HUNTING DEMONS

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Binky and his party arrive at the village.  It is surrounded by flocks and herds kept close in.  The grass has almost been grazed away.  A sure sign that the villagers are worried that they will lose their wealth. 
In the distance, the forbidding landscape gives even Binky second thoughts, "Lots of places for ambushes there" he thinks to himself. 

The animals are mainly HLBS creatures and some plastic toys.  The arable fields are carpet tiles and the ploughed fields and ponds are painted card.  The stones are, well, stones.

Early in the morning Binky leads the way.  Overnight another woman was taken by the Demons.  All that was left are a few lion paw prints inside the village.  None at all outside where the herds passed.  He expects to make a kill by driving the Demon Lions out.  He also has a reserve plan - a reconnaissance to find likely places, then hide from the noon heat, select a position near water and then make the kill at dusk when most predators come down to drink.  It is hot already. 
Attraccted by a flock of Irregullah Vultures they close in on a likely spot.  Binky divides the party up into two and they approach the remains of a kill.  It is a Wildebeest and not the

The skeleton is from the Copplestone fossil hunter set and the vultures from Irregular - hence the name.

They stir up a Morvaloon Viper and Henry Jones blows its head off with his pistol.  A good job he did for the bite of the Morvaloon Viper is the deadliest of all snakes.  Gradually it dawns on the Binky that as the hunting party is too large the lions hear them far off and disappear.  He deftly switches to plan B at the urging of Adrian.  The parties divide and search for good shooting positions near the water holes.
As the day wears on Binky approaches the water hole.  At the same time a family of chimpanzees and a herd of Wildebeest arrive.  The chimps are inquisitive but not aggressive and the wildebeest just ignore the humans.

The wildebeest are HLBS and the chimps Eureka.  The trees are Games Workshop.  All the figures are Foundry except "Lucille" who is from Shadowforge.

The heat of the day begins to fade as Adrian's party surprise a rhino with a calf.  They drive both off with some heavy gunfire. 

The rhinos are plastic toys.

Meanwhile, back at Binky's water hole the party are enjoying the shade of the trees and relaxing when a pair of Wahammah Boars charge out from the undergrowth.  they narrowly miss Hassan and Lucille and thunder off into the distance.  Neither had even the opportunity to fire.   Binky has the goat tethered as bait and settles down to wait. 
Not far away Adrian finds an excellent spot even if it is somewhat exposed.  He settles down to cover the water hole after posting the party out as guards and vedettes.
Binky and his party after the scare of the Wahammah Boars all take up positions in the trees.  Here it is hotter than on the ground.  Innumerable insects launch assault after assault on them as monkey gibber and scream until they get bored and depart.  A pair of lions appear and are swiftly dealt with.  It looks like the job is done.
At his waterhole Adrian kills a marauding lioness.  He is disturbed a bit by something at the back of his mind.  When he inspects the dead lioness he sees that it is quite normal except that it is smaller than might be expected.  Certainly not capable of dragging off humans without a serious amount of effort and noise.
  On the way back Adrian raises his doubts, the tribal warriors though grateful for the killing of the three lions have to agree.  None seem capable of the killings and abductions.  "There is more to this than meets the eye!" say Binky and Adrian together.  And with Ma'Iti they form a plan.
At the village they show their trophies and are feted by the chief and the villagers.  When they are told that there are doubts as to whether the lions were the real culprits Binky a huge argument ensues between the Chief's wives and the witchdoctor. 
Adrian and Binky exchange winks.  There is an obvious plot here.  The witchdoctor, Veribah Zumell, accuses Skinni Viggah, the Chief's youngest wife of undermining him and calling down the demons.  She counters with an equally abusive and quite unladylike tirade that boils down to the fact that the witchdoctor's charms cannot protect the herds or the people.  While, if she was given the chance she could.  The whole tribe falls silent at this.  The chief's wife claiming to be a sorcerer?  Then the whole place erupts in noise.  Binky and Adrian call out but are simply not heard.  Henry Jones fires a shot in the air. 

In the silence Binky proposes that a trial is held.  As soon as he says this the crowd chants, "Crocodiles, crocodiles, crocodiles."  Binky asks the Chief what this means.  He replies that the test of honesty is to swim across the crocodile pool naked and unarmed.  The truthful one will pass unscathed and the false-sayer will be eaten. 

Not happy with this Binky is about to argue when Adrian lays his hand on his sleeve and nods towards Skinni Viggah.  She is trying to escape. 

"Stop her!" calls Binky.  And several hands hold her fast.  She is dragged before the chief who orders the test.  The witchdoctor, Skinni Viggah are escorted to the crocodile pool, all the way there a match of spell and counter spell takes place place to no effect.  They are obviously well matched in magic!  The witchdoctor makes his incantation as he strips.  But Skinni Viggah continues to taunt him, refusing to go to the edge of the pool.  The Chief orders her stripped and the guards to throw her in if necessary.  At this she breaks down and confesses all. 

She had set up the whole complex plan to discredit the witchdoctor, take his place and then seize power.  She comes from a neighbouring tribe and her father has a death-grudge against the Chief.  The "victims" are all members of her female only cult and their children.  The hiding places are revealed as the Caves of the Old Ones and warriors despatched to bring them in.

The Chief orders her death in front of the assembled tribe.

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