You spend the morning with the army, helping heal and soldiers where you can. Your magic is quickly expended, but between spells and Kemat's healing skills you are able to contribute appreciably to the army's recovery.
It is obviously not enough given the scale you are working on, but it will have to do.
Close to noon, Irabetha calls you over to the command tent for a briefing and strategy session combined with lunch.
"This morning went both better, and worse, than it looks. On the one hand, we were up against forces three times the size of our own and we gave better than we got. On the other hand, their remaining forces are largely unhurt while we were given a pounding. About a quarter of our soldiers were killed or injured too severely to return to the fight. Of the rest, about half are still wounded." She looks to the party as she speaks. "The only reason it's not worse is thanks to your efforts, both before the battle and after.
"We could try to rest and recover over the next couple of days, but there are an untold number of demons in that citadel, in addition to Vhane and his ilk, and we are a tempting target. Every day that we are not making progress is a day where they have time to plan rather than react. We need to keep the pressure on them." She stops to breathe in deeply before continuing.
"We attack again in the morning. The remaining defensive forces are not equipped with ranged weapons beyond those of the citadel itself. That gives us a significant advantage, as we can engage them from afar at no risk to ourselves. That strategy has worked well for us, and I am going to use it."
She turns to face the party again. "As for you, it is time to start thinking about getting inside that place. Once we take that courtyard, I want you moving in. I don't care where you enter or how, but we cannot give them a minute's rest. Obviously, it will take several sorties, across several days, to rout them out, but I want the raids starting as soon as you have an opening. I do not intend to give the defenders a break. In short, I need the occupants of the citadel focused on repelling you specifically, rather than causing chaos amidst our army."
"Nurah?"
Irabeth steps back as Nurah approaches the table carrying a large roll of parchment, which she sets down on the table. As she opens it up it reveals a drawing.
"Citedel Drezen. Or at least, what it looked like when I was, um, last here. It has been a long time, so I am sure there have been some changes, but they obviously haven't changed the footprint so there are limits on what's possible. And, they couldn't be bothered to even repair the holes in the walls. Still, it's been over a decade. Expect to find things not on this drawing."
"It's a good start," Arloric comments. "Thanks, Nurah!"
|
"I will do what I can to revitalize those who survived. Those who were slain... are beyond my calling," says Kemat gravely.
"With the aid of my healing implements I can stabilize the sorely wounded, and I can return some from the brink of death, especially if the injured but still living are in a triage tent where I can call Aset's power over all of them at once."
"Time, though, is our greatest enemy."
"Hmmm... so the towers are a likely entry point, though possibly more likely to have lookouts to deal with." Darya says looking over the map.
Aron says, "I think we can help you with that. Anevia and I can arrange a few distractions, and maybe give them multiple things to focus on. If it looks like we're threatening to enter in several places, they won't know where to concentrate a defense. They'll have to cover all of them."
"Divide and conquer is a strategy demons have used against us for a long time...turning it against them will be a glorious irony! Arloric comments.
"Makes sense. Once they're drawn in multiple directions we pick out entry point and move in as quickly and decisively as possible." Darya replies with a nod.
"Yes, that makes sense to me."
Irabeth says, "It all rests on us taking that courtyard. We do that, we can break their outer defenses, and you can pick and choose your entry points.
"Note that I said points. The Citadel won't fall in a single day."
Sosiel adds, "Remember that there is a shadow demon in there. One that we are told can move freely in daylight. I am sure there will be other surprises, too."
"Note that I said points. The Citadel won't fall in a single day."
Alexa smirks.
"Well, not with that attitude."
Darya can't quite resist the smile that comes to her lips at Alexa's quip. "Well then, we'll just have to be ready for pretty much everything."
"That's the sort of attitude I like to see," Irabeth says, smiling wryly. "We'll make our next attempt to take the courtyard tomorrow morning. Rest. Do whatever you need to do to prepare."
With that, she dismisses the meeting, but you stay and talk with Aron and Nurah--their relations have improved, though it is still awkward when both are in the same space--to get more details on the citadel, itself. In most places it should have 10-foot ceilings, and unless they have been replaced, the doors are iron. The rooms with no visible entrances are the vaults, so you know to look for secret doors.
