Linnorm Kingmaking [IC]

[Tuvarkz]

"I guess I could handle the speech." said Eclaire, confident, before suddenly remembering something and asking the Castellan: "By the way, Castellan Freyr, would you happen to have a spare suit of full plate or, at the very least, a breastplate? I normally fight on this for mobility, but I'd rather wear more appropriate protection in a full battle."

[TheOneHawk]

"I am no great writer of speeches, but I would also be glad to assist in training those who will soon face the hordes of Irrisen beside us. Do you have an estimate on how long we have before the enemy arrives, Castellan?"

[Frosty]

abigail


Abigail considers the tactical realities of an army against potent spell casters. "Tabrak is right. However, too loose of a formation and the solders won't be able to help each other against a charge from winter wolves or Giants. I think your men may do best when fighting behind fortifications. Massed arrow volleys will be your best friend. Any squads that venture forth must be extremely fast, but to avoid direct confrontation with enemy heavy units, and to get to the targets quickly. preferably mounted. I have some ideas for you for when you need to go on the offensive and take territory, but for now. Shoring up existing fortifications is key. Open army in army combat is the worst option. They've got the better magical support and heavier troops. Then there's the dragons..."

On the matter of the dead, Abigail responds to Sarths, "Unless training is to begin immediately, I was planning for right after this meeting."

[Chaltah]

Sartha gives a nod and a smile to the group "then I shall wait for you to finish your business here and travel with you. At least if I walk with you and your band here I feel there shant be any more confusion as to why I am here". She then goes and stands by the door waiting for them to finish conducting their meeting without her interuption

[ylvathrall]

"We can arrange some form of armor for you, I'm sure," Freyr says to Eclaire. "And I'm still getting reports in from the scouts. From what we've heard thus far, and simple logic, I expect them very soon. An optimist might put them at a few days out. A pessimist...well, they might attack at any moment."

[Frosty]

Abigail

"So, the army that's coming at us now...it contains the usual mix of wolves and trolls and Giants, backed by dragons? Or does it favor one group,over another?"

[Hjolnai]

"Let us hope it is later rather than sooner. My giant allies will not arrive until tomorrow, and no doubt a thousand other preparations will enhance our position if we have more time."

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus communicates telepathically with Tabrak and Eclair. "Out of curiosity, have either of you two revealed my nature to the castellan? While I did secure a relative private place for the resurrections, he may hear about it sooner or later. You seem to have developed some trust with the man. Should we tell him now?"

[Tuvarkz]

"I don't see any beneficial point to telling him that you're a succubus right now, and it's not exactly a lie if he doesn't ask-the information could even spread to the rest of the men and create disunity; and we can always tell him later if the need arises." Eclaire communicates mentally as she says: "Much appreciated" to the castellan's words.

[Frosty]

Abigail

"Alright, well we should at least tell the kobold. She...he...it...I can't really tell...Sartha seems to want to be there when I raise the dead. She would see my true form. I want you two to be there to be my support."

[ylvathrall]

"A thousand preparations at least," Freyr says, agreeing with Tabrak. "And they know it as well as we do, I'm sure. But the more we can do before they arrive, the better. So unless you have something else to report, I should get back to work."

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak bows his head to the Castellan.

"Of course. Good luck with your preparations."

Still uncomfortable with telepathy, he keeps his response to Abigail short.

"Very well. Let us go then."

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire similarly bows, and turns in order to leave, as she sends telepathically to the succubus: "Whenever you're ready."

[Chaltah]

Sartha watched quietly as the others seemed to be wrapping up the meeting and moved toward the door as the others started to move. She had noticed the look that Abigail had been giving two of the others in the group but wasn't sure if it was just a look or if there was more going on there. She was eager to do some help around the city and prove to the people here that she wasn't like the other Kobolds they had come to know.

[TheOneHawk]

"I will organize some exercises for as many men as I can get to as far as avoiding attacks from enemy spell casters and dragons. I should be able to give... adequate demonstration of such attacks." With that, he bows first towards Freyr, then towards the rest of the group and exits the room, heading towards the drill grounds. Once he arrives, he gathers the commanders from several senior units and begins teaching them how to best distribute their troops on the battlefield to avoid the devastating attacks trained casters and dragons could unleash upon massed troops.

