off our men in the marches of Flanders.» Movement 4
«Please, continue Cardinal...» 3
«Thank you Henri. The most important point is that this man is a genius. All the reports
of our agents agree on the fact that this Vargas can truly sense the combat, adapts easily to Shooting Skill -
-
all possible situations, and looks after his company in a most honorable fashion. He is more
than a simple officer, Henri, he is a weapon himself!»
«A dangerous weapon, your Eminence, one that spreads discord and destruction in its
Combat 5
4
wake...» replied Henri.
«My word, Henri!» interrupted Richelieu, «Have you forgotten we are not talking about Defense 4
our world here? Who will complain that a few damned ones have been butchered or pushed 3
around?»
«Nobody, Eminence, nobody for sure.» whispered de Bourbon, «But why this Vargas? I wonder Charisma Protection 2
if you are not leaving out other reasons that make you like this Spaniard.»
Richelieu stood still and seemed to ponder, looked left then right, then in a solemn voice he
finally replied:
Leader Life Points 12
«Indeed, I could have chosen some other Spaniard, as you say. Dear friend, do you see, this whole
infernal escapade is at risk of turning into a crusade at any moment. I can assure you that when
Tenacious 3

that time comes, I plan to rely on people I have chosen. People I can trust who will fight for human Faith 3
2
and rational interests rather than spiritual ones. Look at the Von Holbeins, the Balaguerres, they
are competent men, brilliant even! But they are exalted, driven by fury and faith in a God that they
think is theirs! Recall their reaction when they discovered a Saracen kingdom Below! They chose
Command 5
war rather than to work together to a common goal. Such a waste. They are endangering the whole
colony. One day the Council of the Six will have to sanction them or accept to be overthrown.»
«Very well, Cardinal.» answered Henri de Bourbon. «I will join you and give you my full support.
Vargas is waiting for you in the map room, in the company of one of the King’s musketeers.»
«You knew I would say all this to you, Henri. It is your turn to surprise me. What an act you have
put on for me...» said the Cardinal, smiling.
«I am not the only one to claim the merit of this, Eminence, I merely thought that a «Richelieu» of
arms under the orders of the Richelieu of letters was a very pleasant idea...»

Orders
Leader of the Converts
All the Christian models in Vargas’ company are consi-
dered to be Christian (Papist) instead of the religion
keyword written on their stat cards. This Order takes
effect as soon as the company is created, as if the
modification is printed on the cards.
Bastion of the Lord
Active • 1 Permanent CMD• Unique
Allied troopers with a FTH of 1 or more get
a PR bonus equal to their FTH until the end of
the turn.
K iss of the Lord
Free • 1 Permanent CMD• Unique
Vargas recovers a number of LP equal to
twice his FTH.
Vae soli Vae victis

Long Sword Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 5 Unique


4 7
5 9
81 40 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Baptiste Valombre, Scholar Adventurer

The place radiated a terrible heat. Over more than two hundred fathoms, the icy desolation was replaced by a stretch of rocky
desert, dotted with one-eyed faces carved in stone. The devilish wind that tore across the icy plain hit an invisible frontier. When
it came into contact with this bubble of heat, the wind would send the «dome» crackling with thousands of burning red sparks. The
fiery cinders floated down, tumbling slowly to the snow-covered ground below, like dying fireflies shot down from the skies.
Officer Gathered around a rocky outcrop, a small group had formed. Noble gentlemen from the world Above, finding their lives boring,
came to discover the Underworld on curious exploration trips. Their guide was Baptiste Valombre, and he looked quite the sight with
his dark mane of hair. He wore an unusual suit of armor and carried a pistol of equal strangeness. Disturbingly he was followed by
Human a small demon with a sly look in his eyes. The demon carried a great heap of objects that seemed quite useless to the untrained eye.
His eyes sparkling with unmatched mischief and confidence while Valombre radiated an elusive air of control. The discovery of Hell
had created a time for the most virulent debates. But in this land where an invisible Devil ruled all, blasphemy was a common thing.
Male This was a place for new men, men such as Baptiste Valombre; an adventurer, an explorer and a man of learning. He represented
what men will become. He was a man freed from the Divine, freed from the fear of Above and Below. Hark to what will be said
here. Read my notes, copy them and have them read by all the trustworthy men you meet. A new era is born, let us take care to
Agnostic build it for ourselves this time!
«God? Which God are we talking about, my Lords? Do not think I am insensitive to your beliefs, but please, keep your God for up
there, and let men take their Destiny into their own hands.
Mentalist Abandon your old pre-conceived ideas straight away, and take a little time to consider the situation. All our lives we have been
taught to submit our wills to that of some divine character, in exchange for a hypothetical paradise. Where has this led us? Today
we are walking through Hell. A promise of heaven was made, but in the end the only road we found was that of damnation. Have
you asked yourselves, gentlemen, why these doors have opened?
4 Movement I was in Magdeburg, the day it happened. I saw with my own eyes the madness of Men. I was the first to descend, with my feet
3 in the mud. All around me was a world filled with endless mysteries.»
«Do you not believe this is a test set for us by the Almighty, monsieur Valombre?» croaked Muller, a grim merchant from Nurem-
4 Shooting Skill berg, recently transformed into a slave-merchant.
3
«Ah, the celestial trial is such a pleasant idea!» relied Baptiste, «However, I am afraid that our descent to the Underworld is
6 Combat simply a matter of chance, at the best.»
«In that case, how can you explain this sudden opening of the Gates? If not by the will of God it makes no sense!» cried
5
Solana, a Spanish nobleman, sweating profusely in his blue brocade doublet.
4 Defense Baptiste scanned the assembled men with the eye of a hawk, his lower lip barely holding back a hungry grin.
3 «My Lords, is it not more important that we first seek what we are going to do with these lands?» Valombre said,
with a theatrical sweep of his arm. «It could be said that the only limits we face here are our imaginations and our...
3 Protection appetite. A new age is upon us. The time for conscious and free men is here. Once we are rid of the burden of the
Divine, the moment will come to also rid ourselves of our primal fears and all the irrational superstitions. What
infinite opportunities do these seemingly deserted expanses offer us! Poor men can become rich, old men can
12 Life Points become immortal, those who search can find a thousand more questions for each riddle they solve.
2
Defensive Combat
0 Faith
0 Immunity ( , ,
fire cold poison)
Orders
Special A mmunition
4 Command Man-at-Arms Passive • 1 CMD
If Baptiste shoots during this activation, the shot will be affected
Scout by one of the following modifiers, which must be chosen before
Strider choosing a target: Baptiste’s Experimental Pistol gets +3 Range;
Base : Baptiste gains Natural Talent; The target suffers Consumed
Regular (Fire • 2/1), in addition to its normal damage, when Baptiste
scores 3 or more hits. This order can be given more than
once per turn, but each option may only be chosen one
time when a shot is taken.
Vae soli Vae victis

Aura
Do you believe you’ll live forever?
Permanent • 4 Fathom Radius • Allies
Other allied units within this aura’s area
of effect get +1 CBT, and -1FTH.

Experimental
Pistol Hits Damage
Piercing 1 1
Ammunition 6 2 3
Penetrating Strike 3 4
Range 4 4 6
5 8

Jagged Sword &

Spiked Gauntlet Hits Damage
Blunt 1 3
Slashing 2 4

Unique 55 82


3 6
4 8
5 10
 The westernerS

Below, everything is possible, the better like the worse. Once we no longer bear the yoke of religion or
condition, the only men left here are ambitious men or dreamers.
I am here to understand, gentlemen, to understand so I can learn, to learn so I can «dominate». What a
fabulous land for research we have discovered here! Science, history, geography, we can learn anything in this
place. Although this may disappoint you, you are not the first men to tread the paths of Hell. Take a closer look
at these antique Greek letters, there, carved into the rock. Give thanks to the sheik Abd al Budrun for his authoriza-
tion to travel through his lands. For we are in a Saracen protectorate here. No, do not be alarmed...»
«But what profit could we possible reap from turning our backs on religion and forgetting that which we hold most
dear?» interrupted Muller, giving him a black look. Base :
«I was expecting that question, Herr Müller, and therefore it will be easy for me to answer
it. The key to our success lies in knowledge. It is this knowledge that will bring us a
Regular
prosperity that you can hardly dream of, my Lords.»
«Prosperity? Knowledge? What the hell? What on Earth are you talking
about!» cried Solana, finally interested.
«Unbelievable riches, and knowledge is the key to them! The Unde-
rworld is littered with places where relics of times forgotten can
be found. These impious relics are coded and protected by dark
enchantments. But once you have mastered this obscure coding,
you will gain access to knowledge that few men can conceive.
Death often prowls around these artifacts, or «messages»
as the case may be. The price to pay is quite reasonable.
Who would want to live forever in any case?
Imagine discovering the secret of changing lead into
gold, knowing the secret word of power that can seduce
and possess the woman of your wildest desires. You can
also imagine binding animals or men to metal and so
many more things. So many challenges lie before men
like ourselves, and some have already succeeded! I have
just mentioned to you the power of transmutation, and
in fact...»

Conversation with Baptiste Valombre reported by

the late Martin Hoch, salesman of Mecklembourg,
burned for heresy.

Sir Valet, Servant Unique

«Okay, so I’m in the service of a human. Sure I’m ashamed of it, but hey,
that’s life, you make do with what you can get! A short, squishy little coward
like myself, all I can do is bite my own tail and wait for better days! What’s worse
0 Independent
is I’m a jinx, too, yessir, ye have no idea! When M’lord Baptiste says «This don’t look
good», you can bet things are gonna get real bad! Dunno why, but that’s just the way
things have been since I’ve been a demon.
Demon
M’lord Baptiste ain’t bad as humans goes. He’s saved my sorry skin many a time in the past.
I think he really quite likes me. Yeah I know, that’s not good for a demon, but hey, I’m already a
walking disgrace, so I might as well go all the way! I’m the kind of demon who wallows in shame. The
Asexual
first time he saved my arse was the day I met a «Greedy Guts» who wanted to swallow me down in one
gulp! He gave the lump a belly full of steel instead so I felt I should make it up to the guy. You know, follow
him for the rest of his life, wherever he goes, even to all four corners of Hell. See, I’m not so daft, the life of a
Unbeliever
mortal to save my own mangy hide, you’ve gotta admit it’s an honest trade. And you know, when you look at how
M’lord Baptiste behaves, I’m guessing I’ll be free again any time now, what with both the clergy and the Demons
having it out for him, he’ll soon end up as a barbecue or a bonfire. So ye see, I’m carrying around all his tools, his
Mentalist
finds and trinkets. I’m a right mule! I’m a scout too for him if needs be, and if M’lord is in a spot o’trouble, he can
just swap places with me instantly. Sure, I get a pounding when that happens, but hey, it’s all part of the job. Hang
on. I think I can see my master. Oh, gotta go, I can see him coming. Crap, he’s not alone, got a dozen soldiers on his
Movement 8
tail. Got to run, damn it, I’m gonna end up in a pulp!!

Sir Valet, two broken teeth and a black eye during the skirmish.
Elusive Shooting Skill -
Harmless Combat -
Order Invulnerable
Defense 6
A llow Me, Sir Insignificant
Passive • 2 Permanent CMD • Unstoppable • Unique
Sir Valet immediately switches places with Baptiste Valombre.
Maverick Protection 1
Strider Life Points 2
Aura
Things aren’t looking good
Faith -
Permanent • 4 Fathom Radius
Units within the area of effect of this aura get -1 CBT.
Command -

83 Associated (Baptiste Valombre)

FactionS

84
 The WesternerS
Vincenzo Maculano de Fiorenzuola,
Commissioner General of the Inquisition
The heat thrown off by the cross-shaped branding iron distorted the air around it as it was drawn from the fire. The site
of this always made Vincenzo introspective. The fact that the underworld had so much in common with the world above
was unsurprising to Vincenzo and seemed to speak volumes about the lord’s plan. The laws of time and motion seemed to
work as they did above, only breaking down in certain areas of Hell. What did constantly take him aback was the behavior
of his fellow men when confronted with such a place. Hell’s very existence was an affirmation of faith, and Vincenzo had
hoped that it would bring about a change in mankind’s behavior that would make his role as an inquisitor obsolete.
Officer
Alas, it was not to be. In fact he had been sent hence to look into reports of malignant influences at work on the people
of New Jerusalem. When he arrived he found a place with even more blasphemy, heresy, and sin than the world above.
Unlike the heathens propagating such filth his faith wasn’t shaken by the hellish scenes he had seen since arriving on the
Human
docks of the portal. His faith and conviction grew with the certainty that he did the will of his Lord. While Hell was a terri-
ble place, for that was its nature, how could they be surprised? This made it even more important that the weak be brought
back to the light and given a chance to repent before being sent along on their eternal journey.
Male
These comfortable musings played through Vincenzo’s mind as he crossed from the
ember filled brazier back to the bound wretch at the middle of the cell, the cross-shaped
branding iron carried in front of him as though to light his way. Vincenzo’s full atten-
Christian (papist)
tion was once again centered on the prisoner. How distasteful his holy duties where,
unfortunately with the revelation of hell’s undeniable reality, they were now more neces-
sary than ever.
Mentalist
“You have been found guilty of heresy. If you confess, then there is no need for me to
persuade you to unburden your soul.”
All Vincenzo received as a reply was a brooding, seething stare from the mercenary
that had been in his employ up until the day before.
Movement 4
“You do not wish to recant the vile heresies I heard you utter to your compatriots in my
company? Wouldn’t it do you good to let sin out and embrace our Lord with open arms?” Shooting Skill -
Again no response was forthcoming.
“I see. Well, it is my duty to facilitate your repentance my friend.” Long Sword Hits Damage
With these words Vincenzo calmly brought the iron to the prisoner’s forehead, and the Slashing 1 2 Combat 4
screaming began in earnest. 2 3
“Let it out brother, let the sin out … “ 3 5 Defense 4
4 7
5 9 Protection 2
Orders
M anus Dei Life Points 11
Passive • 2 Permanent CMD • Unique
Until the end of the turn, whenever a non-papist unit takes damage during a Faith 4
close combat, the damage is increased by the FTH of that unit, with a minimum
increase of 1. This increase will even affect Invulnerable units. Command 4
M ark of the Faithful
Free • 1 CMD
Target Papist unit becomes Brave until the end of the turn. This order can only be Charisma 2
given once per action phase. Immunity
M ark of the Heretic (Change of State)
Special • Unique
After both companies have been deployed but before Leader
the start of the game, choose an enemy independent
or trooper. The chosen unit is marked as a heretic
for the rest of the game. While marked as a
heretic a unit gets +1 CBT, Uncontrollable, and
Cursed 1. Papist units get +2 CBT when fighting
the marked unit and +1 MVT if this extra MVT
would allow the papist unit to contact the unit
marked as a heretic. If the unit marked as a
heretic is killed during a melee, then the unit
that killed it will become marked as a heretic.
Vae soli Vae victis

Aura
God’s Coat
Permanent • 1 Fathom Radius •
Papists (Immune)
While any non-Papist unit is within the area
of effect of this aura, they suffer the effects of
Stunned. Unique
85 55 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Georg von Holbein, Margrave

I am struck by fear with the mere thought of my commander, Georg Von Holbein. In spite of our pious prayers, the
darkness of Hell seems to have seeped into our hearts, its thousand shadowy facets creeping into our souls.
Five years ago, I signed up to join the margrave, on personal recommendation of Maximilian of Bavaria. Von
Holbein led his own armed forces, the Black Eagles, a proud company of cuirassiers from Styria. We plowed through
Officer the ranks of the Protestant armies with our furious charges. With our pistols, we would shoot down the first line
of pike men then we would slash on through their ranks like a tidal bore running up the mouth of a river. The
sound of our swords was like the slicing of a butcher’s knife through a piece of meat. Nothing seemed able to
Human stop our progression. One day in May, the gates of Hell itself were opened to us, supreme glory was within
our grasp... and so was eternal damnation!
None of the armies of the damned should have been able to stop us. We trampled them mer-
Male rily. Oh how we laughed at their pathetic squeaking, or at the sight of their feeble bodies shaking
convulsively. No demon would be allowed to rest while the eaglets of the Holbein margrave
walked these lands. But the Saracens were soon to put an end to that sweet dream.
Christian (papist) It was our commander’s rashness that was to cause our downfall. A Saracen army
barred our route. A quick discussion revealed that they were not openly hostile
towards us. However, the path was forbidden to us, for the safety of our souls, so

Base : they said. Holbein’s temper exploded! He assembled the cavalry and ordered
them to charge. The Moors were well organized and our troops fell, one

Arch-Enemy ( ) 2
saracens Extra Large by one. The margrave made it through their lines, hollering menacingly,
and disappeared into the distance. I sounded a retreat. There were
only ten of us left, galloping away across the dusty plain. Shortly
Chaotic Charge Unique after, I joined the newly created units of doppelsöldners.
When Holbein resurfaced forty days later he was deeply
Charisma transformed. He was wearing a strangely crafted suit of
armor that he declared he had forged with his own hands
Elusive under the Lord’s instructions! God, he said, had assigned
him a new quest; to boot the infidels out of Hell. The
Fury engraved armor was as dark as a moonless night, and
behind the visor of his helm, I could feel the fire of his
Terror stare. Since that day, no-one has seen him without
his helm or his armor.
Our missions became stranger and stranger.
We were now officially hunting the Saracens. We
would attack on sight. The Moors were rather
discreet, but Holbein seemed to be able to
sniff them out. Inside his tent, he personally
undertook to «question» the survivors. I can
still hear their pleas for mercy, the guttural
screams of our commander sounded almost
like an animal! He would spit out psalms
from the Bible like one possessed. The next
day we moved on. And that is when I saw
it all. The dismembered bodies, hurriedly
buried in shallow graves, the frozen expres-
sions of horror on their bruised skulls. A
dozen ravaged, chopped up bodies were
piled up on top of each other. Wolfgang,
his personal page, told me still horrified,
that his master had drunk the blood of his
victims before his very eyes. Then he had
ordered him to recite the Apocalypse accor-
ding to Saint John. I hope that all this is
just a young boy’s cheeky lie. However my
instinct tells me that the young Rhenish boy
is telling the truth.

70
Lieutenant Sauer, doppelsöldner

Orders
6 Movement Glory to the First
5
Passive • 3 Permanent CMD • Unstoppable • Unique
- Shooting Skill Once Georg has resolved his activation, but before it becomes your oppo-
-
nent’s activation, activate each of your waiting units one at a time. Once all
7 Combat of your units have been activated, then your opponent may activate a unit.
6
You choose the order that your waiting units are activated in ignoring any
4 Defense effects that might otherwise affect this (EG Slowed, etc...).
3
Moment of Grace
4 Protection Free • 1 Permanent CMD • Unique
Georg gets Rapid Strike (Defense) during the next
Two-Handed Sword Hits Damage
12 Life Points Slashing 1 3 combat sequence he is involved in this game.
4
Penetrating Strike 2 5 Vae soli Vae victis
3 Faith 3 7 Georg may spend up to 3 CMD on Vae Victis if you
2
4 9 choose. This works in the same way as spending 1 or 2
5 Command 5 11 CMD on the order, giving +3 to either SHS or CBT if you
spend 3 CMD.
 The westernerS

Aidan Saint James, Sergeant

Upon a broken plateau of Kohut, with no shelter from the bite of the corrosive winds, an old, blood-covered soldier
kneels in front of a hastily dug tomb. Tears run down his cheeks, his mustache is sticky with dried blood, and he is
covered in dark, dank dust. Only by his sharp blue, tear-filled eyes, his iron helm, and his weapons can he be told apart
from one of the damned ones who live on this bleak land. The wind whistles in long wails, as if to accompany the
torment of the kneeling man. With a shaking hand he slips a piece of paper between two large stones. Then he etches
a name, a surname, a date...
Independent
«Saint James, Francis, my brother in arms. I knew you as a youth, a fifteen-year-old still fresh from your Nor-
thumbrian countryside. I’ve watched you cry, watched you grow up, watched you harden yourself by fire and iron.
Human
For over ten years you have followed me over all the battlefields where the wise don’t wish to tread. You have killed,
gutted, and pillaged but you always remained respectful towards the defeated. You were a freak, a noble idiot who
refused to profit from the weak and the poor. A commoner with a noble heart, you were. A
Male
good lad, you know, the kind you’d like to introduce to your daughter... if she hasn’t
already been killed, of course. A nameless damned one decided on your fate, Francis
my boy. God did not come down to help you this time. You were the last bastard
Christian (papist)
in my gang who had been fighting since the White Mountain. The last to remind
me that, before this all went mad, I had a life. Your death has ripped a hole in my
existence, ten years of struggle, ten years of nothing, just an aftertaste of dead flesh, a
taste of nothingness. Movement 4
I am the last mercenary of the 3rd company still standing. And so as to never forget 3
your mugs, you shitheads, I will take your name Francis. Hans becomes Saint James,
may well you laugh up there. I already bear the name of the saint who brought you
Defensive Shot Shooting Skill 2
1
Northumbrians into the light - Saint Aidan - all I needed was another saint’s name to Tenacious
become bullet-proof. My lads, I will drink to your health all night. The black dust I’m
breathing in is tearing at my guts. The bottle of Armagnac that I’ll soon be sharing with
Combat 4
3
that cheeky French bastard will probably taste like donkey’s piss. But I will forget all this...
for a while. I have been ordered to be chaperon to some new arquebusiers. Tough fellows Defense 4
I’m sure, but they’ll be fresh meat compared to you, Englishman. They aim about as straight 3
as with their first peashooter, but I have a feeling that with a bit of encouragement they’ll
be able to load a gun faster than my grandmother. This morning I gave a young smart-arse Protection 2
a piece of encouragement. He got it from the fish-tailed butt of my arquebus. Thanks a lot,
Comte de Tilly, for that present. They will learn, in the long run, that following me will keep
them alive longer than serving under some softer fellow. Life Points 8
3
And then the Grim Reaper will inevitably sort through them. I will no longer call on the Lord to
protect us. God cannot see well down in Hell, he doesn’t recognize his own. Has he ever? I drink to
all of you, ghosts of a past now lost forever. May your souls rest in peace. My own torments will end
Faith 1
0
one day, I hope, but you don’t grow old in Hell. Charon refuses to ferry me across. I cannot pay him
and so I will continue to fight until a copper coin falls into my hands...» Command 1
Aidan Saint James, year 1634 of our Lord, circle of Kohut.

Orders
Quick R eload
Passive • 1 Permanent CMD
Aidan’s arquebus is now fully reloaded. This ability can
only be used once per activation.
R eload!
Passive • 2 Permanent CMD • Unique
Aidan’s arquebus, and those of his allies, are
now fully reloaded.

Arquebus Hits Damage

Piercing 1 3
Penetrating Strike 2 2 4
Range 8 3 5
Reloading 2 4 7
5 9

Long Sword Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 5 Unique


4 7
5 9 87 21 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Alvaro Echeverria de Balaguer, Inquisitor

As usual, the main square of New Jerusalem was packed full of people. It was a vibrant patchwork of men of all classes and walks
of life going about their daily businesses. The wafting smells of the roasting spits mingled with the beastly odors and pestilential
breath of hundreds of men speaking or shouting in a dozen different tongues. Then, as if by magic, the noise was silenced. Slowly,
like the noises of a forest before the storm hits, the cacophony died out. The colorful, chaotic crowd suddenly appeared to organize
Independent and focus itself, slowly, on the center of the square. The deathly silence was only broken by a quiet clinking noise. Two men with
weapons and armor were standing guard around a third man. Tall and slender, dressed all in black under a dark but intricately
decorated steel armor, the man’s mere presence inspired an awed silence. He held, proudly, above his head, a Crusader’s banner with
Human its immaculate white background. As his piercing gaze swept the crowd, many eyes were lowered in response. The damned slaves
huddled closer to their masters, trembling with fear.
Here was a highly-ranked inquisitor, sent especially by Rome itself from the world Above to bring its response to the Council of the
Male Six. Standing up on the scaffold of the gallows, with a slight gesture of his right hand in its mighty gauntlet, he began a sermon that
the Underworld will not soon forget.
«Hear me, good people of all countries in the light of God! Hear the words of a simple servant of the Lord, without finery or
Christian (Papist) ornament!
Here I stand before you, humble amongst the humble, and my greatest wish is that all of you gain access to the gates of Heaven.
Yes, my good people, it is you that I am speaking to, the people of small means, the lowly and the common. To you, those who have
Mentalist little but who are rich in spirit, to you the penniless, future princes of the Army of the Lord! A new era is coming! The times of petty
wars and poverty are over. With your faith, your force and your fury, and with the aid of the Almighty God, the lands of Hell will be
ours, the influence of the evil one eradicated! Good people, today is the day you join the legion of the good, following the banners of
our Lord, hallowed be his name!
4 Movement Today, I have but one word in my mouth, one thought, one way... Crusade! Crusade!
3 Crusade against the Demons! Crusade against the Saracen menace! The unbelievers are at our gates and they have already
invaded a large part of the Underworld. Can you feel them? Can you smell them? In their depravity, they indulge in all kinds of
- Shooting Skill orgies, fornicating with the Demons in the spilled blood of Christian maidens! We shall purify the Underworld, we shall send these
- infidel dogs, worshipers of Satan, back where they belong!
Feel the presence of the Lord! God sees you right now! He looks over you, his sons and daughters. So who will be joining me
2 Combat on this quest? Who will rise to meet their destiny? Who feels worthy of joining the pantheon of holy men, worshiped for their
3
fervor? Let those who feel the calling of the Lord deep in their hearts come to me, let them join me and follow the snapping
sound of my banner!»
3 Defense A ray of light made its way through the clouds, illuminating the square with a greenish glow. The crowd exploded.
4
Several women began singing to the glory of God. A good number of the men began assembling around the inquisitor.
2 Protection One by one, they knelt before him, crying, praying. Then he turned and led them out of the city, and following after
them, his impressive convoy...

10 Life Points
6

4 Faith
5
Order
2 Command Divine Stupor
Passive • 2 Permanent CMD • Unstoppable • Unbelievers
and units with a FTH 3+ (Immune) • Unique
Fanatic All Troopers within 8 fathoms of Alvaro that aren’t
unbelievers and don’t have a FTH greater than 2,
Base : become already activated. They can’t be activated
this turn anymore. You may choose to spend 4
Regular permanent CMD rather than 2 for this order. If
you do, your troopers will not be affected by
this order.

Aura
Aura of Fanatacism
Permanent • 8 Fathom Radius
Inclusive • Papists
Papist units within the area of effect of
this order get Fanatic.

