Snapcase on Snoring Moor

Continuing from the previous adventure, “Snapcase on The Road to Snoring Moor” it has now become unsurprisingly “Snapcase on Snoring Moor” and with a modicum of luck for the scenario writer will become “Snapcase and the Bloody Barrow” as opposed to “Snapcase Snuffs it on Snoring Moor” or “Snapcase Succumbs to the Peril of the Bloody Barrow”.

With grave misgivings Sir Verney Snapcase and his remaining band of warriors continued in the quest for free beer. Snapcase’s misgivings centred around leaving the barrel of Black Pony Ale in the hands of the trio of hard drinkers he’d left behind. Red Molly, Titus Fleming and Annie Duck’s misgivings centred around what the immediate future might hold for them.

That’s when they heard more howling up ahead.

Good grief, more wolves….how are these random events! However these looked like small bears, rotund and stout. Obviously they’re well fed. Will they be more difficult to deal with than the leaner but more poorly painted wolves that they’d already encountered.

“Stand firm men”, Snapcase commanded, “there’s only 4 of them and we’re fully loaded” he continued.

Even as he was uttering these wise words 2 pistol shots rang out, followed almost immediately by a further 2 shots. Red Molly and Annie Duck fired without waiting for his word of command.

That’s better shooting he nodded approvingly as 2 of the rotund wolves fell to the opening salvo. Annie had fired first, missing with her first shot she had stunned one of the wolves with her second but Red Mollies two shots had hit and killed each time. Unfortunately her first shot hit the one that Annie had stunned or it would have all been over straight away.

The third wolf rushed at Titus but before it could attack Annie drew her 3rd pistol and fired as it ran towards them. An accurate chest shot that stopped the wolf dead and the fourth one ran for the hills, although on the moor it’s fairly flat so he’ll have to run a long way before he finds a hill so they’ll not see him again.

Feeling slightly relieved at their better fortune they continued on their way across the now trackless moor. “That was easy” remarked Sir Verney to no one in particular and no one answered him because it had gone very quiet.

Sir Verney hadn’t noticed yet as he went on, “if we don’t get lost and fall in a bog we should be there in an hour or so”, then the hairs on the back of his neck started to prickle.

Looking over his shoulder he saw the strangest sight. Two creatures in straight jackets and one wild fellow with an axe but the apparition in purple sent shivers down his spine.

She shrieked like the Devil and two of her creatures Stumper and Smiles, stated to run at Snapcase’s party. Red Molly took to her heels immediately, wolves were one thing but this was something else and she ran as fast as she could or the rough moorland allowed.

This unnerved Sir Verney and Titus, at least that’s what Snapcase said afterwards and they swiftly followed the retreating figure of Red Molly.

Smiles, who is one of the straight jacketed creatures, chased after them, howling and snarling as he went.

I imagine most of us would be slightly unnerved by this fellow, well at least until we realised his hands were strapped down and the worse he could do would be to bite.

Although on reflection, that’s not very reassuring.

Anyway, fear leant wings to their heels and they outdistanced Smiles.

Only then did Snapcase count his party….there were 3.

Annie Duck was missing.

Stumper the axe carrying creature had charged straight at Annie but she hadn’t given way to her fears and run. Blowing a handful of powdered hashish in its face did no good, it just snarled in response but she still had Spike in her left hand.

Spike by the way is her stiletto, a long intimidating dagger. Of course a madman with a two handed axe isn’t going to be intimidated by a knife, no matter how thin and pointed it is. The fight went back and forth, neither of them gaining an advantage in the initial set too.

Annie is fast and nimble and might have been able to deal with one opponent.

But as the other two ran towards her, she failed her Brains test and past her Guts test, so didn’t run. There were now three of them, as Samantha Chit-Chat and her lackey The Quiet One joined Stumper in the titanic struggle.

Even for a canny and vigorous fighter such as Annie, the odds were stacked high against her.

There was only one way this was going to end and the inevitable happened. She was beaten to the ground and is Oof, or out of the fight.

Leaving Annie for dead the wild woman and her crew chased after Snapcase, but he had a good start and they eventually gave up the chase, as he and the rest of the runners escape.

“Where the hell are we” Sir Verney asked Red Molly for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. They had outdistanced their pursuers and been floundering in the soggy peat for some time. “I don’t know” she replied, “I’ve never been on this part of the moor before”. “I just ran blindly, not knowing where I was headed, I just wanted to be away from that devil’s brew”.

“Well I only followed because I thought you knew where you were going” Snapcase snapped. He was feeling a little guilty about leaving Annie behind, only a little guilty mind and was a bit tetchy because of this unaccustomed feeling. That, and the damp peat was ruining his best boots which didn’t cheer him up at all.

This was instantly forgotten when they heard another shriek closer than any of them would like it to be, a shriek that they recognised immediately.

No…it wasn’t wolves!

The Samantha Chit Chat had been tracking them with her hounds, the Quiet One and Smiles.

They had been able to follow the scent of fear quite easily.

Molly reacted quickly, she was not as surprised this time and didn’t run. Instead she fired both her pistol’s at the wild woman in the purple shift and was rewarded by seeing her fall. Hit in the leg she is badly hurt and Oof, not dead though. Death has a way of avoiding Samantha Chit Chat, even Death is a little afraid of her.

This should have had the effect of dispiriting her minions and sending them running across the moor, but they know no fear.

The Quiet One mourned his fallen idol, snuffling and making strange mewling sounds he tried to comfort her.

But the other two flew at Snapcase and Titus. Who, having witnessed Molly’s bravery, they couldn’t really run, well could they? So they stood like statues made of stone, ready to receive the onslaught, possibly inwardly quaking…..almost certainly inwardly quaking but they’re never going to admit that, are they?

The fight was long and hard, Smiles and Titus inflicted wounds on each other, Snapcase took an almighty blow from Stumpers axe and only just survived before stabbing his opponent in the leg. Molly drew her knife and came to his aid, between the two of them they managed to get the better of the axeman.

Titus striking with his long sword eventually disabled Smiles who has his hands tied behind his back….well done Titus.

“Kill them” screams Chit-Chat to The Quiet One and he attacks, only to be shot in the leg by Red Molly. In spite of this he continues to advance but is beaten down by Sir Verney and Titus whose combined attacks eventually defeat an unarmed man in a straight jacket.

The trio of mad men die, foaming at the mouth, but die they do and Snapcase, Fleming and Molly survived intact. Well not really intact because they all carried wounds either from this or the first encounter and if it hadn’t been for the thought of free, Old Buggers Bitter, Sir Verney would have abandoned the quest here and now.

As he looks out over Snoring Moor the sun is setting in the West and he cheers his men up by telling them that it’s not far and they should be at the Bloody Barrow before nightfall, and even if it takes a little longer they shouldn’t worry because it’s a full moon tonight, indeed he’s certain that it’s a full, Blood Red moon tonight and that must be a lucky omen…..mustn’t it……

The sunset pictures are from Doug's collection, it would appear that down south they have sunshine, lucky beggars.