"Your magic won't save you, you old fool! Your Lord Commander, if he even still breathes, will fall before us. Just like you." Soren fires off two more shots for the man's chest, hoping to kill the priest before he has the chance to protect or heal any more of the soldiers. If the magister escaped, Havelyn wouldn't be a problem; he was too invested now. Even if Havelyn didn't kill him, he'd make the magister easy prey when the time came to deal with him. "Please, waste your dying breath on one last prayer. I want to watch your futile struggle on the way to the Boneyard."
"Toughening yourself up wont help you! We shall feast on your bones!"
Grinning when Alice's magic speeds up the blood in her veins. Moving much further into the room. Wanting to hold onto her magic until she knows who to spend it on but point a pale finger at the one Vedran races towards, "Tough luck."
Shuddering at the magic and racing down to join the fray while yelling, "Thanks Alice!"
Leaving a trail of red behind in as the red colored man runs down towards the closest man. Planning on punching him in the face but his hand goes over his shoulder. Those eyes. Shaking his head and trying to chase away the ghosts in his mind.
Lothrian retrieves an arrow from his quiver and nocks it to his bowstring. "Come! Let these worms feel the might of the Lord of Darkness!"
Lothrian strides forward and stops 15 feet in front of the group of enemies. His hands glow red with small crackles of black lightning as he draws his bow. "Piercing Shot!"
The Black Ice Inn - Aldencross -
Soren's shot drops the cleric despite his spell.
The soldiers cry out as the cleric falls and attack with greater ferocity.
One is still disabled by the Glitterdust spell.
The one nearest Grumble swings with his sword and the others charge him as well. Despite their convergence on the powerful half-Ogre, his heavy armor absorbs most of the blows. Only one of the soldeirs hits Grumble but that one is a nasty wound.
The archer near the fallen cleric takes a shot back at Soren. His shot finds the mark and strikes her ion the left breast damn near piercing her lung.
Will save vs Glitterdust #1 .
Convergence on the gravest threat, Grumble!
Attacks 2-6 Longsword Attack
2 - - Damage
3 - - Damage
4 - - Damage
5 - - Damage
6 - - Damage
Attack #7 Ranged @ Soren - - Damage
Father - -7/45
Vedran charges at the flank of one behind Grumble but fails to connect. Though Morana's spell is successful.
Grumble laughed with the joy of the slaughter. He moved through the squad of soldiers like rampaging beast.
Nate stayed behind cover and another arrow, drawing down on the wizard and waiting.
The Black Ice Inn - Aldencross -
What were once men become corpses as Grumble wades through that which stands in his way, or even close to him!
Lothrian moves forward towards his foes and unleashes his magic upon them.
Reflex save Archer
Concentration
The magic strike the archer and the cleric, leaving both dead in its wake. The Magister manages to step backwards only to be shot by Nate who was waiting for an opportunity to shoot.
Despite being bloodied by the attacks, the Magister manages to cast a spell and vanishes from the front of the Inn!
Alone and surrounded by foes, the three remaining soldiers tighten the grips on their weapons...
"We'll just deal with him later. For the time being, though, let's clean up the last of them." Soren snaps off another two shots at the soldiers, aiming for any wounded to finish them off; in no one in her sight is wounded, she just fires on the nearest guard to put them down.
"Dammit, he dim-doored away"
The Black Ice Inn - Aldencross -
With the Cleric down and the Wizard fled, the remaining foot soldiers are no match for the elite of Asmodeus!
By the time the reinforcements of Lamashtu arrive, the battle is over. The Mayor and the High Cleric are both present with their remaining cultists. James grins, "It seems our rebellion has begun". His grin ceases when he sees the Wizard is not among the dead, "He will alert the citadel, all is lost!"
"Oh, ye of little faith. This attack is far from over, and the magister will have little ability to put a stop to us. The two of you must deliver the stew now, in case the magister isn't stopped by our... agent from the inside. He will raise the alarm, but if you two can get it in soon we should beat him to the punch, assuming he alerts them at all." Soren looks at James and his cultists, grinning ever so slightly. She folds her arms across her chest and reverts her form to normal, dropping the demonic facade. "I think you and your men ought to take on the Lord Commander. You have a history, do you not?"
Lothrian gives a small nod of his head. "I am at the disposal of whomever needs my services."
"I could use some patching up." Grumblejack said to the High Cleric. "There's gonna be more fighting today."
The Black Ice Inn - Aldencross -
The Mayor glances around nervously and looks to his men, "Let us march on the Keep now!"
James approaches Grumble, "May the Mother of Monsters aid you". His hands discharge a jolt and the wound you suffered begin to heal.
James speaks, "Assault the Keep now? We are badly outnumbered, the rest of our men dead within to buy me time to escape. Of course, I can summon some reinforcements from their remains. Still an attack now seems, unwise.
