GM Rednal's Wrath of the Righteous (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

Whoops my bad, used a copy and paste from my bomb damage to get my [-dice] roll started sorry about that ^^;

MP 1/7 remaining after this round.
Amazing Intiative -1 MP = Gain an Extra Standard Action
Fleet Charge +2 to attack, move up to speed and bypass all damage for one strike.

Extra Standard Action - Convert to move action, move to align with final target.
Fleet Charge - Move upto 60ft and attack final beast!

Fleet Charge: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 15 + 2 = 22
SA Attack with Einherjar: 1d20 + 15 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 15 - 2 = 31
Confirm Critical?: 1d20 + 15 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 15 - 2 = 22

Damage with Einherjar - Slashing - Bypass damage reduction: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14
Damage with Einherjar - Slashing: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
Confirmed Critical Damage? - Slashing: 1d6 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Total Damage - 45

Again, a burst of movement followed by a wave of devastating swings, this time one slash in particular was well aimed. Julian wasn't about to let the bridge fall, he wasn't about to let the guards escape him either if he could help it. As the second swing connected he broke off his attack and shot skyward. Intending on at least giving the guards some hell...

-1 Arcanan for 40ft Movement Upward followed by 2x20ft (Double Move) of flight 80 ft Ascended total.

With her foe dispatched she ascended skyward while Julian dealt death to the last of the threats to the bridge. She stepped in between to gain an extra forty feet, her bow was still out and an arrow was notched as she sought to engage the bridge guards...

She rose above the bridge and gave an irritated sigh as she watched the guards continue to flee towards the Watchtowers of Drezen. <"Those will be dealt with next..."> She flew down unto the bridge and started a room by room search with what time she had left for flight. Mainly looking for anything useful as she made sure nothing nasty was left behind to hinder their securing the bridge.

Rather unfortunately, the guards were pretty fast - and were running away at top speed, considerably faster than either of you could currently fly. Still, the bridge had been secured, and that was the important thing here... especially given that you now had access to the citadel (and the towers defending it).

There were no traps on the bridge itself - the weakened pillars had apparently been enough for Drezen's occupiers - but nothing of value either. The entire place had been intended to be abandoned in a hurry, so nothing of particular value had been stored on it.

Julian wings his way over the top of the bridge, hanging aloft some hundred feet above as he survey's their new captured point. It felt good knowing the had made so much progress and with that he winged back down and followed Rowan in her search. When they finally saw it was secure e nodded to her.

"I will let the army know we have succeeded. Do what you can to secure the bridge for now and I will return with reinforcements post haste." Once she had responded he wings off to find Irabeth.

Rowan nods to Julian. "I will do what I can to repair the damage but it will be temporary at best... We need to deal with the watchtower and soon." As he made his way to report their success she started working on the bridge supports.

Saving my last potion of flight and moving to each bridge support. Using 1 mythic power to cast Make Whole with Wild Arcana on each pillar.

She summoned forth her mythic might and focused on repairing the damage done to the bridges. It was extensive amounts of time but knowing Julian he would, like herself, exhaust what options of flight were available to them. The Bridge must Hold... Drezen will fall.

If nothing stops him from getting to camp safely...

He hastens to find Irabeth and relays their success to her and the men. Despite his slightly burnt appearance his smile should be enough to let everyone know that they had done it. "The Bridge is ours! The enemy retreated when we took out their means of bringing the bridge down. Rowan is securing the supports as we speak but we are planning how we are to engage the watchtowers soon. Please relay the good news to the others and gather some to hold the bridge. We can't let it fall again, I am going back to help Rowan." With the message delivered he turns back and returns to aid/watch out for Rowan.

Irabeth was back with the main force, directing its efforts to gather supplies into easily-transported packs that they could carry across the bridge and towards the outside of the citadel - once its outer defenses fell, at least.

Anevia was there with her, nodding as she looked at the map. "Three of the defending towers are broken." she said, making a few marks. "The other four still have operational catapults, and they'll chew us up if we try to get inside without taking them down. Unfortunately, we couldn't get close enough to tell what else might be defending them."

On the bright side, the pillars on the bridge were looking a little bit more stable.

(A little. They were thick, durable pillars - it took serious magical effort to fully repair things like that, more than you had access to.)