Gonfalon Hits Damage

Blunt 1 2
2 3
3 4

Unique 26 88


4 5
5 6
 The westernerS

Anna Bogna Pavlova, Mess Lady

Two workmen, among dozens, sit spending their hard-earned break chatting happily about their task of
building a safe-house for the guards in the suburbs of New Jerusalem. The dust flies up, blown by the wind,
and finds its way into everything. The passers-by are all wrapped in folds of heavy cloth as they go about their
business. An army of ghosts on the move. Their numbers ever growing, shuffling along, raising wafts of scarlet
powder. The air is heavy, the air is humid, the air is... parching. Their throats are as dry as the sand, their faces
red and wrinkled.
«Hey, Raymond, y’ know, ye really picked the wrong time to quit drinking! Last night
at the Wolf ’s Head we saw some proper action, the kind ye ain’t never seen the
likes of, I swear! Now don’t ye fret, I’ ll be tellin’ ye everything! The place
was packed, and the lasses down there were hot as red coals if ye get
me drift. Then Johann, he started whipping up a bit of a sing-song
with his band o’ bards, it was something I tells ye. Then in comes
that Sigismond bloke with his Saxon crew of ruffians. They start
pickin’ fights, smackin’ a few ‘eads, y’ know, takin’ a few pennies
from those what were scared. Nothin’ all that unusual so far,
ye might say... But that’s when the show really got started!
Some noble Finlandish chap, all wrapped up in furs walks
through the door and behind him was this gigantic thing.
And ye’ ll never guess what it was, eh Raymond? T’was
a bleedin’ woman! I swear! Fat as a prize pig the day
before the fair! And she had a nasty look about her,
tight and twisted, like a madam who specializes in old
soldiers if ye get me drift. And that ain’t all, no sir!
The lady comes with a big nailed club, the kind what’s
already seen plenty of action, y’ know?
So the bloke in the furs, y’see, he starts a-talkin’
business with old Sigismond, fishy stuff I bet, prob’ ly
slave trading the damned! But hey, I ain’t told ye
nothin’ ye hear me! At some point, dunno why, it starts
getting nasty. Those Saxon types get up and surround
the noble bloke, drawn their daggers and coshes and
all they had! The fat lass, she don’t move a muscle, but
she starts this kind of animal growlin’. Sigismond makes
a move forwards, looks like he’s decided to do away with
other bloke. And that’s when the gal jumps to her feet, grun-
ting and growling, and with a single swipe of her hand sends
her protégé flying out of harm’s reach. Then with a strike of her
Unique
club she turns one of the Saxons’ heads into a pulp!
I don’t mind tellin’ ye, those other blokes, their balls must have
been the size of dried peas by then! They was shakin’ like leaves, me
friend! Sigismond, ye know what how proud and cocky he is, he butts in
and starts circling her. Tried a couple of flash moves, ye know, to try her out,
24 Independent
and bam! She goes at him like a bear and splits his noggin in two, straight down
the middle with a single blow! Yessir! Well done her, I says! I was right there when Human
it happened and I don’t mind tellin’ ye me boots were far from dry after that, but I
must say I admire the gal!
Once their leader was gone, those Saxon thugs didn’t hang around. The pricks! Hah! I Female
asked around, the gal’s name is Anna. She’s from the Ukraine, and I heard she fed her Cossack
husband to their herd of pigs. She was Tilly’s mess woman, the kind what’ d add a Swedish trooper
in the soup if he got too close. I ain’t kiddin’! When yer man Tilly got his hands on one of the enemy Christian (Orthodox)
scouts he let her play with them until they started talkin’. Well believe me or not but the soldiers had a
belly full of fresh meat the next day! She was there at Magdeburg! They say they had to hold her back or
she would have taken the whole place apart. That’s one feisty gal, I tells ye! Now, for a small fortune she’ ll
watch yer back, follow ye wherever ye go, like a giant puppy-dog. Raymond, hey, Raymond? Godammit, man,
Movement 4
3
wake up, yer eating dust down there! Here, have another sip o’ Hell’s water, it’ ll do ye good! And then ye can
go home and fight it out with yer damn wife who don’t want yer to drink no more! Pah, damn women! Shooting Skill -
-

Bodyguard Combat 5
4

Expertise Defense 3
2
Healer 3 Protection 1
Terror
Life Points 16
6

Faith 1
0

Command -
Mace Hits Damage
Blunt 1 3
Cumbersome 2 5
Eager 3 3 + Stunned
Lunge 2 4 9
89
Base : Regular
5 6 + Knocked Down
 FactionS

Sister Eloise
I must confess, I still don’t really know what happened back there, but the most important is that we’re still alive! And that
was far from guaranteed as the situation was looking really bad. I remember...
A horde of demons was flooding across the plain, each one uglier than the next. The fortified monastery of Saint
Michael was under siege. The Swedish cannoneers were piteously plowing lines of death and destruction through the mass
of damned ones. The waves of demons rolled forwards, only to break on the rocks of our arquebus bullets. But more
Independent and more of those hideous monsters were making their way into our positions, climbing swiftly up the outer walls.
The screams of men being gutted or torn limb from limb, gut-wrenching sounds of torn flesh and guzzling beasts
were beyond imagining. The smoke from our weapons was covering the shooting mound. I could just glimpse the
Human upper part of the walls. They were cracked open and blackened in places. By some devilish sorcery the very
stones seemed to fall away of their own accord and our stores of supplies burned away with no-one seeming
to care.
Female The moat was filling up with the bodies of fallen enemies, creating a ford of flesh and carnage. It
looked like our time had come. We all began to pray the Lord’s mercy for our mortal souls. Then
the most extraordinary thing happened...
Christian (Papist) The leader of the damned forces was an enormous mound of flesh and scales who oozed
some kind of tarry substance. The power of our fort and of our fire was the last shield
remaining between us and that horrendous thing. The cannons fell silent one by
one. The sound of our guns slowly became less intense. Whole groups of Dam-
ned Ones of Wrath were climbing up our walls.
And then there was light! A piercing scream echoed across the plain,
filling our ears to their limits. The «dominant» demon seemed to fold
up as if he was shaken by some kind of spasm. With a terrible

Base : Regular sucking sound, he deflated until all that was left of him was a
dead, empty, over-stretched skin. Bathed with light, her nudity
barely hidden by a drape of fine cloth, a graceful and beautiful

Unique silhouette was standing there. Her hand was gripping a

strange-looking dagger. She had appeared out of nowhere
and had single-handedly dispatched an enemy who,
alone, would have assuredly have been able to slay a
hundred of our men. The damned ones had stopped
dead in their tracks as if horrified by the loss of their
leader. The woman turned to face us, raising her
arms as if in worship. Her eyes glowed bright in
the semi-darkness, her voice seemed to carry over
a half-league, her tone pure and icy...
«Soldiers of our Lord, your task is only just
beginning. You must rid this newly consecra-
ted plain of this demonic spawn for such is
your duty. The Lord speaks with my voice,
he watches you at this very moment. May
His enemies and those of His envoy to this
earth perish at my own hand. For such is His
implacable justice!»
We barely had time to blink and she was
gone as if all this had been nothing but a
dream. The remains of the dying demon were
still shaking with spasms. Our hearts were
warmed and now we were in the mood for a
fight! An offensive was launched, the armor-
plated droves of cuirassiers and doppelsöld-
ners finished off the remains of the now
struggling pack of infidels. This time around
the victory was ours, thanks to her... Thanks
to the Lord?

Capitaine de Beaulieu, third report of the Kohut

22 marches addressed to the Council.

Orders
5 Movement A pparition
4
Passive • 1 or 3 CMD • Unique
- Shooting Skill Dodge 4 Eloise isn’t deployed as normal at the beginning of the game. Her first
-
activation must be to use this order. While Eloise is still waiting and has
3 Combat Elusive not been placed on the battlefield, you don’t have to activate her if you
4
don’t want to. When this order is used Eloise is placed anywhere on the
5 Defense
Fanatic
battlefield, not within 5 fathoms of an enemy unit, and not in impassable
5 I
nsignificant terrain. You may pay 3 CMD to use this order. If you do, Eloise can be
0 Protection placed within 5 fathoms of an enemy unit.
Assassination
Kriss Hits Damage
9 Life Points Spiritual Damage 1 2 Passive • 1 Permanent CMD
5
2 3 The next combat sequence targeting a non-trooper unit
3 Faith 3 5 that Eloise is involved in during her activation, is one
4
4 7 sided in her favor, and she gets a bonus of +5 CBT
- Command 5 9
90 during it. This order can only be used once per turn.
 The westernerS

Sara Zingaresce, Draba

Surprising. That is the word I would choose to describe these Christians from «other shores». It has
been but a few months since the first of them set foot on infernal soil, and they already count a handful
of infernalists in their midst who are able to perform invocations. I will hereby attempt to paint you a
faithful portrait of one of these specialists, whose numbers are ever growing. She, for the invoker I am
about to describe is indeed a woman, is of the ghajar race, that which the Francs call Tsiganes.
Dark and beautiful, like the sky of a moonless night, draped in colorful, ever-moving cloth, she moves
Independent
through a battle like a falcon through a flock of turtle-doves. The brush strokes of my tale could well lead
you to think that this vixen is a delicate rose from the very gardens of Samarkand.
The truth of the matter is quite different. The whore is as dangerous as a female panther protecting
Human
its young. Using cunning spells, she can invoke lemures as if she had been born in the mud of these dark
lands. My friend, once I have told you the story of my misadventures with this witch, you will no longer
feel like smiling.
Female
I was leading a small group of men, mainly Blessed Warriors, on a mission to the
tomb of Rashid-Ad-Din. This great man, a master of art and science, fell during one
of his research voyages over three hundred years ago now. My scouts had informed
Satanist
me of the progression of a «column» of scavenging Christians who were heading
towards the mausoleum. I posted my troops in a line, hidden by the crest of a rocky Mentalist
hilltop. My pure ones charged with all their fury and many a war-cry through a rain
of fire sent forth by those profaning dogs. Although our losses were heavy our forces
moved forward, unstoppable, bearing the fury of Allah down on the heart of the Infernalist 1/2
enemy’s army. And then everything went wrong.
A lemure with the head of a dog exploded in the midst of our wave of metal and
screams. Several of my Mamluks were killed, screaming with pain. I can still hear Movement 5
4
their pleas, still see their charred bodies, and still smell the odor of their burning flesh.
May Allah the Merciful be praised for granting me his protection that day!
Battle was a facetious djinn with an ever-changing face. In spite of our fervor, their Shooting Skill -
-
superior numbers and Shaytan’s obvious support for their deeds was too much for us. The
wisest decision then was to sound the retreat. I ordered the signal to be given. To my
amazement, several of my men did not respond. Like a treacherous siren to a sailor, the
Dodge 2 Combat 2
1
witch was luring the Blessed Warriors to meet their destiny. She summoned up seas of fire
between herself and them. My faithful soldiers continued to advance and were burned alive,
Expertise Defense 5
with a frozen smile on their lips!
We received backup soon after that, but the damage was already done and the remains of Runaway 4

Rashid scattered far and wide. We captured a few scavengers who had remained behind and I Protection 0
learned the name of the devilish female who had cost us so many lives. Sara Zingaresce, daughter
of a land named Moravia. I swear to you Moses, my trusted friend, that I will not rest until I have
proudly placed her head on a spike, may Allah be my witness! Life Points 8
4

Letter from sheik Abu Abd al Ramelun to the kabbalist et philosopher Moses ben Ephraïm.
Faith 0
0

Command -
Aura
Attraction Aura
Temporary • Passive • 3 Fathom Radius • Lingering • Males
Male enemy units within the area of effect of this aura treat
Sara as if she had Attraction 3.

Spells
Explosion
Vanished
This spell creates an Explosion (Fire • 4/2)
centered on the lemure.
Conflagration
Vanished
This spell creates a circular element of ter-
rain with a 3 fathom radius centered on the
lemure that lasts 3 turns. This element is
Radiant (Consumed (Fire • 3/3)) and comple-
tely Opaque.

Magic
Dusts Hits Damage
Inhalation 1 Consumed (Fire • 1/3)
2 Consumed (Fire • 1/3) Unique

4
3 Knocked Down
Consumed (Fire • 2/3) 91 23 Base : Regular
5 Consumed (Fire • 2/3)
 FactionS

Swashbuckler
So, my German friend, you want to know more about my past? You seem quite concerned about the true reasons that
drove me to this infernal mission. Well, my dear fellow, I must first inform you that I would never have left my dear
country if I had not found myself in a somewhat prickly situation with the wife of one of the powerful lords of the world
Above. Ah, women! Their entrancing perfumes, their words of honey, their silky skin. Unfortunately, those sweet young
Independent ladies have the mischievous habit of acquiring husbands who tend not to be all that keen on sharing their wives’ attentions.
Husbands both tired and tiring, great heaps of soft, sagging flesh, who produce a most toxic strain of boredom! Pah, I
could sit here for a hundred years trying to explain this to you, but it seems your mind is rather... narrow. Well, then, I
Human shall just explain what it is that pushes young squires from the western world to want to come lose themselves in the back
end of the most god-forsaken pits of Hell. Money? Power? Glory? A bit of all those, soldier, but that’s not all. If I was to
say a sense of duty, would you believe me? To save all humanity from infernal peril!
Male How many of these petty noblemen, younger sons of good families, are now out walking along the roads? Disinherited
by default by simply not being first in line, burning to prove their valor to the whole world! We sold our selves to the Ger-
man princes during the Germanic wars. Some of us ended up leading regiments, or even whole armies! The eternal bonfire
Christian (Papist) that was the Holy Roman Empire allowed me to accomplish many a martial prowess worthy of song! I have won so many
futile duels, dispatched countless gents... During my adventures, I have encountered several dozen of my comrades. Swash-
bucklers from Brandenburg, Saxony or Bavaria, they all, like myself, had an immoderate taste for alcohol, women and
5 Movement duels. Oh, the countless evenings spent sitting around the fire, drinking, laughing, chasing the ladies and chatting chee-
4 rfully about the ups and downs of our lives. Those evenings greatly improved my knowledge of the German tongue, and
other pleasant parts of the female German anatomy too! Your female compatriots have such a delicious way of saying no
3 Shooting Skill when they mean yes!
2 By joining the companies of the Underworld, these brave swordsmen seized the opportunity to raise their colors up high.
Many lost their souls on the way, and I hardly dare to begin telling you of the cohorts of those who perished. In places
6 Combat where no-one can cry for them, many a noble adventurer must lie. Curses! I would pay dearly to know what happened to
5
my good friends, to Melo, Kassel, Beaulieu... You don’t seem moved by all this, Teuton, well, I am hardly surprised. You
will see when it is your turn to dance with the Demons. When what you are fighting for is so much more than your own
5 Defense miserable existence and when your own soul becomes your best weapon, then you will understand. I myself fully unders-
4
tand it now. The Lord guides my hand along all the dark roads of the depths of Hell. Beyond the devilish glow of the
0 Protection paths of damnation, I brave death with my blade held high, and may my hand never falter. Down here, among the
volcanic rubble and the mephistophelian fumes, I carve my own route with thrust and parry, my mind as hard as a
rock, my resolve as tough as Toledo steel. I lunge, I skewer, I chop through the demon ranks by the dozen. The
12 Life Points dust flies up around me. I turn, I dodge, I can feel the heat of the flames below me, the pestilential spittle of
4 the Wrath Demon I am fighting. I... I... I seem to have let my story get the better of me. Please accept my
apologies, my German friend, don’t let me scare you. You must understand the exaltation of combat, the
0 Faith thirst for blood. What is it? You not hear what I say? I promise tomorrow I will talk to you in signs!
0

1 Command
Order
The Lord Guides my Hand
Charisma Active • 2 Permanent CMD • Unique
Defensive Shot Until the end of the game, the Swashbuckler gets +1 MVT,
+2 SHS, +2 CBT, and +2 FTH.
Elusive
Man-at-arms

Pistol Hits Damage

Piercing 1 1
Penetrating Strike 2 3
Range 3 3 4
Reloading 2 4 6
5 8

Long Sword Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 5

Limited 3 31 Base : Regular

4
5 9
7 + Stunned
 The westernerS

Missionary
His Holiness, pope Urban VIII, bishop in the service of the servants of the Lord, vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth,
to the eminent members of the Council of the Six Powers, protectors of Hell.

In response to the menace that arises from Hell and to take preventive action against the spread of demonkind Base :
to our world, our second decision will be to send out to all four corners of the lands Below representatives of our
most devoted and faithful orders. Our priests, representatives of the Holy Catholic Church and of their own Regular
respective orders, have been selected for their devotion and loyalty, the strength of their soul,
and for their strong determination. They are all, without exception, scholars of the
occult sciences, trained in the art of exorcism, inquisition techniques and decryp-
tion of the wiles of the Devil.
As well as wise counselors, you will find them to be full of resources and
men of good will. They will be able to exalt your men’s ardor, to fight
against demonic corruption, and to bring the grace of our Lord to those
in need, wounded or dying.
You will soon come to appreciate, dear Christian lords, the
zealousness and the skills of your humble servants. We wish to
assure you that, in spite of the slight disagreements between us,
we do not intend to leave the lambs of our Lord without she-
pherds. So we have spoken. So may it be.

Urban VIII, Bishop of the Catholic Church.

Dearly beloved brethren,

His Holiness Urban VIII, in accordance with the dis-

positions laid down at the secret council of Ravenna, has
decided to send missionaries from all the ecclesiastic orders
to the captains of the Infernal Expeditionary Corps. Using
the excuse of our support in this matter, our brothers are to
gather and compile as much information as possible about
the lands below and their inhabitants. As you well know, the
Church has been completely excluded from this aberrational
colonization. Outbreaks of heresy have been reported where-
ver our presence is anything short of massive and this in spite
of the increasingly rapid erection of places of worship to the
glory of our Lord. Already the Devil’s presence is manifest, as he
seduces and corrupts men of influence, the keystones of power. The
Limited 3
corrupted must be detected, sorted and eliminated by our agents posted
Below. This task will be long, unpleasant and offers no other reward than
that of serving the divine cause. Once Below, our missionaries will find an
established network of friendly contacts, with views similar to our own, although
they are not fully informed of the ends nor the means of our mission. These allies
25 Independent
will be able to provide our men with all the support they will need in their everyday
life. Do not forget, brethren, that the secrecy of this mission is at least as important as Human
having a rock-hard belief. Once all the elements are set in place, our men of good will lead
this ambitious plan to its conclusion. Then will come the time for us to fully engage our crusade
against this heresy. This crusade will be bloody, brief and merciless. Male
Letter from Grand Inquisitor Javier de Cordoba to several high members of the secular and regular
clergy of the Catholic Church. Christian (Papist)

Order Mentalist
The Lord is my Shield
Passive • 1 CMD
The missionary and all allied units are immune to Terror and Terrifying Movement 4
3
until the end of the turn.
Arch-Enemy Shooting Skill -
Auras (Demons &D O ) 2
amned nes
Combat 3
-

Aura of Fear
Temporary • Active • 6 Fathom Radius • Lingering • Christians (Immune) Fanatic 4

Non-Christian units within the area of effect of this aura suffer a penalty Defense 3
4
of -1 CBT.
Aura of Power Protection 2
Temporary • Passive • 6 Fathom Radius • Lingering • Christian
Christian units within the area of effect of this aura will score an additional Life Points 9
6
hit during any close combat sequence that they score at least one hit in.
Aura of Healing Faith 3
Censer Hits Damage 4
Temporary • Passive • 6 Fathom Radius • Instant • Christian (Papists) Blunt 1 2
Christian (Papist) units within the area of effect of this aura Command 1
2 Stunned
recover LP equal to their FTH. This aura can only 3 4
be used once per turn. 4 5
93 5 6
 FactionS

Arquebuser
Dear Mother,

My company has sought shelter in the depths of a ravine in the middle of a desolate plateau. All day long the hordes
of heretics have harassed our every position and their fury has cost us a third of our men. A foul stench was whist-
Trooper ling between the red rocks of the gorge. Blood seemed to seep from the very walls, worn down by the continuous
corrosive winds. The crest of the rock wall was so sharp and so full of evil that its touch alone was enough to
turn poor Gunthar into a convulsing puddle. There are only five of us arquebusiers still alive in our scouting
Human group. The Captain has given us orders to hold this gully, whatever it may take, as it is the only viable
passage over land. The rest of the troops are fortifying their positions, waiting for an improbable wave
of reinforcements. In the distance, the unnaturally high-pitched cries of unspeakable creatures mingle
Male with the moaning of the wind. One by one we fell. Sergeant Becker was the first to go, his head
sliced clean off by the throwing disc of a lizard-man. Of our group of ten, only five of us are still
standing. Boulanger, the Frenchman, ever the joker; Castellano the Florentine, always a steady
Christian (Papist) shot; Fritz, a Brandenburger with a big mouth, a bushy beard and a missing left ear; Mac
Cullough, the Scotsman, now our sergeant of fortune; and myself, Hertzog, ex-student.
Scattered around our makeshift camp, shaking more with fear than with cold, we
await the end of our existence with no hope of rescue...
We eat our last supper, the last meal of the condemned. The meat

Base : Regular tastes like carrion, the bread is as hard as a rock. I can hear the long
screams of agony from our comrades, captured by the enemy. Pier-
cing cries erupt into the night. The screams are long, so long! I
try to block my ears but to no avail, nothing I can do will make

Unlimited them stop. As the Lord is my witness, we will not fall without
a fight, for our dead, for ourselves, by the Grace of God and
with all the might of our arquebus arsenal!
The arquebus is often ill-adapted to the lightning
strikes that this demonic spawn has confronted us with.
The weapon is useless at distances of over ten fathoms.
What’s more its matchlock system is truly terrible.
Firing one of these things with a lizard-man bearing
down on you is a true test of a man’s stamina,
and you still have to reload even if you do suc-
ceed. Let us not forget that this weapon is only
truly efficient when used in the Swedish fashion,
in sharp and disciplined waves of fire. The
Captain has promised we will soon have new
models, with a flintlock system and paper
cartridges, but I’m not getting my hopes up
too high. Still, in spite of its many flaws, any
old fellow with minimum training can fire it.
How great are the armies of peasants who
have become warriors thanks to the magic
of firearms! Oh Mother, if you could only
see what a spectacle it is when an army
fires a thousand arquebuses at once! What
a feeling of invincibility to see the enemy
ranks reaped like a field of corn, or to see
those pedantic cuirassiers stopped dead in
their tracks. Invincible, indeed...
I will have to stop writing as I can hear
the pack approaching. We will not be
able to resist them for long this time, but
we will fight. Kiss little Uwe for me, and
Father too, tell him I forgive him, and that
he may well have been right. My ammu-
nition belt is almost bare, the battle will end in close combat. I can hear

12 their monstrous claws crunching against the rocks and the sand and I can smell
the foul stench of their drool. Castellano has taken a shot and hit his target, I can
hear a cry of pain, dear Lord have mercy, they are coming...
Fragment of a letter attributed to soldier Hertzog, reported missing in the heart of
4 Movement the circle of Kohut.
3

2 Shooting Skill
1 Arquebus Hits Damage
Piercing 1 3
3 Combat
2 Tenacious Penetrating Strike 2 2
Range 8 3 5
4
3
2
Defense Trained Gunman Reloading 2 4 7
5 9
2 Protection
Long Sword Hits Damage
4 Life Points Slashing 1 2
1
2 3
1 Faith 3 5
0
4 7
- Command 94 5 9
 The westernerS

Doppelsöldner
Dear Albrecht,

It has been a while now since we embarked on this insane adventure. Wherever you look our
armies are making progress, our settlers are building, the resources of the lands Below are well
used. Our voyage is unpleasant, in the dust and the rubble of a world of folly ruled by Evil.
Trooper
Little by little, as we wander down here, I have used the little spare time I can get to begin
to analyze our situation.
New Jerusalem seems to be the eye of the cyclone. It is a nexus, a pole of stability in the
Human
very middle of a furious sea. The further we go into the circle of Kohut, the more the sur-
rounding lands become desolate, inhospitable, even hostile. The ground where we tread can
sometimes be quite unstable. Unspeakable creatures come in the dark of night and take
Male
men from our camp. I will not speak of the incandescent whirlwinds, as treache-
rous as they are sudden, or the acid mists that eat away our very lungs. At times
the sky disappears and we enter gigantic caverns where the light of our lamps
Christian (Protestant)
merely flicker where they should shine brightly.
My principal source of concern today is the growing organization of the demonic
resistance. Day by day, their defenses are improving. Their fortresses are becoming Movement 4
more impregnable, confronting us with an unsiegeable detour. I can feel the times 3
are changing, feel it throughout my body. I can sense a kind of trap, set by some
arch-demon. Our colonization seems more and more like we are rushing forwards
Protective Shooting Skill -
to avoid falling over. This is a challenge between the powerful where most of our -
forces are held together by a mere thread. A fine thread in this desert of darkness.
Our lines of supplies are dramatically stretched; this will have to be dealt with. Tenacious Combat 4
3
The battles are becoming more and more brutal, closer and closer together. That
is where it becomes a problem for us. Although the excellent quality of our firepower
is not to be doubted, we are considerably lacking basic troops able to stand up to the
Terror Defense 3
2
challenge. My cuirassiers and I can fend off any attack, but when the battle becomes
close combat, the rank and file are sparsely equipped. I would suggest, Albrecht, as
Vulnerability Protection 4
have other officers, that we rapidly create regiments of double-paid soldiers kitted out ( ) 3
piercing
as required by the current situation. As the enemy uses close rather than ranged combat,
they should be armor-clad from head to toe. The monstrous creatures we have encountered Life Points 7
so far have been of an impressive size. They are often protected by a shell of some kind, 3
of solid blubber or even pieces of armor. Some kind of heavy weaponry should therefore
be used. The two-handed sword that the Germans call zweihänder - and the French name Faith 2
1
espadon - would be a decent option. But the most important thing is the value of the men
who will, in time, become the cutting edge of our invasion. What we need these days are
men of iron with skins of steel. By putting forward these troops of dopplesöldners, sharp, Command -
disciplined and merciless, you will soon become seen to all as the new Maximilian I, father
of the Landsknechts. By combining the efficiency of the troops we need to guarantee the
success of our war effort with the prestige they will bring you, I dare say that the merchants
of Friedland would say you would be making a very wise decision.
I have already taken the liberty of finding several trustworthy recruiters. I leave to you
Unlimited
the task of finding the funds required to hire your new regiments. But make haste, Albrecht,
other leaders of the Council have thoughts along the same lines as myself. They too want to
hire heavy infantry troops. It is so hard to find good help nowadays...

Correspondence from lieutenant-colonel Raimondo Montecuccoli to general

Albrecht con Wallenstein.

Two-Handed Sword Hits Damage

Slashing 1 3
Eager 2 5
Lunge 2 3 6


4 8
5 10
95 18 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Grenadier
«So, me lad, ye got promoted to grenadier! Congratulations, and welcome to the family. Now, get yer lug-holes wide open, watch
me closely and keep yer gob shut! Sure, fat old Wilhelm might not be all that interesting, sonny-jim, but I know the ropes, and if ye
tie them all together, ye might just manage to hang in there and not take the great leap before yer time. What leap did’yer say? The
one into the unknown of course, the land of a thousand maggots!
T rooper A grenadier is more than just a soldier. He’s the guy who has one goal, above everything else: chuck that bloody grenade as far
away from him as he can before it blows. Ye don’t think. Ye just focus on that one objective. Ye light the fuse: don’t over-do it. Ye aim.
Ye throw. Ye get yer arse out of there! Get it?
H uman There was a time when we only used to use this method to blow defensive walls to bits. One grenade will make one little hole,
but fifty will turn a wall into a colander. Then one day, I reckon some bloke from high command got a bit smarter than the rest and
figured that what makes holes in buildings could also make holes in damned ones. So they sent down a load of these new grenades
M ale to Kohut, and picked some hard-arse soldiers to chuck ‘em. These grenades are made from leaded clay and have a shorter fuse than
the other. They also project loads o’ shrapnel when they blow. «Gut-slashers», that’s the nickname we’ve given ‘em. Suits ‘em don’t
ye think? I’m telling ye, to go fetch a damned one skulking down his hole, there’s nothing better. They’re also great with large num-
C hristian apist (P ) bers. When things are well planned, the cannons weaken the mob, the arquebuses stop the charging troops and we go in and scatter
them far and wide. Then they send in the foot soldiers to finish things off. Well, ye know, that is just theory, something always goes
wrong. In fact ye’d better prepare yourself for the loss o’ one of yer limbs sooner or later. Yep, grenades are fragile things, and not
always reliable. But hey, ye can’t win ‘em all, eh lad? Besides, ye’ve got to admit I look really handsome with this bronze hand, eh!
W
ith istolP W B
ith luderbuss Now, put on yer breastplate, do ye feel its weight? Yep, it’s heavy alright. But it’s that or ye end up ridden with fever when ye get a
«coward’s gash». Ye’re like a snail, me lad, ye depend on yer shell, and if it cracks, well, that’s just too bad for ye. Right, now let’s get
4 M
ovement 4
ye a weapon: so, pistol or blunderbuss? A pistol if ye’re a crack shot or if ye’re «armless» like me. A blunderbuss if ye feel like doing a
3 3 bit o’ mass murder, bein’ a bit o’ a lord o’ flying flesh... Blunderbuss? Excellent choice lad. Just make sure ye don’t knock any chunks
out o’ yer mates, when ye’re on one o’ yer warrior «sprees». The old «sorry, mate, didn’t see ye there», that don’t work ‘round here, see.
3 S
hooting kill S 2
So, there’s the basics for ye, but let me just go over the creed o’ the grenadiers once more, ye need to know this by heart, son, so pay
2 1 attention will ye!
Chuck that bloody grenade as far away from ye as possible. Don’t even think. Run, ignore the projectiles falling around ye.
3 ombatC 3
Ignore the piercing cries o’ yer dying companions, the noise of the enemy chewing away. Jump from hole to hole, dodge the group
2 2 of damned ones that are in yer way. Select yer target, find it, pull out yer grenade. Grab yer lighter, light yer fuse, shoot that
Damned One of Wrath that’s coming to spill yer guts. Run, run faster if ye want to live! Aim, aim well, ye won’t get a second
3 D
efense 3 chance. Throw yer grenade, then get out o’ there and pray. Await the deliverance o’ the explosion. Now ye can die, for ye
2 2
have fulfilled yer mission.
2 Protection 2 Hey, why the long face, son? Ye might just get a bronze hand yerself one day. Now welcome to the family...»

