Wulfram was flying when the sinkhole collapsed. After absorbing what had happened, he cast a spell, enveloping the hobgoblins and their mounts in green vapors! Then he flew down to threaten the massive insect.
Rogar feels the ground giving way, and, while he doesn't grab the edge in time, drops like a stone, going through the ground like it was water, resurfacing and, without missing a beat, pulls a nearby vein of iron ore to the surface, attempting to impale the ankheg on a giant spike.
Eustoma's mount takes to the air, and she avoids the fall. "Take down the big bug. Got it."
She fires at the Ankheg.
Sia manages to land on her feet. She heads at a run toward the Ankheg.
Wulfram's stinking cloud envelops the hobgoblins and their wolf mounts, but most of them manage to resist the noxious fumes.
Karla's confusion proves more effective, muddling the minds of all but the nauseated wolf!
Eustoma hits the big ankheg with two arrows, one of which is a critical strike! Sia takes a bite out of the bug, but fails to trip the many-legged beast. Rogar impales it with a jagged metallic spike, and Nik'o pounces upon it, tearing it apart. Before the monster can even respond, it collapses, ichor oozing out of dozens of wounds!
One of the hobgoblins and his mount remain in the stinking cloud, babbling and growling incoherently. The nauseated wolf staggers out of the cloud even as its rider attacks it viciously with his flaming flail!
Rogar shrugs, "Or we coul' jus' kill them faster, afore they recover." he comments, stepping well out of reach from the wolves as he shoots the nauseated wolf with a long metal spike.
Wulfram agreed with Rogar, thrusting his spear at the hobgoblin, "Let's help this one on it's way to the afterlife!"
Rogar's blast takes out the wolf in one hit, while Wulfram and Nik'o work together to bring down the hobgoblin rider.
The other warrior and mount remain confused in the stinking cloud. The wolf growls and shakes its head while the hobgoblin smashes himself in the face with his own flaming flail.
It's a simple matter to dispatch the remaining crippled foes without expending much resources.
A 10-foot-wide, roughly dug tunnel opens at the eastern end of the pit the hobgoblins dropped you into. Left behind in the burrowing ankheg's wake so its masters could follow, the tunnel crosses below the approach to Kosseruk's camp as well as the barricades and defenses erected by the Ironfang Legion around the onyx tower, and forms a gaping hole in the enemy camp's defenses! You could follow it now and press the advantage before the enemies discover it, or take the time to rest before pushing through to end the Ironfang threat to Longshadow. You're confident the other defenders would be able to hold the line long enough for you to go in at full strength should you so choose.
"We could press our advantage and take the fight to their camp," Wulfram suggested. "I've got plenty of spells remaining."
Rogar nods, ”Aye. Le’s finish this.” he says determinedly.
"Let's go. This needs finished." Eustoma is ready to head to the heart of the attack.
You follow the tunnel beneath the battlefield, feeling the thrumming vibrations of the hobgoblins' footfalls on the ground above. It bypasses the hordes of soldiers and the fortifications around Kosseruk's camp, and eventually a hole opens up into a large animal pen. A dozen cages of iron and timber fill this area, alongside another two dozen stout iron rods driven into the rocky soil and strung with chains as thick as an orc's arm. Looking around the camp, you can see several large leather tents, a group of ballistae, and trenches dug into the ground filled with troops. Looming over it all, a tower of obsidian juts up from the ground. Glittering runes run up and down the surface, refracting even the scantest light.
Lurking near the animal pens is a slithering, multilegged blue reptile that has a fearsome head crowned with two large, curling horns. Fortunately, it hasn't noticed you yet, but likely will once you try to move across the camp.
Rogar sinks under the ground and scouts out the camp, pausing when needed to sense the ground above where he's at and get an idea of troop positioning, where the command center is, and the like.
The tents to the northeast are full of either wounded Ironfang Legion hobgoblins or human slaves, save the two larger tents that house a dozen minotaurs that seem to be ready to defend the camp.
The four ballistae to the northwest are currently undefended.
The western and southern edges of the hill are covered in a network of hastily dug trenches with wooden-spiked barricades facing out to the battlefield beyond. A phalanx of hobgoblins stands ready to protect this traditional approach to the camp.
The tower itself rises to a height of 50 feet. A wide stone arch opens at the tower's western side, with a fifteen-foot-wide hallway that extends into the gloomy structure. Another phalanx of hobgoblins stands watch over the structure. Up close, Rogar can read the runes, which are Dwarven: "Glory and Honor to the Stone Road, which bore our kin through the dark womb of the earth. Glory and Honor to the skyseeker Kraggodan, who opened the Stone Road to us with the key!" Additional notes list thousands of archaic dwarven names.