The towers and parapets are obvious points of ingress but are 20' up so you'd need a means of scaling them. You could also go in through the front doors, though neither Aron nor Nurah thinks that a wise plan as the main entrance is designed to repel people trying to do exactly that.
The citadel was primarily a garrison when it was built, so you should expect a lot of large, open rooms that functioned as barracks, armories, officer quarters, dining halls, a chapel, and similar features. The main entrance was also used for lining up soldiers before marching out through the gates.
8:00 am
The army is on edge in the morning, knowing they must march on the courtyard even though they are not fully healed, and thus aren't at full strength.
As before, Irabeth has them open with a volley of arrows into the courtyard.
Arrows rain down on the cultists as they line up to defend the citadel against the advancing soldiers. Several arrows find a target and a number of the cultists are wounded, or fall where they stand.
When the two armies meet just outside the walls, the castle's defenses swing into action.
That battle starts heavily in the Knights' favor as they crash into the front line. Irabeth signals for a change of tactics, and they aggressively move to flank the cultists to finish them off.
The cultists, fighting with their backs almost literally against the wall and no means of escaping, throw caution to the wind. They fight recklessly, intending to take as many crusaders as possible with them as they fall. The resulting fight is brutal and bloody. In the end, the Knights prevail, but their losses are significant.
The wounded are cycled out and those able to remain fighting take up their bows and launch fusillades at the siege weapons defending the citadel. With no organized resistance to distract them, they are too nimble for the heavy ballista and catapults to target effectively. The volleys of arrows kill a number of the crew on the parapets, and those that survive are driven inside.
Irabeth turns to you, her expression grim from the heavy toll this fight has taken. "You're up. Make this worth it."
It's too bad we don't have a Stone Shape spell or two to make our own doors, come in from a surprising angle. Uriel thinks, as he glances around the citadel. Looking to Darya and the others, he says "The siege engine crews have been driven inside, we should be able to scale the towers unopposed and go in that way."
"Let's get going then."
"I can give one of you a lift if I carry one of you...or one of you carries me, if you're stronger than me..." Arloric offers.
"Agreed! Let's get moving!"
You move into position with a squad of archers behind you. You see movement along the ramparts, and the soldiers use hand signals relayed around the courtyard to signify the start of the attack. A volley of arrows flies, followed again by another, and then another. You see what look like human or humanoid figures run for cover, but each falls under the assault.
Uriel uses this moment to fly up to the ramparts carrying Alexa. What they see when they arrive are a number of human bodies, some still bleeding out, others killed during the army's assault on the courtyard. There are two sets of iron double doors, one at each circular landing. Both sets of doors are closed, and you don't hear any sounds from behind them.
Each landing has an onager catapult and a pair of ballistas. Uriel ties a rope to the onager on the eastern landing, and drops it down.
Alexa keeps an ear to the doors while Uriel watches the party climb up.
Arloric draws his scimitar and gives Alexa a nod.
"Lead the way."
Uriel dismisses his flaming wings, draws his bastard sword, and stands ready by the door.
Alexa focuses entirely on the doors as she works to get them open.
Darya begins to climb, working to get to the top, to support the landing members as quickly as possible.
Alexa gets to work on the lock, but the mechanism is quite resistant to being forced open.
Alexa redoubles her efforts to get the lock open.
"Come on you blasted--"
Alexa gives the lock another go, and it pops open with an audible click. You push the doors open, revealing a zig-zag corridor that descends into the citadel.
"Thank you ma'am." Uriel says with a nod to Alexa as he moves up, bastard sword drawn.
As she completes the climb, Darya gives Alexa a quick smile and a wink, drawing her sword as she falls in line, ready to enter the tower.
You cautiously follow Alexa into the citadel, descending the steps ahead of you. The wide passageway makes a left turn, descends another set of stairs, and ends in double metal doors as impressive as the ones outside. They are also locked.
Alexa grumbles a few times trying to get the doors open.
Arloric follows quietly, not wanting to disturb Alexa while she's working.
Alexa pops the lock on the third try, and the doors open up to reveal a large hall leading north.
The southern wall continues west towards an identical set of double doors. There are two more single doors set into the wall, spaced 10 feet apart.
She will cast detect magic.
You scan the area but you don't see any auras in range.
Uriel continues forward cautiously.
"We should start with the first door on the left, work our way around." Darya says quietly.
Alexa checks the leftmost door.