Or so my rough estimates of 15 HP per-inch tell me. XD

Assuming at this point that Julian and Rowan are back together at the citadel.

"Its dangerous to consider this but with my full allotment of potions and spells I can fly for close to an hour and engage each of the towers. if the Defenders are minimal I could possibly bring them down one at a time. Depending on what is defending them." Despite their victory he knew that fighting unaided was a deadly gambit. One he was willing to try if it meant success, no matter the amount of pain he would suffer...

"No, I like your spirit Julian but we do this together. To send you alone would be irresponsible of a commander and a companion. We will do as we did today. This time with more stealth and with even quicker strikes, depending on what we face..." Rowan's was firm and not about to let Julian go it alone. His strength in lieu of Tarov's absence was something she was leaning heavily on now and would do so in the future as well. She could ill afford to let him run off and possibly die in an attempt to take the towers alone. "Prepare as many tonics as you can in the morning to ensure we can take all four towers in succession. Do whatever needs to be done and use whatever resource you need to see it done [I[]right[/I] Julian."

With that settled she turned her focus on Irabeth, Sosiel, Nurah and any who had more interactions with the newly freed prisoners aside from herself. Her concern was etched into her voice. "How are we looking in arming those we freed? And how are our men doing physically and mentally? Will we be prepared to fight on the morrow?"

If we take the towers tomorrow then storming Drezen will begin in earnest... The week's end is fast approaching.

"We don't have enough weapons to arm all of them." Irabeth said, sighing slightly. "That may be for the best, though. I don't doubt their bravery or their willingness to fight, but the simple truth is that average men are not as prepared as the Dawnbringers to engage our foes, and they would be especially vulnerable if we tossed them into battle without giving them time to train together. However, I'm pleased to report that despite Sir Tarov's condition, morale remains high and the men are ready to assault the citadel once the defenses are down."

"I have to agree with Irabeth, I don't doubt your intentions Rowan but we can't sacrifice people on needlessly assaulting the enemy. We'd be no better then the cultist fighters that were literally thrown on our swords." Julian shakes his head. "Poor bastards had no chance."

With that he stood up and excused himself from the table. "As you asked I will begin my preparations, unless there was more to add?"

Irabeth's news was a blow to her strategy, one she hadn't expected but she would work with anyway. "Arm them anyway..." Much as her words would shock some, no one but her sword sister would guess what came next. That is unless they truly knew her by now. "... with whatever we can afford to spare. We can ill afford them not to at least be ready to protect the camp. I won't leave the camp undefended when we storm Drezen... However, I too agree with your assessment's. I will hand over my own weapons if needed to arm more of them. Let me know Irabeth." She nods to Irabeth and Julian then.

"When the last tower falls we will utilize a signal horn to call for the army to advance on Drezen. Standard calls only. Please relay the orders to the men and thank them for their work. Another push and Drezen will be ours once again."

Julian nods and excuses himself. "I have preparations to make, see you all in the morning." He bows as he exits the tent, making his way to the campfire where they had bedded down with Soltengrebbe the day before. He planned on sleeping near the fire and enjoying the night air for once. He pulled his cloak tight and summoned forth the constellations to dance and swirl upon his cloak as he slept.

Character Updated! :D

"Get some rest if you can, tomorrow is going to be a long day." She looks to see if there is anything else to add from anyone before thanking her officers and support staff before they departed. Though any were welcome to stay and chat if they wanted Rowan wasn't so cold as to deny them time to chat.

She looked to Soltengrebbe and smiled, such a short time and a great deal had transpired. Sleeping next to the mythical sized chimeragave her ease of mind. She could only hope to nurture its growth alongside the Dawnbringers and the future she believed in.

A loud cry woke you - and much of the rest of the camp - in the middle of the night. Sosiel was the first on the scene, frowning and bending down over Tarov as several others tried to hold the dwarf still. Glows surrounded their hands, even as several bursts of positive energy rippled out of Sosiel's holy symbol - and he bit his lower lip before standing up.

