Mid-afternoon, just as the gorge gives way to jagged hills, you receive word that your advanced scouts have returned. Irabeth sends messengers up the line to bring the column to a halt, and on the way back they ask you to follow for a quick meeting with her commanders and specialists.
Her retinue is pitching a quick tent to shield everyone from the stark sun, which seems more orange than usual. As you approach, she unfolds the table, the tent still rising around her, and watches as Aron unrolls a charcoal map. It's a quick tracing of one of the army's maps of Drezen and the surrounding lands, intended for marking up. You see ink in both red and blue where he had done just that.
"As you can see, we have our first report on Drezen, which is just beyond that ridge." She points to the hills ahead. The road curves to the northeast, passing through a rugged, tree-covered landscape. The trees are thick and seem to be thriving but not unaltered, their trunks and branches are twisted and heavily scarred. "I want you here for this, so we can develop a strategy for taking the city."
You see four paladins, all captains in the army, join in the conference. They give Nurah a long sidelong glance, but don't seem alarmed by her presence.
"Specialist Kir. Whenever you are ready."
He looks up to Sosiel, and then a little longer over at Nurah, before beginning. "The only approach to the city is along the road. It was built to be defensible. These hills," he says, pointing to the approaches on the south end of the map, "are rugged. You could bring a handful of people in on foot, but armored infantry would be a challenge, and the supply wagons would never make it.
"They know this, and have placed two armies here, just ahead of Southbank." He points to the southern edge of the city where there are two red boxes, one with an X and the other with an oval in the center. "Light infantry, mostly tieflings, here. Armored infantry of humans and humanoids here. Both number about 200, give or take. They are staged along the edge of the tree line, close enough to support one another, but not immediately. You could take on one, and you might have a few minutes before you'd be facing the other.
"Right now, these two armies control the south bank of the Ahari--hence the name. But, there's also an army of what appear to be a couple of hundred undead here. Probably ghouls, but I didn't get close enough to tell for sure." He points to the southwest edge of the map. There's a box inked in here, too, only with curved lines. "This is the Drezen cemetery, so I guess that's fitting. A deep ravine separates them from Southbank proper, though, so they can't really come to the aid of the main forces. There's something odd about them, by the way. They are clustered around what looks like a large crypt, which I've circled here.
"Anevia?"
Anevia steps up to the table. "This area up here is Paradise Hill. It has a number of fortified buildings, and is hosting a large number of goat-headed demons, maybe schirs or brimoraks. Most likely the former. They are dug in, so they'll be at an advantage. But, like Aron's ghouls, they aren't in a position to reinforce the main armies. They'd have to march across the bridge here to do it, and that takes time to organize."
You hear Nurah speak up. "Those buildings were originally warehouses, plus some general storage. Silos, and the like."
Anevia nods in response. "Looks like they mostly still are, but we'd need more time to watch their activities to know for sure.
"Last, there is the citadel itself. It's across the Aharia, or what was the Ahari, here." She points to the large structrue in the center of the map. "It had seven watchtowers in its prime, but today three have crumbled, leaving only four." She's circled the four that are intact, and put X's over the others. "There's a catapult in each, and each is guarded by a goat-headed demon. They are too far away to see, but I'd put my money on brimoraks. I saw them teleport in and out. We'd need more time to watch them, but it appears there's always one on duty.
"They could use the catapults to hit our army, but not once we're in the city proper. We'd be too close. But they'd still function as watchtowers."
Aron takes over again. "As for the Ahari, its banks are steep. It was down a steep incline even before it dried up, but it was dredged for ship traffic and that makes the dry riverbed even more difficult to traverse. It'd take a long time--hours at best, a day or two at worst--to get an army across by climbing, and they'd easy targets while they did it. So to get to the citadel, we have to cross the bridge here." He points to the bridge in the center of the map, which has been circled. "They know it, too, and have a small force guarding it. Mostly human or tiefling."
Alexa nods along as the briefing goes on.
"Would it be at all possible to pit one of their armies against itself?"
"As chaotic as they are, know they'll have paladins to tear into will likely keep them focused." Darya says, as she studies the map.
"If a frontal assault hitting the two armies in wait serves as a distraction, we can try going through the heart of the undead zone."
Irabeth frowns, "I like the idea of using the battle as a distraction for a specialists' mission, but not the idea of sending you into an organized unit of ghouls that are sitting idle. The bridge however..." She works the fingers in her hands as she thinks. "Do you think you could take it? The army would come right up this road, just as they are expecting, and engage the first infantry force. Once the second mobilizes, if we have the upper hand at that point you could slip into the city towards the bridge."
Arloric watches and listens, nodding as the battlefield is described to them.