Taking 10 with display of charisma for a total of 38 to train both groups of barbarians, the rangers and the clerics with the Spellbreakers tactic.

[Frosty]

Abigail
Abigail bows, and starts walking. Sick towards the storage building so the resurrections can begin. Once there, she turns to Sartha. "Sartha, paladin of Sarenrae, there is something you must know, before we begin. I am not a human. I am of a race you woukd normally associate with pure evil, but I assure you, I have changed my ways and work to atone for my sins every day."

[Chaltah]

Sartha follows Abigail and the others back to the place they were holding the bodies to be resurrected, glad she might be able to help the people after their return to life. But when Abigail turns to her and tells her this rather odd bit of information, she tilts her head with a bit of curiosity. "Many creatures are thought of as pure evil. But I guess if there were none to seek forgiveness then I suppose Sarenrae would not be as powerful as she is" she looks around at the other people who accompanied them before looking back to Abigail "I will try to not jump to conclusions"

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail nods. At least this kobold is saying all the right things for a devotee of Sarenrae. "Tell me...what do you think of...demons? Do you believe all of them to be manifestations of pure evil, irredeemable through and through?"

[Chaltah]

Sartha blinks as she stares at Abigail and her question about demons. Is this some sort of test? she thinks to herself. But as far as she knew demons were creatures without remorse for any living thing. I have only heard of demons as being creatures of destruction. I find it hard to believe that one could be called redeemed" she scratches the back of her head "But Sarenrae is a being of forgiveness... if anyone could forgive a demon it's her, I think. But what would turn a demon's heart?"

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail could see the confusion on Sartha's face. She steps forward and gestures to the air. "Evil plans gone awry, and a chance encounter with a brave individual. Now, please do not be alarmed..."

The paladin of Sarenrae ripples as her form reverts to that of a Succubus, co plate with horns, bat-like wings, and tail. More tail swishes around mildly as she awaits the kobold's reaction.

[Chaltah]

As Abigail changed before her, Sartha's look of confusion turns to one of shock. She reaches for her sword and takes several steps back until she felt the wall behind her. What was this? Her mind was awash of many different emotions as she struggled with instinct over display. Her eyes dart from succubus to the paladins that had accompanied them and wondered if this had been some sort of trap to lure her in.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The Succubus stays where she is and drops her weapon and shield, seeming to reassure the kobold. "Fear not, my friend. I am as much a paladin of Sarenrae as you are. I have been graciously accepted by Her, and I hope you will too."

[Chaltah]

Sartha continues to look back and forth from one paladin to the next. Not sure what to think at the moment. Though when Abigail drops her weapons she lowers her own, the shock and bewilderment still apparent on her face as she stared at the succubus. Finally she takes a breath and shifts her feet before speaking "Well then, I must say that this is all quite a lot to take in. I've never liked demons. Even in the days that I worshiped Asmodeus I found demons vile creatures lacking order and structure" she clears her throat before speaking again, not certain just what to say on this matter "But I must ask, how have you survived this long without another paladin trying to kill you on sight?"

[Frosty]

Abigail

"Well, a few years ago, I would've agreed with you, but something happened to me. Something...life-changing. And yes, since then, I've had to hide a lot to survive, both from paladins and from my own kind. Even with the ability to look like a human...well...you have NO idea how difficult it is to sport both an aura of good at the same time as an aura of evil."

[Chaltah]

This was rather all very hard to take in for the Kobold, but she does another look to the paladins in the room along with the demon. They didn't even flinch or seem to believe that any of this was false. After a few long moments of debate she gives a nod to Abigail, though her gaze was still rather scrutinizing as she stood there. "I am not entirely sure about what is going on. But it is merit and character over race. You've worked hard to not be a target this long." she motions for Abigail to continue with her work.

[Tuvarkz]

The situation defused, Eclaire simply says: "Well, I'll go help with the training." before turning around and leaving.

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak, who has so far remained silent and introspective while observing the debate, nods politely to Eclaire as she leaves. Then he addresses Sartha.

"The process takes some time, but soon you will see just how much of herself Abigail gives, to restore the wrongfully dead. That should assuage almost all your remaining doubts. But on to another matter - have you found it difficult to convince the local humans to accept you?"

