Following the successful raid on the excavation site at Derwich, the consortes gather in Kirke's castle at Utterbol to discuss how best to address the approaching ruckish army, led by Prince Busirane and Prince Typhon. The consortes also wonder about the recent reports of Hecatesseus's death, who is said to have been killed by order of King Tereus himself.

Purer Grundy prays to the Five for guidance, and is granted a vision of St. Iseltis. He thus learns that while King Tereus believes Hecatesseus to be dead, the wizard is in fact, alive.

Valerius casts a powerful spell that transports himself along with Owen and St. James to the besieged city of Heremac; the far travelers arrive in the Thistle and Briar Inn. After interrogating several patrons, the consortes hear several versions of the same tale: that Tereus had a figure resembling Hecatesseus drawn and quartered while his entire army and the city looked on; the remains were then taken up and burnt, the ashes scattered to the four winds. Owen and St. James steal out of the city and down into the ruckish camps to examine the wizard's pyre, but they can find no conclusive evidence that Hecatesseus had died there.

Back in Utterbol, Busirane and Typhon move their forces into position and begin laying siege to Kirke's castle. Sir Hamral, Renton, St. James, Own, and Purer launch a night raid on the ruckish camps. Owen and St. James attempt to sneak into Busirane's tent but activate a magical alarm that alerts the rucks; the group is forced to retreat without having gleaned much additional information.

A few nights later later, Gory-Moon assassins steal into Utterbol and attempt to murder the consortes while they sleep. While the rucks fail in their murderous plot, the attempt rattles many of our heroes.

The consortes conduct another raid on the ruckish camps, this time arousing the great wrath of Prince Busirane himself. As alarms sound, a group of Cataphracts chase the consortes out of the camps and back toward Kirke's castle. Our heroes turn and fight these following Cataphracts, who appear to be led by Busirane. Valerius conjures up several horrible monsters of ice and Friar Sidrach calls up a wall of whirling, shining swords to block the ruck's progress.

But the rucks continue to press forward. Their leader, dressed as Busirane, is swiftly killed by Valerius's monster, but the rucks fight on. It is soon clear that the icy monster must have killed one of Busirane's many look-alike bodyguards instead of the prince himself.

This suspicion is soon confirmed as the ranks of the ruckish army part wide to allow the true Prince Busirane to push forward. The prince is mad with rage, chewing on his own shield, howling unintelligibly, and running full bore at his enemies, his bodyguards following at a discrete distance. His own troops are clearly far more afraid of their own prince than any monster Valerius could conjure.

Busirane smashes into the consortes's lines with an awful fury. With but one, stupendous blow, he nearly flattens one of Valerius's most terrible summonings. And with but his bare hands Busirane is able to turn back the advance of one of Valerius's earthen elephants. Step by step the furious Busirane forces the consortes back toward the castle gates. The prince shrugs off all damage, even plunging through the conjured wall of swords, so intent is he on killing the consortes.

Spells, arrows, and monsters alike are all launched into the path of Busirane, but the prince just keeps coming, ranging farther and farther ahead of his army. After casting a charm of weakness upon the raging prince, Valerius prepares to hurl a second spell on to Busirane when suddenly, the magician in black is struck down by a nearly fatal blow from Prince Typhon, who appears magically out of nowhere next to Valerius, along with two more Gory-Moon assassins. But before Valerius can be killed Friar Sidrach calls upon a prayer to the Five that holds Typhon fast in his tracks, allowing the immobilized prince to be quickly killed.

Battered and bloodied, the consortes fall back behind the castle walls as Busirane draws ever nearer. But the great gates of Utterbol are pulled shut before Mendelor can reach safety, leaving the poor woodsman trapped outside before the howling prince and all his oncoming army. As the rest of the consortes race to the battlements to help their friend, the woodsman pits his axe and bravery against the ruck prince, mad with bloodlust. Into and out of the fray darts the swift Mendelor, striking Busirane again and again with Witcheswoe. The ruckish army holds back from the castle walls to watch this astonishing sight.

Busirane and Mendelor trade blow for blow, back and forth, with the woodsman slowly weakening before the Prince's onslaught. But then, with one mighty strike the woodsman lays down the death blow, severing the head of the ruck prince cleanly from its neck. Mendelor then holds up the gory trophy for all the ruckish host to behold, crying out his claim over the entire ruckish army.

The battlefield tumult is at once shocked into total silence and stillness. And then all of the rucks break as one and take flight back to Heremac.

The Roleplaying Award (RP) includes PBM responses as well as participation in the live session.