"He'll live, but he needs professional treatment." the cleric said. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that this cursed place seeks to strike at our greatest defenders. Get some of the men we rescued - especially anyone with experience treating the sick - and get moving. His life may depend on how quickly we can get him to a proper temple." The men with him nodded, quietly moving Tarov's body onto a stretcher and darting across the camp. As they did, Sosiel clenched his hands, then slowly gripped his holy symbol again... and a little bit of his tension eased. "Milady, I don't know why you did not see fit to grant me the power to heal him, given the task we face... but regardless of how things go for my friend, I trust you and believe you had a good reason for it." he said quietly.

Soltengrebbe, meanwhile, made a slight whining noise as Tarov was moved - and promptly grabbed both of you with his mouths, clearly possessive and not wanting you to leave. The chimera refused to so much as budge until morning finally arrived, nudging you nervously with all three of his heads and looking right into your eyes for reassurance. Meiyun had also slept under the chimera's protection, and quietly tried to soothe him.

She watched sadly as Tarov was taken away, unable to do little more then try and soothe his fatigue but with how quickly he was taken away from camp she barely had time to say goodbye. "Forge Father be with you Stalwart, may you return swiftly my friend."

Seeing how Soltengrebbe was affected made sleep lower priority. She spent the rest of the night trying to reassure the Chimera and speaking quietly too it. Trying to soothe it. <:I promise not to leave as long as I am alive Soltengrebbe.:>

Seeing Tarov taken away was a hammer blow to Julian, dredging up his past once more and leaving him feeling raw and bare. AS Tarov was swiftly taken away from the camp all Julian could do was sink down into a cross-legged position. Dealing with the conflicting emotions that were raging through him at the sudden loss of a great companion. When the Chimera nudged him he raised his hand, giving the head a weak smile as he stroked the dragons scales in an attempt to reassure it. It was a poor attempt, one that wouldn't even convince Julian but he tried to anyway.

He wraps a arm around the dragon head and scratches its scales in the right places as he <"Don't get down now, now is not the time to cry when we got things to do. Tomorrow is going to be a red day and you better be ready Soltengrebbe. Because we got a fight to win. And we will do it. For Stalwart."> The shine on his eyes wasn't from his ability from seeing in the gloom, angry tears threatened to fall despite his ability to bite them back.

I'll crush those towers tomorrow, I don't Care what defends them. I will burn them down...

"Red" was definitely one way to describe the next morning. You weren't even that far into the Worldwound, but the normal light of the world was twisted here, mutated into something harsh and angry. The Dawnbringers were ready even before dawn broke, determined to avenge what had been done to their leader, and the entire force moved close to Ahari Bridge. They couldn't go much further until the watchtowers were taken care of.

He gives Soltengrebbe a big hug in the morning, which was quite unlike him, before settling into his preparations. He smirked when the large Chimera sought reassurance while he was preparing. <"Don't worry ya big lug, I plan on coming back alive. We are winning this day.">

Later

'Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' Going to be a Long day. So lets get to it. He looks to Rowan as he took charge of their initial engagement tactics.

"Let's hit the central towers, starting with the left and then the right. They will be by far the fiercest we will have to subdue. We'll use flight to move quickly. Once they are down we take out the western tower before moving back to the far eastern tower. It'll cost us some spells but with the worst two going first we should have an easier time. So let's get to it!"

He casts several spells in rapid succession, relying on their extended times to hopefully allow them to reach the first target relatively undetected...

Enchantments as follows for Rowan.
Resist Energy Extract for Rowan - Protection from Fire in lieu of yesterday's mad fire thrower.
Bull Strength (Extract - Rowan), Shield (Rowan), Flight (Extract - Rowan), Flank Shield (Extract - Rowan), Invisibility (Spell - Rowan)

"You go ahead and I will catch up, your armor will slow you down anyway." Julian chuckles at the thought of Rowan's jerky flight once more before casting his own set of spells to aid him in the fight to come...

Enchantments as follows for Julian.

Shield (Extract), Invisibility.

With that he heads for the two central towers, starting with the left hand one...

Before Julian handed her the extracts she cast a couple of her own spells.

Flex Armor, Bless, Communal protection from evil targeting Julian and herself.

With that done she drank down eqch extract and nodded in agreement witb Julians plan. A little switching back and forth would allow them time to patch up between fights. Starting with the toughest one first was ideal.