[Frosty]

Abigail

A brief dark shadow of doubt flies over the succubus's face. "Yes, I do give much of myself. It is as much out of fear as out of the Goodness inside of me."

She kneels, and begins chanting over the corpse of the human hunter, the one that is Anja's wife. "Light of Dawn, guide this worthy soul back from its untimely demise to the warm world of the living. May your healing flame sooth away even the horrors of an unjust death. Use my unworthy body as a vessel to channel your goodness so that I may do right!" At the end of one minute of chanting, Abigail gasps out in pain and strain, and the hunter (should) finally breathe again.

[Chaltah]

Sartha turns to Tabrak as he talks some about Abigail and her deeds. She does a quick glance between the two but returns to Tabrak as Abigail starts her work. "I am not unaware of the looks that people give me. I know my place in this world is not an easy one. Normally I would not have chosen such a path. But the light of Sarenrae called to me. It is hard to gain the trust of any people really. Be it elf or human I am looked upon as little more than a nuisance at best or a potential spy for some invading army." She gives a shrug then a sigh before turning to watch Abigail as she performed her prayer.

[ylvathrall]

The hunter's flesh miraculously recovers once again as Abigail performs her prayers. After a minute, she suddenly jerks upright, gasping for air.

Unusually, though, Abigail isn't the only one whose body shifts dramatically in the moments following the resurrection. The hunter's body warps and twists as she recoils from the paladin. Her shoulders hunch, her arms lengthen, and her face extends into a bestial muzzle, bones breaking and fusing again with an audible cracking sound. Seconds later, dark fur sprouts from her skin as she completes her transformation.

The hunter sits back on her haunches, resembling nothing so much as a humanoid wolf. She stares at the succubus, obviously somewhat in shock.

The obvious werewolf is, in fact, a werewolf.

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail recoils from the sight as she momentarily wonders if something had gone wrong with the resurrection. Is it possible for her to mess things up this badly with Sarenrae guiding her? "Umm...hi...I'm Anja's...friend. I've brought you back from the dead. Are you alright?"

[ylvathrall]

The creature scrambles backwards and away from Abigail, not stopping until it hits the wall. It growls as it does, although it seems more frightened than aggressive.

Anja hurries over to stand next to it and stroke its head, making gentle cooing noises. The growling stops after a few seconds of this, although the creature is still staring distrustfully at Abigail.

[Chaltah]

Sartha stares at the wolf creature for several long seconds before turning to Abigail suspiciously. "what is this? I've never seen such a transformation." Her fingers tap on the hilt of her scimitar, not sure how to respond. They had just talked about redemption and here the first to be raised in her presence was turned into a wolf.

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail gulps. This is unusual, but she has seen scarier...MUCH scarier, and she bravely moves forward. "Sartha, I don't think you need to be scared. Look, Anja isn't, so this must be normal for her. I think...they'll be fine, after she gets used to not being dead anymore. By the way, Anya, what's her name?"

[Hjolnai]

Though he is surprised at this turn of events, Tabrak does not shy away. He moves to try and place his hand on Sartha's shoulder. Whether he succeeds or not, he speaks in a low, calm voice.

"No one needs to get hurt today. This canine being shows fear, not hostility. Whatever passes here, it would be best to keep your sword sheathed for now."

[Chaltah]

Sartha looks at Tabrak as he rests his hand on her shoulder. She listens to his words quietly, turning her gaze to the wolf creature and the woman who was beside it, trying to calm it down. She gives a nod and relaxes some as it seemed the thing wasn't a threat. She moves over to the pair, looking back and forth "I welcome you back to the world of the living. If you have need of any aid, I would like to offer my help."

[ylvathrall]

"Her name is Svana," Anja says, not seeming particularly surprised by the response.

After a few more seconds, the wolf-creature shifts, flowing back into the humanoid form she had as a corpse. She still seems distinctly unnerved, though. "What...are you?" she asks, staring at Abigail.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus paladin bows to Svana. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad I could re-unite you with Anja. I am Abigail, a succubus demon, trying to atone for my past sins. Please do not be afraid. With Sarenrae's blessing, I know I will not relapse."

[ylvathrall]

"A demon?" Svana says. She pauses, moving her lips as though tasting the word, and then shrugs. "Fair enough. Thanks."

