Hinagiku is finally completely out, she can’t follow the different plans that are being suggested, even though she tries really hard.
2) 3) So we are using the catapult with fake prisoners as bait.
4) I will trust you all on that. If you guys don’t think we can take Jorsal, than we don’t.
"Actually... would Arastrax even be willing to retreat? He was given very explicit orders to kill us or there would be consequences. It's very likely that he'll put everything he has into a fight with us to avoid whatever punishment his bosses have waiting if he fails to take us down. If we can get to him, I think we actually have a fair chance to push him into an all out brawl."
Xanderghul shrugs. "If somebody gave me an order to murder someone or else, you bet that I'd be retreating if I saw my own impending death. We'll just have to be careful, and we'll have to be fast. I believe that he'll be overconfident enough to at least try and take us on... If we can get someone to Jorsal and use protection against evil on him, the possession will be suppressed. Odds are the demon emerges and tries to fight us. If we're then ready and we hit him with everything we have, I say we have a decent chance."
"He certainly would not flee to Drezen, but I see no reason that he wouldn't continue to harry us... like Mangvhune," Ehren says, glancing at Isilme. The babau assassin could be anywhere, and still very much wanted her dead. "We just have to hope that Arastrax will overcommit to this battle, so that we can destroy him and save Jorsal soon."
"Alright. So we'll set up with Captain Streigher in front, while Captain Vica disguises her men as prisoners, holding them back with the catapults. We set up - what - 400' away from the walls?" says Irabeth. "Once the walls are down, we can charge in."
"Sounds like a plan," replies Captain Vica.
"Right. Give us some time to complete the pre-assembly and we'll set out," says Aron.
The engineers take two hours to set up the catapults in the wagon. After that, its a slow, uphill climb to get them in position. As they approach, small shapes can been flying over the walls, circling like enormous, misshapen vultures - but for now they don't approach.
The army is set up with Captain Streigher's cavalry in front, and the infantry grouped behind them. Captain Vica's men stand near the catapults, dressed as prisoners.
"We need at least a minute to finish setting up!" calls Aron. He is visibly stressed - this is his first time truly acting as Chief Engineer.
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"Don't worry," Val says, putting a hand on Aron's shoulder. "You wouldn't have been picked for the job if you weren't the best one to be our engineer. Just focus on doing what needs to be done and we'll keep you covered."
Politely nodding along while Irabeth summarizes the plan, Hinagiku finally, and literally, bows out of the conversation once captain Vica signifies her understanding. She had understood enough of it that she knew she would be most useful close to the disguised prisoners. Taking a slow deep breath, she prepares for another exhausting half day.
”Ary, with your persmission, I’ll go and visit the troops and help however I can. I will be back once we start marching.”
So, while the catapults are being assembled, the kitsune monks makes her way through the troops, saluting those people she knows , and looking out for Annabelle, whom by now should have been brought back by Markus, as well as Külə. She had been surprised that they hadn’t shown up as soon as they had made contact with the army. Once at the back close to supplies waggons, Hinagiku starts to dutifully search for clothes to help disguise the troops.
Satisfied with their plan, or at the very least, with the fact that they've settled on one, Ehren excuses himself from the group. "I had best meditate and prepare the remainder of my spells. We have a long day ahead of us."
Given the excitement that inevitably precedes a battle, he has a bit of difficulty finding any sort of peace and quiet, but he had long grown used to making do in spite of it. In any case, with most of his spells already prepared, it only takes a few minutes for him to prepare the remainder. During the time it takes for the siege weapons to be assembled, Ehren takes the opportunity to check in on the underfolk.
As the moment of truth fast approaches however, he eventually finds his way to Aron and the other engineers.
"Valaria is right, Aron," the druid remarks as he inspects the catapults' ammunition. "It is like you said before.Just think of this as... practice."
Having selected a few choice boulders, Ehren lays his hands over them and murmurs something under his breath, before pausing and repeating the process with another three. Invisible to the naked eye, ley energy drawn from the earth infuses the stones, amplifying their latent potential energy. Not dissimilar with what he occasionally did to pebbles, except with a bit more mass involved. Nothing would be apparent until they actually struck something, of course.
"Make sure they use these first," he points out to Aron, indicating the boulders that were likely in a good spot to grab first to begin with. "I have a good feeling about them." Looking to the flying shapes in the distance, Ehren frowns. "I had best get to the frontline - I have a trap to spring."