Once she was invisible she took off and headed for the western central tower as Julian had specified. She drew her demon slaying sword, fully intending to take on the enemy in hand to hand first. Preparing to face the tougheet opponents yet...

On the top of the tower, you could see a single small Brimorak, a bestial humanoid in filthy robes that was surrounded by smoke. The good news? Your invisibility seemed to be working, and it was evidently unaware of your approach - which made Rowan's backstab a fairly simple affair.

(Some might have argued that going invisible and sneak-attacking demons was cheating, and that Paladins shouldn't have done it. Iomedae clearly disagreed, at least when it came to killing demons.)

That was one tower down - and Julian was still invisible, but Rowan wasn't after attacking the foe, so the question became what to do about the rest of the towers now that they could see her coming...

Julian descends, landing near Rowan and giving her a quick warning of his approach. Once he landed he cast his 3rd invisibility spell of the day, with only one remaining. "Eastern Tower, now. Lets take this one down too..."

ASF?: 1d100 ⇒ 21
Cast Spell Invisibility on Rowan

Before flying to the next tower he proceeded to enchant his blade with Kenn and a small (+1) magical enhancement to further harm his opponent. If there stealth attack succeeded this would make storming the citadel much easier, though he had some doubts that the enemy hadn't spotted the Dawnbringers and alerted its garrison by now...

-1 Arcana Point

"After this one lets split up and engage the remaining towers separately. I'd rather not waste our one chance to strike the enemy before they know they've been it. As much as I hate to not face them in the light... This is very effective." Depending on which of them reached the enemy first she would wait to see if Julian made the move initially. Alternating their strikes against their targets to maximize his spell usage for the day. Seeing as it was mainly geared to defeating the towers, a fact she wasn't too sure was he best move in case fighting spilled into the citadel.

The plan was a sound one, and within ten minutes, the tops of the towers had been cleared - leaving the way clear for the Dawnbringers to approach. The two of you had no trouble returning to the camp to report your success, though Irabeth was frowning as she looked at a pile of reports on a portable table.

"They've got a lot of forces holed up that courtyard. We'll have to be careful how we engage them. Once the courtyard is clear, it looks like we'll have to besiege the place as a strike team goes in to clear it out."

Was there anything located on top of the towers or were thy just guard towers?

I assume I used up all of my invisibility spells for the day Rednal?

There were catapults, and those are no longer an issue. ^^

"Then let's not disappoint them. We go in like before, spellslingers prepared to counter and the soldiers fighting with standard tactics. Without out there damned catapults they can only rely on their numbers." Julian looked confident then, still excited after the quick defeat of the tower guards and by the fact he still had a number of abilities left to spare.

Commander - Irabeth!
Army HP 16/16 Army DV 18+2+4 = 24 (Spellbreaker Battlefield Advantage) Right?

Tactics - Spellbreaker
Strategy Track - Standard +0

Spellbreaker applies only when facing armies with Spellcasting as a power. ^^ Just note you're using it, and I'll add the effects when it's appropriate. Let's get those dice rolling!

Gotcha, work was crazy rough today so sorry for the wait!

Commander - Irabeth!
Army HP 16/16 Army DV 18+2 = 20 (Battlefield Advantage)

Tactics - Spellbreaker
Strategy Track - Standard +0

Army Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Julian, choosing to save his flying for later, jogs alongside the mounted warriors as they advanced on the shattered gates of Citadel Drezen. He had Einherjar and his remaining spells at the ready to defend the formation once the attack began in earnest. As they pushed through the rubble around the gates Irabeth raised her blade to give the command to loose a volley on whatever Julian could yet see...

Dang been waiting for ya!

Commander - Irabeth!
Army HP 16/16 Army DV 18+2 = 20 (Battlefield Advantage)

Tactics - Spellbreaker
Strategy Track - Standard +0

Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Paladins will lay on hands and take a -1 to attack to gain 3 hp if injured in the first round.

The week wasn't up yet and now, more then ever, they had more reason to win... She stowed her bow as she drew her sword and raised it high. The first strike was theirs, a fierce unleashing of their divinely inspired might. "For Stalwart! For Mendev! To Victory!"

A loud roar shook the air as the Dawnbringers first appeared, and you finally had the chance to examine the forces inside the citadel. Nearly five hundred warriors were there - two hundred cultists, two hundred tieflings, and another hundred dretches, gathered into three separate units that all started charging towards you at once.