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus nods. "If you need additional healing, my companion Sartha here can help you further. I must rest for a while and then attempt to bring the next victim back to life. After that, I must aid in training and preparing the city defenses. Anya, will you and Svana be leaving before the Irrisen aggressors reach here, or will you be aiding in the defense?"

[Chaltah]

Sartha did relax more when the tension seemed to ease and there didn't seem to be any sign of foul play and then moves closer to the pair, still careful so as not to unnerve them. This has been a very interesting day. She thinks to herself before speaking to the pair "Is there anything I can help with?

[ylvathrall]

"I think we'll just be resting for a bit," Anja says.

Svana, however, immediately snorts. "Screw that," she says. "Bitches killed me. I'm not about to let them just get away with that. You said something about defending a city? I figure I can do something with that. Set up some traps, give them a fun time getting close."

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail smiles. "Why don't you go ahead and work with Lady Eclair? She will also helping coordinate and train the defenses and I'm sure she will appreciate your trap expertise. I will rest a while and then raise the other hunter from the dead."

[Chaltah]

Sartha was a little surprised by Svana's reaction and words. But it wasn't unexpected. She looks back to Abigail as she spoke and then goes to sit down and wait for the next resurrection and letting the pair go about their business, wherever it might lead to."You look terrible Abigail. Are you really able to continue with only an hours rest?"

[ylvathrall]

"You got it," Svana says, grinning. She and Anja leave a moment later.

As you're working on training, a young woman dressed like a hunter or trapper comes up to you. "Oi," she says. "You Eclaire? Heard you were the one to talk to about the city defenses. Abigail said I should talk to you about it, anyway. Apparently there's an army coming in, so I figure I'll set out some traps for them, maybe mess with them a little while they're trying to get close, then fade. I'm not really the army sort, but I'm the best damn trapper you've ever seen."

[Tuvarkz]

The knight nodded to being named, and after listening said: "Sounds like a good idea. Just make sure to keep track of all the traps in a map so you can go back and disable them after the battle's over. Don't want to have someone else falling on them." and then, as if an idea had passed by her mind, added: "The alchemists in the city are busy, but they might have spare components if you know your way around them for the traps. Look for Vivian, and tell her I sent you."

[ylvathrall]

"Will do," the woman says, and then saunters off while whistling, rather badly out of tune.

The other resurrection proceeds in a much more typical manner. The hunter is somewhat unsettled by Abigail's nature, but calms down after a moment, and goes to get some rest before the attack.

Anyone have anything else to do today, or just working on the training?

[ylvathrall]

The rest of the day passes fairly uneventfully. The armies throw themselves into the training with the dedication of people who know very well what the consequences for failure might be, and with decent instruction they make good progress on learning the new tactics for dealing with Irriseni forces. At the end of the day, you retire to the quarters Freyr arranged for you in the guard barracks with the satisfaction of work well done.

In the early hours of the morning, though, you're disturbed by the sound of screaming from outside. Around you, guards and militia soldiers are rushing outside, most of them only partially dressed and clearly still not fully awake.

Following them out, you're greeted by a frightening sight. In the middle of the main thoroughfare through this part of the city, a rough circle a hundred and twenty feet in diameter is covered in enormous ice crystals and drifts of snow, glittering strangely in the light of the rising sun. The street was busy with people on the way to their daily tasks, and there's a fairly substantial crowd within the frozen area. Some of them have already collapsed on the ground; those who are still standing are trying to work their way out of the area, but progress through the ice seems to be slow.

A woman just outside the frozen area starts to move into it, apparently to help those inside. The moment her foot touches one of the ice crystals, though, she recoils with a yelp of pain.

At the very center of the ice, you can just spot a wagon. After a moment, you recognize it as the same one which you encountered earlier, the passengers of which claimed to be fleeing Irrisen. All three of those passengers are standing beside the wagon, seeming as shocked as anyone else by what's happening.

You recognize this as the results of perfect ice, a unique and extremely dangerous alchemical item. This form of ice has the unusual property of converting other water into more perfect ice, a process which is quite harmful to living beings which depend upon that water for survival. While perfect ice isn't any colder than regular ice, it is highly resistant to melting. Additionally, anyone who comes into contact with perfect ice can rapidly be injured or killed as the water it depends upon is frozen.