After the plans are finalized, it occurs to Isilme that Ary's powers might be quite relevant in the current battle. "Ary, we could put that ability you used against the wikkawaks to great use in the coming battle. Either by stopping the charge of the aurochs cold, or using it to prevent the Babaus from teleporting away after they have teleported in."
"Unless Ary feels otherwise, I believe Val, Hinagiku and I should help out against the Babaus, while Xanderghul and Ehren should lend their aid wherever they see fit. Perhaps with Ary if she decides to aid the cavalry."
Looking through his spellbook, Xanderghul has no extra magic to prepare. He still has four scrolls of ray of exhaustion, which gives him some leeway with spells... "I am most effective against single targets," he says. "I wonder if there are any champions or commanders that will be joining the fray. I ought to disable and destroy them."
"You're the only Siege Engineer hand-selected to lead this expedition." Ary adds. "If there were any doubts about your abilities, do you really think we'd be laying siege to a keep we haven't had control of for decades?" Ary asks, with a grin. "Of course, Daisy." she adds as the vixen asks for time with the army.
"I'd... thought about being with the cavalry, but I don't like my chances of stopping that many creatures that are significantly larger than myself. I think we're better off with me defending the siege engines against the Babau. That leaves the siege engines more reliably useful against the Aurochs, without testing whether or not I can bodyslam oxen - which would almost assuredly be problematic for the siege engineers to adjust for. Does anyone else have an opinion on that?"
Xanderghul nods. "I agree. Hitting the murder-demons is a better use of your time and energy than trying to slam aurochs."
"Then we're ready to march, as soon as the engineers give us the go ahead," says Chevalier Irabeth. She climbs back onto her horse as she speaks.
Aron nods, smiling briefly at Valaria and Ary, though it is swiftly replaced by his usual dour expression. "We are ready to go. The final steps need to be done within range of the target." He glances at Ehren's enchanted boulders, head tilted. "What are those? Do they explode, or something? Nevermind, I trust you. We'll use those first, yeah?"
Irabeth immediately springs into action -"Crusaders! Formation!" she calls out, riding her horse to the front lines.
Sosiel notices Hinagiku looking for Annabelle. "Annabelle was left behind with the supplies at Mantarin," he assures. "She's doing fine, and rather upset she couldn't come, but Ser Markus believed it best with babaus on the field... they could dispel the protective magic I use on her to protect her from the sun. And you know her- she likes to make herself a target."
Variska moves over to stand by Xanderghul. "I really don't know where I should be going... but standing near you has served me well so far. I'll stab anyone who tries to interfere with whatever you intend to be up to!"
And with that, Ary leads the army up the mountain and towards the Icerift gatehouse. The fog has completely dissipated at this point, and the sun hangs low in the sky - it is late afternoon. Irabeth leads them on a brisk march - though uphill, in the deep snow, it is difficult to move very quickly.
"We're in position! Go, go, go!" calls Aron. They pull a rope out from the wagons, revealing the constructed catapults. They swiftly move in to unload them and anchor them into place.
While the engineers quickly work, the cavalry forms a forward line, Captain Alkalson at center. Ahead of them, the gates to the fortification slowly creak open. Two humanoid cultists are visible at the front, leading a large group of enormous, red-eyed bulls through the gates...
Mass Combat Round 1
Xanderghul/Ehren/Hinagiku/Valaria/Isilme/Ary are up!
"Here they come," Val mutters, mixed in with the other disguised soldiers near the catapults. "Now we just have to wait until the rest of the demons decide to get involved." Val fingers her blades beneath her cloak, seeming slightly on edge. "I hate the waiting."
Ehren stands among the cavalry, his eyes on the sky. He considers turning into a bird so that he would have a better view of the battlefield, but quickly decides against it. Sharing airspace with Jorsal's - no, Arastrax's - abominations was not exactly a good idea. His eyes lower, only to see the aurochs coming out of the gates, just as he expected. Hearing the sound of squishing grapes in the back of his mind, the druid grimaces. They would need to keep those beasts far, far away from the main army.
For the time being he does nothing, waiting until the herd commits to a charge before laying down his spike stones, both in their path and right underneath them.
As planned, Hinagiku regroups with Isilme, Ary, Valaria, Anevia, and Ayavah right by the carts containing the catapults. Calm as ever, she simply follows. Ever vigilant, she slowly scan the surroundings, gazing into the growing shadows of the afternoon for ambushes. Finally, as the tower slowly comes into sight, the monk draws her kyoketsu shoge and takes her place among the disguised troops.