"I imagine we'll attract attention no matter WHERE we choose to fight: one display of our power will likely be like lighting a beacon for the enemy."
Irabeth chuckles, "I have no doubt of that. But I believe you can actually make it to the bridge. I am less confident about you being surrounded by two hundred ghouls.
"Besides, if you take the bridge, our army can hold it. And it has strategic value."
"That would be a big tactical win. You said there's a small force of humans and tieflings guarding it?" Darya asks, looking to Aron and Anevia for confirmation.
Alexa looks down at her feet and falls silent, looking a bit disappointed.
...dammit, I wanted to play merry hell on the enemy's side. I even had a plan for making fake correspondence and everything.
But I suppose this is more practical and this is war...
Arloric makes a concerned face at Alexa's disappointment, but keeps his big mouth shut.
Aron nods in response. "I didn't get a good count. We could try to do that in the morning.
"There are guard towers on either side at both ends, and two more pairs evenly spaced along its length, so four towers on each side. Battlements line the sides, and connect those towers together. Like so."
He draws a shape in the sand that looks like two brackets facing each other: ] [
"One more thing. It does look like the supports are damaged. They may be prepared to bring the bridge down. There may be something down in that ravine. We couldn't see into it from where we were."
dot
"In that case, seeing if they have anything prepared to take out the supports should be a priority. We don't want to fall into the trap of taking the bridge, just to have them drop it, and our crossing force in one shot." Darya says with a frown.
Anevia says, "There's a vantage point that would let us get a closer look, but we'd be a bit exposed. Someone with more skill at avoiding notice might have better odds at pulling it off..." Her gaze falls on Alexa as her voice trails off.
"Sounds like that'll be my job." Alexa nods.
Darya flashes Alexa a quick grin. "They'll never know you were there."
"Bloody right they won't." Alexa replies, feeling more than a little reassured by Darya's faith in her.
"Mind that you're not cheering my name when you do, Arloric." Alexa wrinkles her nose. "Might tip them off that I'm up to something."
"A shame we don't have wings. Or winged mounts." Uriel comments.
"Maybe," Irabeth says to Uriel. "Or maybe a small group of fliers would be an obvious and tempting target. We don't yet know enough about what's down there beyond their armies.
"Here's how we'll do this. Anevia and Aron, you take Alexa out before dawn tomorrow. I want you in position by first light. We'll bring our forces up the main road for the assault, and time it so we are there two hours after sunrise. You will meet us before we are in sight of the city. You show me precisely where.
"That should give you a little over an hour to learn what you can. We are not going to stop for you to deliver your report because I have to assume you'll be spotted, and thus we won't have time for intricate strategizing. So I am trusting you to prepare your friends for what lies ahead on that bridge, and for you," she says, addressing the rest of the party, "to be fluid and form your plan quickly.
"Questions?"
Alexa shakes her head.
Arloric smiles a bit.
"Course you don't have any questions. You're so good at this they'll never know you're there!"
"Sounds like we're settled on a loose plan. Scouting pre-dawn to see what we're dealing with, move in when the time is right. If...once we're seen, hit hard and fast, take out the opposition before another unit can support them." Darya says checking off points on her fingers as she speaks.
4:15 am
Aron, Anevia and Alexa make their way to the large hill that sits between the army's camp and Drezen. There is just enough light in the sky to see its tree-covered silhouette against the stars, and as dawn approaches the blackness shifts to a deep blue. As they reach the treeline, the dimmest stars have faded from view leaving just a few dozen bright points of light still visible--most of them familiar, some of them not. "We're a little behind the original plan," Aron says as you pass the first of the twisted, deformed trees. "We spoke with Commander Tirabade last night, and decided it maybe wasn't such a good idea to travel through here in total darkness. We'll reach the overlook just before sunrise."
The three climb the rugged, tree-covered hillside under a brightening sky. Aron leads them through the thickest part of the trees as they crest, and then guides them through the tree as they pick their way down. He comes to a halt along what appears to be a game trail. He says to Anevia, quietly, "I'll watch our backs. You take her ahead." Anevia nods in response and motions for Alexa to follow. It's only another 20 yards or so before trail opens up into a clearing that is dotted with boulders. She motions for Alexa to stop.
"There," she says, pointing down the hillside to the north where there's a rocky outcropping. "It looks like you can see down into the city from there, but we were too nervous about scrambling atop those rocks. Not many trees here, so we'd have risked being outlined against the sky. This is probably something you are better at." She reaches into her pack and pulls out a spyglass and holds it out. "Here. Take this."
Alexa takes in the hillside, carefully plotting her route from shadow to rock-laden shadow. When Anevia offers her spyglass, Alexa takes it and starts looking through it.