Who is it you have on the inside? Nathaniel is out here with us. How would we even begin to attack the Lord Commander without the other 90 or more soldiers stopping us? It is time to retreat. While it is early, the townsfolk will be awake soon, my damned Inn is on fire! This has been a disastrous day.
And where are those two going!" He shouts as Morana and Alice hustle away from the scene.
Despite the brief combat and the location of the Inn within the town, no one has yet woken. It is only a matter of time though, the Inn Keep is right.
---
Mama's front door is closed, you do not see her stirring inside, it is after all quite early.
Alice looks mortified at Morana. "Did we agree on a time for this? I cant remember... The fight scared the crap out of me."
Glancing at the red man and waiting a moment while he walks back to her and vanishes once they touch before leaving with Alice. This is madness. You all suck a planning. Oh quit your bellyaching. I don't want to hear it.
Mimicking Alices expression, " No stopping right?" Knocking first and if there is no answer she will try the door.
"They're dealin wit' the soldier problem." Grumblejack rumbled while he looked at his healing wounds. "Keep it comin'. A couple more'a those an' I'll be good fer killin' another dozen Mitrans."
"Our agent within the Tower is none of your concern, James. They carry enough authority that dealing with the magister will be within their power, I should hope. So please, quit worrying. Do you think we've spent all our time here twiddling our thumbs?" Soren shoots the high cleric a disapproving look, then sighs heavily. "You can retreat, if you truly wish to, but I didn't expect such cowardice. Don't you want to watch the light drain from the Lord Commander's eyes?"
The Black Ice Inn - Aldencross -
James lays his hands upon Grumble once more.
James grimaces, "None of my concern? Are we working together or not?
I would like to see the light drain from all of their eyes, I cannot do it though deceased myself. You go first since you have it all planned out. We shall be right behind you".
Mama's Hubble Abode - Aldencross -
As Morana tries the door, she finds it unlocked. It opens with a creak.
From within Mama's voice calls out, "Hello? Who's there?"
I would like to see the light drain from all of their eyes, I cannot do it though deceased myself. You go first since you have it all planned out. We shall be right behind you".
"In't that the way things were s'posed t' go this time too? Where were you two in that fight? We saw yer cult boys, but no trace of either o' you anywhere."
"Now, now... we can discuss quibbles after we have killed those who have been ordained to be killed. Business before pleasure, as they say." Lothrian gives his bowstring a small twang. "We need to move quickly. Where to first?"
Alice calls out trough the crack of the door. "Good morning, its just us. Can we come in?"
"He's right. If you had been here yourself, well, perhaps the magister wouldn't have been a problem for us to begin with? I didn't see you toe to toe with the Mitrans while I was putting rounds through Father Donnigan's chest. You accuse me of withholding information, but at least I didn't get cold feet when it came to the dirty work. I would think the High Priest of Lamashtu would be eager to personally see to the end of some of Mitra's greatest agents in the Tower."
"If you want to know who our inside agent is, then perhaps you could tell us where you were while we took care of the Mitran dogs. Sound fair?"
"That's the problem with your kind. Always squabbling, even when you want the same thing." Aurex snorts and spits, a human habit he has taken a liking to.
"Mama, I wanted to go to the tower with you."
The Black Ice Inn - Aldencross -
James the High Priest scowls, "I was retrieving these worthies. My men have ever been split between myself and the mayor".
The Mayor nods in agreement but sighs, "This is a mess, the Inn is on fire and bodies are everywhere, it is a miracle that none of the townsfolk have happened upon us yet!"
James stares daggers at the Mayor and turns to what is left of his flock, "Drag all of the bodies in and set more of the place to the torch. We are committed to this course of action now".
The Mayor looks to you all, "Are you sure your contact can handle the Magister? If not we may not be able to make it to even mount an assault..."
Mama's Hubble Abode - Aldencross -
Mama opens the door smiling wide, "Oh girls, I am so glad you are here. I delivered the first pot of stew and had two more I was coming back for. I would be delighted if you could assist me!"
You both enter Mama's humble abode and grab the remaining two pots and head with her back to the Tower.
You see activity, at least two dozen soldiers out in force! The men seem a bit confused as to why they are out here.
They smile at Mama as she approaches and nod to you all as well. Mama asks, "Heading somewhere?"
One of the soldiers shakes his head, "The Magister appeared in the middle of the mess hall and asked us to fall out, said he would be with us soon that he needed to find the Lord Commander".
Mama seems shocked, "I hope all is well".
"Nothing to be worried about Mama", the soldier responds. "Head on in, I already had a bowl, I'm sure more of the men would like what you've left!"
She gestures for you both to enter, do you?
Alice keeps up some small talk while walking to the Tower.
With the soldiers all up and about, she is concerned. Things were not going according to plan. But maybe this was her and Morana's chace to sneak in and do some more damage, then just poisoning the soldiers.
"Of course Mama, lead the way. You can make some space for us in case the good men get too excited for more food."
Alice follows Mama inside.
The Tower Kitchens
"Where is the Lord Commander?"
