1. Each battle shall begin and end at the sound of a horn that can be heard throughout the combat area.
2. Each combatant shall be issued a card containing 12 resurrections (15 if they chose to participate in the pre war night battles); these cards are non transferable and represent the number of lives available to each warrior for the duration of the war.
3. There will be a minimum 15 minute break between battles to allow the sides to regroup etc. and all warriors must initiate their entrance onto the war field as a combatant for a specific battle by touching their own resurrection point.
4. Each battle shall be fought over the possession of one of the five artifacts of the Broch and ends when the Imperial forces bring the actual item within the boundaries of their fortification or one hour of battle is concluded.
5. The location of each artifact is secret and fixed at the beginning of each battle by the Lord of the Broch and cannot be moved from its location unless done so by Imperial forces. Once it has begun its move however, the forces of the Broch may recover it and move it to a new location.
6. If a member of the Broch is “captured” and taken to the Imperial resurrection point he can be forced to reveal the location of that battles objective, and a map must be handed over to the Imperial command.

Artifacts of the Broch

1. The Treasure Chest: Through pillage and cunning the rebels have absconded with an Imperial shipment of silver. The side that is in possession of the Chest at the end of the battle shall receive their first five resurrections for free.
2. The Bones of the Patriarch: The ancient burial grounds of the Broch are filled with restless spirits. The side that is in possession of this artifact at the end of the battle is granted the abilities of the heroes of old for the next battle.
3. The Bulwark of the Broch: The shield of the Lord of Broch Ceoban is the bulwark of their defense. The bearer of the shield of Lord Vego is only subject to blows from the rear.
4. The Bride of the Broch: A recent alliance with a neighboring tribe has brought critical resources and men flocking to Lord Vego’s cause. If the Imperial forces capture and retain (escort to their resurrection point) the Bride she is lost to the Broch. The side that fails to control the Bride receives one death per member still in the ranks.
5. The Banner of the Broch: This ancient banner has led the tribes of the Broch throughout its illustrious history and acts as the resurrection point for their side. If it falls into Imperial control the final battle is over.

Special rules for the Shadow Forest Rebellion

Capture

Forces contesting in the Shadow Forest rebellion may choose to “capture” rather than kill an opponent when they have them in a position to “kill from behind” or on the ground. To do so they must establish control of their opponent from behind or on the ground and shout the vocative “Capture”. The subject of the capture is then obliged to relinquish their arms and obey the commands of their captor to the limits of their ability as long as their captor stays within easy weapons reach. However, if the captor is engaged in combat or struck by missile fire the captive may endeavor to escape.

The captor is obliged to take the prisoner to their resurrection point where they shall be released back onto the field, with any wounds they may have had healed and their arms restored, after which they must return to their own banner before rejoining the battle. Each time the rebels capture and release an Imperial soldier an individual chosen by the Lord receives their next resurrection for free, each time the Imperial forces do this they receive information as to the whereabouts of the artifacts of the Broch.

For those warriors too tired of life/war or determined to rob the enemy of their reward may chose to deny the capture; however, doing so forfeits all of their remaining lives and they must leave the battlefield for the duration of the war.

Victory Standards

The victory standards for the Shadow Forest Rebellion shall be solely determined by the possession of artifacts, the ratio of artifacts between the two sides determines the severity of the victory.

If the dominant side has all five artifacts it shall be deemed a Crushing Victory/Crushing Defeat. At 4-1it shall be deemed a Laudable Victory/Lamentable Defeat, at 3-2 it shall be deemed a Victory/Defeat.

Crushing Victory – if a crushing victory is obtained then the commander of the defeated army shall be brought forward in chains and must remit any and all that was demanded by the victors. In this case, the rebels will remit a hostage to the Imperial court chosen from the Broch by the Queen, offer levies at Her next need and swear not to raise arms against Her again for the duration of Her reign. If the rebels prove victorious then no hostage will be given and reparations will be offered by the humbled Imperium’s weapon smiths.

Laudable Victory – if a laudable victory is obtained then the commander of the defeated army shall come forward under guard and submit to the demands of the opposing general. If the Broch is victorious then they shall establish a peace treaty with the Imperium and offer a facsimile retainer to the Imperium to cement the alliance and receive in exchange a gift of a sword for the Lord. If the Imperium is victorious, then the Broch will surrender a retainer of their choosing but approved by the Queen, proclaim the rightful and just authority of the Queen, and be offered instruction by the Warmaster in preparing their troops for the defense of the Imperium.

Victory – if the minimum level of Victory is obtained, the winning side shall meet with the losing side and a peace treaty shall be meted out with a minimum of fuss and maximum of compromise. In the case of Imperial victory a retinue member shall be handed over to the Imperium and the Imperium will leave happy, in the case of rebel victory, a live retinue member shall be offered, however said retainer will never be forced to serve outside the boundaries of the Broch.