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a-d-n-d-journal · 4 years

Text

Game Session #4

Characters:

Bakunawa, dragonborn paladin; copper scales, chainmail, a longsword and shield

Zastu Qqs, dragonborn rogue; white scales almost completely covered in a hooded cape and mask, leather armor, short bow and shortsword + dagger

Rysiel, half-elf druid; simple clothing and leather armor, scimitar

Teir Maccailleach, tiefling warlock; vibrant gold skin and black hair w/silver highlights, horns, hooves, expensive-looking clothes and leather armor, carries a crossbow and a hand-axe but tries not to use them

Guest starring...

Xolkin Alassandar, half-elf bandit leader; rougishly handsome, vibrant green winged snake on his shoulder, leather armor, scimitar and dagger

Kella Darkhope, human probably-not-actually-a-monk; blonde, weilds a crossbow

I had a friend help me out with the NPCs, and it worked out well. We'll probably do the same again later. For this game, I was at Bakunawa's player's place, while the others were remote.

The party wakes to the sound of a rooster crowing in their barracks. After a few seconds of disorientation, Teir shoots it with Eldrith Blast, spraying rooster guts and blood all over the nearest bunk (which is thankfully empty). Zastu tries to run away from the guts and blood, but runs directly into a guard coming to wake them. A group of people has entered the village! The adventurers rush outside into the brightening gloom (the sun has barely risen) to see if they can make out anything. Unfortunately, the walls of the village are in the way and they hear the crank of the drawbridge being raised. Teir sends his spectral raven into the village to scout, but the newcomers are too far away for him to see through his raven's eyes. The raven returns with vague information--its not very good at human things--counting eight peoples and seven horses, with one of the peoples being the same blonde one from the inn. The adventurers retract the ladder and go back inside to deliberate, though Zastu stays outside to keep watch. Inside the fort's study and lounge, Teir convinces Rysiel to check out the skulls mounted on the space the landing creates between the first and second floors. Rysiel, being a half-elf, is the only one of the part who lacks horns, and wouldn't it be great if he tried one on? Only the dragon-skull fits though, and it looks pretty cool! It works well as a helmet, seeming to fit his head just right, and he has the sense that he feels more protected (but he's not sure how) Bakunawa doesn't try to hide his disgust, and Rysiel tries to remove the skull... But it just slides around his head a bit. It doesn't get stuck on his ears or anything, but... He can't take it off. The half-elf lets out a half-hearted curse. They got back to discussing what to do. Time passes. They can't stay holed up in the fort forever (though there is food available). The people on the other side... Maybe they're nice? And they're going to figure out the ladder trick if they wait long enough... A rooster crows. Rysiel points at Teir accusingly. "Don't kill this one!" Teir puts up his hands. "Fine! But make it stop!" A rooster crows again. And again. And again, before Rysiel finds it behind a chair and picks it up. A rooster stops crowing. "I shall name him Jest," he declares.

Eventually they go back outside (leaving Jest behind) and Teir sends his raven out again. The sun is brightening the sky now. The newcomers are looting the village, going in and out of the trading post and the inn, checking out the stable, and gathering up the weapons the goblins had (shortbows, arrows, scimitars). Zastu reports the dying screams of a couple goblins. The adventurers place the ladder back on the gap in the bridge and cross to the other side. They cross into the village, and a shadow moves off to the side. Within a few seconds, they are met by a rougishly handsome half-elf, standing with Kella and six other ruffian-looking people. The leader looks them up and down, his eyes lingering on the paladin. Teir tries to greet them, but is interrupted. "What are you doing in my town?" The leader sneers at the Tiefling in noble's clothing. The rest of the conversation goes downhill from there. The leader introduces himself as Xolkin, and claims Nightstone for the "Black Network". The gears turn in Bakunawa's head. He knows of the Black Network through his mercenary connections. He tries to claim the town for the "Red Network", but Xolkin calls his bluff. Two of the bandits disappear and reappear to their sides, flanking them. Teir decides it's a good idea to send a 'warning' blast near one of them. But the others ready their crossbows, and they outnumber our adventurers, so eventually they negotiate an exit.