Pistol Hits Damage

4 Life Points 4 With Pistol
1 1 Piercing 1 1
Penetrating Strike 2 3
1 Faith 1 Range 3 3 4
0 0
Reloading 4 6
- Command - 5 8

Longsword Hits Damage

Runaway Slashing 1 2
Tenacious 2 3
3 5
4 7
5 9

Grenade
Explosion (Fire • 4/2)
Limited Range 2
Range 2

With Blunderbuss
Blunderbuss
Impact Blast (Piercing • 4/2)
Reloading

Longsword Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 5
4 7
5 9

Grenade
Explosion (Fire • 4/2)
Unlimited 15/ Limited Range 2
18 96 Range 2
Base : Regular
 The westernerS

Blade for Hire

«Indeed, I do admit that they can prove to be useful. Rather like a pack of hounds trained to root out the
game from the forest. But like those good beasts, they tend to develop quite an inappropriate taste for blood.
Blades for hire, ruffians, assassins, name them as you will, madame, but for the love of God do not compare
me to those loud-mouthed half-blades!
Their immoderate taste for profit makes them easy to hire. Throw out a few thalers and promises of bounty, Base :
and you can march off to war with a few hundred of these fencers. But just wait until the sky becomes
cloudy, when a storm comes your way or the damned become a little hardier, and you will
Regular
be surprised to see how quickly your camp will end up completely deserted.
I must however grant them credit on a few points. Their equipment is
light and makes them well cut out for scouting missions, providing safety
and information for the rest of the troops. Of course, the rascals do
sometimes have close encounters with the odd gang of marauding
squamata... But what God gives, He can always take back, you
know what they say. Aside from the ability to move easily, the
main strength of a blade for hire is his talent as a swords-
man. Their bodily protection is the simplest there is, a
leather jerkin, a coat of mail at the very most. It is most
important for them to cause a swift death, parrying and
dodging their opponent’s attacks. It seems that indulging
in tavern brawls and frequent duels has led them to
master a few martial notions.
The problem with these men is not really their lack
of skills or abilities. No, my dear lady, it is their insis-
tence on creating disruption and their ability to revel
in nothing but death and discord, a defect that most
certainly results from their lowly origins. During the
wars of the Empire, they would take great pleasure in
the thieft and torture of anyone who was unfortunate
enough to cross their path. One of their culinary delica-
cies was «Swede soup». Would you like the recipe? Take
your finest parchment and your best quill and I shall give
it to you, no doubt your head chef will be grateful. First
gather one fresh turd from each member of your gang, mix
them all together in a bucket and add water or urine to
liquefy the mixture. Feed this to your chosen victim, until
his belly is swollen and full. Then, once the lucky chap is
replete, when he cannot swallow one more drop and his mouth
Unlimited
can no longer contain the reflux of his feast, jump up and down
on his belly until his gut explodes... Do not hide your disgust behind
your handkerchief, madame, I dare you to tell me that noble fighters like
myself would lower themselves to such villainous behavior.
Baroness, in the name of all the saints looking down on us, where do you
14 Trooper
think they recruit these assassins these days? It is quite obvious; they are taken
from the darkest corners of New Jerusalem! Human
The Council published a decree not long ago. Any armed man, condemned for crimes
or felonies, will see his sentence commuted into a forced enrollment into one of the many
infernal companies. The attraction of the Underworld is to these blades for hire like a bonfire Male
is to moths. How easy it must be, therefore, to harvest these lost souls by the dozen, so ripe they
are for the battlefields! Johann Hartig, the provost of the Protestant quarter, was recently telling
me, and barely hiding his joy, that he was very relieved to see so many of his «inmates» traveling far, Christian (Papist)
far away. No, madame, I refuse to be associated in any possible way with these abject beings. I am a
noble swashbuckler, who may fight for glory, but who is proud to do so with flair and panache. At the very
most, those ruffians are merely a necessary nuisance.
But alas Madame, I am your humble servant and at your eternal service...»
Movement 5
4

Shooting Skill -
-

Dodge 2 Combat 3
2
First Contact Defense 4
Fury 3

Protection 1
Rapid Strike ( )
attack

Strider Life Points 5

2

Faith 1
0

Command -
Longsword and Dirk Hits Damage
Slashing 1 3
2 4
3 6
4 7
5 9
97
 The demonS
he Demons
«As I begin to write these mediocre lines, I realize
that we Demons are succumbing to rather unpleasant
notions. Angra Mainyou has appointed me as his official
chronicler, as if eternal beings needed to leave behind
some kind of written legacy as the mortals do. Could it
be that their world has such an influence over our own
that it can make us forget the very essence of what and
who we are?
Writing is the sign of temporal reign, it recounts his-
tories and presents facts. That is a habit for mortals;
it has no place in our empire. Where could this need
to give our own version of events have come from?
Could it be that that, now that Hell has been revealed
to humankind, our unsavory immortality is subject to
doubt? That would truly be the worst of all fates...
Admittedly, it may seem to the observer’s eye that
- compared to the mortal souls that sometimes travel
long distances through our lands - we are but mindless
beasts, performing tasks whose meaning has long
been forgotten.
On the contrary, I like to think that our archdemon
has the true vision of where we are heading, and that
we Demons are not just dark piles of flesh, wandering
the circles with no real purpose.
Those few roaming souls, like us, are dead; howe-
ver they are able to retain the aspect of their living
body, their memories and the remembrance of the
inheritance they have left behind. They have their own
consciousness that they bring with them from the Old
World, but they are also able to learn our own customs
and use them against us if such is their wish.
Les enfers se moquent de ces intrus : ils ne leur The
Underworld cares not for retaining these intruders: they
do not belong to it, so it lets them venture through Hell
as they please. While doing so, they study us and have
managed to pierce secrets that we ourselves had never
even dreamed existed. And as they do, they reveal us
to ourselves, and that in itself may be the beginning of
this tragedy.
These souls hold up a mirror to our own miserable
condition. Do we have a conscious self, a goal, anything
that sets us apart from one another, aside from our
names? And even that is no certainty. Most of our kind
are never even given a name, that is how completely
meaningless their existence is.
Can I say what happens to the souls of the dead when
they become part of our dark home? I do not have the
faintest idea... Oh, of course they will become a damned
one or a lemure or both, but in which order? And by
what unpleasant process?
As for myself, am I a Demon, born from the very
essence of chaos itself? A former mortal who has clim-
99
bed the social ladder of the spiritual hierarchy? And
what of these false titles of nobility over which we Luci-
ferians are continually squabbling?
All this is perverse parody of the valley of tears from
which we draw inspiration from, the waters of darkness
that border our land.
Well, there is a simple answer to all these questions:
we Demons do not need to know, we need to punish.
That is our task. Let them try to discover our secrets, if
that is what they desire!
Now, back to the tragedy I was speaking of: let us
recount the history and present the facts... It is a quest
for their origins that the good souls and the occultists
came to pursue our knowledge, after their death. This
strange vanity has yet to meet its just punishment...
Some of them may be in store for a surprise when they
go knocking on the doors of the Kingdom Above...
Although I have no idea of how it happened, I think
that these travelers played an important part in the
opening of the gates to the living. Unless Hell itself
was just so full of sinners that it finally bust its own gut
once and for all... Is there not, in the land of the living,
a single pure soul to show them a less painful road to
tread? Is vice the only truth they know, that they must
come down here to seek their God?
In any case, I am adamant about the link between
those first god-seeking souls and the war that now
rages all the way to the heart of the Nine Irises. The
spirit of man has never stopped seeking its own damna-
tion. Their multitude needs neither prophet nor warlord
to work together as one towards that goal.
Let us consider the example of the most recent arri-
vals... Before they arrived here, they were slashing each
others’ throats for the sake of their souls’ salvation. In
fact it was most certainly that which triggered their fall
to the Underworld. And now, they fight together sur-
rounded by vice. But my lambs, what use can it be to
you, to make Hell an annex of your own kingdom? Do
you really find the temperature down here so pleasant?
I must admit that, when facing them, our martial
skills seem quite rusty. They have caused quite a car-
nage among the Demons of Kohut, with no more effort
than that of a Sunday afternoon stroll. No, there is no
reason to hide that disastrous episode. Their contrap-
tions of death have sent many of our number back
to the Abyss. It seems that the damned have lost all
sense of pride and flirt with the bullets like a fiery
young girl playing with her little puppy. We could fish
a soul out of Limbo that would quickly give up the
secrets of these tools of destruction... But when you
have such weaponry, why not set up a workshop on
the banks of the Styx and strut about dressed like
cheap whores?
See how, in just those last few lines, the compari-
sons to their world are more and more frequent. Taking
example from them is most certainly not a good idea,
 FactionS
unless we Demons want to end up as sweet little choir-
boys, and our forked tongues barely good enough to
lick a bishop’s backside.
They have stolen the best bits from us, both in close
and ranged combat. And up close they inflict upon us
all their Christian charity with the point of their steel;
hardly a glorious moment for our troops. What has
become of the fearsome legions of Hell? Oh, there they
are: lying at the enemy’s feet. Enhancing their oppo-
nents’ bravery with their cowardly grimaces and giving
them strength for their invasion plans.
Not content with providing such feeble resistance, the
demon lords were intent on proving to all and sundry
just how pinheaded they could be compared to these
newcomers. Rather than teaching the arrogant scum
a good lesson once and for all, they hired their ser-
vices to pester rival demons. Once their deed done,
the living promptly turned their weapons against their
foolish patrons, giving them in turn a tremendous les-
son in diplomacy. And what can be said of our Infernal
Ambassadors who revealed all too quickly the paths
of the damned that lead to Thebes and Ampharaus,
effectively the quickest way to lead troops on a wide-
scale invasion. When one bends over and presents ones
buttocks, one should not be surprised to wake up with
a sore backside
As I contemplate the extent of their ingenious tric-
kery, I finally understand why they fit so beautifully,
after death, into our tableaux of eternal punishment.
Oh, but the complexity of their schemes is hardly a
credit to our own artistic talents. They plot paths of
action that are sometimes most difficult to follow. We
ourselves are merely plagiarizing the works of the mas-
ters, and clumsily at that.
If there is still any need to clarify the long list of their
many virtues, I should now mention the use they make
of our damned.
Once they have reduced the damned ones to slavery,
they are sent to serve in the new Babylon the Wester-
ners have built for themselves. They have managed to
make a profit from eternal punishment, by introducing
a new torture that had not yet been seen in our lands,
and is so much worse than the sum of all those that we
have invented so far: work.
But I grow tired of talking about these puppets. We
will soon see how far the Underworld can shove its
turgid member into their tight backsides.
Even stranger, and most certainly less showy, those
who are called Saracens found a way into our lands many
centuries ago, by successfully pulling off an authentic
feat of alchemy. Previously, I wrote that the souls of the
travelers, feeling independent of and above the rest in
Hell, most certainly played a part in the rising numbers
of intruders who seem to feel as much at home in the
circles of Hell as if they were in their own mother’s kit-
chen. I must say that I now wonder if one of them was
100
not the cause of the success of this experiment. There is
that ghastly old man who guides their troops and is loo-
king for the Nine Irises. He probably thinks he will find
them filled with large breasted virgins. The poor bastard
will be stuck with a stiff one for longer than he thinks.
How shameful, at his great age, to still have the obsessive
sexual appetite of a young shepherd humping a plump
village girl. That shrewd old man and his lackeys opened
up the portal and entered Hell while they were still alive
and have hence escaped the effects of time.
They had a rough time at first, sending us offerings
of greedy brigands who came by waves and raised the
fiefs of Kohut to the ground time and time again, wit-
hout ever growing tired of this sad form of amusement.
The demons who call themselves our lords let them do
as they pleased and found the whole thing quite comi-
cal... Well, they are no longer laughing, not since the
Saracens demolished the fiefs of Ampharaus and are
now pushing as far as Aussona.
Their ranks are well disciplined, and they are sur-
rounded by a fearful aura of spirituality.
They roam around in small groups, therefore covering
large areas, and they disappear into the shadows as fast
as they jump out, attacking us, using routes that even
we Demons don’t know about. Now that is something
to worry about. Their desire to find the center of Hell
is made quite obvious if one observes their movement.
They move forever further inwards, and seem to have
no interest in conquering our lands, but simply to gain
control of the roads that allow their caravans to trans-
port supplies to their troops.
The Saracens have thus managed to slip the minds
of our demon lords. They come and go as they please,
only reminding us of their existence when, every now
and then, they destroy a fief that happened to be in
their way. In such a short time (a mere five centuries,
who would have thought!), they have managed to blend
in as a necessary evil, less of a threat and more a kind
of parasite with which we must learn to live. In fact,
of all the miserable paupers who come begging at our
gates, they are most certainly the most dangerous. Even
more so because our recent indigestion of Christians
makes a perfect diversion for them!
But it is too late now for us to start a military campaign
against such small fry... And as we must put up with them,
it is more than time we returned the favor to the living.
I can’t quite fathom it myself, but it seems that Chris-
tians and Muslims hate each other so much that they
prefer eternal damnation to any form of diplomacy. We
really should find a way to help them eliminate each
other once and for all, by blowing on the hot coals of
their mutual hatred...
Of course, when we speak of the formidable progress
of the Saracens into our lands, we are to assume that
they succeeded in such a feat on their own. Oh no...
They were supported by a handful of traitors who soil
our faith by helping them.
 The demonS
Though I will name them now, it is to better forget
them from here on. I speak of the Lost and the name
is all I will speak , so futile is their very existence. Do
not seek to know more or you will reap the wrath of
the archdemons.
I have already said, and I will repeat it as often as neces-
sary, so far our performance has been perfectly mediocre.
Admittedly, the Christians have some particularly
sophisticated weapons of destruction, and the Muslims
are guided and protected by ancient spirits. But is that
any reason to let them ride us like cheap whores?
The Underworld has the best swordsmen, for ours
have indeed been waging war since the dawn of time...
Be they dark knights who fell on the fields of pride,
lawless assassins who hide among the rank and file,
pagan barbarians driven by the rush of carnage, or
great warriors built for destruction, who could resist
such a hurricane of blades?
We have horned ones who are much older still and
who, in the heart of the struggle, feel as good as if they
were babies drinking greedily from a giant teat. We
have macabre heralds who create panic and confusion,
servile souls that vomit curse upon curse, and even
skinned vixens who could make a saint’s blood boil
with a single flick of their hips.
So, champions of Hell, how do you explain that these
strangers have given you such a spanking? Have you
developed such a taste for the enemy’s spiked plank
that you bend over and stick your arse out for?
No, what we are lacking is the presence of true war-
lords to truly lead the armies to victory.
From the very beginning we have wandered in packs.
We chase the souls of the dead, we drag them back to
the lands of our lords, and we ensure they receive their
punishment. We treacherously attack our neighbors,
infinitely dividing our forces with many a puny carnage
and therefore working with great conviction against any
possible notion of unity, because we don’t care about it.
This place has always been known as the Unde-
rworld, for it is not just a country, it is truly a vast
world of its own. There is not just the one people
living under one rule but several, and each one lives
according to its own customs.
So what? Is there really a High One up there who
lets us do his dirty work, while our ungrateful masters
watch over us? Hardly likely... But there is an angel, an
angel who came to us. His purity is beyond a doubt;
however, anyone can see he is rebelling. Like a crystal
that, naturally, turns purple when it reaches maturity.
Upon his coming, a dead silence fell over the Nine
Irises, and the next minute, everyone was singing
the praises of one single master, all one under the
same flag.
Well, of course, the general enthusiasm didn’t last for
long. But then we are not the kind to go over the top.
101
We leave that to the bigots whose mouths prove to be
the perfect echo chamber for our farts.
One vision has become clear to our legion: Satan is
our Lord, and Hell is his Empire.
Yes, this fact may have slipped our mind a little... but
our faith never falters. Send a lemure a thousand times
to the abyss, and a thousand times he will return to
nibble at your toes!
After that, we all went back to our own pursuits,
some returned to torturing the damned, others to their
plotting and petty rivalries. Asaliah, the rebel angel,
left to seek out the living. And following in her steps,
throughout the circles, the glory of our master is sung.
After her visit, other leaders appeared to us. For a
start, there is Samael, who was hiding out here Below,
Tsilla who has been haunting our pits, but others will
come too... Maybe they will be of demon stock, for
there are still a few Luciferians in our ranks who are
made of captain material.
Now comes the awakening. Our anger is pulsing like a
putrid spot, and soon its quaking mass of pus will burst
in the face of our enemies.
Our beautiful angels will be the muses of punishment
and of war.
In their wake, the demon lords begrudgingly give up
small infantry companies to the angels. They are mean
and stupid, hanging on to their throne while their fief
lies in tatters, as if they were hanging onto the nipple of
a slashed breast. But our little kinglets are shaking with
fear and would not dare to refuse to pay their tribute.
Let us not heed their cowardice! Soon enough they will
be sent back to the abyss to pay for their idiocy, and we
will crush the infidels under hoof, for nothing will be
able to withstand our glory.
Thus, organized in small companies, our Luciferian
troops await the strict command of our demon beauty.
First, we must count in a few of those shapeless lazy
bastards, completely useless for anything other than
harassing the enemy’s arse, a position in which they
excel as sword-fodder. Meanwhile, the Damned Ones
of Wrath will be dealing out pain and misery, with the
help of our horned ones, their tongues as quick and
strong as their claws. And to complete our martial por-
trait, we will quite probably find a succubus on our way,
to provide some groaning flesh and whip up an orgy of
virile moaning. This is the basis for Asaliah’s tactics
when she leaves on campaign.
These detachments should hold their positions, ready
to follow their divine muse. They are warned: they must
not move except upon a direct order from their superior
officer, they must wait for her to come. Indeed, who
can tell what crazy ideas might come into their heads
along the way if they are left to their own devices?
And without a leader, if they were unfortunate enough
to stumble upon the enemy, it would be yet another
defeat to add to the long and painful chapter of our
best thrashings.
 FactionS

Asaliah knows all the secrets of Limbo, she can travel captains. And the agonizing screams of the living will
through it easily and appear immediately wherever she soon rise from the battlefields.
pleases to face whatever menace may appear. But I am forgetting the essential. As I continue this
Therefore each company must be ready to march bitter story, written without a single ounce of talent, I
on the enemy as soon as our warrior angel appears to become more and more aware of the destiny that Angra
them. There are many fronts, many challenges that Hell Mainyou, the Archdemon, intends for this work. By giving
must undertake to re-establish its supremacy. in to the easiness of written histories, we are slowing to
Our first targets are those exploring companies of the pace of the living, the poor sadness of the vain who
Christians, whose presence interrupts the peaceful tor- believe they can do as they please as soon as they pick
turing of the damned souls. Some of them are becoming up a quill. One could think that such a weakness is a
familiar to us; some warlords stand out from the crowd sure sign of our impending doom, that we have been
and as their fame grows, so does the morale of their decayed by their vices, our nature corrupted by their
troops. It will be less useful to outright vanquish them customs which have sapped our very strength.
in combat. Rather, we must thrash them repeatedly on On the contrary, we only seem to have surrendered,
the battlefield for all to see. Now that will demolish so as to better turn our enemies’ vile habits against
their amplified reputation and lose them the trust of them. They force their manuals down our throats, pain-
their peers and underlings. Let us finally show a bit of ting us as the evil ones just to improve their unity. But
resistance! Since we, in effect, gave them the roads to does it not take the greatest of all the evils to come
Thebes and Ampharaus, let the humans keep them Our down here and kill the dead a second time? We really
forces must re-conquer the plains of Kohut, preventing would have our task cut out for us if we were to weave
New Jerusalem from growing any further. They want to as great a web of deceit as the one that their texts have
move so quickly, always looking to find out what lies already created.
further in, always seeking the Prima Materia. As they These few lines should serve to remind us of our
move further in, they will find the Saracen caravans and need for this dark alliance and cause us to raise all
I say let them. We will have reunited two very dear old blades in a chaotic rhythm, so that they may fall as one
enemies. All we need to do is sit back and count the on the heads of preachers everwhere. And throughout
points as they massacre each other, and then take the our lands, may all our dark souls know that there is
victors as we plow on through their weakened defenses. only one master, one chant, one faith.»
As for those indefatigable Muslims, we can use the
same strategy against them. Let them straggle out «Treaty of devotion for the use of the Forked ones»,
as far as possible in a thin line. If they persist, they Abaadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine Irises.
will end up facing the hordes of the Nine Irises with «As I wandered through the Limbo, I could still hear the high-pitched sounds
of the inner circles that came to me in waves.
a greatly reduced vanguard and behind it an army
dispersed in small companies
separately holding defensive
positions. Ah, I can already
hear the cries of distress that
will accompany their inevi-
table defeat... Well, if the
archdemons haven’t all killed
each other by then, that is.
Our martial superiority is
beyond a doubt, we have in
our ranks the best killers there
are, the most stubborn and the
most infamous. Nothing can
stop them, not even the horror
of their own souls. We could
even surprise the enemy with
a few exotic delicacies, for, in
addition to the multitude of
two-legged war machines, we
have in our abyssal pits temp-
ting treasures of subtle but-
chery . Hell has now found its

102
 The demonS

Asaliah, Rebel Angel

The Archdemon Angra Mainyou was making a public display of his anger. He had ordered the cages of the most ancient beasts to be
opened, that they might follow him and devour all those who did not bow in submission. Every step he made sent tremors through the
abyss. Every breath he took set the void on fire.
Behind him came his surviving vassals, carrying their banners high and proud, hammering the obsidian with their blades in a rhythm
meant to inspire carnage. They were the ones, after all, who had been sent as emissaries to the rival lords to discuss the benefits of a truce
while the implications of this new intrusion of the living in the world of the dead were investigated. As could be expected, the other demon
Officer
lords had found it amusing to respond by dispatching their visiting cousins with a range if ingenious ambushes... Unfortunately, the humor
of this response was lost on the Archdemon:
«If that’s the way they want to play this, so be it!» he yelled, «We shall bring war to the heart of the Nine Irises!»
Angel
What would become of our Empire? The other archdemons had just shrugged and begun to form an alliance against the trouble-
maker, while quietly working out for themselves the best moment for them to betray that alliance and carry out the work begun by
Angra Mainyou.
Female
It was at that moment that the light of the One bore down on the nucleus. Rage was
replaced by silence. An angel appeared, as beautiful as the void, and descended to us. The
hordes, blinded by this vision, lowered their heads and even the darkest of hearts felt the
Satanist (Luciferian)
pain of what had been lost forever.
Before Angra Mainyou, the winged virgin knelt on one knee, in token of allegiance, Infernalist 2/3
and spoke:
«I am the avenging arm of Lucifer. I am the plague of the believers. I am the blade of
despair that strikes the lamb. Make me your anger, and I shall bestow it upon the living. Mentalist
Asaliah is my name.»
The Archdemon looked around, expecting to have to set flame some incredulous souls,
but strangely enough, not one damned one or demon made a sound. He turned to the vision
Charisma Movement 5
and pointed towards the far circles of Hell where the enemy armies were intruding:
«Go, my angel, precipitate their destruction and I swear before our Master that I will keep
Concentrated
the Nine safe from harm.» Expertise Shooting Skill -
Then the forked ones began to cry, loud and strong, allies and enemies alike:
«Asaliah! Asaliah!»
But then I was no longer in the Limbo. A clawed hand had once again given me shape.
Evasive Combat 4
Angra Mainyou it was with his stare that holes were burnt into my sorry soul. He gave to me
the task of transcribing the recent events, then ordered that the beasts be called back. The inner
Levitation Defense 5
circles became the eye of the storm as the chanting of the Luciferian faith spread out through all
our kingdoms.»
Terror
Abaadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine Irises. Protection 0
Evil Gaze Hits Damage
Life Points 12
Orders Gaze 1 Slowed 2
Angelic Inspiration 2 Stunned
Faith 3
Active • 3 permanent CMD • Unique 3 Life Drain 2
Asaliah and all of her allies each recover 8 LP. 4 Immobilized
5 Consumed (fire • 2/5) Command 6
Vae soli V ae victis
Aura
Regeneration Aura
Permanent • 6 Fathom Radius • Inclusive • Satanists
Satanist units within this aura’s area of effect recover
1 LP during each Upkeep phase.

Spells
Plague of the Believers • Vanished
Targets a single unit in contact with the
lemure. The target of this spell takes an
amount of damage equal to twice its FTH,
PR is ignored.
Nuaseating Cloud • Vanished
This spell creates a 3 fathom radius sce-
nery element centered on the lemure that
lasts for 3 turns. The element is Radiant
(Consumed (Poison • Durable • 2/5)) and
completely Opaque.
Possession • Vanished
Targets a single unit in contact with the
lemure. The target of this spell becomes
Controlled. The target can cancel this effect by
rolling a number of dice equal to its FTH stat and
scoring at least one 5 or 6. If the target’s FTH is 0, Unique
then a single dice is rolled and only a 6 is a success.
103 60 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Samael, Warrior Angel

«The powder from our arquebuses had already dispatched their first line, but their treacherous demon, incarnated in a form of angelic
purity, had already reached the wounded. With a single touch from her, their hideous barbarians with their furious blades rose to their
feet, instantaneously cured, their flesh repaired. In my haste, I took the head of the charge, convinced that it was essential to defeat the
evil female. But then another... Another one appeared. He seemed to descend straight from their accursed sky of ashes. Upon seeing him,
Officer the damned ones’ energy seemed to double, and behind me, my men were being chopped to pieces. Their dying cries were uttered in three
languages, but not one of them survived.
I was trapped in between two incarnations of grace who were commanding the horrific armies of these ruined lands. The obvious
Angel conclusion hit me so hard that I fell to my knees in the mud, sweating and trembling: they were showing me their true faces. They were
angels and they were walking in the darkness.
Wounds began to appear on the body of the male being as the damned finished off my own company. He turned to the female, his
Male hands held out as if to gather his own blood. He smiled the smile of the innocent, wore the look of kindness.
«Asaliah... Finally you have chosen to join them. I have heard your name sung by the legions wherever I go. It is a true miracle that
the people of this land have greeted a virgin in such a courteous way...»
Satanist (Luciferian) «And you, Samael, what have you been doing?»
«I was gazing into the abyss, as I usually do. It was not for me to intervene in the Nine Irises. Your carnage-themed plea was far more
effective. Now, I can join you in your quest. I have roamed the circles for so long that the cries of the tortured damned are no longer but
5 Movement lullabies to me. When I come across living men, I feel as if their appearance is missing something if they are not impaled on a spike, and
I can only see in the softness of a face but the promise of insistent fornication. Actually, I think I like this place. There is in everything
here a truth that belongs to no-one, that strips away all false appearances to finally reveal the true essence of all things. My soul is not
- Shooting Skill tainted. Asaliah, I am... I have always been, the taint itself. It is thanks to this place that I have discovered our true nature. Purity?
Purity is but the afterglow of a star that died when it gave us being. It gives us shape so as to better hide our deeper actions... If the
aura that surrounds you can fool even demons, your arm only extends their reign. You claim to be rebelling? Don’t you think that ins-
5 Combat tead, by letting you come down here, He is sending a messenger to test the faith of the believers?»
«Samael, you are mad.»
«What if I am. Let us go spread the word of His judgment with the point of our blades.»
5 Defense
Samael let me go on my way. He said that this whole campaign was a great waste of Christians, that we must return to the
0 Protection valley of tears... and seal the gates before it is too late.»