While Aron starts shouting orders, the vixen gazes toward the troops and fixates her gaze upon Xanderghul and Ehren. Though she can barely see them through the moving troops, she does catch a few glimpses. Seeing them in the front line, surrounded by mounted knights, Hinagiku can't help but feel some worry. The emotion which had often been absent from her inner pool had resurfaced... something somewhere had made her attached to her companions. She can't help but wonder why them... but quickly perishes the though as the battle is about to start.
"Should I go and guard Mr. Xanderghul and Mr. Ehren?" she asks out of the blue.
Xanderghul stands among the mounted cavalry, ready to try and give the order to attack. Ideally, he tries to guide some of the cavalry around to one side, so that they can charge across the charging aurochs instead of directly towards them.
He also stands ready to supplement Ehren's spike stones with an illusory web, created from shadow conjuration.
The battle was finally at hand. While Isilme was fairly certain that not everything would go according to plan, she felt that they were in the best position they could manage for now. It seemed that Jorsal would be baited into sending out the Aurochs first, hopefully leaving them vulnerable to the catapult attacks, stone spikes, and cavalry charge. Still there was no telling what the Babaus might actually do, so it was important to be prepared for things to go horribly wrong.
"Stay here and be ready, Hinagiku, we will need you if the Babau charge in," Isilme replies to the monk. "Do not worry, they are in the midst of the cavalry, and we have all been through enough to know to play it safe. They will be alright," she adds, reassuring Hinagiku with a smile.
As they wait for the battle to get started in earnest, Isilme takes a moment to summon a flute, using it to enchant the group's movement using the fast-paced tune she'd played many times before for the group. Once finished, she hangs onto the flute and prepares herself to cast haste, wanting to ensure they were able to hit the Babaus hard.
Ayavah stands next to Valaria, rubbing her shoulder in an effort to soothe her. 'Yeah, I hate the waiting too. Assuming the babaus teleport in here, I'm gonna vanish when they do. I've been stabbed enough today."
Ary and Anevia are up!
Val nods slightly. "Probably for the best. Try to stay out of danger and don't get too far from the battle. We can keep things under control, but the babaus may try to pick off anyone who gets too far from the group. They love soft targets."
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"Vanishing won't do anything." Anevia warns, having cheekily listened in. "They sorta see through all the murdery tricks. They used to be murderers, til they died like murderers. So... maybe try the splitty spell instead? The one where you're not where they think you are?"
Ary for her part, was busily aiding the crews in setting up - for now. She'd be ready to intercept any wouldbe attackers at a moment's notice... and ready to unleash her motes should they attempt to escape.
"Right. I almost forgot..." Val chuckles slightly. "You'd think I'd remember which demons can see through invisibility and which ones can't. Especially since I just infiltrated their hideout."
"Oh! That's right. Sorry, I forgot," Ayavah says, embarrassed. "I can't get any of them straight."
While Isilme starts her tune, the aurochs are guided by their 'handlers' through the gate, though in reality they simply start to push their way through. They form a large, hairy mass in the distance. They number at least a dozen in all.
"Spears down! Ready to intercept the charge!" calls out Captain Alkalson. The cavalry holds firm, spears down.
Once the animals are in position, they start to stampede down the hill, bellowing angrily. A great cloud of dusty white snow billows out from behind them....
Round 3!
Xanderghul/Ehren/Hinagiku/Valaria/Isilme/Ary are up!
Hinagiku had been expecting a thundering charge, a stampede, dozens of aurochs. Not such a small number.
"Is that all of them? "She asks to no one in particular.
"We're not gonna be able to be ready to launch against the herd unless you guys slow them down somehow!" Aron calls from the rear.
The aurochs continue to thunder down the hill.
Round 4!
"Ugh, boring..." Anevia announces to no one in particular. "I wanna go blow up the aurochs with the twiddlefingers..." but she also knows that's less than ideal. She was gonna have to have Rocky make her some blunted arrows, in case they found any more arrow-resistant doom-monsters. She only had so many ways to get around that.
"Xan, you might want to start laying down some more spells. We need to buy a little more time."
Xanderghul summons the shadows, casting shadow conjuration. Wet, sticky (and fake) webbing springs out of portals to the Shadow Plane and wraps up the aurochs, entangling them... assuming that they believe that the webs are real.