Which army got shot?: 1d3 ⇒ 3

Perhaps it wasn't surprising that Paladins would shoot the demons first - but the demons had ranged magic of their own (yay, Spellbreaker), as did the tieflings, and both fired at you as they closed.

Ranged Attack vs DV 24: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Ranged Attack vs DV 24: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

The dretches came close, but the Dawnbringers thundered forward and loosed their arrows. Iomedae's hand might have been guiding them - or so the warriors suggested later - because it looked like every arrow found its mark... and in the opening salvo, the Dretches were simply gone.

The three remaining armies collided a moment later...

Which army got hit in melee?: 1d2 ⇒ 2

...with the cultists being closer and, thus, the first ones engaged. Incidentally, when you're fighting multiple armies and know how many they are, you can normally pick and choose who to target. ^^ This time, you just didn't have that information handy.

The cultists seemed to have expected that, though, and threw everything they had into some dirty tricks.

Melee (Tiefling Army) vs DV 24: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Melee (Cultist Army) vs DV 20: 1d20 + 3 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 6 = 16

"Everything", in this case, not being nearly enough.

Gimme... four melee rolls for the army each, and I'll alternate between them to resolve this. Be sure to note anything special you'll want to do, like healing if health drops below whatever amount.

Commander - Irabeth!
Army HP 16/16 Army DV 18+2 = 20 (Battlefield Advantage)

Tactics - Spellbreaker
Strategy Track - Standard +0

Attacking Tiefling Army 1st then Cultist Army Next
Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Smite Evil In one Melee phase per battle, the army may increase its OM by 2 against an evil army.
Army Melee Attack +smite evil: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 10 + 2 = 27
Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Julian faced down his own kind with a heavy glare. Facing several at once with their long poled weapons and swords with as little fear as he would spare insects. He spoke in abyssal as he charged their line. "So you choose to be dirt for demons toes instead of rising up on your two legs to grasp your own destiny! COWARDS! Let me show you True Power!"

He cut down Tiefling after Tiefling, never sparing more then a glance when they fell to ensure they stayed down. Each time though he looked for those that didn't appear to be as mad or fiercely loyal to the enemies causing in the hopes of finding those that may yet convert to serve the light. Though such people were weak willed enough to break and return to what they were used to as well.

Trying to act like a Paladin is hard work...

"This is my will made manifest! No one but me made this possible! Its the power inherent in all who stand on their own! So come and see what awaits you!" He combined a bomb and blasted an entire group of tieflings and mysteriously missing the paladin they had once surrounded...

Let it be noted that if the army needs to heal then we will use LoH to keep the armies HP from dropping to far which means there will be a -1 to attack. Thanks Rednal!

Commander - Irabeth!
Army HP 16/16 Army DV 18+2 = 20 (Battlefield Advantage)

Tactics - Spellbreaker
Strategy Track - Standard +0

Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
Army Melee Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

LoH as needed. -1 to attacks

Rowan was in the thick of it, but she was choosing her strikes carefully. Killing only when needed and avoiding when possible. The fight with the Tieflings and cultists was fierce despite the paladins being outnumbered they fought ferociously as well.

Victory is so close! We cannot Falter now! We shall not retreat!

As the cultists tried to break through the right flank she moved up and joined the paladins on that side of the formation and continued to fight on. "Hold the Line! Do not falter! We will win!"

Melee Round 1 (Tieflings): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Melee Round 1 (Cultists): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Aggressive - +3 Damage, total 6 Damage. Dawnbringers 10/16 HP, using LoH next round.

The Tieflings were hit hard, but even as the Dawnbringers focused on them, the Cultists moved into an aggressive formation and started hitting hard from the side - and it showed, as they started striking heavily into the Dawnbringers' flanks.

Melee Round 2 (Tieflings): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Melee Round 2 (Cultists): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

The next skirmish didn't go quite so well for them, as the Tiefling army was broken by the heavy strikes the Dawnbringers managed to deliver even as they healed themselves up. Dawnbringers 13/16 HP.