Heretic testimony found in the straw mattress of an Inquisition gaol, New Jerusalem.
14 Life Points

3 Faith Orders
Samael’s Chosen One
4 Command During the Upkeep Phase, Samael may choose a unit from his company.
Until the end of the turn, any time the chosen unit is dealt damage,
Samael may choose to take all or part of the damage himself. If he
Charisma does so, his PR is not taken into account. Samael cannot take
more damage than he has Life Points left. This order can’t
Frenzy Man-at-arms target an Invulnerable model.
Levitation Regeneration 2 M artial Mortification
Active • 1 CMD • Unstoppable
Samael takes 3 damage, PR is not counted, when
he uses this order. Samael and all his allies gain
+1 CBT until the end of the turn.
Ultimate Sacrifice
When Samael dies, all his allies recover all
the Life Points they have lost. In addition, his
death does not cause his company to lose
any CMD at all.
Vae soli Vae victis

Retribution Hits Damage

Spiritual Damage 1 4
2 5
3 7
Unique 70 104


4 9
5 11
Base : Regular
 The demonS

Tsilla, Broken Angel

The virgin landed lightly on the platform made of a large block of flesh, burned and hardened by the ardor of
Hell despite its gigantic proportions. With one look, she ordered the two sentries to haul their mistress up from the
pit of the blind beasts. She had been crucified on an inverted cross and hung there by a heavy chain. Her wings, eter-
nally gnawed at by the creatures down below, were no longer but bloody shreds. The sight of this studious icon furtively
curled Asaliah’s mouth in a twisted smile.
The mutilated angel opened one eye while her servants lowered the cross to the ground and began to remove the
nails with their pliers.
« I see you have made yourself quite at home here, Tsilla... You really are abusing the
delights that this sad kingdom has to offer...»
«Asaliah... You may make light of my quest, these tortures that I inflict upon
myself remind me of my purity lost. I made the choice to turn away from
the Lord, I have not renounced my faith in him. However I will not keep
this shape that he gave me. That would be arrogant on my behalf...
Why have you come down here to Hell?»
«Your hypocrisy is the most glorious proof of the perversity of
your soul. That is what I am looking for. At least, to carry out
the mission that is now ours to accomplish.»
«If you wish, Asaliah, but only a usurper would have the
audacity to appear in a shape that is not his. You say that
duty is the cause of your presence here: is it not the stench of
your foul betrayal that has caused your descent?»
«On that subject, you would be a mentor to me, I can
assure you. Meanwhile, you will come and fight at my side,
Tsilla. I refuse to let the balance of the worlds be upturned,
for then there would be neither justice nor faith... And if I
have embraced the cause of the darkness, it is to accomplish
that which must be.»
«Very well. May you understand before all this is over that
your vanity is His instrument. I will consider that your pre-
sence here is a sign sent for me. The forked ones fight amongst
themselves with the sole aim of attempting to please pale and
mediocre lords. They have mistaken the punishment of the
damned for the vices they wear as if they were titles of nobi-
lity. They do not recall who they are and they no longer care.
Meanwhile the dead come and go without any form of discipline.
And now the living have turned this place into a subject for study,
and others, more arrogant still, are plotting to conquer it. I will stop
Unique
their enterprise without joy or compassion. I will not add to or remove
the suffering they will endure on the battlefield of their defeat, and I will
simply give death until the next sign comes to me. We shall reform the army
of the Luciferians and return its law to this domain. And, Asaliah, I shall tear off
your face and show it to you, that you may see who you really are.»
40 Officer
Orders Angel
A heart beyond reproach
Free • 2 Permanent CMD • Unique Female
Tsilla immediately moves, ignoring terrain, control areas or other units, and
without triggering any reaction from any enemy units she is in contact with, to Satanist (Luciferian)
anywhere she chooses on the battlefield. Tsilla must be placed in clear terrain, and
she can’t be placed in an enemy control area or in contact with an enemy unit. Infernalist 2/3
Vae soli Vae victis
Mentalist
Aura
Aura of conscience
Permanent • 4 Fathom Radius
Units within this aura’s area of effect suffer a penalty of -1 FTH. Movement 4

Spells Concentrated Shooting Skill -

Slanderous Injunction • Vanished Expertise
Combat 4
Targets a single unit in contact with the lemure. The unit immediately becomes
Stunned. This spell has no effect on Troopers.
Runaway
Crawling Crowd • Vanished Defense 4
This spell creates a 3-fathom radius scenery ele- Daggers Hits Damage
ment centered on the lemure. Every model within Piercing 1 1 Protection 0
2 2
the cloud when it is created takes 2 Damage, igno-
ring PR. The element is Deadly. Demons and Dam-
3 2 Life Points 11
4 Stunned
ned Ones are immune to the effects, and terrain
5 3 Faith 1
created by this spell..
Son crachat • Vanished
Command 5
Targets a single unit in contact with the lemure.
The target takes 1d6+1 damage, ignoring PR.
105 ase egular B  : R
 FactionS

Eurynome, The Prince of Death

It must be noted that there are many among the infernal ranks that actually oppose a united Hell. It seems that our
petty disagreements and internecine conflicts have gone on for so long that some are unwilling to part with the status
quo. One would think that when facing new and unprecedented problems a group would be galvanized into seeing
the error or ineffectiveness of their previous ways, but, as with everything, there will always be some disagreeing
Officer dissenters. Whether it is for personal gain, or a deeply held belief that the world should be a different place, it is
normally impossible to get any large group to agree on something without reservation.
Eurynome was firmly in this camp as evidenced by his repeated overt scheming and plotting against the
Demon unity of all demon kind. While he was obviously encouraged in this direction by a certain archdemon, he
has most certainly taken the cause of chaos up with unmatched ferocity and zeal. Though he has descri-
bed himself as a Satanist, a follower of our great feudal system and refectory of the new faith, he is
Asexual instead a duplicitous charlatan hiding discordant motives with a false mask of faith and loyalty. I
don’t pretend to understand what the separatists hope to accomplish with their stubborn rejec-
tion of lawful rule of our realm, but they cling to their misguided beliefs none the less.
Agnostic Eurynome’s flaunting of the natural order of things eventually drew Lucifer’s attention.
Lucifer became so incensed by the demon lord that he decided to make an example of
him. Samael was sent to Eurynome’s fief to execute the light bringers will. Samael
Mentalist put his retainers to flight, all the while showing off his superlative combat
abilities. Then, unceremoniously Samael took Euynome’s head from his
shoulders and left his corpse to rot in a pit with the remains of three of
the ignominious damned.
I have heard stories that the charnel pit Samael left behind

Base : Extra Large now stands empty. I hear whispers that Eurynome’s master
has seen fit to grant him enough power to continue on in
his service, though his form is much reduced and possibly
more horrifying than before. Whether this is true, or that
Unique Hell has reclaimed its own, or that Lucifer has possibly
refashioned the Demon Lord again as a warning to
others, I cannot say.
Nevertheless the thought of a rebellious fool get-
ting his comeuppance can’t help but bring a smile to
one such as I.

Abaadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine

Irises.

Orders
Don’t See!
Free • 2 CMD
Once per action phase
Eurynome can target any Inde-
pendent or Trooper unit. Until
the end of the action phase the
target treats all enemy units as
if they had Discretion 3. The
same unit can’t be targeted
twice consecutively.
Don’t Hear!
Free • 1 CMD

66 Once per action phase Eurynome can tar-

get any Independent or Trooper unit. Until the end of the
Action phase the target gets Maverick. The same unit can’t be
7 Movement targeted twice consecutively.
Don’t Speak!
- Shooting Skill Free • 2-3 Permanent CMD • Unique
Eurynome can target any Independent or Officer unit. The target can’t
- Combat Entangle give orders until the end of the current Action phase. Orders already
given continue working normally. The cost for this order is 2 permanent
4 Defense Harmless CMD if the target is an Independent, and 3 permanent CMD if the
Impressive target is an Officer.
2 Protection
Leader
16 Life Points Regeneration 2
1 Faith Ricochet 2
Teleportation 106
5 Command
Terror 2
 The demonS

Obey!
Free • 1 Permanent CMD • Reaction
This order is the same as using a Vae Soli order, it has the same timing and you
cannot combine this order with a Vae Soli order at the end of the same activation.
This order allows Eurynome’s controller to decide which unit their opponent will
activate next.

Vae Soli

Vae Victus

Auras
Death Becomes Her
Permanent • 3 Fathom Radius • Demons and
Damned Ones (Immune)
During the upkeep phase, units within this aura’s area of effect
take 2 damage, ignoring PR. Demons and Damned Ones are not
affected by this aura.
R eanimation
Permanent • 3 Fathom Radius • Troopers
Trooper units that die within the area of effect of this aura,
are returned to the game in the spot that they where killed, under
Eurynome’s control, as demons, with 1 LP. A Trooper can only be reani-
mated once per game. A reanimated unit follows all rules normally other
than being controlled by Eurynome, having 1 LP, and having just entered
the game.

107
 FactionS

Foulques the Black, Knacker

«It occurred in the early days of the discovery. In order to explore, I had organized my Nizari into small scouting
parties, rapid and discreet. Indeed, the extreme slopes of these underground realms are hardly suited to the formation
of a large army, as one would have little room for maneuver in case of an ambush.
We were walking in the shadows of the legions of Iblis, who were pouring all their forces into a fratricide war.
Independent A young scout returned to us completely mad. Between two torrents of blasphemy towards the prophet, he told
us that he had seen crusaders coming and going amongst the demon ranks. But obviously, fear had damaged
his spirit. I cut his tongue out myself to prevent the contamination from spreading.
Demon Further on, their infamous troopers had taken up position in the still-smoking ruins of a rival fief. They
were blocking off our route and they were setting up new defensive positions that seemed to indicate
their will to take possession of this territory.
Male We had to advance or lose contact with our vanguard. I ordered an attack.
The hashishins sprang from the shadows and quickly dispatched their sentinels. We had cir-
cled them completely. I sent my faithful soldiers forward to maintain the momentum of the
Satanist (Luciferian) attack. I wished to strike them at their heart to throw the organization of their defenses.
The front line of the impious ones gave way as if to let us pass through. I did not
understand immediately what they would be gaining from this maneuver. At
their center stood a massive and immobile shadow. It rose immediately once
in contact with our men. The circle closed in around the behemoth and
tried to crushed it in its grip. I ordered the retreat but it was too late.
The filthy devil turned executioner, acting with extraordinary speed
and simply bringing death was not enough to content his torture

Base : Large instruments. He continued to sever arms and legs, ripping out
organs and unraveling guts. I saw the mutilated heart of my
young scout brandished like the trophy of carnage. That was

Unique when I realized what the poor boy had meant. Only cru-
saders behave with such savagery on the battlefield. That
is the effect of the false religion that serves as pretext
to the butchers. But in these dark lands, the invisible
is revealed. The blood was exciting this shady infidel
and increasing his strength. The demon’s trap had
closed around us.
The demonic foot soldiers formed two columns,
one on each flank, for the sole purpose of provi-
ding this macabre scarecrow with a free space
in which to charge. He was running straight
towards my position like a famished beast.
In such moments of despair, only the faith
of the believer can inspire his victory. Allah
is my guide. With a single gesture, I ordered
my troops to disperse. He sought for us in
the shadows until the rush of warm blood
left him. Now he was once again lost in his
gray mood. His vice no longer accessible, he
has returned to his former state of lifeless
puppet.»

«The Final Testament», by Hassan ibn

al-Sabbah, the «Old Man of the Mountain»

26
3 Movement Order
Hostile Surgery
- Shooting Skill 1 Permanent CMD • Unique
When an enemy unit is killed within 8 fathoms of Foulques, this
5 Combat Defensive combat order may be used. If this order is used, Foulques gets +1 MVT, +2
CBT, +1 DEF, and +1 FTH from the beginning of the next upkeep phase
3 Defense Man-at-Arms until the end of the game. This order can’t be used when a lemure or
Protective Devoured unit is killed within 8 fathoms of Foulques.
2 Protection
Ricochet Handsaw Hits Damage
9 Life Points Slashing 1 Life Drain 2
2 Life Drain 3
2 Faith 3 Life Drain 4
4 Life Drain 5
1 Command 108 5 Life Drain 6
 The demonS

Jinx, Annoying Slave

The inquisitor looked down through his telescope at the damned ones below with disgust. This was a place where
the satanist fighters had been abandoned to themselves, with no leader and no mission. Rather than hold the posi-
tion, the cursed souls had returned to their usual state of idleness. Victory would be easily acquired here. This would
show that they must be rid of all the bandits, rascals, whores and those Protestants from the troops... that only those
who fight with faith in the Pope could lead this campaign. A dull groaning attracted the attention of the inquisitor.
The feeble squeaking was coming from some kind of atrocious newborn that looked as if it had been roasted on a spit
Lemure
the moment it had emerged from the womb.
Three damned ones were playing with it, throwing it to one another. Out of sheer cruelty, one of them let it hit
a nearby wall instead of catching it. This cunning tactic sent the other two off into hysterical laughter, which was
Asexual
accompanied by a laborious wheezing.
The first one picked up the newborn and raised it as if to kick it up into the air. He didn’t even have the time to see
the fuse light before the shot took off the top of his head, leaving everything from the jaw-
Unbeliever
bone down as it had been.
Now under Papist fire, the damned were running all over the place in total confu-
sion. The captain ordered the charge, wishing to finish off the enemy before they came
Mentalist
to their senses. A first load of heretics was gloriously skewered. One of the pike-men
discovered with horror a swollen baby that dodged between his legs, as he wondered
how this atrocity had come to be there in the first place. He moved confidently to
Movement 4
dispatch it with a kick, but the little squirm had already set a course for the clergymen
gathered around the captain.
The Damned Ones of Wrath rushed into the Papist troops with a great clash of steel
Elusive Shooting Skill -
and pain. The front line held out, but it was at risk of falling to their number if God did
not come to their aid. However, the captain was certain they would receive His assis- Emancipated Combat -
tance and lead the troops into attack.
In theory, with the combined action of the divine grace and the captain’s lead, in this Harmless
Defense 6
kind of critical situation, the foot soldiers should have had the better of the enemy. In
practice, the only thing they had that day was a good thrashing. Insignificant
The captain turned to check the rear guard and could not believe his own eyes. The mis-
sionaries were just standing there, like village idiots, unable to recite a single blessing from Invulnerable Protection 0
the Holy Book. They had lost all their Latin, like little children unable to recall their lessons.
The inquisitor strongly raised one eyebrow, a gesture that was his way of expressing fury. Maverick Life Points 4
From where he stood, it seemed to the captain that the clergymen were performing some sort of
pagan jig: they were desperately trying to stamp on the aborted brat, fruit of some cursed female’s Strider
belly. But the abomination was cunning. All around, Papists and demons alike had walked arm in Faith -
arm into non-life. The captain alone was left standing. On returning to New Jerusalem, the unmen-
tionable would have to be revealed, so as to warn all good Christians. A newborn from Hell had
Terror 2
caused the downfall of a whole company. And even now he could still lose a holy man in the mountains. Command -
The campaigns of the valiant were now over, the Council would impose their views. From now on the good
would have to mingle with all the faithless and the non-baptized of the colony.
With the burden of so many pagans to carry, the war was undoubtedly lost.

Order
A neurysm Side-effects
You may decide to have Jinx take 1 damage, ignoring PR, to exempt
a friendly unit’s aura from its Aneurysm Aura’s effects for the
turn. For each aura affected by Jinx’s Aneurysm Aura
during any Upkeep Phase roll 1D6. For each 6 rolled,
Jinx takes one damage, ignoring PR. If Jinx dies due
to this order, affected auras still will not have any
effect that turn.

Aura
A neurysm Aura
Permanent • 8 Fathom Radius • Cumula-
tive • Mentalists (Jinx Immune)
At the beginning of the Upkeep phase,
Jinx prevents all other auras within this
aura’s area of effect from having any
effect for the rest of the turn.

Unique
109 15 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Infernal Ambassador
«Horns, fur, hooves and forked tails. It is said that the horned ones were among the first generations of beings to populate
the lands of chaos. Being beast-like, libidinous and argumentative, they naturally formed hordes whose only ambition was futile
squabbling. As herds of blind demons roaming the lands Below without any form of doctrine, they finally tired of the poor repu-
tation they had established for themselves and became most devout Luciferians.
Independent From that point onwards, they put all their energy into proving their unquestionable zeal to the demon lords, and so the tasks
the horned ones were given became more and more honorific.
And so it came about that, since that time long past, they have been messengers to the cults of the valley of tears, the land of men.
Demon If I am to believe the souls of the good that travel freely through Hell, our ambassadors have widely indulged in earthly plea-
sures during ceremonies named sabbath. Let us not dwell on the orgiastic details of their deplorable exploits: they merely confirm
my suspicions about the veritable behavior of the horned ones.
Male Discipline is indeed a stranger to their plans. They give the impression of being loyal servants only to be able to reap the
benefits of their status, and artfully use the arts of deception and lying.
Since the living began to invade our lands on a regular basis, the demon lords have taken to sending an ambassador to
Satanist (Luciferian) each company. This has become a fashion that everyone seems to have succumbed to since lord Xaphan sent one of his own to
convince the Living to ally with him to defeat one of his rivals.
Indeed, the ambassadors do have the merit of enjoying the diplomatic phases of battle, whereas most of us like to immedia-
5 Movement tely express the more bloodthirsty side of our personalities.
However, when given a chance at a massacre, the ambassadors will willingly practice the most ancestral and bestial art
of warfare. They gut and slash freely, spreading confusion, bringing aid to their allies, pain to their enemies, and glory to
- Shooting Skill their master.
I think we can safely say that if these beasts put so much effort into the battle, it is because, more than any other considera-
tion, they thoroughly enjoy taking part in a good carnage.
5 Combat Indeed, I have yet to meet a demon lord who would find any reason to complain about the services of an ambassador. Howe-
ver, loyalty only has merit when it is in spite of pain and suffering. Aside from a shower of compliments, the horned ones do very
little to glorify their masters, and their vows of fidelity have in no way changed their old customs. Pah! Anyone can claw at their
4 Defense own chest and snort pestilential vapors while swearing to be faithful...
Long ago, they would roam in herds and squabble between themselves. Nowadays, they have joined the band and do
0 Protection their squabbling on behalf of their lords. If we let them, they would sell an archdemon’s throne to the Pope, purely out of
taste for discord!»

12 Life Points Aabadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine Irises.

3 Faith

1 Command Orders
Treacherous Insinuation
Free • Variable
Bodyguard Cancel the effects of a Vae Victis or Vae Soli order before
Terror they happen. This order’s cost is equal to the cost of the Vae
Victis or Vae Soli order that was canceled.
Under His Protection
Limited 2 Passive • 1 CMD
Against the next attack that causes at least one
hit to him, the Infernal Ambassador gets Resis-
tance 4 against one of the following damage
types, blunt, slashing, or piercing. This choice
must be made when this order is given. If
this order is already affecting the Infernal
Ambassador and it is used again, then the
effects aren’t cumulative and the chosen
damage type is changed.

Claws Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
Penetrating Strike 2 2 3
3 5

Base : Regular 30 110

4 7
5 9
 The demonS

Damned One of Pride

«The breath of the abyss had begun to blow across the screaming plains of Kal ‘nat Rür. A cold, invisible hand was
carrying the screams of the eternally tortured towards us... They were the songs of the damned, screams of extra enthu-
siasm to celebrate my passage through their region. Despite my natural talent in the subtle art of music, I decided not to
take notice of the mediocrity of their homage. My companions in arms, however, were positively transported with delight.
All around me I could glimpse looks filled with emotion and gratitude towards me, timidly flickered in my direction. Our
ambassador offered to carry me over the chaotic paths of our great rutted homeland so that they would not dirty
my princely outfits... Crazy fool! If I had wanted to ride on some nag I would have demanded
one myself.
Then there is this great stupid-looking lout who had followed us since we left the fief.
The burden of his presence had already cost us a precious advance on the enemy.
That dolt had climbed to the top of a shapeless hummock and was waving
back at us. Did he think he was on some kind of leisurely hike? I could
have convinced my people to abandon this sad character long ago...
Alas, my natural generosity towards paupers will be my downfall!
Until then I had tolerated his presence, as I realized that I alone
had any hope of giving him any kind of spirit.
How gravely was I mistaken, for he would soon put our
whole noble expedition in deadly peril.
Wriggling around up there like a stuck pig, he was clearly
visible ten fathoms away. His ignorance of the arts of warfare
had just caused him to inadvertently give the enemy the signal.
One of their Hashishins jumped out from the shadows and
set upon him.
At a gesture from myself, our delicious mistress of torments
- to whom I had given a virile lesson of my own to earlier -
understood the gravity of our situation. A crack of her whip
commanded the rank and file to charge our opponents.
However, their warriors, swollen with the aura of some
ancient spirit, overthrew our first line. I ordered the horned one
to dispatch that pretentious sand muse, while I slipped easily
through the adversary’s defenses with a few agile steps. Avoiding
every danger, the speed of my graceful war-dance was only mat-
ched by the sharpness of my martial genius. With a single glance,
I had grasped all the key elements of this battle. The enemy was
positioned on the rocks above the gully. We needed to outflank
them by passing through the underground corridor, to prevent any
potential reinforcements from arriving. So that was it: we were facing
Limited 3
the vanguard of the impious army... I had to recover the position or the
whole plain would fall into the hands of the invaders. Behind me, I could
hear the agonizing moans of my sweet pleasure slave succumbing to the enemy’s
scimitar. She had preferred to sacrifice herself rather than survive without me. And
how could she have survived if the only source of her pleasure was gone?
41 Independent
By then, I had already passed through the passage and surprised the Saracens by
climbing up the other side of the rocks. Damned One
With one firm push, I threw their leader down into the dust, and he rolled into the void.
Then the lamentations of the howling plains were raised in a single echo, the victory cry cele-
brating the champion of all the Luciferians. Male
The battle of Kal ‘nat Rür, seen by a Damned One of Pride.
Satanist (Luciferian)
Order
I told you so... Mentalist
If the Great Damned one of Pride that the Damned One of Pride is asso-
ciated with is killed, he becomes Brave until the end of the game.
Movement 4
Auras Dodge 2 Shooting Skill -
Aura of rashness
Permanent • 6 Fathom Radius • Allies Runaway Combat 3
Allied units within this aura’s area of effect get a bonus of +1 CBT.
Aura of denouncement
Defense 3
Temporary • Active • 8 Fathom Radius • Instant • An ally and enemy unit.
Target an enemy unit within this aura’s area of effect and the Damned
Protection 1
one of Pride or an allied unit within this aura’s area of effect. Until the
end of the turn, the targeted enemy unit treats the targeted friendly unit
Life Points 9
as though it has the Attraction 6 ability.
Faith 2
Rant and Slap Hits Damage
Sound 1 1 Command 1
Penetrating Strike 3 2 Slowed 2
3 Stunned
4
5
Pain 2
Immobilized
111 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Great Damned One of Pride

«I had taken position upon the crest of a dune of ashes so as to protect the flank of my troops. Lower down, the company was saluting my fine
tactical decision while making difficult progress along the winding paths of Kal ‘nat Rür. They were exhausted by our long march, but the mere sight of
my noble figure standing on the wind-blown horizon was enough to give them strength to continue. Suddenly, I detected the pernicious presence of
our enemy and signaled to my men to seek cover. Alas, I seem to remember that there was among us a dwarf dressed in female garb, obviously a
Independent constant source of mockery. Our horned one was, as usual, making mock of him, focusing the company’s attention on his futile amusement.
And thus the poor unfortunates remained oblivious to my warnings.
Already the treacherous scimitar of a Nizari was heading for my back. My blade greeted him from head to foot, slicing him cleanly
Damned One in twain as I leaped gracefully towards his two companions in the shadows. In the time it took me to give them a last fatal lesson in
swordsmanship, I disappointingly realized what bad sense of judgment my company was endowed with. In one short instant without
my leadership, they had made the most imbecilic choice possible and charged straight into the gully where the enemy had the full
Male advantage over the terrain.
A simple order to retreat could have prevented this terrific waste of Luciferian blood. Should I once more be made to
bear the burden of their idiocy? My fatigue almost made me give up on this whole expedition. But there is no rest for the

Satanist (Luciferian) knights of the Underworld. They must accept the labors of war with humility and bring down the darkness upon the
enemy, even in the heart of the most desperate of battles.
Therefore I charged on forwards, chopping their Dibbukim into pieces. One of them survived my
charge, latched to one of my leg, and another was hanging on to the other leg, his guts spewing
everywhere. Before me, I saw one of my many female admirers in great difficulty, calling out

Base : Large
for my talents… which she’d known so many times before. So I threw myself downwards
into the melée, dragging along with me the two hopeless idiots still clinging on to me,
in spite of my wrath. On arriving down below, I was the only one of the three to

Associated (Damned one of Pride) rise to my feet again. At my feet, my lady was dying, and with her last, painful
breath, she let out a fearsome howl as her last and only testament, as I wat-
ched the transvestite dwarf running away down the gully. I turned to assess
the enemy’s numbers, making a personal note to punish his treason most
fittingly later on.
We were wallowing in a mire of ashes and blood, generously
garnished with juicy chunks of damned, spread far and wide
during the charge.
Before me stood their great sand demon, and I could see in
his eyes that he had traveled through the ages to come defy me
in my own lands. Although he was already in agony from
the butting blows of our horned one, I decided to accept his
arrogant challenge, leaving my brother in arms to take care
of the three warriors who were running towards us. Unfor-
tunately the dolt’s performance in this task was quite
disappointing, and he quickly fell to their blows, a victim
of the rank and file. Our ambassador would no longer
relay the words of our master, except maybe through
his great horns, which the infidels were already waving
around like trophies. Once more I had made the perfect
decision by engaging their demon. If my companion
had not been capable of dealing with the lowly soldiers,
he could hardly have succeeded in accomplishing the
heroic deed that I was about to complete. An unstop-
pable lunge, a secret that I alone have mastered, gave
the titan a lethal taste of my steel, straight through
his heart.
On seeing this, an old man who accompanied
the troops leaped from the top of the rocky crest,
preferring suicide to being defeated by my brilliant
might. After that lesson, the rest of the troopers ran
for their lives.
Once again, I alone had brought victory to Hell.»
The battle of Kal ‘nat Rür, seen by a Great Damned
One of Pride.