As the aurochs come alarmingly close to the army and Xanderghul casts his illusion, Ehren gestures ever so slightly, choosing this moment to lay down his own trap. Beneath the charging beasts' hooves, every single stone surface changes shape into row after row of wicked spikes, barely perceptible to the naked eye.
Isilme bides her time, waiting for the appearance of the Babaus. With the aurochs getting closer and Ehren and Xanderghul working to slow them down, she decides to address the engineering crews, hoping they will benefit from some inspiration. Jumping up on the side of one of the catapults, she calls to the crew.
"Crusaders! Before us lies the last vestiges of the demon armies in the north! If we win this battle, we will have secured Icerift and the north for the Crusader Queen and defended all those counting upon us in Nerosyan and all around the Inner Sea! Those Aurochs are their cowardly attempt at fighting without stepping out of the safety of their encampment. You all manning the siege weapons have the opportunity to deal the first blow to these vile, cowardly foes. Let Iomedae guide your work, and my Lady Starsong guide your aim. Show them that every single crusader--be they paladin, cavalary or engineer--is a force to be reckoned with!"
The aurochs charge straight into Ehren's well-laid trap. They roar in pain and fury as their hooves and legs are lacerated through by the stonework hidden beneath the snow. Unable to charge through this mess, they begin to slow down. As they start to slow, Aron yells, "Fire!" Two enormous boulders soar through the air and land in the mass of aurochs, killing 4 in total.
Xanderghul then summons a mass of shadowy webs around the monsters - while the man-eating bulls are unable to discern his falsehood, they are more than strong enough to rip free from their constraints.
Captain Alkalson watches carefully, and once he is sure that the aurochs have crossed the spike stones barrier, he lowers his lance. "Crusaders! Charge!" he roars - the cavalry thunders into the slowed and maimed aurochs, their blessed spears penetrating even their ragged hides. The beasts are nearly completely decimated in one go - only one or two of the monsters remain.
Variska winces from Xanderghul's side. "Well... there goes that." she says.
"Winch the arm down! Get the next payload ready!" calls Aron. "Ah, shit. They're here!" he exclaims as the babaus suddenly appear all around the siege engines....
Meanwhile, at the fort, the two humanoid figures hurriedly close the gates - the large holes in them make it trivial for an individual to get through them, but they still do a fine job of keeping an army from charging through at once.
Round 5!
Ary/Valaria/Isilme/Hinagiku/Xanderghul/Ehren are up!
"Nice shot. Now it's our turn to do our jobs." Val throws back her cloak and her knives are out in an instant. She leaps forward, charging into the horde of teleporting demons. Hopefully before they have a chance to do any serious damage to the catapults, or more importantly the engineers.
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With the Babaus having been drawn into their trap, Isilme wastes no time before exhorting their troops to battle. "Draw your arms! Let Arastrax see what it means to truly fight a battle against the Crusaders instead of depending on tricks and deceit!" It was, of course, the group's own preferred method of dealing with the demons as well, but there was no point in complicating the issue.
Weaving a spell as she finishes, she follows up her encouragement with a haste spell, hoping that it would be sufficient to help the rest of the group whittle them down in short order.
Xanderghul frowns - one of many tens of thousands he had made in his life. He had forgotten entirely about one of several factors of a successful spell, which had ended up making the spell more or less useless. It was stupid of him. If he had been alone, it could have been the difference between life and death, but because he was with such a group, he had cared much less. Perhaps this whole "camaraderie" thing was making him sloppy.
Not wanting to waste any more spells, he simply pulls out his crossbow and loads it. Perhaps he can make a potshot at a babau.
Wasting no time, Hinagiku draws a single breath in. For a fraction of a second, she appears still. Then, flowing gracefully yet inexorably like a wave, she moves within the babau’s ranks, dispensing punches to the demons and protection to the crusaders. And, as Isilme incants, the monks actions become faster and faster.
"Don't worry Mr. Aron, we are right here." she says, from the midst of battle.
Having been aiding the crew in setting up and firing, Ary's hand hadn't been free to carry Radiance - but her arm always bore Faith. As soon as Isilme's magic infused her strikes, she set to work waylaying the babau.
Ehren looks on as the cavalry charges past him; he cannot help but to be a little astonished astonished by how quickly Captain Alkalson's men slaughter the man eaters. He had not doubted the plan, but he had definitely underestimated its effectiveness. And hearing the calls from toward the catapults, he realizes right away that the babaus must have teleported in - like clockwork.