The bandits escort them to the two towers flanking the drawbridge, and let it down... But the adventurers are just over halfway across when they hear a faint rumbling coming from the north and the forest in the distance. They wait as the sound becomes louder. Suddenly, a small horde of orcs burst from the treeline! The adventurers stare at them dumbly for a moment as they run toward them. "Do they look mad?" Teir asks. "They look mad," Zastu replies. "Yeah, but are they running toward us, or away from something?" Teir insists. "At this point, I don't think that matters, let's get back inside," Rysiel says. They run back inside and burst into the watchtowers to raise the drawbridge. Startled, the bandits don't resist. Xolkin demands to know the meaning of this, but his face hardens at the mention of orcs. He orders his people up the ladders in the towers and onto the roofs. The orcs very quickly arrive at the end of the road near where the drawbridge had rested briefly. Those atop the towers can hear the rough orcish being spoken as two of the orcs, dressed in war and ceremonial gear the others lack, shout and point at the bridge and towers. One of them is quite huge, and many arrows pierce his flesh and armor. They don't seem to bother him much.

The disbelief of the bandits and adventurers causes them to hesitate. By the time they realize they should be raining arrows and bolts on the orcs, the small horde starts to fan out and explore the bank of the lake/moat. As the orcs slowly surround the village, the bandit group disperses to keep an eye on them. After about ten minutes, the orcs are spotted swimming across the moat to the broken bridge between Village and Fort. The boulder that took out the bridge has also taken out many of the protections to prevent stuff like this, so the orcs start climbing. The bandits take up a formation inside the village with orders to shoot on sight, but there isn't much cover. The adventurers hang out on the bridge, raining down a few attacks before retreating. Rysiel casts Ice Knife, killing one orc outright and knocking it off the scaffolding, while injuring two others. Seconds later two more heads pop up over the edge of the bridge and get an Eldritch Blast and an arrow to the face. They keep coming.

On the fort-side of the bridge, the guards have retracted the ladder and start shooting their own crossbows at the orcs. The seconds pass slowly. For a moment, the adventurers are able to kill the orcs as they come up in twos and threes. Then one makes it past the edge of the bridge into the village and is struck down by a bolt from one of Xolkin's bandits. A second orc follows, moving at an incredible speed (orcs have 'Aggressive' as a bonus action, allowing them to move at-speed toward an enemy they can see; that means, if they don't attack, they have Move action for 30ft, Dash action in lieu of Attack for another 30ft, AND Aggressive for 30ft, making a 90ft DASH IN ONE ROUND) The orcs start to pour in.

The guards aren't doing a very good job of shooting them in the back, either. They're just poor peons... Then they spot a strange-looking orc rest against the embankment on the far side, squinting at them with one eye. The embankment is too steep to climb, but he manages to prop himself up and is weaving his hands in rough gestures. Suddenly! A glowing spear appears in mid-air next to one of the guards! And attacks! The guards try to fight back, but the spear seems impervious, so they start shooting at the orc spellcaster.