0 Orders
Challenge
5 Movement Passive • 1 CMD
This order can only be given when the Great Damned One of Pride is engaged with only one enemy
- Shooting Skill unit. The Great Damned one of Pride and the unit he is engaged with, hereafter referred to as «duelists»,
enter into a challenge of mortal combat that can only end with the elimination of one of the duelists.
6 Combat Entangle Duelists can’t engage with other units, and other units can’t engage the duelists. Neither duelist can
retreat. Duelists are immune to any effect which may force them to break contact, except for effects
4 Defense Fury generated by either duelist. If contact is broken due to an effect generated by either duelist, then
Regeneration both duelists must attempt to reestablish contact during their next and subsequent activation’s as
0 Protection thought the other duelist had Attraction with an unlimited range. The
effects of this order will last until one of the duelists is killed.
Overlarge Weapon Hits Damage
16 Life Points Slashing 1 4 I told you so...
If the Damned one of Pride that the Great Damned One of
2 5
2 Faith 3 7 Pride is associated with is killed, he becomes Brave until the
4 9 end of the game.
- Command 5 11
 The demonS

Great Damned One of Wrath

«If we but had an army of those war machines, we could annihilate New Jerusalem easily, although
their lack of discipline is sometimes a little disarming for Luciferians.
During a retaliation campaign against a gang of petty renegades (whose names are of such little
importance that they are certainly not worth mentioning here), one of our demon lords had to pay the
price for the blatant lack of motivation that these abject servants are crippled with.
Our beloved lord (whose name shall also remain silent, to avoid him any malicious teasing) had
Independent
sent out his troops against the raggedy peasants that were hiding out on the other side of a hill. Alas,
a layer of thick, sticky fog was lingering around the area, and our warlord, who disliked mingling with
his inferiors, remained at the rear with a select few. Hence deprived of any visibility, he could no longer
Damned One
follow the progression of his warriors across the field.
When the mists finally cleared, he was greatly saddened to find a single one of his damned ones
standing alone in the middle of the plain, howling like a lost mutt. The beast had slaughtered an
Asexual
enemy scout and then found the time and place appropriate to treat the Underworld
to a little bitter singing. It was indeed unfortunate, for the Great Damned One of
Wrath was supposed to be leading the pack, and at its head, he was meant to hit the
Satanist (Luciferian)
enemy’s defenses. Instead, the enemy troops used this distraction to massacre their
attackers and disappear into the mists.
On returning to his fief, the demon lord placed a special order of assorted agonies
Movement 5
to be inflicted upon the offender, but this did little to calm him. This treatment did
however give him a chance to perfect his skills of breaking chains and crushing skulls Shooting Skill -
by using his torturers’. Finally, he was thrown into a pit of snakes, from the bottom
of which he has continued to scream ever since. Since then, the fief was attacked and
the demon lord overthrown by a rival. It would perhaps have been wiser to rig up some Combat 7
kind of pulley system so as to be able to pull him back up again if truly necessary...
This kind of story is relatively frequent when it comes to these damned ones. Luckily,
Entangle
they usually have more taste for biting than they do for barking. Oh, to be sure, their Frenzy Defense 3
sword-handling skills are reduced to their most basic expression. But their ability to slice
up anything that dares to move in the enemy ranks is admittedly most efficient! As for
their natural talent for battle, the one uncertainty that remains is the answer to this ques-
Fury Protection 0
tion: should they be placed at the head of the pack or should the rank and file go first to
absorb some of the enemy fire?
Terror Life Points 20
For the Underworld does not have an unlimited supply of these strange fellows at its dispo-
sal. Out of all the bloodthirsty madmen who will come to join our family after abandoning their Uncontrollable
soul on the scene of some carnage, very few indeed will become such a great incarnation of anger. Faith 3
So what have these men done to set themselves above the dark mass of killers who roam in the
valley of tears? Or rather, we should ask, who were they before?
Such beasts, I would wager, one would not find more than a handful in a war the size of a Command -
kingdom. Before they even felt the touch of steel or smelled the odor of blood their spirits were already
hardened like a blade, a cloud of aggressiveness rumbling over their head, and nothing or no-one could
have kept them away from their destiny of destruction for very long... Yes, my fellows, yes my servants
of carnage, there was no other path for you than the road to damnation. The only fantasy you could
imagine was the number of souls you would drag down with you to the Underworld. Base :
For, once the metal skin is in place, once their friends, their brothers have fallen beneath your
blows, your enemies have no other choice but to blindly follow the example of your hatred to
defeat you. Therefore, they will follow the sad tracks of blood that are left in your wake.»
Extra Large
Abaadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine Irises.

Grafted Weapons Hits Damage

Piercing 1 4
Slashing 2 6
Eager 3 8 Limited 2
Lunge 2

4 10
5 12
113 26
 FactionS

Mourner
«There’s nothing like one of these beautiful young women, with their features sculpted by tears and sorrow to bring to your
troops a sense of morbid arousal.
It is said that up Above they make such a racket during funerals that the priests can no longer hear themselves preach the
word of God... As if by celebrating the dead enough at their last earthly feast, the Creator himself could be forgotten.
Independent On the other hand, down here, it is generally assumed that they gained their rank among the damned by committing infan-
ticide. Such an act could seem strange and unnecessary, given the number of brats who die without the need of a helping hand
to push them into the afterlife; however one might be forgetting that the visible symptoms of a life of lust can sometimes require
Damned One the most brutal of remedies to avoid public shame.
There we have it! A past life of carnal sin would explain why these damned ones arrive here with such charming features, for
they undoubtedly betray the cause of their disgrace.
Female However, I must say that I only half believe that theory, if only because of the great number of weepers I have spotted ran-
domly fishing unbaptized newborns out of Limbo. That is the point that gives credibility to their position as representatives of
eternal sorrow. If child-murder had been their sin, then they would have been naturally fitted with the appropriate accessory
Satanist (Luciferian) upon joining our companies, instead of having to rummage through the Abyss for one.
On the bleak plains of our cursed lands, the wailing cries of a weeper are enough to launch a chilling, united attack on the
enemy. Their morbid songs awaken the primeval fears of mystery and the unknown that every living being hides deep inside...
Mentalist In their minds appears the fickleness of fate, who strikes down the innocent child and allows the bloodthirsty tyrant to grow fat
and rich until he is quite senile.
Soon their souls are crying as one about the injustice of the world and God’s lack of compassion.
4 Movement Does He need to let misfortune strike blindly in the land of men to remind them of his infinite love?
In the time it takes for a shiver to run down his spine, the warrior’s faith is shaken. It is too late to get it back. The fleeting
feeling of rebellion against the Lord has run through his soul and is immediately followed by the guilt that fills his heart. The
- Shooting Skill weeper therefore feeds the cycle of primal fears with her song.
From then on, the guilt leads to the fear of divine wrath, the fear that something bad may happen, that bad luck may not be
avoided this time around, and that this battle may be the last. The hand falters; the steel can no longer find its target.
- Combat Besides, why should the sinners even hope for redemption or victory, if the tiny, lifeless body of the innocent is lying in the
dust down here in this pit?
And there we have the greatest sin of these pretty ones: they portray grief with such talent that their act seems so much
3 Defense more important than the sadness of the real event itself.»

0 Protection Abaadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine Irises.

10 Life Points Auras

Aura of lament
Temporary • Active • 8 Fathom Radius • Lingering • Luciferians and FTH
3 Faith
3 or more (Immune)
Non-luciferian units with a FTH of 2 or less suffer a penalty of -1
1 Command
SHS and -1 CBT while in the area of effect of this aura.
Aura of spiritual vice
Evasive Permanent • Affects the Whole Battlefield • Allies (Immune)
Whenever CMD is spent to pay for an enemy unit’s
Harmless order, that unit takes a number of damage equal to
Runaway the amount of CMD spent, ignoring PR. If they are
paying for Vae Soli or Vae Vicits then they aren’t
Ricochet 2 affected by this aura. If the enemy unit giving the
Terror 2 order is killed by this aura’s effect, the order
they are giving still happens normally.

Limited 2 17 114 Base : Regular

 The demonS

Succubus
«A company of Saracens had set an ambush for my men on the crest of the hill. As soon as they hit us I was
knocked off my feet and into the void. The weight of my armor pulled me on downwards and I rolled all the way
down a steep incline, unable to stop my tumbling. I would have preferred to break every bone in my body and die
then and there. For in my misfortune, I had fallen into a dark pit that led all the way to the heart of Hell, or at least
into one of the most abject holes of its vice.
There, spread out on the ground, lay a dark beauty, so scantily clad that not one detail of her anatomy,
her round, firm curves and her perfect waist, could have escaped my gaze. Her hips were
designed to bear children, however she used her features only to defy the Lord with her
debauchery. On seeing me, she turned to strike an animal pose, never taking her
gaze from me, so full it was with carnal desire. Her sighs of pleasure were
harassing me so, that my heart began to beat with near-deadly speed.
She was pleasuring herself with the handle of her barbed whip,
and this was what was causing her cries of pleasure. The whip was
wound around her neck, her body and her thighs, burning her
flesh to bloodshed. It seemed to have a life of its own, the louder
her cries became, the tighter the dark barbed lash wound itself
around her.
All around her, damned ones were gazing upon this for-
bidden tableau, enraged with frustration. Each one of them
was held at a distance by a chain that wound around the
base of their manhood. The chains held them at a distance
as they strained to try to touch her, their frustration and
desire mounting.
Suddenly, the temptress’s body stiffened, and she made a
great play out of it, pounding the ground with her fists like
a herd of demons. Though the finish of the scene brought
the damned souls their relief, their eyes remained haunted
and their expressions slack jawed. A smile of pleasure
spread across her face, though her cruel expression never
left her.

I fled from that horrible temple of lust, followed only by

the echoes of their tormented moaning. But if my body has
returned intact from that place, my soul remains its prisoner.
I feel I have become the slave of that vision and I can no
longer find a moment’s peace. I have tried every woman in every
brothel in the city and have found no cure. I have gelded myself,
Limited 3
but the pain has done nothing to remove the source of my lust. It
has only increased my fury. After that I paid a brigand to cut off both
my hands. But now I merely slam my head against the walls in a mindless
movement, as if I was one of those chained souls. If I was to kill myself, I
would undoubtedly be carried back there. Is there no hope of redemption for he
29 Independent
who has met the gaze of the corrupter? Father, you must inform the council that the
pure will soon become scarce down below if the beauties of Hell decide to march on New Demon
Jerusalem. They represent the worst of what is buried deep in the hearts of every male being
who believes he walks in the light of God.”
Female
Anonymous tale gathered in confession and noted in the diary of Father Rogeas.

Satanist (Luciferian)
Orders
Shield of lust
Movement 5
Passive • 2 CMD
Until the end of the turn, the Succubus is DEF 6 against all Male enemies
Shooting Skill -
in close combat.
Demonic Fury
Active • 2 permanent CMD • Unique
Charisma Combat 6
Until the end of the game, the Succubus gets +2 MVT, +2 CBT and +2 FTH. Evasive Defense 5
Ricochet
Protection 0

Life Points 11

Faith 3

Command 1
Whips Hits Damage
Slashing 1 3
Eager 2
Lunge 2 3 6
4 + Pain 2
Base :
4 8
115
Regular
5 6 + Knocked Down
 FactionS

Damned One of Wrath

Of all the satanic troops, they are the ones who most often appear first in the sights of our arquebusiers. Neither
living nor dead, they bear no armor in battle. From a distance, one of them could be mistaken for some poor lost
madman, in a frenzied search for something, although he no longer recalls what. He is constantly moving, taking
six steps, turning around, constantly turning his head in every direction. There... He has seen us... Or smelled
Trooper us... It is impossible to tell which of his senses is being used. A scavenging beast that has taken human form.
Not only is he naked, but he even charges without seeking any form of cover. The others come, others like
him... primitives and barbarians... Are these the foot soldiers of the Empire Below?
Damned One The first time I saw them I would have laughed hard and loud if the land around us hadn’t been so
sinister. We were fighting the locals and they had no weapons. Our campaign in Hell would be as
easy as a walk in the park... And what captain, what warlord could have so little self esteem as
Male to send out such a rank and file? He couldn’t be in much better shape himself. This wasn’t an
army; it was a parody, a macabre pantomime of our ancestors...
I was fresh and confident, but I could see that all around me the veterans of my com-
Satanist (Luciferian) pany remained solemn. They knew what they were in for... And they knew the hideous
barbarians charging towards us.
As the distance between our two armies was diminishing, and the clash
of steel became imminent, I began to judge the enemy’s nature in a more
serious way... No, my memory deceives me. First there was the cloud
of powder from our firearms that blinded us. When the smoke was

Base : Regular gone, they were very close to us. Our shots hadn’t stopped them
all. Their wounds looked very strange. They did not bleed like
men. The metal had sculpted their bodies, as had the tools
of horror that were grafted into their very flesh and which

Unlimited they brandished like weapons. They seemed to be obli-

vious to any pain other than that which they intended
to inflict upon us with all the force of their rage. I
finally realized what must, by far, be keeping them
so alert... It was wrath; anger was driving their
bodies and their minds.
There we were, like the legions of Rome facing
the charge of the primitive peoples possessed
by pagan fury. They were the animal spirit of
war... They were Gauls, Wisigoths and Picts...
Saxons, Germans and Francs... Or rather the
shadows of those ancestral warriors, who had
escaped themselves to continue their dance
of eternal destruction.
They were not fighting for the cause
of Hell; they were not fighting against
our campaign of conquest. They lived
only for that unique instant when their
charge would hit our front line.
Their symptom had become their law.
Helmets crushing skulls as the maces
made contact, hands sliced off, armor
pierced through, bones crushed into thou-
sands of tiny shards, guts lying in the
dust on the ground... They turned our
company into a river of blood and pain,
but that did not quench their thirst. And
as they trampled the dying, hacking
again and again at the lifeless flesh, they
continued to watch for some invisible
adversary in spite of their agitation.
To survive, I became a wild beast; every
skirmish was a chance to rewrite the code of

14 steel. I had become one with my blade and my only warmth was their dying
flesh. When I had finished with those puppets of war, I discovered that the cap-
tain of my company was not quite dead. Although every bone in his body had been
smashed, he still gathered enough strength to point his weapon in my direction. At
5 Movement the time I thought he was delirious.
Now I understand his gesture.
No doubt, when I die, I will join the ranks of the Damned Ones of Wrath.»
- Shooting Skill
Anonymous tale gathered in confession and noted in the diary of Father Rogeas.

4 Combat Fury
4 Defense

0 Protection
Grafted Weapons Hits Damage
9 Life Points Blunt & Piercing 1 3
Or 2 4
2 Faith Piercing & Slashing 3 6
Or 4 8
- Command 116 Blunt & Slashing 5 10
 The demonS

Damned One of Gluttony

Normal Form & Obese Form
The clergyman jumped to his feet, shivering from the freezing sweat that had soaked his
clothes. As he did every time he woke up, he repeated the litany he had grown accustomed
to: «I am not asleep. This is not a nightmare. I am in Kohut, circle of Hell. I have come here
Trooper
to accompany the troops and at all times preach faith in our Lord God...»
Far away, on the crest of a hill, he could see a strange silhouette, one that seemed to have
one arm of monstrous proportions. He realized that it was not an arm but a tongue, a
Damned One
gigantic tongue protruding from the thing’s belly.
The man of the cloth turned his gaze away and walked towards the captain of the
company, who was giving orders left, right and center. Ordering the company to
Asexual
pack up and leave without delay.
«What is happening, Captain?»
«I have changed my mind, Father. We don’t really need any rest after all, so we
Satanist (Luciferian)
are leaving our space to others... Nothing strange about that! We are not the only
ones to occupy these lands. It is but Christian charity to share them equally... And, Normal Form Obese Form
well, I have decided our wounded don’t really need any rest after all. Look at them,
the bastards enjoy all that pain, don’t they!» 6 Movement 2
«Please stop mocking me, Captain! What sense does another march make when
we are already exhausted? We won’t get far in this state.»
Obese Form:
«Well we will just have to. My mission is to bring this convoy of wounded men Invulnerable - Shooting Skill -
back to New Jerusalem... This place is crawling with enemies; come, step closer to
the cliff edge... Any minute now they will have completely surrounded us. Look at
their bodies, the Devil seems to have designed them for the sole purpose of devouring
Slow 5 Combat 3
constantly, to devour even the Abyss if there was nothing else to feed on. They are like
swine... swine capable of swallowing a man whole, and even that will not satisfy their
Tenacious 4 Defense 6
hunger. Believe me; I have seen them at work. They like the taste of our flesh, and they
care little if we are warm or cold when they are ready to eat. Then their shape changes
and they become obese. However, their digestion is a very quick process. It is as if Hell 0 Protection 0
had condemned them to this eternal punishment. Be sure to write all this down in your
journal, Father, I’m sure the people at court will be most interested. «
«You... You are shaking like a leaf, Captain.» 8 Life Points 3
«Do not worry, this is no fever, I merely tremble with fear. The fear of what I must do now. I
need you to give this young man his last rites.»
«Surely you aren’t going to...?» 2 Faith 2
«There’s no point drawing straws, Father, he has been agonizing since we left. We will throw
him down this side and flee the opposite way. I am hoping they will be drawn this way and we
may be able to lose them... maybe.»
- Command -
«For the love of God, could we not simply wait and see if they charge?»
«We may as well ask the Almighty to grant us a miracle right now. We are running out of
food, ammunition and strength; we cannot fight a battle in this state. They, on the contrary, can
go into battle on an empty stomach. Hunger burns at their souls, but not their bodies. This is no
longer a war, Father, it is a hunt. And I think you can guess who the quarry is.»
Unlimited
Transformation (normal form)
(After having devoured an enemy • Damned One of
Gluttony, Obese Form)
Transformation (obese form)
(After having killed a devoured enemy • Damned
One of Gluttony)

Gaping Mouth Hits Damage

Absorption 1 4
Normal Form 2 2 + Stunned
3 Devoured
4 6
5 7 + Stunned

Gaping Mouth Hits Damage

Absorption 1 3
Obese Form 2 5
3 7
4 9
5 11
117 17/0 Base : Large
 FactionS

Damned One of Sloth

«These troopers are like an explosion of half-hearted farts from the bowels of Hell. Their mediocrity is only matched by
their number, an annoying infinity reclining hopelessly in the shade of every field of torture. Unfortunately, it seems that
whatever the era of human society, there have been legions of souls more than willing to indulge in this sad activity.
When we grow tired of watching them do nothing but defecate upon themselves out of sheer laziness, we arm them in the
Trooper only hope of getting rid of them.
As in every other domain, they have absolutely no talent for warfare.
They are bad fighters, hindering the progression of the troops and oblivious to cunning or any other form of structured
Damned One thought, even the most futile.
The stroke of genius of our Luciferians was to turn their very own vice upon them, their aim to always let others do for
them what they should do themselves. Thus, the rebel angels throw them down as cannon fodder for the enemy so they may
Asexual die in the stead of other more deserving and talented warriors, or at the very least use their bodies as shields. But even then
they are disobedient and unwilling, for they are able to endure far too many hits before they go down.
Look at them, the lazy buggers! Their slouching and their complete lack of animosity are so annoying... Who on Earth,
Satanist (Luciferian) or below it, could believe that they are able to terrorize the enemy ranks? They are the laughing stock of the Underworld,
as they march out onto the battlefield. What can our adversaries possibly think of such a rabble? They must think that our
empire is definitively ridden with vermin, and so march forward with light and confident hearts. Ah, those traitors! Now I
2 Movement can see what they are playing at! Line up the catapults, that I may fling them over the walls of New Jerusalem! It was so
obvious! If our glorious troops are suffering such smarting defeats from those arrogant Christians, it’s all their fault! Eve-
rything is their fault! Yes, that must be it! They alone are the source of all our troubles, there can be no doubt. In fact I’m
- Shooting Skill sure it was one of these useless bastards who first let the living worm their way into the lands of the dead.
One may be forgiven for thinking that they might just be able to defend a position, given their acute distaste for having to
move their sorry arses even an inch... But no! The blithering idiots must have watched the Christian armies march past while
3 Combat drooling into their own navels... Although even that activity requires minimum skills to hit the target. Damn them all! Not
even capable of dribbling down themselves properly...
Ha, I already know where they acquired this lamentable habit. The Church and it’s ridiculous number of holy feast days
2 Defense has taught them the art of sloth.
I had best conclude the study of these sad beasts now, in case it gives anyone ideas for a vocation. I realize now that
0 Protection by criticizing the lazy, I am succumbing to the sirens of their own vice. There is no glory to be found in denouncing the
obviously guilty, no panache in pointing an accusing finger at those upon whom all eyes are already laid. Let us leave
these damned ones to crawl across our fields of pain and toy with the dying who are left behind on the battlefield
18 Life Points after the retreat has been sounded. Let them harass the enemy troopers and tease their guard, while in the heart
of the action, walks the demon, straight at the heart of the holy ones. With one sure blow he will sink his blade
into it, putting an end to the rumor that the believers call hope.»
2 Faith
Aabadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine Irises.
- Command

Advance
Deployment 4
Attraction 4
Slow
Tenacious

Base : Regular
Attached Weapon Hits Damage
Blunt 1 2
Or 2 3
Piercing 3 5

Unlimited 13 118
Or
Slashing
4 7
5 9
 The demonS

Flesh Demon
«Sometimes, upon a battlefield abandoned by the survivors, the rotting flesh can return
to life. Some say that this is the part that the souls of the damned leave behind when they
enter the Abyss. A pound of flesh, if you will, that the Underworld reclaims to pay for their
accommodation...
The bloody mass assembles itself without any form of organization, into a gigantic sha-
peless blob. This is how our accursed land gives birth to its own illegitimate offspring, born
from pain and from horror.
As soon as it is assembled, this machine of skin and guts reaches maturity. It
can come and go independently, and will obey orders with the diligence of a
bastard son trying to prove his worth to a spiritual father.
In fact it is true that one should not speak too closely to this parti-
cular demon, as it is most difficult to distinguish its mouth from its
anus. Obviously, any mistake in the matter will trigger general
hilarity among the present company and even the most learned
doctors do not dare attempt to do so. Besides, no-one has
ever been able to clearly establish whether these buggers
possess these two orifices or if they only have the one that
serves both purposes.
Therefore, when dealing with one, it is preferable to
avoid speaking with any unnecessary formalism. Espe-
cially as they seem to have an instinctive gift for knowing
exactly what needs to be done in every situation.
Almost as soon as one gains consciousness, it will go
running off after runaway damned ones, hunt out the
Lost, or harass the invaders.
It is a good guardian of the lands of Lucifer, especially
as its atypical shape hardly makes it able to negotiate,
and in consequence, it is impervious to sterile plotting.
Does it have a soul of its own or is it just a composite
incarnation of the memories that the living leave behind
while they are being torn apart? Yet another question that
has no answer...
For this reason, when the time comes for accomplishing
complex tasks, such as an ordered martial maneuver, there
is no point counting on one of these demons to take any ini-
tiative. Just set it upon the enemy and let it do what it’s best
at. Send it into the wake of the rank and file, and its shape and
Unlimited
stature will focus all the enemy artillery’s attention upon it. ‘Will
you look at this abomination! It is as if the guts of a giant had been
ripped out and given legs...’ That is enough to disturb, even terrify the
invaders. Let their arrows rain down on our champion! Its flesh squirms
and swells endlessly, healing its wounds quickly unless one knows the correct
12 Trooper
way to kill it.
Come unto us, oh Demons of Flesh. You are the very guts of Hell, brought to life Demon
by carnage itself.
You are the eternal left-overs of the banquet of horror held by the living on our own lands.
Follow the paths and join our companies: you are, in the very heart of battle, the shield of the Asexual
glorious Luciferians. Do your duty, go to the slaughter and spread your thousands of bloody
pieces over the chaos of the melée. This is where you came to life, and it is here that the hand of
the Master has guided you in haste. And as you slide down towards the void, honorless, the gap Satanist (Luciferian)
in the impious enemy’s ranks is growing. Their hands, mouths, ears, intestines, all their limbs,
cut loose by the empire of our flying blades, are already mixing with your disgusting remains.
Slowly, the sounds of clashing steel fall away into the distance. Who was the victor of this mer-
ciless butchery? It does not matter, for soon the enemy’s fluids, still warm from the spilling, will
return you to life again. You are the incarnation of massacre sculpted into one being. Follow Movement 4
the echo of our war-songs! Come unto us, oh Demons of Flesh.»

Aabadoth, Grand Chronicler of the Nine Irises. Shooting Skill -

Advanced
Combat 3
Deployoment 4
Ambush Defense 3
Impressive Protection 0
Regeneration 8
Life Points 8
Terror
Faith 2