"...right. As long as we stick to the trees, we should be able to get closer." Alexa nods. "Once we get to those rocks--" She points to the row of boulders at the bottom of the hill. "--we should be able to get a better view."
Now I wish I brought something grey to camouflage myself better...
As you approach the rock formations, the slope steepens slightly. There's a patch of loose, rocky soil that you don't spot until it gives way underneath you. You slip forward a couple of feet, but you manage to catch yourself and stay upright. You do kick up a small cloud of dust, however.
Alexa makes her way to the rocks and then crawls out across one of the larger boulders to get a better view, her body pressed close against its surface. She takes the spyglass and looks through, orienting herself at first then taking a good look at the army camp directly below--the one that Irabeth's force will engage in the very near future.
Alexa takes some time to see if the approach is laden with tripwires, traps or anything else of that nature. If the rest of the party is to take this route, it would do to scout such things out.
With the spyglass, you are able to see down into the dry riverbed. There are what look like very large chains--huge chains, in fact--around each of the four bridge supports. Each chain is wrapped around a pylon, and then extends out twenty or thirty feet, ending in what looks like a huge manacle that's several feet in diameter.
Scanning the rest of the valley, you don't see anything of note, You spot the army of undead in the cemetery, and the one dug in around the hill, but their movements don't suggest anything unusual. You can't tell if they are expecting or preparing for an enagement.
You spend time examining the approach, and it appears to be clear.
Uriel gets up in the morning and checks all of his weapons and armor. Satisfied, he meets with the others, ready for the day.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Awakening with the dawn, Darya prepares for the coming battle, going through her daily devotions to Ragathiel to start her day. Checking on her weapons and gear, the paladin finds her thoughts straying toward Alexa, hoping that her early morning scouting mission was successful and that she...and Anevia and Aron, made it back safely.
Getting dressed, and donning her armor, she heads out to join the others, ready to meet whatever chaos would undoubtedly greet them this day.
Alexa grimaces when she sees the massive manacles around the bridge's supports. "...right. How much do you want to bet that there's some giant-sized demon responsible for ensuring the bridge is destroyed?"
She rolls off the rock and begins to retreat back to the others.
Arloric rises with the dawn to greet the sun and the four winds, asking their blessings for the battle to come. Then he makes sure to rendezvous with Irabeth, Nurah, Sosiel, Horgus and the others before joining the party, horn in hand, ready to sound the charge.
Aron and Anevia lead Alexa down the hill on the west side, to meet up with the approaching army. "It's weird, walking through a forest that doesn't have animals," Aron remarks as they descend. "Only thing living here seems to be the insects."
Anevia snorts and says, "Deskari."
"Yeah. I suppose that's it."
Other than that, the hike down is done in silence. The only sounds come from the crunching of dried leaves and twigs beneath your feet.
Irabeth orders the army to march just after sunrise. The paladins mount their horses and form up two by two, and the column moves out along to road.
Once they are underway, Irabeth rides up alongside Uriel, Arloric, Darya, and Telerin. "We aren't going to give the towers much time to use their catapults, or whatever other heavy armaments they have. As soon as the enemy camp is in sight, we are going to charge. All of us. So be ready, because it is going to be a mess.
[b]"Nurah and Sosiel are confident they won't fire into their own ranks--getting demons to work together is difficult enough, and such a brazenly callous act would undermine that--but they may choose to target our support wagons. And that means we need to keep them close, too.
"The good news is, the added chaos may work in your favor."
She doesn't wait for a reply before moving up the line, apparently relaying orders to her captains.
As you approach the bend just before Drezen comes into view, you see Aron, Anevia, and Alexa waiting for you along the road. The two scouts move to find Irabeth while Anevia reunites with the rest of the group. As Alexa delivers her report, the army increases its speed to a trot. Behind you, you can hear the occasional thud of support wagons hitting ruts in the ground, as they are pushed to speeds they don't normally travel.
And then the city spreads out before you. You see a large volley of arrows streak into the sky just before the horses ahead break into a gallop, splitting into two lines to try and flank the tieflings that are preparing to engage.
Arrows fly back at the party, but the volley seems disorganized and poorly aimed. Similarly, the catapults from the towers seem slow to respond. You hear someone shout in alarm as three boulders fly towards you, but the damage appears to be minimal.
The same cannot be said for the tieflings. The paladin's arrows rain down with deadly precision, catching most of them as they are preparing their defenses. The results are devastating. The tieflings are wiped out: what remains of their force is scattered.
Irabeth circles back to you and calls out, "Go! Go, now!" She doesn't wait for your reply. She immediately rides back out, taking advantage of the fast and stunning victory to push her troops on.
"We can do this!" Darya whispers, quietly, but with such conviction, it instills her companions with a sense of boundless capability.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |