Akachi Finally Understands Umôrdhoth (Solo, Achievements)

Here we go, Akachi Onyele versus Umôrdhoth. I had a terrible (one cultist only) showing in Return to The Midnight Masks, which does mean that Akachi hasn't defeated any unique cultists... so if she somehow wins here she'll have accomplished that achievement. But with no way to get past the horde of cultists that will spawn if she advances the Act... and one of them being a hunter she can't kill if she wants the achievement... her only option is to turtle and try to blast away Umôrdhoth when it appears. It will be at full strength, with a whopping 8 fight and 13 health. I had just enough experience to bring one copy of max-leveled Shrivelling, which will need to land 5 hits (or 4 hits plus something auxiliary, like Shards of the Void or Storm of Spirits) to win. Well... here we go!

SESSION REPORT SCENARIO III: RETURN TO THE DEVOURER BELOW

• Opening Hand: Mists of R'lyeh, Rite of Seeking, Unexpected Courage, Lady Esprit, Arcane Initiate
• Kept: Lady Esprit, Arcane Initiate
• Replacements: Decorated Skull, Drawn to the Flame, Torrent of Power
• Starting Location: Main Path

R1 (1D, 3H, 5$, 0C): 3/4 doom

• Encounter: None
• Play Arcane Initiate with +1 doom [-1$]
• Use Arcane Initiate: draw Shards of the Void
• Play Shards of the Void [-3$, seal 0]
• Draw Shrivelling [+1$]
• Use Arcane Initiate: no draw

I would have had to hide in a side path with no weapon, but fortunately my Arcane Initiate fetched something up just when I needed it. And now, I also have my Umôrdhoth-killing weapon: max leveled Shrivelling! Need to save those charges for the endgame... and there's a few more pieces I'm looking for as well.

R2 (1D, 3H, 2$, 0C): 4/4 doom

• Agenda advances to 1b: Grave-Eater spawns and engages with +1 doom, advances to 2a [enemies have +1 Fight/Evade]
• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Woods-A with +1 doom
• Use Shards of the Void [-1X]: Fight Grave-Eater, 7 vs. 3 ( is -1): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Play Decorated Skull
• Draw Flashlight
• Draw Arcane Initiate [+1$]
• Use Arcane Initiate: draw Rite of Seeking

What I'm looking for, ultimately, is a Holy Rosary and one or both Spirit Athames, and then a hand full of cards I can pitch to my Umôrdhoth-attacking tests. Akachi's base 5, +3 from Shrivelling, +1 from Holy Rosary, brings me to 9 vs. Umôrdhoth's 8... the more I can boost above that, the better.

R3 (1D, 3H, 3$, 0C): 1/5 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Encounter: Umôrdhoth's Wrath, 5 vs. 5 (-1): fail by 1 [discard Rite of Seeking]
• Move to Woods-A = Arkham Woods - Lakeside [Disciple of the Devourer engages]
• Use Shards of the Void [-1X]: Fight Disciple of the Devourer, 7 vs. 4 ( is +1) [+1X on Shards of the Void]: pass [+2D, defeated, +1X on Decorated Skull]
• Play Shrivelling [-3$]
• Draw Rite of Seeking [+1$]
• Use Arcane Initiate: no draw

Still important to clear out Disciples of the Devourer sprouting doom when I can. My Shards of the Void charges are helpful here, and I'm keeping the +2 from having the 0 token sealed in order to counterbalance Agenda 2 giving all the enemies +1 Fight.

R4 (1D, 3H, 1$, 0C): 2/5 doom

• Encounter: Chill from Below, 5 vs. 3 (-1): pass
• Draw Holy Rosary
• Use Decorated Skull [-1X]: draw Mists of R'lyeh [+1$]
• Use Decorated Skull [-1X]: draw Unexpected Courage [+1$]
• Draw Flashlight [discard Flashlight, Flashlight, +1$]
• Use Arcane Initiate: draw Shrivelling

There's a key piece of my combo in Holy Rosary, but I want to run out my Decorated Skull charges first.

R5 (1D, 3H, 4$, 0C): 3/5 doom

• Encounter: Goat Spawn spawns and engages
• Use Shards of the Void [-1X]: Fight Goat Spawn, 7 vs. 4 ( is -5): fail
• Use Shards of the Void [-1X]: Fight Goat Spawn, 7 vs. 4 (-2): pass [+2D]
• Use Shards of the Void [-1X]: Fight Goat Spawn, 7 vs. 4 ( is -5): fail
• Goat Spawn attacks [1D]
• Draw Angered Spirits [+1$, discard Rite of Seeking]
• Use Arcane Initiate: draw Mists of R'lyeh

Bad luck there with two misses and a counterattack. Fortunately I do have something to help mitigate the damage. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come.

R6 (2D, 3H, 5$, 0C): 4/5 doom

• Encounter: Mask of Umôrdhoth attaches to Disciple of the Devourer spawning at Woods-B with +1 doom
• Use Shards of the Void [-1X]: Fight Goat Spawn, 7 vs. 4 (-1): pass [+2D, defeated, 1H to Arcane Initiate, +1X on Decorated Skull]]
• Play Lady Esprit [-4$, discard Arcane Initiate]
• Use Lady Esprit [1H to Lady Esprit]: heal 2D
• Draw Storm of Spirits [+1$, discard Mists of R'lyeh]

My completing Curse of the Rougarou helps me out now with Lady Esprit coming in to heal Akachi's wounds. With the agenda about to flip anyway, I can ignore that second Disciple of the Devourer.