Melee Round 3 (Cultists): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27 +6 damage. Assuming you're healing again, that's -13 HP and then +3 from healing... leaving the Dawnbringers at 3/16 HP. Due to the extraordinarily heavy damage, the Dawnbringers cannot heal above 8 HP until receiving reinforcements.

It was probably just as well the Dawnbringers had healed when they did - the cultists had recognized what had happened to the other two armies, and... well... "fanatics" was the nicest way of describing them. Defense was entirely abandoned as they charged forth, and warrior after warrior fell under the relentless assault of the remaining cultists. Not a single man fell without taking down his targets first, though - and the army of cultists shattered, a bare handful of survivors fleeing into the keep even as the badly-battered Dawnbringers regrouped. The price had been horrific, but victory was yours. Irabeth's suggestions looked like they were turning out even more accurate than she'd likely expected - the Dawnbringers simply didn't have the strength to storm the keep, and a siege was the best they could manage now. The good news? You had lots of supplies, at least...

Julian was in his mutant form, standing over his last adversary. A brute of a tiefling that had obviously more demonic blood then whatever ancestry he came from. Blood ran down his head from where his horn was torn off and it stung like hell but at long last the fighting was over. He rammed Einherjar through their chest, ensuring they were indeed finished as that one had no light left in their black heart for redemption.

He turned on his heel then and wiped the blood from his blade as he worked to aid the remaining Dawnbringers and get their wounded away before the enemy recovered and retaliated. Though he did thankfully save his Fireball as a last resort and had plenty of fighting ability left in him. A red day but we broke them, The Dawnbringers are victorious at great cost.

<:Better then the alternative, Drezen Citadel will fall eventually. Do not let this setback break you now Redeemed.:>

Julian, so tired from the fighting, nodded to Einherjar's words despite making it look like he was suffering far more from his head injury.

Aside from the wounded Paladin's he helps what Tieflings he saw had no fight in them. Looking to save them and possibly redeemed them, though they would be prisoners for a time...

There banners were tattered, their bodies were bruised and their resolve was unbroken. How many had fallen to her blade today? How many more would fall during their brief command. She looked to the fallen Dawnbringers and for the briefest moment her resolve faltered and her heart despaired. I pushed them too far. Even with all her magical healing, she could not save all of the fallen men and women who served the Crusade.

As another life slipped away from her her resolve shattered, she didn't let it reach her face though. No, she'd not foul the victory they had sacrificed so much for. She kept trying, kept healing until she had nothing left and even then she tried to save others while completely neglecting her own injuries. By the time she had spoken with Irabeth about prolonging the siege she felt empty, a blackness slipped into her spirit then. "Do what you think is best Sword Sister." Her words were empty and it was then saw Julian. She despaired at the poor Tiefling's battered state, though his mutant form allowed him to shrug off the worst of his injuries it was easy to tell the fight had been hard on him as well.

By the time they returned to camp she was hopeless, no ability to heal left within her, and empty. She made her way to Soltengrebbe, looking for the creature she had promised that she would return to while still alive. When she reached them she collapsed against there fur. Sinking to the ground where she kept her face buried in their side to hide her utter frustration at pushing the Dawnbringers so hard for victory.

She wasn't meant to command, she wasn't meant to lead anyone if this would be the result...

Perception check: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18

He slammed down a healing drought and grunted as his horn reformed. "I don't care, that Big bastard got what he deserved..."Einherjar chided him but he noticed something that made him ignore his blades scolding for a moment. His eyes were on Rowan, he hadn't paid much attention before but now he couldn't help but see her state. She was fatigued and battered and despite all the healing she had unleashed mere minutes ago she appeared to had done nothing for herself.

When they reached camp he watched where she went, watched her fall and made certain no one else came near her at that moment. Taking up a position standing nearby, hand on Einherjar's pommel. His threat and stance obvious and any that dared test him got a cold stare as he stood unmoving. A lone sentinel, protecting their companions weakest moment.

Take Ten +13 Perception check to stand guard for now. = 23

An angry growl came from Julian as he gripped the pommel roughly as Einherjar's point rubbed him the wrong way. A moment later he had a thoughtful expression on his face as he took a deep breath. As he exhaled he remained vigilant once more watching over his companion in her moment of despair.