The bandits fall back, shooting their crossbows. The adventurers also fall back, leaning on their strengths: Zastu climbs the hill on which the windmill sits, and shoots her shortbow. Nearby, Teir has retreated between a house and a field further back, shooting Eldritch Blasts. Bakunawa casts Shield of Faith and tanks 3 and 4 orcs at a time as they reach him. Rysiel disappears behind a house, and appears on the roof as a Panther with a dragon skull still on his head, growling in defiance. The orcs pour in. There must be about ten of them now... A dozen... And a hulking form comes through the break in the wall, charging at Xolkin and the bandits. Gurrash is full of arrows, and he doesn't care. He shouts in a roar that rivals the panther, and the orcs are bolstered. Then he swings his greataxe and cuts a bandit in half. Other orcs crash and overwhelm the humans, but they're still dying. Some of the bandits turn and run. Another one is cut to bloody pieces. A bright green line of acid splashes through the line of orcs from atop the hill. Zastu wipes her mouth, embarassed, and disappears into the windmill. Xolkin quaffs a thick, viscous liquid and steps forward with scimitar and dagger. Two orcs fall to his blades in seconds. Bakunawa draws a few of the orcs into another field, lightening the pressure on Xolkin's forces. Rice-panther leaps and pounces, ripping into Bakunawa's foes, the two of them working together for the advantage. Another bandit dies, but so do three more orcs. Four take their place. Zastu reappears from a window within the windmill, and starts shooting arrows (stepping around the two goblin corpses inside). Teir manages to take out another orc from an incredible distance, and a bandit pops out from the same house Rysiel disappeared behind--and fires his own crossbow. Another of Xolkin's bandits drops, and another runs, shooting behind him. Xolkin himself goes toe-to-toe with Gurrash, nimbly avoiding most of the big orc's attacks, and dealing his own. The two of them exchange blows at a faster rate than the others, and the orc's blows could cut a man in two without trying. Bakunawa and Rysiel are suddenly free, and the paladin moves into position. A long gout of fire bursts from his mouth, hitting five orcs in a line. None of them fall right away, but the bolts of Xolkin's remaining bandits find them and put them down. Rysiel pounces in and out, taking out another before Bakunawa is swarmed--Xolkin and the others starting to fall back again.

Meanwhile, at the bridge, the one-eyed orc spell caster has stayed behind the others, directing his spectral weapon to attack the guards. The guards retaliate, shooting bolt after bolt into him, but he just laughs. The guard, Sydiri, lines up a shot, betting if she could just shoot out his other eye... The bolt flies, and she succeeds. The floating spectral spear disappers as the orc screams in pain. The other guards shoot a couple more bolts, but half of them miss as the orc totters back and forth over the bridge. Then he takes one wrong step... And falls from the bridge, hitting the rocks beneath the surface of the water. He thrashes for a moment, and disappears. The guards cheer, and rush to put the ladder back in place, so they can go help. Torem crosses and Alara stumbles a bit on the rungs, not falling, but slowing their progress.

The orc forces are dwindling. There are eight of them left, including Gurrash. Two bandits are drastically wounded, and try to retreat while a third ducks in and out from behind a house, still uninjured. At some point, Kella appeared, shooting her own crossbow into the mess. Xolkin is bleeding, but he seems fine, protected by the magic of his potion. Four of the remaining orcs surround him. Gurrash looks about ready to fall apart, but his anger has shifted to the paladin and the panther who had just taken out so many seconds before, and he can still swing his waraxe. Three orcs are in front of the boss, but the paladin's armor aborbs their hits, then Gurrash pushes them aside to get at him, taking a chunk out of his hide. But Gurrash is on his last legs--Bakunawa's sword swings, and the big orc stumbles back--but he's still standing. Teir--somehow--blasts one of the orcs around Bakunawa and Rysiel, and Zastu's arrows continue to soar their way. In a flurry of bladework, Xolkin stabs and slashes at the orcs surrounding him, dropping three of them in two seconds. Only one left.

---At this point, it was after 11pm, and people had to sleep, so we wrapped up with 5 orcs still standing, including Gurrash--

Spells cast:

Rysiel: Ice Knife, Druidcraft Teir: Eldritch Blast (lots) Bakunawa: Shield of Faith Orc spellcaster: Spiritual Weapon

Killcount:

I kinda lost count of who-killed-what... 3 goblins died from the bandits, before the adventurers arrived--two in the windmill, and one in a tower 16 orcs died from the adventurers, guards, and bandits

Treasure looted:

Shortbows, arrows, and scimitars from the goblin corpses

One cursed/magical dragon skull

Left behind:

Who knows???

#5e #D&D #A Great Upheaval #Storm King's Thunder #A Party Most Queer #session

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