Bodily Harm Hits Damage Command -

Blunt 1 2
2 3
3 5 + Stunned
4 9
119
Base : Large
5 5 + Knocked Down
 The saracenS
he Saracens
The Secrets of the Old Man
Four centuries of Saracen presence in Hell. That is
quite a long time. Imagine what the Old Man of the
Mountain did when he found out that he was no lon-
ger getting older, but instead had as long as he could
ever need to accomplish anything he set his mind to!
A whole new kingdom lay before him, to discover and
to control. Most important of all, he was now where
no other believer had ever set foot, so close to The
Truth. The gates of Heaven. There could be no other
quest greater than this, for a believer such as Hassan
ibn Al-Sabbah.
Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah therefore sent his Hashishin to
search everywhere. First in the lands around his new
fortress, then further and further a field. Hassan ibn Al-
Sabbah meticulously collected all the information they
brought back. This information constituted thousands
of maps, reports, descriptions, and charts, as well as
many studies on the flora and its medicinal or alche-
mical uses, on various types of Demons, and geological
resources, including the Prima Materia. Hassan ibn Al-
Sabbah immediately understood the importance of this
material and started working immediately on mastering
its use. All of his research and his many detailed atlases
are stored in a secret library that occupies a whole wing
of his new fortress.
Every day, new reports arrive from every corner of the
Underworld. Every day, the Old Man of the Mountain
listened as his men read them out.
After the first century, Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah had a
good notion of the different circles that make up the
Underworld, he knew of the archdemons and fallen
angels who rule over the main kingdoms, and of their
political conflicts. Still, the heavenly gates remained
unattainable. Oh, there were traces and clues, here and
there, but no proof. Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah then unders-
tood that he could not succeed in his task alone. He had
to make contact with the inhabitants of this place. So he
sent out his emissaries. Many of them never returned.
Others returned with treaties and pacts, access granted
to certain places, to certain information normally payed
for with blood. Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah had plenty of
spare lives to spend, with the arrival of the Mongols,
then the Mamluks, and then the Seljuks. While these
people where drawn to Hell in search of the Prima Mate-
ria and other sources of power and influence, all these
things were but distractions thrown out by Hassan to
keep the fools busy while he pursued his real goal.
One by one, the Muslim factions ventured out into
the lands of Hell, little knowing that the Old Man of the
Mountain had already sealed their fate with his local
121
allies. Even if they were to win their battle, their quest
for the Prima Materia would condemn them for sure.
After another century, a tough realization dawned
on the Old Man of the Mountain: he knew the Unde-
rworld better than anyone else, but he was no longer
making any progress. He was lacking something. Or
rather there was something he had lost. The purity of
his faith. Although he was still set on the same goal,
he had lost the most useful of all tools for reaching
it. It was at that time that Osman arrived. Witnessing
his unifying charisma and faithful conviction, Hassan
ibn Al-Sabbah realized that he would not be able to
control this one as he had controlled Osman’s prede-
cessors. So he chose to serve Osman, for fighting him
would only have brought about his own destruction.
Of this he was certain. It was a time to make compro-
mises... while he waited for the right opportunity.
For that was indeed what the Ottomans were for
Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah: an opportunity to continue his
quest that had ground to a halt. The Ottomans brought
with them new men, pure and honest, who were on
the same spiritual quest as himself. The Old Man of
the Mountain thought that among all this new blood,
among all these holy men, surely there would be one
whose faith was pure enough to fulfill this quest. Has-
san ibn Al-Sabbah would be right there behind him,
to thank him, and immediately claim for himself that
which he had been seeking for centuries. Hiding in his
fortress, the Old Man of the Mountain waits and listens
to the reports of his men. He bides his time. He has all
the time in the world. He plots. He knows that one day
the inevitable will occur, and he will be there.
The Hashishin and the Nizari, while commited to their
masters quest, are concerned with their progressive
loss of influence in the territories of Hell. Ottomans,
infidels, mercenaries, the coalitions of Lost Ones...
Never before had there been so many factions, so many
pawns on the chessboard. With these conditions, it was
no longer simple to maintain the same level of maneu-
verability. Thankfully, the Hashishin still had plenty of
secret knowledge that made them indispensable. But
for how much longer?
A Series of Strange Coincidences
In the case of the Ottoman Empire, as with all enligh-
tened civilizations, there are always skeletons in the
closet. As many skeletons as the lives of those lost to
one of the great epidemics that swept across Europe,
such as the outbreaks of Black Death, or small pox,
that could wipe out a whole region and empty whole
cities of their populations. That is precisely the one of
the dark secrets of the Ottoman Empire: whole cities
of people were exterminated. By what disease, may
you ask? Not the plague, nor the pox, nor even the ‘flu.
 FactionS
An even greater evil was terrorizing the Muslim world,
a world so eager for purity and immaculate faith: the
evil of corruption.
Let us go back to the beginning of this story. Alamut.
The discovery of a gate that leads to Hell,the reign of
the Prima Materia, and the development of alchemy.
One morning, the Muslim world opened its eyes to
find a source of magical energy at its disposal: The
Prime Materia. Everything became possible. From then
onwards, men of letters became obsessed with collec-
ting all the written works about magic, alchemy, and
myth. They were collecting these things in an attempt
to compile all of the useful knowledge about the subject
of magic. One day, a great vizier, whose name was for-
gotten after his quick and violent death, came across an
old tale from biblical times. It must have dated back to
the times of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The
tale told of boxes... or of chests... or of some kind of holy
ark... and of a curse that should not be awakened. The
details of the story were somewhat unclear. The vizier
met a strange end while his story was becoming the talk
of scientific and alchemical communities of the Islamic
world. However, it came about that one Sultan eventually
gathered noblemen, adventurers and scientists to take
part in an expedition to Abyssinia, the ancient kingdom
of the Queen of Sheba, to follow the tales.
Because the journey lasted for several years, the Sul-
tan had given up on the whole thing and had returned
home to count his piles of gold in his palace when a
handful of survivors returned from the adventure with
a treasure that made them extremely nervous. They
refused to speak of it with anyone but the Sultan him-
self. The survivors showed him what they had brought
back from a fortress that they had found hidden in the
very heart of the wildest mountains, guarded by the
fiercest of warriors. They told him what had become
of the rest of their companions. When they laid their
hands on the treasure, they freed an abominable thing
that should have remained locked in its prison until
the end of days. On hearing their tale, the Sultan was
struck with fear and decided, at the survivors’ request,
to hide the other parts of the treasure in a safe and
inaccessible place.
Until he could find such a safe place, the treasure
was placed in a secret room of the Sultan’s palace. This
could have been the end of the whole story if one of
the surviving members of the expedition had not been
«contaminated» by the thing they had set free. He stole
all the pieces of the treasure from the secret room kil-
ling all the guards, the inhabitants of the palace, and
the Sultan himself with some kind of violent poison
that had been slipped into the food. That was the last
that was heard of that treasure.
Soon thereafter, a young Emir, traveling through a far
away city in Persia, observed a series of strange canni-
balistic rituals. He soon found out that they were part of
a strange cult devoted to a very ancient and evil spirit.
122
The djinn had incarnated himself in the body of one of
the city’s most powerful inhabitants and had «converted»
many of the citizens to its own eating habits. Then it had
moved on to possess another body. As they had no way of
knowing behind which face the spirit was hiding, nor how
far the cannibalistic contamination had spread, the Otto-
man authorities decided to wipe out the whole city and its
inhabitants without distinction, as the Ottoman Empire
must remain immaculate and pure. The young Emir later
discovered a strange wooden box in the ruins of the city,
its seal was broken and it bore ancient inscriptions, most
likely dating back to biblical times. The experts sent to
inspect it remained perplexed . All except one who had
previously held a box similar to it, one of King Solomon’s
treasures. He knew well the meaning of the broken seal.
Someone had set free one of the evil djinns that Solomon
had imprisoned in the chest. It was also more than likely
that other chests stolen from Solomon’s treasure had also
been opened. The Emir brought this to the attention of
the highest Ottoman authorities. Inspectors were sent out
far and wide to locate the fifteen stolen boxes and attempt
to detect any behavior that could indicate the presence of
one of the djinns.
Another atrocity was soon uncovered in a city in Libya.
In this city, its inhabitants were completely given over to
the pleasures of the flesh. The Ottomans purified the
place with fire, and the inhabitants, locked behind the
city walls, were either asphyxiated or burned to death.
Another chest was found there. Some if the inspectors
found the trail of one of the survivors of the ill-fated
expedition, probably he who had slaughtered all the
inhabitants of the Sultan’s palace. The man had become
a very powerful vizier, one of the ten most important
people in the state. He had left for the Underworld...
And there he disappeared. That was the end of the trail
of stolen chests. Since then, the possible opening of ano-
ther box is a constant source of concern for the Empire.
A Quest Shared by All
The quest of the Muslim armies to the Underworld is
one that is shared by all the population of the Ottoman
Empire. There isn’t a single believer who does not feel
concerned by it. It proves, if proof was needed by the
faithful, that God is indeed there, waiting for those who
believe in him. The last step would be to find Him, the
One, or at least the path to him, the gates of Heaven.
For if there is a Hell, it stands to reason that there must
be a Heaven.
The whole of the population supports the Ottoman
armies. Not a day goes by without an Imam saying a
prayer for the men fighting in the companies Below.
Collections are organized for the crusade. Some of the
main religious figures are wondering if some kind of
fund raising should be organized, on the same model
 The saracenS
as the Zakat, the charitable obligation; one of the pillars
of Islam, but the theoretical and theological debates are
going nowhere.
In fact, this crusade seems to create debate eve-
rywhere. Everyone is talking about it: from the Berber
caravan driver to the Arab fisherman on the Red Sea to
the Turkish artisan. There is no conversation between
friends or family that does not speak of the crusade with
enthusiasm and hopefulness. Artists, poets and actors
travel the towns and villages to tell the tales of the wars
of the Underworld. Every popular song speaks of it.
Still, every substantial donation towards the funding
of the crusade is greeted with a collective prayer of
thanks at the mosque. Some are even prouder of their
donations for the crusade than they are of having com-
pleted the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Many young
Muslims rush to the recruiting offices to sign up for
the armies Below. The demand is such that the candi-
dates are submitted to a strict selection process. Every
young Muslim hopes to be the first to meet the One,
or to open the gates of Heaven (with the added plea-
sure of having slaughtered a few demons and infidels
along the way).
The whole of the Muslim population, Sunni and Shiite,
from the Atlantic coast to the shores of India, is united
by this crusade. It is a terrific drive that crystallizes all the
hopes of the population, as they wait for the great news:
the first encounter with the One. Another positive aspect
of the crusade is the amount of riches that are brought
back from the Underworld. With special concern for the
Prima Materia that has now been in use for a long time
in many domains. In addition, we also bring back plants,
essences, and waters from Below.
If the crusade in Hell is a spiritual quest that mobilizes
and unites the people, the commercial activity that it
produces has led the Ottoman Empire into something of
a golden age, where social and religious peace now rule.
Islam, the Force of Purity as an
Antidote
A new mystery has everyone puzzled. While all the
people encountered in the Underworld carry asto-
nishing stigmata and suffer from strange afflictions, the
Muslims Below do not seem to be affected. Miracu-
lously spared, one should say. Learned men everywhere
wonder at this curious phenomenon.
The answer, however, is simple: it is their faith that
protects the Muslims. A young faith, one where purity
and fear of corruption are two sides of the same coin.
This makes it even stronger. Purity is omnipresent in
the life of the faithful: from the daily ablutions to purify
the body to the avoidance of any «impure» thoughts
during the month of Ramadan, from the gesture, the
action, to the thought, the intention. The youthfulness
123
of Islam means that its followers are more involved,
more attentive to their faith.
What’s more, the believers who depart for the Unde-
rworld (or at least, the vast majority of them) do so as
if they were leaving on a pilgrimage to Mecca. They
consider it as an act of faith, as their duty as a Muslim.
The commercial opportunities that occur on the way
are secondary. They go to explore (and to cleanse) the
lands Below. And if they find a treasure on the way,
they take it. In fact, these riches and their exploitation
are severely regulated.
The Muslims who venture there have tremendous res-
pect and fear for that which lies in Hell. Only «available»
items are brought back, those that can be collected wit-
hout the need for tool or machine. Exploiting the Unde-
rworld is quite out of the question. Hell cannot be treated
as a land of Islam. Thus, only what is lying around can be
carried away. This does reduce the range of exploitable
riches, but it also reduces the corrupting grip of the Unde-
rworld on the Muslims who travel through it.
Furthermore, the quantities brought back are rigorously
recorded. Each individual is not permitted to return
with more than a rucksack of infernal produce, and he
must give thirty percent of it to the army before passing
through the gate of Alamut back into the world Above.
This percentage is then sold and the money raised goes to
finance the upkeep of the military infrastructures Below:
forts, outposts, caravans...
In this way, no-one can really make their fortune in
Hell. They can merely bring back enough to provide
a little well-earned comfort for the veterans and their
families. In fact, very few «honest» merchants will trade
in infernal goods, even if the profits can be substantial.
The Progress of the Spiritual Quest
So far, we have not yet discovered any physical traces
of the existence of the First Being, no tracks that could
lead us to the gates of Heaven. However there are a few
clues and testimonials that are quite disturbing.
For example, the army that invaded Ampharaus made
quite a strange discovery. In the ruins of what had been a
large city, one with very sophisticated architecture, quite
different to the usual demonic dwellings, an Imam found
carvings that represented a gigantic shining gate that lead
to some kind of dream land. Undoubtedly, this showed
the gate to Heaven. The Imam had the stone carvings car-
ried back by his men so they could be examined by a
group of experts. At this point in time, the carvings have
not revealed their secret, nor given any indication as to the
location of this gate.
Other buildings with a similar architectural style -
roughly fifteen in total - were discovered later on in the
circles of Aussonia and Thebes, although they were of
much smaller size. There too carvings were found and
 FactionS
brought back. They have elements in common with the
ones found in the ruins of Ampharaus, but they do not
refer to the great shining gates at all. The scholars think
that these smaller structures may have been relays,
stages on the road to the great city. But then, what was
the purpose of the great ruined city? Are there others
to be found, greater still?
Other buildings with a similar architectural style - rou-
ghly fifteen in total - were discovered later on in the
circles of Aussonia and Thebes, although they were of
much smaller size. There too carvings were found and
brought back. They have elements in common with the
ones found in the ruins of Ampharaus, but they do not
refer to the great shining gates at all. The scholars think
that these smaller structures may have been relays,
stages on the road to the great city. But then, what was
the purpose of the great ruined city? Are there others to
be found, greater still?
The most spectacular of these events are chance
encounters with historic and great Islamic figures. There
are three that have been authenticated by religious autho-
rities. In Thebes, a battalion of dibukkim cleansed a nest
of demons who were guarding some kind of necropolis.
In its center stood a pyramid, and at its summit, a man
was held prisoner. He was no other than Hussein the
Martyr, son of Ali, the founder of the Shiite branch of
Islam. The Martyr, having called for the eradication of
evil, disappeared during the night.
Next, a caravan came across Abdel Qader Gilani, Sufi
master of the Qadiriyya, who offered to teach his mem-
bers the art of ittihad, the total communion with God.
Then he disappeared after the meditation.
Finally, Imam Bukhari, who wrote the Sahih Bukhari,
was seen by a group of Berber scouts inside a gigan-
tic arch-shaped structure made of onyx, on the frontier
between Ampharaus and Aussonia. The arch was covered
in thousands of Kabbalistic signs. The Imam demanded
that they be copied and studied. Then he disappeared.
Undoubtedly a clue to be deciphered. However, so far,
nothing has come from it. Other holy figures of Islam
have reportedly been seen in various places, although
only so much credit can be granted to these reports.
The Muslim Presence in Hell
For four centuries now, the Muslims have been pre-
sent in the Underworld and they have been far from
idle. In the beginning there were the Hashishin and the
Nizari. They rebuilt their fortress in Ampharaus. This
new fortress is just as inexpugnable as the original. Its
daunting height and size make it all the more impressive
that it is the first military building that the Muslims see
when they arrive Below. Unfortunately, they can only
pass it by. By virtue of the agreement between Has-
san ibn Al-Sabbah and the Ottoman authorities, only
124
the Hashishin and the Nizari can enter the fortress. Of
course, guests are occasionally invited to enter if the
Old Man of the Mountain wishes to see them but this is
a rather exceptional occurrence.
The other pivotal point of the Muslim occupation is
Al-Aqsa, a city built in the circle of Ampharaus, near the
passage to Kohut. The military staff of the armies cur-
rently active in the Underworld is based here. Although
it includes a souk, a mosque, a hamam and a hospital, it
is most of all a garrison town where the soldiers come
to receive their orders, fetch supplies or spend their per-
missions. Unlike what can be seen in New Jerusalem,
here you will find no vice, no insecurity. Just a haven of
peace... with all the material needed to wage a war. Al-
Aqsa is also home to a circle of alchemists and a scien-
tific laboratory that welcomes all scholars who journey
to Hell for their research. It is also to Al-Aqsa that the
bodies of the dead warriors are brought. There, they
are prepared for burial in Islamic soil, in the cemeteries
around Alamut. Indeed, a Muslim cannot be buried in
non-Islamic soil. If a leader was to abandon the bodies
of his fallen men, you can be sure that no Muslim will
ever follow him anywhere again. And no one would
blame them for it.
Fortified outposts make up a regular network of halts
for caravans and troops on the move. These outposts
are designed to be able to resist a siege and house a
full regiment. They are the nervous system of the Mus-
lim occupation. Through them travel both information
and supplies, and they provide an easily defensible safe
place. They are spread out along the paths that lead to
the passages between the infernal circles.
In addition to these outposts, the Muslims have also
established a system of nomadic camps that allow
troops to patrol the dangerous areas and keep track of
the movements of the infernal armies. These troops also
patrol the roads used by the Ottoman supply caravans
to assure their security.
Beside Al-Aqsa, there are a few strongholds with ela-
borate defensive systems in Thebes and Aussonia. They
all have ramparts, moats, a field hospital, and a small
mosque. During Ramadan, the troops on campaign take
it in turns to come to these outposts for a day of prayer.
They are usually also the ending point of the caravan
routes until another outpost is established elsewhere in
the circles of Hell.
The Ottoman armies are very well organized, and
their structured logistics are the base of their success
in the Underworld. Not only is everything planned from
a military point of view, but also from a religious one.
Their soldiers are never short of physical food on a daily
basis, but neither do they want of food for the soul.
The Muslims are both soldiers and believers: ablutions,
prayers, fasting... All these moments are planned as part
of their daily routine. When a soldier arrives in Hell
he is given a basic kit, including a small prayer mat, a
travel-sized Qur’an (that can be slipped inside the belt
 The saracenS
or carried around the neck in a special pouch), a vial of
holy water from Mecca (water from the Zemzem) and
a key (the key to the gates of Heaven, a small reminder
of the spiritual quest that drives them all). Even the
traditions have been adapted to life below: it is difficult
to turn towards Mecca for prayers when in Hell, where
that direction is impossible to locate. So the prayers are
performed in the direction of the nearest passage: logi-
cally, the quickest route if one was to set out for Mecca.
In the same way, the bodies of fallen soldiers are never
left behind in Hell.
125
The only dark cloud in the sky of the Ottoman armies
is the return of the veterans to Earth. When signing
up, they can choose between a service of ten or twenty
years, though most everyone signs a first contract of ten
years. However they do not grow any older while in the
Underworld. When they return home after their service,
everything has changed, except them. Some even return
to find their whole family gone. Those who are lucky
enough to still have family feel very uncomfortable living
with an aging wife and fully grown children while they
haven’t aged a day. So they return to fight in Hell and
stay there forever.
 FactionS

Salâh ad-Dîn, Redeemer of the Believers

For a time all was ash, dust, darkness, and deprivation. I can’t tell how long my mind wandered bereft of my body, spin-
ning inwards towards the darkness befuddled by mirages. Was I alive? Dead? I had no idea. My brain swam with visions
of my sick bed, then visions of my victories, then plains of blood and fire where I new not my name. Time seemed to have
no meaning and I was certain that I was dying or already dead. How long I continued in this state I couldn’t say.
Then one day I awoke here in Hell. Everything seemed to fall back into place and I remembered everything. My
life, my death, my time in Hell, I remembered everything. Realizing I was in Hell, I despaired, for I thought that
Officer I had lived a virtuous and righteous life in the eyes of Allah. I bent my back to the toil and torture that the
jinn heap upon the damned. For quite some time I lost myself in the punishment thinking it my destiny. Then
news started to spread within the ranks of the damned, that had reason enough to remember and tell such
Damned One tales, that mortal men had found a way to hell.
As I contemplated such a thing, I became convinced that being sent to Hell was merely a test of
my resolve and purity. If mortals could travel from above to below then why could the damned
Male not return above, or to Heaven? These things merely required determination and the proper
reverence for and certainty of Allah’s greatness. Perhaps all mortals find themselves in Hell
after their death, and only the truly worthy who continue to practice their faith will be
Muslim (Sunni) admitted to Heaven. A fairly radical idea I admit, but who of us is to know the will
of the Almighty?
I resolved immediately to seek out these mortals as soon as I could, and began
Mentalist to work out ways to escape from the jinn that had been my tormentors.
At this point Salâh looked away and seemed lost in thought for a moment.
Needless to say getting away presented challenges but I felt alive and
motivated again and nothing was going to stop me. Eventually I saw
the opportunity and used violence to slip away. Many of the other
Unique damned could have accompanied me but they didn’t seem to have
the will to strike out on their own. I wandered for a short while,
but finding the intruders was actually much easier than I had
thought it would be. Imagine my surprise to find the Nizari
5 Movement and the old man here in Hell! We talked and I found that
the old man shared some of my ideas about why we where
all here. I joined the quest to find the gates of Heaven
- Shooting Skill and have been working toward that goal for quite some
time now. Hell is a peculiar place and I have seen and
learned many wonderous and horrible things. Heed
6 Combat my words, our quest is far from over, it is still only
beginning.
Salâh ad-Dîn’s account of how he came to be
4 Defense in Hell, as gathered by the personal scribe of
Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah
3 Protection
Orders
The Roll of Mercy
14 Life Points
Passive • 2 Permanent CMD • Uni-
que - Salâh ad-Dîn resurrects a muslim
3 Faith
trooper that was killed previously this
game. Put the trooper back on the batt-
6 Command
lefield within 6 fathoms of Salâh ad-Dîn.
The trooper can’t be placed within the
control area of, or in contact with, an
enemy unit and can’t be in impassable
terrain. The resurrected unit is waiting,
can be activated later in the turn, and is
treated as a new unit entering the game.

70 Awakening of the Earth

Passive • 1 Permanent CMD - All of the scenery that is in the same zone of
the battlefield as Salâh ad-Dîn is destroyed. The entirety of Salâh ad-Dîn’s base
must be in the zone for the scenery to be destroyed. Scenery elements specifically linked to the
Charisma 2 scenario that is being played aren’t destroyed.

Fast 2  elluric Movements

T
Passive • 1 Permanent CMD - Target 2 free enemy units with the same sized base, within
Fury 10 fathoms of Salâh ad-Dîn. Swap the positions of the 2 targeted units. The enemy officer

Immunity (Knocked Down) can’t be targeted by this order.

 ae
V soli  ae
V victis
Levitation
Aura
Telluric Waves Hits Damage
Easement
Permanent • 10 Fathom Radius • Muslims with 1+ FTH
Blunt 1 2
Muslim units with a FTH of 1 or greater within the area of effect of this aura, ignore
2 4 + Slowed
3 6 + Stunned the effects of the wounded state.


4 8 + Knocked Down
5 9 + Devoured
126 Base : Extra Large
 The saracenS

Nazir ibn Hamid ibn Hajjad, Emir

«May the Almighty, the Great One, be my witness: I, Youssef, soldier of the Lord in the lands of
Hell, swear that there is no soul nobler or purer than that of Emir Nazir. Every day that Allah brings
where I wake up in his service, I can find only praise for him. If today I am the arms and legs of the
Emir, if I carry him on my shoulders from dawn to dusk, if I protect him from all dangers, that is for
me the greatest of honors. I will personally cut out the tongue of the first son of a dog who dares to Officer
say a foul word about this great man.

I have served under the Emir since he arrived in Hell. We all knew that there was only one reason Human
for his presence Below: to have the joy of meeting the First One by fighting against Iblis, as every
devout believer should. He had already fought against evil back on Islamic soil. He had traveled to
places barely touched by the teachings of the Prophet, to eradicate the filthy pagan cults to creatures
Male
of the Evil One. Already he sensed the presence of Iblis and that had only multi-
plied his faith in God. He understood that his mission was calling him elsewhere:
Below. So he assembled his troops, selecting only the most devout among the
Muslim (sunni)
devout. A body of only brave men, loyal and ready to fight. He chose his friends,
his brothers, and their sons!
Unfortunately, the deeper we ventured into the lands of evil, the more our
sanity was tested by the scenes we were witnessing: Demons, Lost Ones, night- Movement 4
marish creatures, obscenities, and more. Every time we lost someone for whom Charisma 3
we cared the Emir wept! He wept until his eyes burned and every time he asked,
«How many more do we have to lose, O Allah?» Expertise Shooting Skill -
-
After a particularly bloody encounter that sorely tested our faith, the Emir
feared he would lose his mind after all the horrors he had seen. He gathered us all
Healer 5 Combat 5
together after the last prayer and told us of his decision. He asked me to sit at his
right, and said: «So as to no longer see in the darkness but the light of Allah, I will
Leader 4

Defense 3
ask of Youssef, whose hand is steady and whose faith is pure, to burn out my eyes
with my scimitar, heated until it is white hot.» With a heavy heart, I accepted to do
Tenacious 2

so. I was precise. I felt the flesh melt. Not a single cry came from the Emir’s mouth.
Just two words...
Protection 0
«Thank you!»
It was at that moment that I became his closest servant, closer than anyone else could Life Points 16
ever be. 4
However, all force and power is of Allah. To show his gratitude for the purity of the Emir’s
faith, God gave him another gift to compensate for the loss of his vision. Faith 3
2
From that day, the Emir has guided us, riding on my shoulders. Sometimes, he stops me by
squeezing my shoulder and I shiver in anticipation: he can often sense attacks in advance. What Command 5
he could guess before on Earth, he can now sense here in Hell and prepare the response like a chess
player. Rare are the occasions where the enemy, be they demon or damned, have been able to catch us
off guard. It is as if he could see what was going to happen. From now on, for him, the only priority
is to preserve the lives of his men. He doesn’t want to lose even a single one more. If ever any of us
was to fall down onto one knee, wounded by the enemy, he will ask me to hurry him to their side. I
will carry him to the injured, lower him down to their side, and Nazir will lean down towards them.
A new miracle will then take place: a single verse of the holy book, whispered by the Emir
will be enough to bring a wounded man back to his feet. Although I have witnessed
this many dozens of times, I always have the feeling that it is the voice of God
himself that speaks through the lips of our Emir.
If the First One accepts to meet a single believer down here in the
Underworld, I would wager my place in Heaven that He would
choose to meet with Emir Nazir.»

Orders
In cha’Allah
Active • 3 Permanent CMD • Unique
Allied Muslim units, except Nazir himself,
gain +2 DEF, to a maximum of 6, during the
next attack sequence, except explosions or
blasts, they are involved in.
Vae soli
Vae victis

Heavy Scimitar Hits Damage

Slashing 1 3
2 5
3 3 + Stunned Unique


4 9
5 11
127 38 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Layla bint Suraya bint Javaira, Princess

In the humid and stifling heat of the hamam, the women of the harem were taking care of themselves. Fatima,
lounging by the side of the pool, called out to one of the concubines.
«Oda, by the One above, by the Almighty, have pity on our boredom. Tell us of the princess Layla.»
«Again?» she protested. «May Allah be kind and spare me having to tell that whole tale again!»
«Oh Oda, do tell! Please, Oda, please tell us the story!» came the answering calls from the other bathers.
Officer Oda gave a weary shrug, admitting her defeat, and began her tale, a wide smile upon her lips.
«Princess Layla bint Suraya bint Javaira, may Allah watch over her, was a young lady, as beautiful and as sparkling
as the stars in the heavens. Her eyes were like emeralds stolen from the most precious of all antique treasures, her skin
Human was as soft as the silk of Alexandria, her ebony hair cascaded down over her fine shoulders, as light as the wind itself,
and the sound of her voice as she sang was as clear and refreshing as falling rain on a baking hot day. Her mind was
as remarkable as her body: in his great kindness, Allah had given her a sharp intelligence and an exceptional gift for
the arts. She also possessed a deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and the most advanced scientific texts, as well
Female as an innate mastery of the major arts of painting, poetry and music. She was courted by all the greatest and richest
princes of the whole Empire.
To the great dismay of her parents, there was only one dream in her heart: to emulate the greatest general of all the
Muslim (Sunni) believers, the famous Saladin... Yet this was of course out of the question for a female, and a princess of royal blood
all the more. After having cried, screamed and threatened to get her way, she decided to run away from her parents’
palace. Dressed as a man, she managed to fool the Pillars of the Faith who guarded the gates of her parents’ home.
Infernalist 2/2 She then rode all the way to Baghdad, and lived a thousand adventures on the way, but I shall tell you more of them
some other time, my sisters.
When she finally presented herself to the recruiting officer, he made fun of her shape; too thin, too fragile. Her dream
should have shattered there and then. However determination was greater. She wandered through the streets of Baghdad.
Her feet finally took her past the barracks of Al-Jawad. There on the doorstep, a young nobleman was crying: his parents

Unique wanted him to enter the service of General Al-Jawad, but he wished only to become a poet. His family would be covered
in shame if he did not fulfill his duty. Layla offered to take his place: thus, he could go and live out his passion of poetry,
and she could become a soldier while his family’s name was upheld and honored. He accepted her offer gladly and gave
her his credentials before leaving with a light heart, reciting poetry at the top of his voice.
Layla managed to keep her secret inside the barracks. Alone, the tale of the tricks she used to hide her true identity
6 Movement from her companions in arms would be enough to fill many an evening of story-telling. As she had done all her life,
5 Layla once again stood out from the crowd. No other warrior could equal her mastery of the saber, no horseman could
reach as symbiotic a relationship with his horse. So it was that Layla finally joined the staff of the great military
- Shooting Skill strategist Akim Al-Jawad.
-
Allah had blessed Akim with the same gifts he had bestowed on Layla, He had made him as intelligent as
she was beautiful, as athletic as she was intellectual. He was loved by his men for his infallible loyalty and
5 Combat his tactics that always aimed to spare as many lives as possible. He was loved by all for his generosity
4

4 Defense
Charisma which was most honorable as one of the essential pillars of his faith, and for his devotion to the glory
of Allah which knew no boundaries. Many tales were already told of his exploits, both on the batt-
lefield and in the bedroom. He came from an ancient and noble family that had unfortunately
3
Dodge 2 been ruined because of its misplaced faith in the goodness of human beings. Akim grew up
along side those who would later become his soldiers, and this was probably why so few
0 Protection Expertise other generals of the Empire could claim to know their men as well as he. From his
youngest years, he showed talent for fighting and strategy. At the age of twenty, he
12 Life Points
5
Elusive had already been noticed and was commanding a company of over one hundred
men, at thirty he was leading over a thousand armed soldiers.

2 Faith
Fast 3 Layla and Akim soon developed a master-disciple relationship. He taught
her his most secret techniques and most surprising ploys, and passed on to
1
Runaway her his instinct for war tactics. After a while, their relationship became
more intimate, and they both felt attracted to one another. Unaware
5 Command that his disciple was not male, Akim was most disturbed by his urges
and feared that he had become a sodomite. Riddled with guilt, he
sought to expiate his vice. One night, he sent Layla to deliver a
message far away from the barracks, assembled his most faithful
men and left for Hell to there purge himself of this perversion.
He has not returned to this day.
Upon returning, Layla was torn apart by worry, but she
finally learned what had happened to her master. It didn’t
take her long to guess the reasons that could have led
Akim to choose that course of action. She enlisted in
the troops leaving for Hell, to search for Akim. After
only a very short time, Layla was raised to head her
own company and won victory upon victory. There,
in the middle of nowhere, she stumbled across the
man whose identity she had borrowed, the poet. His
own lie had ruined his life, and he had fallen into a
life of depravity and ended his life in a mad-house:
for did he not claim to be a famous officer of Al-
Jawad, while all the time he was dressed in rags and
reciting impious poems? Death came to him as a
deliverance. He began a new life in Hell as a lemure.
As soon as he set eyes on Layla again, he became
attached to her and taught her the spells that would
allow her to control other creatures like himself.
He was undoubtedly trying to redeem himself by
continuing to help the princess to accomplish her
destiny. In the end he disappeared again... into the
jaws of a hungry panther.
Nowadays, Layla’s fame is such that she has
finally revealed her true sex. The devotion of her
troops has only risen. At first, they thought they
were in the presence of a houri, a holy beauty ren-
dered into flesh. Layla told them her story and they
realized she owed her victories to her talent and her

58
faith alone. Since then, she has traveled through more

Base : Extra Large 128

 The saracenS

circles than many hashishin; she has met archdukes of Hell so far away that they do
not even know of the human presence in Hell.
Her wanderings took her to the frozen lands where no being, human or demon,
could survive more than a few short hours; to burning lands so hot that a single breath
of wind can set light to hair and clothing; to the darkest necropolises that are forever
hidden from all light; to lands so evil and so beautiful that only the most fervent of
believers can find the strength of will to bring themselves to leave again.
The «warrior beauty» seems to fascinate her adversaries, which leads them into
the traps she sets for them with an uncanny ease. It is whispered that Akim died,
killed by a demon lord. Layla believes that he has found the gates of Heaven and
that he is there, waiting for her.»