Soltengrebbe bent in with all three of his heads, gently nuzzling Rowan and, with one of its heads, lightly licking her bruises in an attempt to make them feel better. The draconic head rose up a moment later, though, as a faint dragging sound could be heard... and Arles Jhestander limped up, one of his legs bandaged but not yet totally healed. More than a small amount of blood covered his armor, though his holy symbol appeared completely untouched. He met Julian's gaze evenly, then turned to look towards where Rowan was mostly hidden by the great chimera. "...Permission to approach, ma'am?"

Soltengrebbe was a comfort was something that she graciously accepted and for several short moments she was able to lose her self. Though the sound of Arles voice made Rowan pull herself back to reality, she rose to her feet and stood among Soltengrebbe's heads. She tried to recover herself for the moment as she dragged what little of her strength to the fore that she could. When she saw Julian standing nearby her eyes went wide. She looked to ARles a moment later and nodded. "Permission granted Arles, always." Seeing his injuries she pulled free her wand of cure light wounds. It was the only thing she had left to grant healing to those in need. "Sir and let me tend your wounds Arles."

"Ain't no need for that, ma'am." the gruff, redeemed Paladin said. "I reckon you're gonna need everything you can get for attacking the citadel, and I can tend to myself in the morning well enough." As a Paladin himself, he had plenty of self-healing ability... that he had nothing to spare for himself was a sign of just how much damage the Dawnbringers had endured. "I just couldn't help but notice that you don't seem too pleased with our victory."

Rowans hands lowered and she shook her head in disagreement. "No. I am happy for our victory... but... the cost was... Too great..." Her first taste of true warfare against the Worldwound was a bitter one and was etched into her features like an visble scars. Her resolve was shaken greatly but this near defeat. "I'd never sully those who gave all today. I am... ashamed of my failure to do more." Her armor shuddered as her trembling became visible and her frustration reared its ugly head.

"Huh." Arles quietly bit into a piece of the tough jerky that served as one of the army's types of rations, chewing it thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, beg your pardon, ma'am, but that's a load of bunk." he said. "And trust me, I know bunk when I hear it, having spouted some off myself a time or two. D'you see anyone out there complaining? No. D'you see them blaming you for the results? No. There isn't a single man in this force who went out today doubting he was doing the right thing. Sure, we got ourselves bloodied at the end, but we took down everyone who stood in our way first. Nobody ever promised that stopping evil would be easy, and we volunteered to pay whatever price was necessary. Would've paid more, too, if we had to. I find your suggestion that the cost was too great to be a bit of sullying all on its own."

"You told me before that that you'd rather struggle for an eternity before you let uncertainty and despair overcome you, before empty promises allowed innocents to suffer. Was that a lie, or are you ready to see how much we've accomplished and start soldiering on? The Queen believes in you, your men believe in you... heck, even that oversized furball there believes in you, and I've still got no idea how you managed that." Soltengrebbe's feline head bumped Rowan from behind. "And the way I see it, you haven't failed yet. So I don't see what all the fuss is about."

Her smile returned as her own words echoed from Arles mouth and when Soltengrebbe bumped her she ran her hand through his furred head. Realizing the reality of those words in the simple act. "Bunk. Not completely. It is easy to sacrifice ones self but sacrifing others was too heavy a reality..." As a soldier she came to find frank and blunt speech to be comforting at times. She raised het and looked at her fellow. "Thank you Arles, I sully the good soldiers who died for this by doubting myself now. And I have not forgotten my words to you and others before." She took a steadying breath, reaffirming her resolve as she gently ran her hand through Soltengrebbes fur.

"We lay siege to the Citadel and tomorrow I hope you will continue to stand with me. Let me know if you need anything for those injuries."

Hearing the soldiers words brought a small smile to his face. Rowan faced her first real crusade and the Bloodhound tasted the bitterness of demon fighting much like he had. Though at least it wasnt a complete loss...

"I will stand with you. As your friend and companion though, not as some grunt." He stands there with his newly reformed horn smirking like it was another stroll in the woods. "Tomorrow i will prepare my arsenal for storming a castle. Lets hope we can catch them off guard eh?"

