IHMN#4: Cathedral Battle

Vital information has been tucked away inside one of a trio of books hidden in the Cathedral grounds. One tome is in the graveyard, one at the Cathedral altar and one down in the catacombs (accessible fron inside the building and via an outside crypt.

Lord Curr wants the information in the book, whilst Queen Victoria will lead her company to prevent it falling into enemy hands. But will they find the books, never mind the correct one?...

Lord Curr's Company - Q Division, Extraordinary Affairs:

• LORD CURR (71pts): pluck 2+, FV3, SV3, speed 1, armour 8, points 71
  Fearless, Hunter, Tough, Leadership 2+
  Hunting Rifle, Monocular Targeting Array, Combat knife, Lined Jacket
• DAKOTA (American wolfdog) (16pts): pluck 5+, FV3, SV-, speed 0, move 12"/18", armour 7, points 16
  Stealth, Tough
  Big Teeth
• MOHAN SINGH (36pts): pluck 4+, FV3, SV2, speed 1, armour 8,
  Strongman
  Machine Gun, Sabre. Jack
• THE INCORRIGIBLES x4 (16pts): pluck 5+, FV1, SV2, speed 0, armour 9,
  Military Rifle, Brigantine
• LADY FELICITY (Two-Gun Tess) (20pts): Pluck 5+,FV+0,SV+3,speed 1, armour 9
  Gunslinger

Queen Victoria's Palace Company:

• QUEEN VICTORIA (45pts): Pluck 2+/ FV +1/ SV +2/ Speed 0 ; Leadership +3,
  Inspirational, Tough
  Brigandine, Shotgun
• MR BRIDGES, HEAD BUTLER (17pts): Pluck 4+/ FV +1/ SV +1/ Speed 0 ;
  Stealthy
  Lined Coat, Shotgun
• CAPTAIN THOMAS PATON (46pts): Pluck 3+/ FV +4/ SV +4/ Speed +1;
  Leadership +2
  Brigandine, Arc Pistol, Sabre
• SERGEANT ARTHUR BLAKE (42pts): Pluck 4+/ FV +3/ SV +3/ Speed 0;
  Bayonet Drill, Grenadier, Marksman
  Brigandine, Bayonet, Military Rifle, Explosive Grenade
• GRENADIER GUARDSMEN x3 (33pts): Pluck : 4+/ FV +2/ SV +2/ Speed 0;
  Bayonet Drill, Grenadier
  Brigandine, Bayonet, Military Rifle, Explosive Grenade
• GROUNDSKEEPER WILLIAM (14pts): Pluck 5+/ FV +1/ SV +2/ Speed 0
  Military Rifle
• SIR JAMES REID (15pts): Pluck 4+/ FV 0/ SV +2/ Speed 0
  Medic
  Lined Coat, Pistol
• ELVIRA SYNG (10pts): pluck 5+, FV2, SV0, speed 2, armour 7
  Garotte, Civilian clothing

Lord Curr and co. surged down the main path towards the ground.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cathedral, Victoria split her company into two squads. THe frirst, led by her, skirted round the back of the building towards the main entrance.

Sergeant Blake took the other squad down towards the graveyard.

Lord's Curr's charges arrived at the South and East gates to the cemetery first,

They were spotted by the Grenadier Guardsmen through the railings, but they were still a bit away from the gate they needed.

Victoria led her group up to gather at the corner of the Cathedral, wary of Lord Curr covering the entrance.

They picked they moment and rushed into the building, interrupting a Holy Ceremony.

The cemetry outside was starting to get lively. Some Incorrigibles had rushed in to find a book from the grave whilst at the side a couple of Guardsmen had entered, with the remaining looking to take pot shots through the fence.

Lurking at tactical backup, however were Mohan Singh with his machine gun and the gunfighter Lady Felicity.

Captain Paton rushed up to the main alter amid the scattering clergy to search and claim one of the sought after books..

Victoria and Mr. Bridges dropped through a loose flagstone in the Cathedral into the cataccombs in search of another book.

In the graveyard a Guardsman rushed forward to try and stop an Incorrigible from opening a tomb and picking out a book. He was quickly surrounded by not only another foe, but also by the snarling fangs of Dakota, as Lord Curr loosed his hound.

Lady Felicity started round to deal with the sniping guardsmen, but Elvira pounced out of the shadows to intercept. She found that the Lady was in the mood for a fight as she stared down one of  her gun barrels.

The sounds of melee filled the usually still air. The guardman manged to dispatch the tomb robber whilst surviving a flurry of attacks from his flanks.

Whilst Lady Felicity quickly had Elvira to the ground, although not delivering the necessary coup-de-grace.

Underground, Victoria and Mr. Bridges had a tomb in sight.

Round the outdoors grave Mohan Singh had decided to bring some firepower to the party and moved in past the gravestones, ignoring the shots flying past him from the Guards military rifles.

Elivra staggered to her feet again to face Lady Felicty, but the fight was very one sided and she was soon on the floor again.

Finally the Guardsman went down under the attentions of Dakota and others. But with more Guardsmen rushing in, the likelihood of getting the tomb levered open before the local authorities intervened looked very unlikely and the pther two books either in the Empires hands (or very nearly) Lord Curr reluctantly called the retreat.

There were still other resources to collect elsewhere.

A vital victory for Queen Victoria