"Did you hear that Eddarly and Mott both escaped last night!"
"Who the hell is leading us then?"
"S@**, there's Mama with her stew, I say we eat until someone comes in and confirms the Magisters' order..."
---
As Mama steps into the kitchen she turns to the two of you, "My dears, I am not sure that this is the best time. Things here seem a bit chaotic, perhaps we should leave?"
"We're here already, if it was truely inconvenient, I am sure they would have asked us to leave. Whatever it is that is happening, I am sure these men would rather face it on a full stomach."
She makes sure to look at the soldier who cursed. "Even if they are not always as... elonquent in expressing themselves."
Grumblejack took a few minutes to concentrate and think as he slowly became Sir Balin again.
"So what now?" he rumbled?
"The Magister is trying to rally the troops, but they don't have any captains." Balin said once he'd shed off the last remnants of the monster inside him. "The Commander is gone, so I am the ranking military officer left. Lydia or Lothrian are probably the ranking church officers."
"How about we go take over?"
Smiling at the older woman, "She's right and I doubt those men want us to forgo the meal. Lets just get this going and we can bring you home." You wanna kill a whole town and leave this woman alive. You might think that's a mercy. Shut up. Do I get to come back out soon? Yes once this part is over. No one likes ghosts.
"Taking over seems like a fine plan, Sir Balin. I have not had my fill for the day. The Eternal Fire hungers."
"Mhmm, very direct. Should we be worrying about exposure?"
"Mhmm, very direct. Should we be worrying about exposure?"
Balin shrugged, guessing that Nate was itching to take to the skies. "Dunno. Maybe for a bit longer? Letting you and Aurex cut loose seems a little early." he started thinking about the play earlier and what he'd realized about how it all worked. "Seems like all this should, I guess, build, ya know?"
"Anything that happens after "dragon" would seem boring, so we want to save that for the end." he grinned.
"If we take over, send the soldiers out to hunt for cultists and get 'em all scattered and leaderless, then then the poison hits 'em, they're gonna think it can't possibly get any worse."
"And then..." He gestured to Aurex.
"That's a... surprisingly smart idea. The magister still has no idea we're connected to these attacks, he has no reason to suspect us. We can send the soldiers out hunting, and once they're gone we can deal with the magister and the men still in the tower. Raaven is still with Fire-Axe, yes? He could give the signal to move."
"Sure. When? Now?" Balin shrugged.
"If not now, then soon. Get Raaven to figure out how long it will take them to arrive, then time accordingly. We should be done with this within a few hours, I should think. We want their arrival to coincide with us taking control and clearing out threats, after all. They could still be useful for clearing out the remaining soldiers." Soren looks out at the tower, before shifting into her Lydia disguise again. "After that, you can recall him to your side, can you not? He could be useful in disabling the siege engines, or even just causing chaos."
In the bugbear camp, Raaven hovered near Sakkarot. He'd made himself useful to the bugbear chieftain while the Ninth Knot had gone about their mission, running information to lieutenants and aiding with scouting runs.
"It is beginning." he said to the towering black bugbear. "Ballentyne is without leadership of any kind. Only a single wizard remains and is currently chasing shadows. The soldiers have been poisoned, though they do not yet realize it. Now is the time to mobilize. The gatehouse should be seized in a matter of hours"
"How long will it take your forces to move into position?"
The Camp of Sakkarot
The Bugbear Chieftain cocks his head at Raaven.
"You are a useful little creature to be sure. Perhaps you serve the wrong Master....
Regardless, within two hours the point of my spear can be at the Tower gates.
A full three to four for a full siege. A siege will fail though, they always have. That gate must be down by the time the full force arrives else the guardians will stave us off".
The Tower Kitchens
As a number begin to feast, the Magister arrives.
"You men! Up! Tis time to earn your keep. We must march to Aldencross now! The Cultists are real and have slain Father Donnagin and several of your comrades.
With the Lord Commander ranging, I am in Command! Fall out."
He turns to both of you and Mama, "Stay here. There is a true threat in town that must be addressed and addressed now".
"Regardless, we need to get out of here. We can't be here when or if the maigster returns. It will raise too many questions. Let's get out of here and see what we can do in order to help take control of the tower." Soren looks over at the high priest and the cultists. "If you don't want to have the full weight of the tower crash down on you, you might want to leave too." Afterward, Soren heads out the side door and does her best to get away from the building before being seen by any onlookers. Once they're away, she turns to Grumble Jack.
"I didn't want to say it in front of them, but make sure Raaven tells them not to kill the Lord Commander. He might still be afield, and there's no reason to have them kill him. It may not be needed, but it's better to be safe when we're so close."
Alice grabs Morana's hand. "Oh no... Of course we'll stay here. May the Light guide you all."
If some soldiers remain, Alice will continue to hand out stew.
If they all leave, Alice has a plan to find a good spot and commit some good old fashioned arson as a diversion.