"Ack, they'll be good as new in the morning." he said cheerfully, before pausing. "By the way, though you might want to know - we uncapped some of those potions you dug up before, gave 'em to the most injured. A lot of the men are gonna need better healing than we can provide right now before they fight again, but actual losses were minimal, and we don't think we'll lose anyone else." With that, Arles turned and limped back towards the main part of the camp. As he did so, the strongest were busy preparing equipment for laying siege to the castle. So far, at least, the plan seemed to be trying to occupy most of the main defenses (by presenting a threat that the citadel's defenders had to come meet, lest they be smashed and overrun) while the main striking force - the two of you - made your way inside and tried to find the Sword of Valor.

Are we full strength or with the spells expended still?

Before the set out Julian halted Rowan. "You are too hard on yourself... I don't know what you are planning but you can't take it all on your own. Or like Arles said, everything you said up until now will be for nothing... So..."

"Lets leave the past behind us. It's clear to me that you have suffered far more than I ever did. So let's fight to our fullest without regret." He steps past her then as they made their way back to the siege site. Besides I have someone I am looking for and this ruin is in my way...

Arles words uplifted her spirit greatly, knowing that fewer had perished helped her to regain a large measure of he strength once more. "I'm glad you told me that Arles. Please take care of yourself as it appears I have work yet left to do..."

She didn't expect what came next with Julian near the siege but with how simply he dismissed the rift between them it made her happy to know she could fight more without restraint. Her hair took on a deep red tint the color of flames as she responded. "Indeed... without regret."

Same day. Expended stuff remains expended. Or rather...

After fighting three armies at once and almost breaking themselves in the process, the Dawnbringers were in no condition to begin the siege immediately - much of the rest of the day was spent tending to the injured and getting supplies together while remaining just outside the range of the citadel's other defenses. Soltengrebbe simply sat at the front of the camp throughout the day, looking towards the citadel and vigilantly guarding those behind him.

Army Resources: 23/50

The next day dawned even redder than before, and at the morning meeting, Irabeth quietly pointed at a few relevant places on the map. "All right." she said. "We're in no shape to assault the leaders of Drezen, not while they're supported by the defenses of the citadel." she said bluntly. "But if they come out here to attack us without the support of that stuff, we'd crush them. It looks like we'll be sticking with our infiltration plan - surgical strikes into the interior for however long it takes to bring down the leaders and find what we came for. Now we just need to figure out how we're going to cause as many distractions as possible."

With that, the floor was open to suggestions - and they weren't slow in coming. Anevia was planning to skulk around the outside, sniping siege weapons and dealing the kind of damage that the defenders would need to repair if they wanted to continue holding the Dawnbringers back. Aron would be going with her to help maximize the chaos - though you did see him frowning towards the interior of the keep on a regular basis.

Aravashnial, in contrast, intended to scout the ruins for magical supplies, given that there were almost certainly quite a lot of those lying around.

Sosiel planned to remain at the camp and support the efforts of the others - and tending to the injured in the meantime.

Irabeth herself clearly longed to take the fight to the demons, but you'd chosen to put her in command of the army for now, so her job was to coordinate everyone else and serve as a central point of contact. That left Nurah, who actually did volunteer to accompany you inside. She wasn't planning to fight, but likely could offer support.

Now you just had to decide how to enter the citadel... the front gate was certainly one possibility, and likely the easiest, but it wasn't the only way in. Creativity could help with finding alternatives.

NOW you're healed. XD

Updated spells :3 I have no map so I am gestimating what it probably looks like from the God view of the ruins lol.

"I saw we go in through the front." He smiles broadly as he points at the gatehouse. "Like the towers, we go in under stealth and take down the main gatehouse."

He looks over the battlements as the fighting continues. "With the Gatehouse fallen to our forces we can press forward, absorb the worst of the blows and clear a way inside. Ensuring us a foothold and limiting their ability to strike our forces."

He points to any frontline battlements indicating the need to sweep them aside.. "After that we crush those and remove any siege weapons completely. Thus preventing greater loss of life for our side. Though it means you and I get a good thrashing..." He swallows down his mutagen then, his muscles and everything surging with power. "So let's get this started!" He spreads his wings as he hands Rowan a new set of extracts.

Fly, Shield, Flank Shield & Bulls Strength

Invisibility x2 again for our coming sneak attack. 10% chance of failure: 2d100 ⇒ (90, 34) = 124

Booyah. >:3