Overlarge stairs wind around the obsidian tower's exterior, eventually leading into a wide room. This is likely the command center, where Kosseruk herself should be.
Before they entered the tunnel, Wulfram said a protective prayer.
Once inside the camp, he waited while Rogar scouted the camp. Wulfram looked around the area while he waited. The tower looked like the one that they had seen in Phaendar's village green. He could only guess that some sort of powerful magic somehow transported the tower to wherever the Ironfang Legion wanted to attack. "The tower's got to be a portal linked to Ironfang Legion's headquarters; that's how they're moving they're moving their troops so quickly!" he opined.
When the dwarf returned, the shaman listened to his report. Once Rogar had finished his description, Wulfram said, "I can call a sleet storm on the tents to hamper the minotaurs, while we concentrate our fire on whatever that reptile is. We can pick the minotaurs off piecemeal as they emerge from the storm."
Rogar nods at Wulfram's plan, "Aye. Ah'll go an' ge' ready ta attack. Jus' give me a signal an' ah'll unleash wha ah got." he says, and dives underground once more, taking up position just below and behind the serpent, easily holding his breath as he rests among the rocks, eyes closed and senses turned upwards.
"I can send out a burst of nettles and obscure the area around us if we need it." Eustoma offers what spells she knows that might be helpful.
"I'm all for taking out the cow, and figuring out how to use the tower. It seems to be dwarven made. Why would a dwarf help hobgoblins?"
Wulfram said a prayer to protect himself from electrical damage. Once everyone was ready to start the attack, he blessed his allies.
After casting his spells, Wulfram stomps the ground, alerting Rogar to start his attack. This also attracts the behir's attention, and the great reptile turns and hisses, lightning dancing along its scales.
Feeling the signal, Rogar moves aboveground, and a shard of metal tears its way upwards as well, flying at the Behir at dizzying speeds.
Wulfram rose into the air and followed behind Niko. He cast a spell, causing the plants around the Minotaur tents to grow and grasp at creatures in the area.
Sia moves up to attack the wyrm.
Eustoma lets several arrows fly.
Rogar's blast catches the behir off-guard, metal tearing into its serpentine body. Before it can react, Eustoma fires a trio of arrows into its neck and Sia rushes forward to bite at its exposed underbelly. Nik'o pounces on its back, and the beast collapses as the cat tears at it with her claws.
Hearing the sounds of battle, the minotaurs begin to rush out of their tents and into the entangled area. They don't seem to be hampered much by Wulfram's spell, however, as they organize into a troop.
"Watch out for the archers! Let's destroy the enemy groups one at a time," he suggested. He prayed to the fire spirits, and a fiery explosion rocked the minotaur formation.
*Burn them all!*, Pele barked in ecstasy. Fire was the answer to all problems, as far as she was concerned.
Rogar dips back underground and resurfaces closer to the minotaurs, shooting off an arcing blast of stone, zooming around the tents and striking into their formation from the right, having lost a large amount of its shape in the process, though.
Eustoma takes to the air and casts Burst of Nettles on the Minotaur group.
The minotaurs weather the fireball and the burst of nettles with minimal injury, but the vines wrap around them and hold them tight, making them sitting ducks for Rogar's blast. Several fall, while the others are stuck firmly in place.
Whipping themselves into a frenzy, the surviving minotaurs break free of the vines with a burst of strength. Still stuck in their midst, though, they hurl a barrage of javelins at Rogar, barely clipping the dwarf.
The hobgoblin troops hunker down and maintain their defensive positions, unwilling to leave the camp undefended.
With the storm of arrows descending on him, Rogar ducks underground, but is hit by a single arrow, leaving him with a literal chip on his shoulder. He resurfaces just barely with a direct line of sight to the troop, and shoots off a metal spike as soon as he can.
Wulfram took out a wand, and sent another, weaker fireball at the minotaurs.
*Yes! Burn, burn, burn!*, Pele encouraged.
More fire? Eustoma casts Produce Flame she sends a small ball of fire at the enemy.
[Dice=1d6+10[/dice]
More fire? Eustoma casts Produce Flame she sends a small ball of fire at the enemy.
Pele danced with joy at the abundance of fire!
The minotaurs dodge the worst of Wulfram's fireball, but Karla's catches them head-on and Eustoma's hurled flame scorches their hides. Their armor wards off Rogar's blast, and though badly wounded, they press on. Keeping the entangling vines at bay, they push out of the area of effect of both spells, moving into clear terrain.
The troop of hobgoblins that had been defending the gate in the onyx tower begin tromping towards you in a tight phalanx, shields raised to ward off attack as they ready their bows!
Rogar grins as the minotaurs finally get into his primary range, and sends a barrage of metal spikes at the troop that ping off of their armor, then vanishes underground.