Orders
Proof of Devotion
Active • 3 CMD • Unique
An allied unit that has already been acti-
vated within 6 fathoms of Layla, is now
waiting (yes this means that the unit can
be activated again later in the turn).
Great Strategist
2 Permanent CMD • Unique
This order can only be given during the
upkeep phase. During the following action
phase, you decide which units will be acti-
vated. Even when your opponent would
choose which model they want to activate,
you do so instead. The dominant player
still decides which company must activate
a unit first (though you decide which unit
that will be), and you must alternate acti-
vation between companies as normal. Your
opponent can’t use Vae Soli orders or skip
their activation due to being outnumbered while
this order is in effect. You can’t choose the enemy
officer to be activated with this order, and your oppo-
nent may choose to activate their officer on one of their acti-
vation’s, if they do you can’t overrule this.
Vae soli
Vae victis
Spells
Grudge
Residual
As long as the lemure this spell was cast through is in play, all allied units within
3 fathoms of it get Arch-Enemy (Enemy Units) 2, as long as they’re within this spell’s
area of effect.
Boots of Lead
Vanished
This spell targets an enemy unit in contact with the lemure. The target of this
spell suffers a penalty of -1 DEF until the end of its next activation. The target of this
spell can’t move during its next activation for any reason. no effect or ability can be
used to move the target of this spell until the end of its next activation.
Breath of Life
Residual
As long as the lemure this spell was cast through is in play, allied units within 3
fathoms of it get Regeneration 2, as long as they’re within this spell’s area of effect.

Scimitar Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 5
4 7
5 9
129
 FactionS

Tarik ibn Malik ibn Rushd, Prince

with Hunting Eagle
Request from vizier Sidi Mohammed ibn Moktar:
The vizier would like to bring to the attention of the council the despicable actions of an officer at the head of a company engaged in the lands of Hell.

Tarik / Eagle Indeed, Prince Tarik ibn Malik ibn Rushd is guilty of assassinating the Emir in charge of the protection of the city of Oman. The Emir had decided to
forbid his stay in the city: the Prince and his men having a reputation for debauchery that had preceded them, the Emir wished to avoid the risk of
compromising the morals of the city. He rode out to meet Tarik’s troops as they approached Oman, blocking their route. The Emir asked him to

Officer Animal change his city of destination. Tarim answered that Allah alone could make him change his course, that there was not a man alive who could
tell him where to go and anyone who tried was about to die.
The Emir didn’t back down, and told him that if it was Allah’s will that he should die, then so be it, he was ready. The Prince

Human Asexual answered that he too was ready. The Emir stepped forward to begin the duel and dropped dead after single thrust of Tarik’s
sword, even though he himself was known as the best swordsman of the whole city. The garrison of Oman surrendered
immediately. The Sultan gave up hope and handed the keys of his capital to Tarik and his men. The Prince threw the
Male Unbeliever Sultan into his own dungeon.
These events were followed by a week of troubles for the sultanate, during which vice and violence entered a
seemingly endless escalation. Then a messenger arrived from Medina, announcing the arrival of an army
Muslim (Sunni) Mentalist sent to dispatch the Prince. Tarik and his men fled, having told the messenger that if his masters
wished to find the Prince they would have to search through Hell itself. For the arrogant duelist,
who had not found a single man on Islamic soil who could prove a suitable rival, was now

Base : Regular / Regular convinced that no son of Adam could withstand him, so he had to search among the
demons for an adversary to match his talent. We cannot tolerate that any man, Prince
though he may be, be allowed to violate the pillars of Islam and run to seek refuge

Unique / Associated (Tarik) in the Underworld to avoid punishment, feeding his frenzy for duels on the way.
For all these crimes, the vizier demands the Prince’s head.
The response of the council was as follows:
The council has taken into account the request of the noble vizier.
Tarik : May he be aware that many other personalities share his views on the
future of the Prince. Indeed, Tarik’s debt is considerable, and it is
Charisma quite likely that he be destined to Hell himself, if Allah so wishes.
However, he is still under tight surveillance. Though he is being

Counter attack watched, with Allah’s protection, he has accumulated many

victories in Hell, slaying many powerful demons with his own

Elusive blade... As well as several infidel leaders. In fact, the council

has a collection of heads of the servants of Iblis that Tarik

Erratic Movement has sent back. The Prince also has one of the lowest injury
and death rates for his company, for he fights all his

Man-at-Arms 2 battles by dueling with the enemy leaders. This avoids

many a useless loss of life, and is very good for the

Rapid Strike morale of the troops down Below. The council also has
in its possession a signed promise from the Prince to
(defense) not return to Earth until he has defeated every single
archdemon and offered their heads to Allah. Until that

Eagle : day, or until he dies, Prince Tarik remains under

the protection of the council.

Elusive Excerpt from the minutes of the High Islamic

Harmless Council of the Infernal Lands.

Insignificant Orders
Invulnerable  ritical Hit
C
Levitation Passive • 2 Permanent CMD
This order can only be given
Maverick at the beginning of a combat sequence. Until the end of

Tarik / Eagle 70/0 the turn, an enemy unit engaged by Tarik will have a DEF of 3
(Modifiers won’t change this).
 lood
B of a K ing
Reactive - If the enemy officer is killed while in contact with
4 Movement 8
3 Tarik, and Tarik survives the current turn, you win the game
regardless of what the normal victory conditions are.
- Shooting Skill -
-  econd Breath
S
1 CMD - This order can only be used immediately after Tarik kills an enemy
7 Combat -
6 unit. Tarik recovers a number of LP equal to the killed unit’s printed CBT.

4 Defense 6  ae
V soli  ae
V victis
3

2 Protection 0 Enchanted
Scimitar Hits Damage
Hunting Eagle
12 2
1
Life Points Slashing 1 3
2 4
ura A
2 Faith - Aura of Distraction
1
3 6 + Stunned Temporary • Passive • 3 Fathom Radius • Lingering
4 8 + Pain Units within the area of effect of this aura can’t give or
4 Command - 5 10 receive orders. Tarik is immune to this aura’s effect.
 The saracenS

Chams al Majid, Djinn

Ali served the tea to the men sitting around the camp fire. Even in Hell, the nights are cold. A little way away, a few caravan
drivers were catching up on the prayers that had been missed during the day because of the forced march. Ali gave the sentinels
a worried glance. Sayid noticed the fear in his eyes.
«Do not worry, brother,» he murmured, blowing on his steaming mug, «for tonight, Allah has given to us the greatest of all gifts.»
Ali raised his eyebrows.
«What are you talking about, Sayid? Even the purest of believers is not safe in these cursed lands.»
Indépendent
«Ah, yes, but we have more than just our faith to protect us!» answered Sayid, «We have Chams al Magid, a djinn who has
heard the voice of God. He has been following our caravan since we arrived in Hell. I know it, I can feel it.» Djinn
Sayid swallowed another sip. Truly, the tea really did taste quite different here than it did on the surface. He grimaced at the
taste, before continuing. «I have already seen this djinn at work when we were attacked by the damned. They had fallen upon
us as we were setting up our camp. We were caught off guard, and prone to panic. In
Asexual
a whirl of wind, he appeared between us and our attackers. His body was made of the
sand of the desert of Rub Al-khali from whence he came. May Allah burn off my beard
if I lie: he used his own body to protect us from the enemy’s attack, turning away their
Muslim
spears and their ammunition. Under his protection, the wind carried to us reassuring
murmurs that we soon recognized as the words of the prophet.» Mentalist
«The words of the prophet?» Ali’s mouth was as wide open as his gaping mouth.
He looked around at the other members of the caravan. No-one seemed to share his
surprise nor wish to contradict Sayid. Movement 6
Sayid put his cup down on the ground. An embarrassed silenced was hanging
over the group. Sayid looked at Ali, looked him straight in the eyes. The younger man
lowered his gaze under the veteran’s stare. Sayid continued in a most solemn tone of Shooting Skill -
voice. «The presence of Chams multiplied our courage. Better still, as if we were carried
by a warm gust of wind, our feet hardly touched the ground, we were flying towards our
enemies like eagles. I felt as if I was walking on a flying carpet!» Combat 4
Sayid let out a loud laugh. The others were silent, concentrated as they were on his tale.
Ali had finally gone to sit with the others around the fire. «After we had finished off the last of
our attackers, Chams came to us and told us his story. He was a spirit of the desert of Rub, but Defense 5
a magician had condemned him to spend all eternity locked inside a jar, buried in the desert.
That would have been his destiny if a caravan driver hadn’t found the jar and released him. The Protection 0
caravan driver was on his way to the Underworld. So, to thank him, Chams Al-Majid vowed to
protect the troops of Allah in Hell for seven thousand, seven hundred and seventy seven days. Since Intangible
then, he has followed our convoys and appears whenever we are in danger.» Life Points 12
Sayid pulled up his blanket, wished his comrades a good night, checked that his scimitar was
close to hand and turned over onto his side. The other men soon did the same. Only Ali remained
awake. He was staring intently at the hill. By Allah, there were verses of The Voyage from the Qur’an Faith 3
coming from the whirlwind!

Command -
Auras
Aura of Inspiration
Temporary • Active • 4 Fathom Radius • Lingering • Muslims
Muslim units gain +1 CBT.
Aura of protection
Permanent • 4 Fathom Radius • Inclusive • Muslims
Muslim units within the area of effect of this aura can’t be
the target of a ranged attack. A unit using an explosive
weapon cannot target a spot inside the area of effect
of the Aura of Protection. This aura does not protect
from blast-type weapons.
Aura of Speed
Temporary • Active • 4 Fathom Radius • Instant •
Muslims
Until the end of the turn Muslim units that
where within the area of effect of this aura when
it was triggered may move up to 3 fathoms at
the beginning of their activation. This move is
not taken into account in the calculation of the
total distance covered by the unit during its
activation (and so in the determination of its
action). A unit may only be affected once per
turn by an Aura of Speed (no stacking).

Scimitar Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 5 Unique
25
4 7
5 9 131 Base : large
 FactionS

Fatina, Houri
The Archduke cast a displeased look at the demon chained at the wrist to the stone floor. He gave him such a blow with the
back of his hand that it ripped the demon’s arm clean off. It screamed. The Archduke smiled.
«Speak now and tell me the reasons for your defeat against that company of humans that are called Muslims.»
Behind him, nightmarish creatures were already devouring the severed arm. Others were waiting for a better piece of meat.
Independent None, however, dared to come forwards to claim their part.
«The enemies were praying when we attacked. Despite our first charge, they resisted. Many of them began to chant phrases
in that strange foreign speech of theirs. I know little of it, but I think it was yet more holy talk. They were undoubtedly praying
Houri to their God to spare their lives even though they were fighting like lions. Their faith seems to know no limit when they are
about to die and outnumbered. Then everything changed. The woman! She appeared in the middle of the battle, as if by some
enchantment. Was she already there? In disguise? Hidden by the soldiers? Or did she fall from Above, invoked by their prayers,
Female called by their faith? In any case, at that exact moment, it was as if a blinding flash of lightning had fallen from the sky. The
woman was surrounded by an aura so powerful that it held us back. Blinded us. I immediately sensed that she was a danger
to us, a threat. She was only clothed with thin veils, but none of our attacks seemed to touch her... Ah the unbearable light!
Muslim (Sunni) Although a only few seconds before, my men had been reaping the lives of these pitiful humans like a harvest of wheat, now
she walked among them and they were rising to their feet again, as if fascinated by this frail creature. ‘Fatina! Fatina!’ they
cried as she passed by. «Show us the way, open the gates of Heaven for us!» they said, following in her footsteps, only to charge
5 Movement and die at her feet. She did not need to speak to be obeyed. She simply pointed to a crack in our lines, or designated a target
among us, and the Muslims immediately understood the maneuver to accomplish her given task. In this way they took our
most precious men from us, my officers, my veterans... Oh they were dying too, of course. When the men fell down, there at
- Shooting Skill her feet, she whispered a few words or gave them the lightest of touches. From that moment they would still be dying, but in
pure unadulterated ecstasy.
Suddenly, despair changed sides. Their living banner, made all of grace and sweetness, stood there in the midst of the men,
- Combat as they roared as if they were of one soul, and charged in the most perfect of counter-attacks that wiped us out in an instant.»
The Archduke grabbed the demon by the throat. He picked him up off the ground and crushed his windpipe, making a
disgusting noise. The demon gave up what soul he had left. The Archduke continued to squeeze until the demon’s head became
6 Defense detached from his body. The nightmarish courtesans rushed towards the cadaver, some squabbling for the head, others
fighting for a hand or a foot. The Archduke watched the show, lost in his own thoughts. «Damned divine female!» he
0 Protection muttered. A houris! This wasn’t the first time he had heard word of these women. The stories seemed to become more
and more frequent. How to be rid of these houris? The Archduke knew there must be a solution to this problem... But
what could it be?
3 Life Points

3 Faith Orders
R eceiving the Believers
0 Command Whenever a non-insignificant allied unit dies within 10 fathoms
Charisma of Fâtina, she gets +1 CMD until the end of the game. The CMD
point gained is immediately added to the company’s CMD
Harmless pool.
Invulnerable Divine Intervention
Free • 3 Permanent CMD
Base : Regular When an enemy unit within 8 fathoms of Fâtina
would roll dice to attack during a combat sequence,
they don’t instead, making it a one sided attack.
This order can’t be used on a unit attacking
Fâtina.

Unique 25 132
 The saracenS

Jafar al Efrit, Evil Djinn

The soldier Eisenberg was constantly lost deep in the darkest confusion, and would panic at the sight of
even the smallest flame. The right hand side of his face still bore the fresh scars of his burns, as if it had mel-
ted like a wax mask. His singed hair had grown back in compact tufts. He looked like the descriptions that
have been made of some of the Lost of the Underworld. He was a frightening sight to behold. All day and
night he would scream, scream until his vocal cords gave in, «Jafar! Jafar!».
Sometimes, after vespers, when the room was again in darkness, he would become calmer and would tell
of his encounter with his torturer. I had great difficulty taking any notes on his story. Even a
simple candle to see by would make him nervous.
Eisenberg and his company had been ordered to take a small fort of Moham-
medans, an easy target where victory seemed almost guaranteed. The attack
was brutal and took them by surprise. The fortifications crumbled rapidly.
The imperial forces had no problem entering the fort, slaughtering
everyone they encountered. Then the Muslims organized a retreat to
a more solid building, a mosque perhaps.
In the heart of the battle, some kind of Persian magician, or
maybe a Kurdish wizard, brandished a phial: «Jafar! Jafar!»,
he screamed. Eisenberg had suffered an injured leg, and was
hiding behind a pile of crates of Prima Materia, and was
attentively watching the whole scene from his hiding place.
Little did he know how lucky he was. What he saw then
left him breathless. What he had initially taken to be the
flame of a candle was now beginning to shine red and twist
about inside the phial like a caged beast. The phial redde-
ned and began to beat like a heart. The magician grimaced
at the heat, despite the thick gloves he was wearing. The
phial was covered in Kabbalistic symbols, drawn in gold
and silver. The magician removed the crystal stopper from
the phial, letting out a column of golden yellow flames.
Eisenberg felt his throat become dry and his lungs burn up.
The magician was shouting orders, but the whirling fiery
creature that he had just set loose seemed to be resisting
him. It was writhing about and swearing loudly at the mor-
tal who had summoned it. Then the fire being screamed and
finally gave in to its master’s instructions.
The efrit - for so these creatures are called by the Saracens
- was restricted by the magical hand gestures of his master.
This being all of flame (some say they are made of molten lava
Unique
or burning coals) took the shape of a gigantic and almost intangible,
nearly immaterial, human.
Jafar threw himself at the soldiers of the Empire, grasping them with his
flaming fists, immolating them with a furious laugh. His fury grew as the car-
nage continued. As the carbonized bodies continued to pile up in the wake of the
23 Independent
efrit, his rage consumed him more and more. His color changed: from a fiery orange,
he darkened to a flickering red like iron being heated in a furnace. The magician was Djinn
having trouble keeping control of his fiery minion. Eisenberg nearly died when Jafar reached
out his hand towards him... He owed his salvation to the crates behind which he was hiding.
As the outcome of the battle was now certain, the magician tried to order the one he called Jafar Asexual
back into the bottle from which he had been summoned. Jafar turned on his master and faced him
with a gaping mouth like that of a blacksmith’s furnace and as wide as the mouth of a bombard cannon.
It took all of the magician’s remaining energy to return the efrit to its phial. And when it did, it went with a Muslim
scream that still echoes in the ears of the soldier Eisenberg.

Tale gathered by Antonius Albrecht, chaplain of the Imperial mental hospital for soldiers returning from Movement 6
service in Hell.
Orders Shooting Skill -
R age Withheld
Whenever a non-insignificant unit is killed, Jafar gets +1 CBT, to a max of 10 CBT, until the Combat 2
end of the game.
Immunity (fire)
Deadly Spiral Intangible Defense 5
Free • 1 CMD • Reactive
Each time a non-Insignificant Saracen unit is killed, Jafar may immediately perform a
Regeneration 2 Protection 0
Charge, Attack or Mêlée action. This does not prevent him from being normally activa- Ricochet
ted later on this turn. If he is waiting, he returns to a waiting state after using this order. Life Points 12
If he has already been activated, he can still use this order. Jafar has to wait until the end
of the current activation, if any, before he can use this order. This order occurs before Faith 3
any Vae Soli. This order can’t be used during the upkeep phase.
Command -
Flaming Fists Hits Damage
Fire 1 1
2 2
3 5
4 8
133
Base : Large
5 10
 FactionS

Alchemist
With their glasses of tea in front of them, the members of the Grand Ottoman Council of Science were enjoying the
tranquility of the day in the shade of a palm tree on the patio. The very learned Sheikh Milud had shown them earlier
that afternoon how to use the Prima Materia to make glass windows that could filter some of the beneficial rays of
sunlight. They would soon be used to help build glass houses in which rare plants and fruits could be grown.
Independent The noble assembly was discussing this and that when Sheikh Milud asked if they had any news of the adepts
of Zafar an Nabih. An embarrassed silence fell. Milud explained that he was still waiting for Zafar’s students
to pay their contribution to the Society of Alchemists and transmit the results of their work in Hell. For they
Human owed their presence Below to Milud’s intervention with the authorities and without that, owing to their
master Zafar’s already troubled past, would have remained stuck here. The other alchemists protested.
Some reminded him that their particular alchemical specialty was hardly a noble one. Really, making
Male grenades! They had even been known to sell them to the infidels. How very scandalous! Some of
those alchemists had been arrested, but they had claimed that their buyers had pretended to be
Algerian sailors looking for a safe way to be rid of Spanish pirates. None had been able to
Muslim (Sunni) prove a thing, and the intervention of a rich benefactor (or some accomplice with a hefty
enough bribe) had seen them freed.
Once, their own customers had fled by bombarding them with their own toxic
Mentalist grenades. They escaped the attack without a single scratch. When questioned
on how such a miracle could come about, they answered that Zafar had
taught them how to make themselves immune to their own poisons, in
case such an event should occur. What a twisted mind the man had!
The noble assembly muttered and grumbled about the lower

Base : Regular class alchemist that was Zafar an Nabih. Truly, one could but
wonder what such a character could possibly bring to the field
of alchemical research in the Underworld. Sheikh Milud

Limited 2 laughed. He knew well what could be the only thing that
would drive Zafar so far: it was money, the profits made
from the Prima Materia that he gathered. And these
profits were made by selling it at any price to the
lowest of the infidel scum that he could find when he
returned from Hell.

Orders
Grenades of rage
Active
Nominate a point within 6
fathoms and line of sight of the
Alchemist. Units that are wit-
hin 2 fathoms of the nominated
point must perform a Charge or
Attack action during their next
activation. If for some reason an
affected unit is prohibited from
performing one of these actions,
they may act normally during
their activation
Grenades of repulsion
Active • Unstoppable • Unique
Nominate a point within 6 fathoms and line of sight

3 Movement
24 of the Alchemist. Also, there must be at least 1 allied unit (or
the Alchemist) and 1 enemy unit within 3 fathoms of the nomi-
2 nated point. Move an enemy unit within 3 fathoms of the nomi-
nated pointed up to 10 fathoms in the direction of your choice. This
3 Shooting Skill
2 move ignores terrain and the unit must be placed in clear terrain and can’t be
in the control area of or contact with an enemy unit. Then your opponent does
- Combat
- the same with one of your units within 3 fathoms of the nominated point.
3
2
Defense Harmless
0 Protection
Immunity ( )
poison Aura
Man-at-Arms 2 Cloud of Poison
Permanent • 2 Fathom Radius
9 Life Points
4 During each upkeep phase, other units within the area of effect
of this aura take 3 poison damage, ignoring PR, as per the
1 Faith
0 Fire Grenades Consumed state.
Explosion (Consumed (Fire • 3/2))
1 Command
Limited Range 3
Range 3 134
 The saracenS

Hashishin
The names that my parents gave me will not mean anything to you. In fact my true birth was much later, on
the day of my initiation, the day I became a hashishin. From that day onwards, my previous life was no longer
of any importance. My name was of no importance either. The only matters of import were of those of my two
masters: Allah and Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah. All others should fear me, and my hashishin brothers.

We have been in the lands of Hell for four hundred years now. We know hundreds of pathways, roads, fron-
Independent
tiers, fortified places, demonic kingdoms, political conflicts, military groups and much more. We know them all
well enough to avoid the traps into which the newcomers fall. We are at home here. We can read every rock,
every plant, every mark on the ground. Our presence here is so natural that we melt into the background like
Human
sugar melts into tea.

Even better, thanks to our master’s alchemical expertise, we have mastered the power of Ta’wil. At any
Male
moment, we can appear or disappear at will. From that point on, we are no longer the
sugar in the tea, but the tea itself, as bitter as life and as hard as death. We walk in the
shadows, a path along the edge of all realities, one that we alone can tread. During the
Muslim (Shiite)
split second when I travel between the worlds, I feel as if I am walking on a tightrope
over the void, where every step I take could send me falling down into nothingness...
But that will never happen.

Sometimes, I might act as a scout; I go ahead of the vulgar, noisy ranks of the
Discretion 4
armies who think they can rule the infernal territories. I show them where and when Elusive Movement 5
they can pass safely, steer them clear of toxic or cursed lands, places of ambush, and I 4
guide them to their destination without them even guessing half of the danger that they
avoided thanks to my skills. They think their brave airs and the shine of their shields is
Fanatic Shooting Skill 3
2
enough to ward off the demons. They have eyes to see, but they only use them to stare at Insignificant
their own feet. Msakain! May the light of Allah finally give them back true sight!
Combat 6
I also have to use my espionage skills for the service of generals who are as ignorant as
Strider 7

they are blind. For them, I slip inside infidel camps or demon palaces, ruins full of damned Defense 5
ones or the fortresses of rival generals. There, I watch and listen. Sometimes for hours, often 5
for days. At these times, my only friends are my daggers and God. I steal my food or eat mea-
ger rations. I sleep in holes where only rats would sleep, or I merely forget about sleep altogether. Protection 0
Then I return to them with my report, sending a copy to my master as well, of course. He knows
how to assemble scattered facts. He sees what is invisible. He understands.
Life Points 12
4
On some occasions, my master orders me to return to these cursed places and meet with the person
who was spied upon. By written or spoken word, I bring them counsel, threats or offers from my master.
Often, the person, be they demon, damned or human, accepts my message. Sometimes they do not, and
Faith 3
4
then they die.
Command -
My purpose on Earth or in Hell is but to serve. So I serve Hassan ibn Al-Sabbah wherever he chooses to send
me, and never falter, for such must be the will of Allah himself, for it is his will also.

Order
Shadow Walk
Passive • 1 Permanent CMD
The Hashishin must be free to use this order.
Move the Hashishin up to 10 fathoms igno-
ring terrain and intervening units. This move
must end in clear terrain and can’t put the
Hashishin within the control area of or in
contact with an enemy unit. This order can
only be used once per activation.

Throwing Daggers Hits Damage

Piercing 1 2
Ammunition 2 2 4
Limited Range 3 3 4
Range 4 4 5
5 6

Scimitar Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
Penetrating Strike 2 2 3 Limited 3
28
3 5

5
4 7
9
135 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Lancer
As I feel my end is growing near, I recall my life in Hell.

Long ago, all I cared for were the arts of war and the wielding of the lance. I was a proud lancer in the service of Allah’s greatness;
I had taken part in the extension of the lands of Islam. I was a great one, and my reputation as a warrior was well established on
Independent Earth. However, I still felt that meaning was missing in my life. I needed another quest, one good enough to truly apply my talents to.
A quest for God.
So I left for the Hajj, thinking I would find the fulfillment of my spiritual searching in that voyage. It was during my pilgrimage that
Human I met other men like me. One of them became attached to my company and told me of the true battle of the believers. Once I had
accomplished my pilgrimage and was in accordance with God, I went to sign up for the armies going to Hell. There I met many other
veterans as renowned as myself. Some of them I had already fought beside... and some I had fought against. There in the great Otto-
Male man army, we were all together.

The armies in the Underworld were calling out for heroes. We had already proved our worth on Earth. So we went Below. I remem-
Muslim (sunni) ber my other brothers in arms. Very quickly we got the feeling that we were no longer part of earthly reality. Now, there were only
ourselves and our men, alone. So each of us was free to tell his full story. I remember them all.

5 Movement Hamid was a romantic, a brave lancer of the desert. He had come down here to avoid seeing the woman he loved, for she was
4 married to his uncle. After every battle he would tell us that he thought he had seen his uncle among the demons. We laughed, and
said that maybe his houri would be his ex-fiancee.
- Shooting Skill
- Suleiman, a pure-blood Ottoman if ever there was one, had come to prove to his family that he was not just an idle dueler. He
liked to say that he would bring back one of the rings of the gates of Heaven for his mother, that she may wear it like a crown.
5 Combat
4
Malik, the silent one, had never told us his story. Then one day, we saw him kill an Ottoman officer from another company. Before
the dead officer’s soldiers could grab him, he shouted to us that he had come Below just to find this man and avenge his sister’s honor.
4 Defense
3
All of us had something that called us to Hell. God had given us each a wish to fulfill that coincided with His will and
0 Protection allowed us to add to His glory. It took me a little while to realize that. In the end, I realized that as well as my own place in
the Great One’s plans. This last leason was revealed to me by a young Blessed Warrior as he took his last breath.
We had been fighting on a plateau. I had been sent out alone with a handful of soldiers, to guard a strategic passage.
12 Life Points Around me, I could feel the men were petrified. It wouldn’t be long now. I spoke to them, «It is the will of Allah that we
4 should not die here, so we shall fight. Look at me, my faith alone is enough to fend off the enemy.»
The men rallied. From a certain defeat, we began to put up a valiant resistance. I felt as if I was creating a
2 Faith legend of my own.
1 «It is time to shine brighter, my brothers!» I shouted.
«Allah is great!» they answered.
1 Command So we marched forwards towards the enemy. Victory had changed sides, and the remaining
demons ran away screaming.
We had been about to die, and yet we had won the battle. We had survived, except for
Defensive Combat one young soldier. I sat by him, lamenting at my inability to save his life. He smiled at
me and said, «On the contrary, you were our example. Without you, we would all be
Fury dead by now. We needed a hero to show us how to behave. You were perfect!»
Hell just needs heroes. I was one for my troop while we fought for our destiny.
Man-at-arms Now I shall depart to join my brothers in arms. We have so many stories left
to live.
Protective
Limited 3 Orders
Speed of the Oribi
Passive • 2 CMD
The Lancer gets +1 MVT and +1DEF until the
end of the turn.
Sting of the scorpion
Passive • 1 CMD
The lancer gets +2 CBT until the end
of the turn. This order may only be used
twice per activation.
Wall of Blades
Active • 2 CMD
The Lancer gets Attack of Opportunity
3 and DEF 6 until the end of the turn.
While this order is in effect, the Lancer
can’t receive orders and loses the bene-
fits of any order already affecting him.