Though his spike stones spell could last for hours, its purpose had already been served. The straggling aurochs could be eliminated in fairly short order. In preparation for the army's inevitable advance, he gestures briefly, bidding the spikes to return to their original shape.
"A-alright," says Ayavah. She closes her eyes and concentrates, and the outline of her figure distorts somewhat. She then hurries after Valaria.
"Fòcas na deamhain sìos an toiseach!" calls Aron. "An uairsin air ais gu na catapults!"
The heroes jump into action - with a snapping jab, Valaria slips her starknives smoothly in and out of her enemy. Hinagiku beats a babau's polearm to the left and then jabs her fist towards an enemy - crushing his maxilla, then sweeping him off his feet. A crusader across from her seizes the opportunity to run his blade through his throat, and the demon vanishes in a pool of steaming black ichor.
Ary stands further away from the two women, next to the catapults. With practiced efficiency she bashes Faith into babau after babau, keeping them from getting anywhere near Aron's catapult. But twenty feet away, the catapult run by Magiggs is suddenly eclipsed in a dome of shadow...
Meanwhile, at the front lines, the cavalry finishes off the remainder of the aurochs. The battlefield is littered with their hideous corpses.
Round 6!
Ehren/Ary&Anevia/Valaria/Isilme/Hinagiku/Xanderghul are up!
Without so much as a pause, Hinagiku notices the globe of darkness through the chaotic melee. And, as she fights on, striking and protecting, her eyes search for Sosiel within the ranks.
”Mr. Sosiel, do you need any help getting the light of The Eternal Rose there?”
"I didn't mean you need to run into battle right behind me," Val says to Ayavah. However, she's too focused on carving through the demons to stop at the moment. Now in close, she pushes forward and continues striking, moving from one target to the next as she slashes through the blood demons. "I think we might have another wave incoming."
Hinagiku looks around.... but Sosiel is not here. He is near the front lines.
Looking back toward the catapults, right away Ehren sees a familiar shady dome. Suspecting that it is merely the babau but fearing the worst, he immediately breaks away from the front line, taking out his wand of daylight along the way.
With her rapier leading the way, Isilme leaps down from her perch upon the catapult towards the nearest Babau. Landing gracefully in the snow, she dodges a swing from the creature's polearm bringing herself into position to attack. As she does, energy flows into her rapier, causing it to glow with the soft silver light of the stars.
"Lady Starsong, guide my blade today," she says as she watches for an opening. Parrying a second swipe from the creature, she pushes the polearm up for a second, baiting the creature into pushing back. Sliding out from under the weight of the Babau, she slips to its side, bringing her rapier about and slashing at its thigh, cutting deeply into the creature. She follows up with two quick slashes at it's torso, hoping to leave it vulnerable for her fellow crusaders to finish it off.
"Arastrax hides in his fortification, sending these creatures to do his dirty work. They are no match for crusaders though, they never were. Only through cowardice and trickery have they ever won any battles. Here on the open battle field they will fall to our blades! Keep them off guard, keep the cowardly demons from retreating!"
Only when her voices is lost to the sound of battle and is left unanswered does Hinagiku realize that Sosiel is nowhere to be seen. So, the monk slowly makes her way toward Valaria to find herself back to back with the tiefling
”Mrs. Valaria, do you think the people in there will hold on until someone uses divine power to banish the darkness?”
Xanderghul calls to the cavalry - "Hold off on moving into the fortification! Turn, and charge the babau!"
He turns himself and points his crossbow at the babau. He fires a cold iron bolt, hoping to catch one of the murder demons in the back.
"I can't tell. It's too far for me to see in to the heart of the darkness. The dwarves should be able to see through it as well, but I can't tell if they're under attack with anything new yet."
"Don't reveal that we have access to daylight if it's not absolutely necessary. And I mean 'could save lives'." Ary says through the message spell. "I won't be of much use over there, otherwise, though." she adds, continuing to assail the babau around herself. "Can those of you with darkvision handle that area?"
Anevia takes the opportunity to take potshots into the melee; the majority of the demons were likely immune to her tricks - as predicted. Despite her uncanny ability to avoid the worst of troop warfare, she stayed outside, firing in. Once more she draws back an empty bow before firing a glowing longsword into the din.