R7 (0D, 3H, 2$, 0C): 5/5 doom [+1 on Disciple of the Devourer]

• Agenda advances to 2b, commit Torrent of Power [-1X from Decorated Skull], 8 vs. 6 (0): pass
• Encounter: Ancient Evils [+1 doom]
• Play Holy Rosary [-2$, discard Decorated Skull]
• Draw Decorated Skull
• Draw Spirit-Speaker
• Draw Emergency Cache [+1$, discard Decorated Skull]

Still digging for my Spirit Athames, keeping every icon card I can hang onto along the way.

R8 (0D, 3H, 1$, 0C): 2/5 doom

• Encounter: Disciple of the Devourer spawns at Woods-C with +1 doom
• Move to Main Path
• Move to Woods-C = Arkham Woods - Old House [Disciple of the Devourer engages]
• Use Shards of the Void [unseal 0]: Fight Disciple of the Devourer, 6 vs. 3 (-1): pass [+2D, defeated]
• Draw Shards of the Void [+1$, discard Mists of R'lyeh]

Better to get that 0 unsealed now. I'm out of Shards of the Void charges, but have my backup Level 0 Shrivelling - which I might as well play as it doesn't give a icon. Again, I'm saving all of my Level 5 Shrivelling charges for the boss battle.

R9 (0D, 3H, 2$, 0C): 3/5 doom

• Encounter: Ancient Evils [+1 doom]
• Play Emergency Cache [+3$, draw Lita Chantler]
• Draw Torrent of Power
• Play Shrivelling [-3$]
• Draw Spirit Athame [+1$, discard Arcane Initiate]

Ancient Evils has really sped the clock on me here, but hey, there's at least one of my Spirit Athames in the nick of time!

R10 (0D, 3H, 3$, 0C): 5/5 doom

• Agenda advances to 3b: Ritual Site enters play, Umôrdhoth spawns at Ritual Site with 3 resources on Vault of Earthly Demise
• Encounter: Rotting Remains, 6 vs. 3 (-4): fail by 1 [1H on Lady Esprit]
• Play Spirit Athame [-3$]
• Use Lady Esprit [1H to Lady Esprit]: [+2$]
• Play Lita Chantler [discard Lady Esprit]
• Umôrdhoth moves to Main Path
• Draw Holy Rosary [+1$]

I sent Lady Esprit home to bring in a fresh Lita Chantler for full 3D/3H soak. Next turn starts the main event. I have enough icons to consistently get up to 11 or 12 against Umôrdhoth with my attacks... though I'd love to get up to more, to at least give some protection against the token. Torrent of Power will handle at least one of those, drawing from my backup Level 0 Shrivelling.

R11 (0D, 3H, 3$, 0C)

• Encounter: Dissonant Voices
• Move to Main Path [Umôrdhoth is engaged]
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Umôrdhoth, commit Torrent of Power [-3X from Shrivelling], 16 vs. 8 (-4): pass [+3D]
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Umôrdhoth, use Spirit Athame, commit Drawn to the Flame, 12 vs. 8 ( is +1) [+1X to Shrivelling]: pass [+3D]
• Umôrdhoth attacks [1D, 1H on Holy Rosary, 2D/2H on Lita Chantler]
• Draw Spirit Athame [+1$]
• Discard Dissonant Voices

Too little too late with that second Spirit Athame. One missed attack and retaliate will end me, so here goes nothing!

R12 (1D, 3H, 4$, 0C)

• Encounter: Acolyte of Umôrdhoth spawns and engages (This actually lets me make one of my attacks against an easier test...)
• Play Storm of Spirits [-3$]: Fight Acolyte of Umôrdhoth, 6 vs. 3 (0): pass [+3D defeats Acolyte of Umôrdhoth, +2D to Umôrdhoth] (This way if I'd missed, I wouldn't have eaten a retaliate. And could save my other boosts for my last two attacks, giving me just enough to hit +5 with both.)
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Umôrdhoth, use Spirit Athame, commit Spirit-Speaker, 13 vs. 8 ( plus 0 = -5): pass [+3D, 2H] (Holy mackerel!! When I saw the token my heart sunk, but there was still the chance the other token would have been a 0 or better... and it was!!)
• Use Shrivelling [-1X]: Fight Umôrdhoth, commit Unexpected Courage, Shards of the Void, Holy Rosary, 13 vs. 8 (-4): pass [+3D, defeated, Resolution 2, +1 physical trauma from Angered Spirits] (Another very near thing, but... success!!!)

Resolution 2

• Akachi repelled Umôrdhoth
• +2 physical trauma, +2 mental trauma
• 10 experience (0 Victory + 10 bonus)
• Total trauma: 4 physical, 5 mental
• Akachi Onyele wins!
• ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: They're Just Misunderstood

And there we go! Akachi Onyele may be completely battered by her experience, but at the end of the day she repelled The Devourer Below without defeating a single unique cultist. Heck, maybe they'll start following her from now on. Happy end?

At this point I only have three Return to the Night of the Zealot achievements left to complete: (i) netting all six unique cultists in Return to The Midnight Masks; (ii) winning with at least three Ultimatums; and (iii) winning on Expert difficulty. Pretty tall orders playing solo, but I'm up to the challenge. For Midnight Masks, I'm thinking I need somebody with action compression and some fighting chops. I wonder if "Ashcan" Pete and Duke might be up to the task?