Lance Hits Damage

Piercing 1 2
Cumbersome 2 4
Eager 3 6

Base : Regular 25 136

Lunge 2 4
Receive Charge 5 11
9
 The saracenS

Pillar of the Faith

With Daggers or Halberds
The Imam Nordine ibn Jalil was watching the children playing in the garden of the orphanage. They were between three and
six years old. That was the age at which they should begin their training. Any older and it would be harder to get them to «natu-
rally» assume their new role. For he was there to select those who would be called to join the ranks of the soldiers that were now
called «Pillars of the Faith».
The Imam was recruiting for his monastery. He had ten places available and hundreds of young boys to see
Independent
before making his final choice. First of all, he began by observing them. Straight away he eliminated
the sickly children and the ones with any physical defects. The candidates needed to be strong
and solid. It was the mission of the Imam to find the singular quality within the bodies
Human
of these children that would make them “ forces of nature”. Only experience had
allowed him to tell which of the boys would become big and strong. He watched Male
them as they ran after each other, fought or clambered up the walls. Through
their games, he could see their personality and their future.
A selected child should indeed show obvious signs of loyalty and Muslim (sunni)
devotion, but also a kind of «natural» faith. That is where the Imam’s
experience really made the difference. He would question and test
the boys who seemed the most promising, by asking them riddles
or submitting them to dilemmas. He would give them the choice of
three objects (a hat, a knife and a Qur’an), and then question them
on their choice. At the end of each interview, the Imam would ask
the child if he felt ready to come with him if they wanted to serve
Allah. The question was decisive. A moment of hesitation and the
child would be staying at the orphanage.
The next part of the chosen child’s life would be lived at the
monastery, where he would spend roughly fifteen years. There,
every single day would be like the day before. It would begin with
al-fajr, the dawn prayer, and would continue with the domestic
chores that were delegated to the members of the monastery.
Then, after al-zohr, the midday prayer, came the time of the
military training. After al-asr, the afternoon prayer, would come
the teaching of the Qur’an and of science that would last until
al-maghreb, the prayer at dusk. Then the young men would return
to their individual chores until al-atma, the evening prayer, and the
end of their day.
After fifteen years of training, the young men would be submitted

Limited 3/2
to a series of tests: left alone in the middle of the desert, each of them
would have to survive with a single flask of water, guiding himself by the
stars. He would have to then find a secret place, filled with traps and guarded

22/27 Base : Regular

by monks from another monastery, from which he would have to retrieve a given
object and do his best to bring it back to his own monastery. On his way back, he
would be hunted and tracked. The final test was a trip into town with the Imam. During
the journey there and back, they would constantly be under attack. The young warrior had
to prevent the Imam from being taken by their foes. If he failed any of these tasks, he would
have to wait for a whole year before he could attempt the test again. If he succeeded, he would be Daggers / Halberd
named «Pillar of the Faith» and during the following year, he would be assigned the protection of an
important religious or dignitary figure departing for Hell. 4 Movement 4
3 3
Order (D aggers)
2 Shooting Skill -
Divine Strength 1 -
Passive • 1 Permanent CMD • Unique
5 Combat 5
The Pillar gains +1 SHS, +1 CBT and +1 FTH until the end of the game. 4 4

4 4
Order (H alberd) 3
Defense
3
Divine Armor
3 Protection 2
Passive • 2 Permanent CMD • Unique
The Pillar gets +1 DEF and +1 PR until the end of the game.
10 Life Points 10
4 4
Throwing Daggers Hits Damage Scimitar Hits Damage
Piercing 1 2 Slashing 1 2 3 Faith 3
2 2
Ammunition 2 2 4 2 3
Limited Range 3 3 4 3 5 1 Command 1
Range 4 4 5 4 7
5 6 5 9 Daggers :
 Attraction 3
Bodyguard
Halbard and Scimitar Hits Damage
Piercing 1 3 Fierce
Slashing 2 5 Halberd :
Eager 3 6
Lunge 2 4 8 Bodyguard
137
5 10 Fierce
 FactionS

Berber Chasseur
Will you have the guts to face the sorrow of a mother, the sorrow of a whole population? A population stripped of its
most vital flesh and blood? Will you have the strength to listen to the truth about the sorry fate of the Berbers?

Every year, the tribes see the Ottoman soldiers arrive in their camps. When they arrive, their words ooze with
Trooper sweet nectar, but when they leave, the nectar turns to bile. Those sons of dogs force us to hand over our best
chasseurs, our best warriors, our husbands, and our sons. What do they leave us in exchange? Nothing. Just the
promise that they won’t hunt us down.
Human They despise us, they hate us, and yet, they can’t seem to live without us. They say that we have
become too friendly with the infidels. Yet we have only ever fought against them. Yes, we know them,
Male for having fought them for so long... And that is how we learned to master the same weapons
as them. The famous Jezail musket. What do they think? That we are too stupid to learn new
techniques? Every battle makes a Berber stronger, smarter. That is why we fight the infidels
Muslim (sunni) with their own weapons, that we have learned the tactics of the Spaniards and therefore
know how to outsmart them. Is that a crime?

What more could they hold against us, that makes our children so indis-
pensable to the great and glorious Ottoman army?

Base : Regular «You run around, creeping like the desert fox, you attack from your
hiding place and disappear before we can catch you.»
Yes, we are able to move about in hostile terrain, discreetly,
Unlimited silently, without a trace. Do they not know that those are the
essential rules of survival for those who wish to dwell in the
desert? They are but sheep, whereas the Berbers are wolves.

These talents they steal, and take our sons away for
three long years. In the beginning, we did not know
that they were being sent to serve in the Underworld
so we sent the least important men of the tribe.
However they never returned, and the Ottoman
soldiers still came back every year, more evil than
ever. We tried to run from them, but they would
always end up finding us. The other Berber
chasseurs in their service would track us like
dogs. So we gave them the very flower of our
youth.

I myself weep for a son, even though he

was returned to us. He told us what it was
like Below, down in Hell. He told us of his
marches through the plains of black sand,
of ash, of hot coals, and through snow
and ice too. We were amazed and afraid
as we listened to him. He told us how he
and his Berber brothers often had to act
as scouts for the Ottoman troops, to guide
them along tracks used by beasts so fear-
some that even their tracks would scare
you. I did feel that he was not telling us
everything. His nights were haunted, and
he talked in his sleep. Sometimes he would
scream. My son kept it to himself, sparing
us the greatest of the horrors. All trace of
love and joy had been wiped from his eyes.
He lived with us, but always at a distance,
he was only ever half there. He would look for excuses to be alone, hunting

5 Movement
12 by himself, going off as a scout... The only thing he truly enjoyed was gazing at
the stars at night, sitting at the top of a dune. He would only rarely come under the
tent; he preferred to stay outside, away from the others so as not to disturb us.
4
When the recruiters came, the following year, he immediately stepped up to take the
3 Shooting Skill place of a young chasseur. The boy’s father offered him a camel in thanks, and he gave it to me.
2
I was not surprised by my son’s decision. I knew I had lost him the day he left. «When Hell takes your
son, you will only ever see him again in Heaven», we now say among Berber mothers.
3 Combat
2

3 Defense
Scout
2 Strider
1 Protection Moving Shot
4 Life Points
1
Jezail Hits Damage Saber Hits Damage
2 Faith Piercing 1 3 Slashing 1 2
1
Penetrating Strike 2 2 4 2 3
- Command Range 10 3 5 3 5
Reloading 2 4 7 4 7
5 9 5 9
 The saracenS

Blessed Warrior
Sergeant Salah noticed the two young guards. They were chatting together in front of a kebab stall. He
walked forwards to stand between the two men, pushing them apart, and ordered a lamb kebab from the
seller. Straight away, he apologized to the two men for his rudeness. The guards, impressed by his uniform,
that of a Blessed Warrior, responded with a torrent of compliments and praise. The situation was looking
good. Salah invited the two guards to come sit in the shade and drink some tea in the garden of the nearby
inn. After exchanging the usual niceties, they accepted.
Trooper
Once seated, they chatted about the heat, the oncoming Ramadan, the current situation of the Empire, the
service of the Sheikh, the crusade in Hell...
Human
«Tell us, sergeant, how the war is going down in Hell?» asked the tallest of the two guards.
«Is it true that the One-and-only sends houris to stand by our sides in the heat of the battle?» interrupted
Male
the second guard, his eyes wide with curiosity.
«Yes, my brothers, when I began my career in the ‘Divine Mercy’ regiment, I fought in
a great battle that took place near the gate of Aussonia. My brothers in arms and I were
Muslim (Sunni)
sent to take the fort of a demon lord. We were being given quite a thrashing when she
suddenly appeared among us in a glorious ray of light. With her help, we won the day. I
heard the voice of God with my own ears, spoken through that woman. It was maktoob!»
«Allah is great!» murmured the smaller guard.
Movement 4
3
«What was the name of that battle, sergeant?» asked the young guard. «We never
hear of the battles that take place Below.» Shooting Skill -
«It had no official name, and will not be remembered in any history books. The only -
place it is recorded is on my papers.»
Salah pulled out a bundle of paper from under his tunic.
«Each one of these papers is the recording of a major military accomplishment in which
Combined Attack Combat 3
2
I took part. ‘The three pillars of fire’, ‘The palace of the fallen’... Ah, now the tale of that
battle has been told by every veteran in the Underworld around the campfire. I was there.
Natural Talent Defense 3
2
At the time I was serving in the ‘Divine Wrath’ regiment, the very one that now holds the
strategic crossroads to Ampharaus. Hundreds of us fell there, but whole waves of enemies
were reaped by our scimitars. Some of the creatures there were at least three times my height!
Protection 3
Allah alone is source of power and strength.»
«How wonderful it must be to be able to serve thus!» sighed the taller guard. «As a simple Life Points 5
farmer’s son, I could never become one of the chosen ones.» 1
«Do you have true faith, brother?»
«There is no god but Allah, and Mohamed is his Prophet, brother!» responded the guard, indignantly. Faith 2
«Ah, but to serve as a guard and to serve in the armies are two very different things, brothers. Down 1
there, the discipline is strong as steel and your every day is filled with marching, cold meals, camps with
no fire and total obedience.» Command -
«Serving God would give us the force we need, feed us and keep us warm. As for obedience, that is
something we have learned since we were children.»
«Then, brothers, you will make most excellent Blessed Warriors.»
They talked until the last prayer of the night. When they parted company, sergeant Salah signed them a
letter of introduction to go and pass the tests. The two guards thanked the veteran for almost half an hour
for this. Finally, they left him. Salah returned to his quarters. On his way, he stopped at a small fountain to
refresh himself. What a luxury, he thought. A small neighborhood fountain. He hadn’t told the two eager
candidates about the thirst that had torn at his throat when he was injured in the ash desert
of Aussonia, nor had he told them of the heaps of rotting cadavers of Blessed Warriors
that the Demon armies had piled up during the siege of the ruins. He had not told
them of the time he had watched his comrades tortured by succubi, forced to
renounce their faith before they were pierced through and through by a
thousand spikes. He had not told them that one day the most wonderful
proof of the existence of God would be a small neighborhood fountain.

Scimitar Hits Damage

Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 5 Unlimited
11
4 7
5 9 139 Base : Regular
 FactionS

Dibbukim
Abdel had problems remembering the world as it was before. Before he became a Dibbukim. When he was a Blessed War-
rior among many others. He served in a company with childhood friends of his. They had all signed up at the same time. They
fought like lions in the name of Allah. The burden became heavier and heavier. Then that terrible day came. Nightmare creatures
appeared from nowhere. The demon stole his heart and his mind. He had stared deep into Abdel’s eyes, reached in and crushed
Trooper his soul. His faith alone had saved him from death, but it drove him mad; he could no longer control himself. It was as if he had
become pure rage and thirst for blood. His scimitar had been brought down again, and again... Until he awoke again amidst his
friends. Dead. By his own hand. He had screamed. He would have wanted to die with them, but God had not granted him that
Human chance.

He had been removed from the regiment and entrusted to the care of an Imam. He had spent hours listening to the holy man
Male reciting the Qur’an to him. The rest of the time, he spent weeping and asking to be put out of his misery. Abdel could still feel
the beast sleeping inside him. The monster could awaken. He wanted to be executed, but the military authorities had decided
otherwise. He was placed with other men like himself. Dibbukim. Some wanted to kill themselves but God forbids suicide. So, as
Muslim (sunni) redemption, the Dibbukim ready themselves for all of the most difficult of situations.

The first time he served as a Dibbukim, he was part of a group of about twenty men like him. The mission was a simple one:
5 Movement get rid of the damned ones that were harassing the convoys. Abdel and his comrades were hidden in a cart in the middle of the
convoy. Of course, the convoy had been targeted by the damned, right on plan. Only, when they lifted the canvas of the chariot,
-
the damned ones had been faced with twenty pairs of bloodshot eyes and just as many scimitars. A whirlwind dance of deadly
- Shooting Skill blades had exploded from the cart. The Dibbukim had slain all of the evil creatures, So quickly in fact was the enemy dispatched,
- that they had started to kill each other before the Imam had the time to begin reciting the calming words, the words of the holy
book. They had all dropped their weapons and had fallen to their knees in a pool of blood and severed limbs. There was, indeed,
4 Combat only one way to stop a Dibbukim. The sura of the End of Battle, read by a holy man. The Imam in charge of the Dibbukim had
6 to be certain that the warriors had finished their task before shouting it out loud... Unless he had been killed. Slain by his own
men. That did happen sometimes.
4 Defense
3
The second mission should have been the end of Abdel’s career as a Dibbukim. The sura stopped him just as the
1 Protection Blessed Warriors were taking back the space in which he was fighting. Abdel found that he was the last remaining
Dibbukim. His sorrow became even greater.
The Imam told him that it was maktoob. That God needed him elsewhere. He accomplished another five mis-
7 Life Points sion, each one more murderous than the previous one, making him the oldest surviving Dibbukim. On average,
5 a Dibbukim’s life did not last more than two missions.

2 Faith So here is Abdel, lost in the mist, with rage in his guts and the taste of blood in his mouth. He
- advances on the nearest figure. Then he charges towards it, screaming. His scimitars whirl and fly,
and are met by fountains of blood. Another attack hits him in the back. He flips around in time
- Command to block the two scimitars coming down on him. He parries and responds with an attack to
the legs. The man falls down upon him. The mist becomes thicker. Abdel can’t see any
further than the tips of his blades. Another figure approaches. Abdel raises his wea-
pons... And the first words of the sura echo in his ears. He is still alive.

Berserker
Furious
Rapid Strike
(attack)

Scimitars Hits Damage

Slashing 1 3
2 4
3 6
16 140
4 8
Base : Regular 5 10
 The saracenS

Hunting Panther
First report: Of animals in Hell.

Dear Vizier,
As you requested, I have carried out several different studies on the specimen of panther that was
brought back from Hell. The animal had been badly burnt, and its post-mortem examination proved
to be difficult and disappointing. I suppose that if this panther pounced on the lemure, then it was
because it had identified it as prey. It is indeed strange that panthers are among the few animal
species that do not fear the creatures of the Underworld. It is an intriguing coincidence
that Sheik Hamid, a great hunter, was so adamant about taking his hunting beasts to
Hell with him.

However, I do think that Sheik Hadim should be dissuaded from taking

his hunting elephants with him to run after demons on his next visit
Below. One can never know what reaction these pachyderms could
have, even though they are trained. I would simply recall the
example of Vizier Ahmed ibn Ajar’s initiative to take a group
of Balkan hunting bears, trained to hunt down and attack
demons, with him to Hell... He was devoured alive by his
animals, who turned wild again the moment they passed
the gate of Alamut. It must be said that the Vizier always
had difficulties telling good ideas from wishful thinking.
If God placed the animals on Earth and not in Hell,
then it was for good reason. Wisdom comes from Allah
alone.

Second report: Of the survival of animals in Hell.

Dear Vizier,
May Allah be praised. After having taken many ani-
mals Below, it seems that there are indeed few species
that are able to survive there. Their reactions remain
very strange and very erratic. Some of them become even
more aggressive; others on the contrary become quite
apathetic. There have even been some known to harm
themselves.
As the only animal to remain constant in its behavior,
the panther is the bearer of hope. Not only are they very
Limited 2
resistant to the environment, they have even adapted to it. Silent,

16
discreet, almost invisible in the rocky clusters of the desert lands-
capes, the panthers retain all their efficiency. They are just as implacable
when tracking and hunting. Lemures have become their favorite type of Trooper
prey. They can track and locate the creatures every time.
On the other hand, the panthers’ attacks are not always fully successful. Some
lemures, when attacked, explode, catch fire, or possess defensive abilities that can easily Animal
defeat a panther.
We should consider protecting our hunting panthers with methods similar to those used
by their prey. I have already contacted my alchemist friends about this, to ask them if they
Asexual
could create some kind of artifact able to give our felines an advantage. They are currently working
on it. I will keep you informed of the progress of their research.
Unbeliever
Third report: Of the training of panthers.

Dear Vizier, Movement 7

6

May Allah be praised. Our alchemists have discovered a solution. After several unsuccessful attempts,
our knowledgeable friends have developed a harness decorated with symbols that are able to significantly
Shooting Skill -
-
protect our panthers.
We have also had to launch an intense breeding program for our panthers, which is not an easy task. Attack of Combat 5
However, we are making good and rapid progress with their training.
Henceforth, we are only losing twenty percent of our panthers, those who escape as soon as they Opportunity 4

Defense 5
are released into the Underworld. However this is not a real problem, as these panthers rarely attack
humans after that. Evasive 4
The other eighty percent respond very well to the orders they are given, orders that are kept as
simple as they can be, as the panthers’ hunting instinct is as efficient as ever. The panthers respond Insignificant Protection 1
well to short oral orders: search, attack, come, sit. I therefore think we can begin using these animals
systematically when hunting down lemures. Interception 6 Life Points 8
Moussa ibn Aziz Strider 3

Doctor of Zoology, Constantinople Faculty Science Faith -

In charge of the large felines department. -

Command -
Fangs Hits Damage
Slashing 1 2
2 3
3 4 + Slowed
4 1 + Knocked Down
141
Base : Regular
5 2 + Immobilized
 The losT
he Lost
«Say not a word in death’s favor; I would rather be a paid
servant in a poor man’s house and be above ground than
king of kings among the dead.»
– Achilles’ ghost, speaking to Ulysses.
It had already been two weeks since we had left the
relative safety of the out-post for explorers of the lands
Below that the Imperial troops call the Black Mountain.
In their insolence, the followers of the supposedly refor-
med religion have named it the «Pope’s Head». It is a tiny
nipple of rock, lost in the infernal desolation. At best one
could call it a fort, a halting place for the free companies,
many of whom will never return from their wanderings in
Hell. The place is held by a small garrison of scoundrels,
some of them French, others citizens of nowhere. They
call themselves «hosts» and demand a king’s ransom for
every night spent inside their walls, a high fee more fit-
ting for a nobleman’s residence. But the fact is that the
place is much safer than the wind-blown moors around
it, and we were in no position to barter about the price.
Captain Spada did, however, manage to obtain a little
dried meat, water and gunpowder for the rest of our jour-
ney. He exchanged it for fresh tobacco, to which they
are most partial, not for its medicinal virtues, but simply
for its taste. In the perverted, vice-riddled atmosphere
of that god-forsaken place, the smoke from their pipes is
an almost civilized smell and manages to remind those
armored beasts that they are still human. However, when
it comes to their other pleasures, they wallow in lust, as
they will in their customs, and they trade with whores
that they choose among the damned. Among them is an
ecclesiastic who goes by the name of Brother Martinet,
and whose corrupt behavior is as bad as that of his flock,
for he assures the French soldiers of the Black Mountain
that, as the damned females had no soul, they may par-
take in whatever depraved activity they like with them.
So that is exactly what they do. The rest of their time
is spent hunting out the few damned ones who venture
near enough, and making money from the explorers who,
like ourselves, are heading west. They carefully avoid the
northern lands, especially those to the north-west, for
they are the source of the most fearsome rumors. It has
long been said that the situation there is dire, and that the
devils are fighting among themselves for supreme power.
None of those who have gone that way have returned.
There is much to be gained from these expeditions.
Anyone who returns alive with any maps or informa-
tion can sometimes sell them for a substantial amount
in New Jerusalem. That is the aim of our company, and
that is why the young Arnolfini travels with us, forever
sketching the landscapes around us and filling his book
with endless notes every time we stop. While we endea-
vor to travel as lightly as possible, he is always picking up
143
rocks here and there, and tucking them away in his pack
as if they were nuggets of gold or Prima Materia. Who
knows what they will be worth back in New Jerusalem?
After our brief halt at the Black Mountain - which, quite
honestly, is so small one has to be less than a league
away to even see it rise above the plain - we spent three
days crossing a pale and misty country, so misty, in fact,
that it was difficult to tell the ground from the sky on the
horizon. On the evening of the third day, we encountered
our first armed gangs, and from a distance we took them
to be squadrons of Protestants. Each of them was only
made up of a few raggedy soldiers, and on the captain’s
orders we shot them down without waiting for them to
get any closer.
However, as soon as we examined the first bodies, we
knew that these were no Protestants, nor were they even
human. These were damned ones who had taken arms,
as they do sometimes. There are as many nations in the
lands Below as there are in the lands Above, and here
the wars are waged not in the name of God Almighty,
but only for the greed of the devils who have established
their domains here.
After these few skirmishes, the captain found a small
rocky rise in the land where we could easily spend the
night. The site was high up, easily defensible, and had
many good look-out points. However, the young Arnolfini
protested: he argued that there were still several hours
until nightfall, and that we could therefore keep mar-
ching and make good progress before the sun (or wha-
tever serves that purpose down Below) set. Spada did
not answer him; he simply continued giving orders for
the camp to be set up as soon as possible. As for the
men, they had no complaints: it was rare enough for the
captain to be so liberal, and if he had decided that we
should stop here, he must have his reasons. I only disco-
vered later that night that they had very little to do with
exploration or our mission.
We took turns to keep watch that night, as usual, but
when my watch was over, I could not get back to sleep.
I had been walking around the camp for a while, when
I overheard the captain speaking with a person whose
voice was unknown to me. As I drew closer, I caught a
glimpse of him.
He was a stocky man, with a wide chest and shoul-
ders, muscular legs and powerful arms. He was wea-
ring a linen tunic and bore a round shield and a leather
helmet decorated with wild boar tusks. In fact, his size
and shape were quite reminiscent of that animal, but his
eyes showed the twinkle of sharp intelligence, one that is
quite rarely seen amongst the damned. I therefore assu-
med that he was a devil, or one of those damned ones
who aim to become one. The stranger had nothing but a
bow and some arrows as his weapons, and the sight of
him speaking with Spada, armor-clad and armed in his
pressence, was both frightening and comical at the same
time. They were speaking in hushed voices, but from wat-
ching them draw figures in the dust with a dead branch,
 FactionS
I gathered that they were discussing strategy. It seemed
obvious that Spada had only stopped in this place to
meet and speak with this person. I only heard a few
words of their conversation, as they were parting ways.
«What about her, is she there?» asked Spada.
«I cannot promise you that, mortal» answered the
stranger with a gruff voice. «But when Carnoth has taken
back the place, you can look for her at your will.»
«Will he allow me to do so? Should I not fear that he
will turn against us?»
«The chalice is the only thing that counts for him.»
«The chalice and freedom.»
«Yes, freedom for all the damned.»
«So be it, then. I will see you tomorrow.»
At that point I was far from thinking I would see the
stranger the very next day. After waking the troops, he
was at Spada’s side, and he was introduced to us. No
one could quite grasp his foreign-sounding name, but it
sounded very much like the word «Audacious» so that is
how he became known to us. And that is how a damned
one became our company’s guide. I myself had very little
chance to speak with Audacious, for Arnolfini was always
seeking his attention, asking him a thousand questions,
always dutifully transcribing the answers in his notebook.
However, it was the shortest of conversations that caused
to him never speak to our guide again.
«You can stop making notes, you know, they will be of
no use to you.» said Audacious.
«Knowledge is the key to victory, my friend!» answered
Arnolfini, not in the least bit daunted by the damned
one’s tone of voice.
«Victory is for the living, pretentious youth. And you, in
less than ten days, will be dead.»
The damned one spoke with calm certainty, never rai-
sing his voice, his face devoid of any emotion. The young
nobleman turned away from him, a look of pure horror
sculpting the hideous mask of fear over the fair features
of a respectable young heir. And he never spoke to him
again.
From that day onwards, Arnolfini was continually pes-
tering Spada, for he had realized that our expedition was
leaving its route to follow the guidance of Audacious. We
were no longer heading west; we were now pushing nor-
thwards. We had abandoned the route of exploration to
enter the lands where devils were quarreling. Yet none of
us questioned the decision captain Spada had made: he
had saved many a man in battle, and more still during
times of peace. He was the kind of man you would follow
all the way to Hell and back... so we had all chosen to
do, for one reason or another. Unlike all the mercenary
troops the world has ever known, none of those reasons
was money. That was what Spada was like, and how we
were too, back then.
Two weeks after we had left the Black Mountain and all
the revolting vices of its guards behind us, we reached the
edge of a rocky plateau. From there, we cou
in valley, and at the bottom of it, what looked like the ruins
of a city. A river of blood-red water ran through the valley
and skirted the city, tracing a scarlet boundary that exuded
the rank smell of rotting flesh. From our vantage point,
we could see dark figures moving about among the ruins,
sometimes moving swiftly from one place to another. On
the other side if the river, a camp had been set up, and
there we saw the most vibrantly colorful company that we
had ever set eyes on.
The company was made up of damned ones, each one
more hideous than the next. There were skeletal humans,
their eyes deep in their sockets and their skin dry and
gray, bearing rusty arms and armor the kind if which
we had never seen. Young Arnolfini told us that they
were ancient weapons, like those borne by the heroes of
mythology, but we also saw one or two of them carrying
rapiers or arquebuses, undoubtedly taken from free com-
panies that, like ours, had ventured this far. However,
these were the least repulsive of the beasts, for among
them walked enormous monsters, as big as bears and
with jaws of steel, reptilian horrors covered in spines and
fangs, and abominations whose deformities and armor
made them look like giant carrion birds. The whole troop
was a crawling mass of rusted metal, leather, teeth and
blood, enough to petrify even the most hardened veteran.
There, in the middle of this monstrous regiment, sat a
truly gigantic individual. Around him was gathered his
elite guard, the Pack, as he called them. Bran Carnoth, a
damned abomination who had risen up in arms against
the other inhabitants of Hell. Everyone who had set foot
Below had heard of him, he was now more monster than
man, with an insect-like body and the fangs of a lion.
Carnoth and his crew were a perfect example of what
the devils sometimes call «the Lost». The Lost are damned
ones who refuse the supremacy of the demons, and claim
to be free creatures living in Hell. He and his menage-
rie of hideous monsters had freed themselves from the
rules of the Underworld kingdom, and they wrought havoc
through all the lands Below. They were lawless brigands,
and, well, in the end they were just mercenaries like us. In
fact, on closer inspection, Bran Carnoth and Spada were
made of the same stuff.
We climbed down from our vantage point. When we
came closer to Carnoth’s camp, two damned ones bloc-
ked our route, growling deeply. These creatures were
nothing like the lost souls that the French soldiers of
Black Mountain would use as whores, or targets for their
shooting practice. Their eyes were far from having that
dead, empty look to them.
«These are old souls.» murmured the captain next to
me, as if to answer my silent ponderings.
When the sentinels noticed Audacious with us, they
became less hostile and took us to meet Carnoth. The
war-lord was busy laying out his battle plan on a chart.
He turned around as we grew near. Audacious saluted
him.