Making some assumptions here about where you are which may not be entirely accurate for the sake of you being close enough to do something about this. If you'd rather your character be elsewhere as this starts happening, you certainly can be.

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire was appalled by the situation, unknowing of how this had come to happen-The people in the caravan were clearly unknowing of the situation as well. Her mind went quickly through what could be done to rescue as many people as possible, and then she said to Davis: “I’m going to clear the ice, gather up some of the men to rescue the trapped people as soon as I clear the way!”

The knight then looked at the paladins, and said: “I need you to channel energy into the victims to keep them alive until I can get to them to clear the ice out.”

Trusting that the ranger had done what she asked, Eclaire then moved into the closest ice-covered part with a sizeable amount of people, gathered her focus, and called upon her the power she’d found herself with not too long ago in a burst of energy, clearing the ice around her in a spiral of flames, excluding the people around her from her elemental might. Taking a moment to recover herself, the knight kept dashing into the next group of trapped people, and repeated the process as many times as her powers would allow for.


Enter Elemental Nimbus stance, +10 fire damage. Walk into the middle of the ice, then Defensive Focus as FRA, giving Eclaire a threatened area of 15-feet around her, then use Amazing Initiative, burning one point of Mythic Power to gain an extra standard action, and use Silver Crane Spiral as standard, burning away all the ice in her threatened area. Next turn, move into the next area of ice and spend a standard action to recover Silver Crane Spiral once more. Repeat until Eclaire runs out of Mythic Power.

Rolling a set of Fortitude saves

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail arrives upon the scene, and immediateley springs into action. "Come on, don't worry! I'll protect us!" She casts a communal version of the basic spell to resist icy effects, and wards the entire party against cold. Then, quickly chanting another spell, she is soon wielding a blade made of pure flame, and starts hacking at the ice as well.

Cast Resist Energy (cold), communal for Resist Cold 20. Then, cast Flame Blade (currently CL8 thanks to negative level) and start attacking the ice.

[Chaltah]

Sartha comes running up behind Abigail, the scene before her was a rather grizzly one. She stared at the ball of ice as it rolled along for a moment before moving to help guide others away from the things path. Being as small as she was she'd be able to maneuver a little better and also wouldn't be able to likely damage the ice enough to make a difference. Coming across anyone in need she will stop and heal them to the best of her ability.

Sartha has up to 6 lay on hands from paladin and 5 from oracle to use for healing along with several heal spells if anyone needs any help. Due to her curse if anyone calls for help who's not an enemy she's driven to help them to the best of her abilities

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys sprints towards the ice field with the rest of the group. While he couldn't really contribute melting the ice like Eclaire, he could help remove the civilians from danger. Before reaching the ice field, he whispers a quick incantation and sends a burst of magical speed to the group of paladins as well as any nearby guards who seemed strong enough to brave the field. His spell cast, he jumps out over the field of ice and unfurls his wings, gliding towards the nearest civilians to pick them up and fly them back to safety.

Casting Haste. I should be able to carry... I don't know, 380 pounds of people with each trip, so one big person or a couple small ones. Not wearing my armour because it's first thing in the morning.

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak fearlessly delves into the ice, headed straight for the centre. Perhaps the problem can be stopped at the source... if not, he will have to settle for dragging people out as swiftly as possible. Better to save those he can than to prolong the suffering of the doomed with healing.

[ylvathrall]

Eclaire and Abigail work on clearing the ice away, finding that while it's unusually resistant, intense flame can indeed burn it away. Meanwhile Sartha and Davis focuse on keeping the wounded alive, while Jethrys and Tabrak transport them out of the area. A handful of civilians volunteer to stabilize the critically wounded until magical healing can arrive. Ultimately, while there are still some deaths and a considerable number of injured, the damage is much less than it could have been.

Tabrak does find a particularly large, perfect snowflake at the very center of the ice, which seems to have been the source of it all. The ice crystals are spreading independently of it now, though, and it doesn't seem that destroying that initial seed will stop it.

This does not, however, come without some cost. Strangely, the area of the ice doesn't feel particularly cold, and you're in no danger of freezing. You feel an odd, wrenching pain the whole time you're in the frozen region, though, as though your body is somehow tearing itself apart.

The ice shows no signs of melting any time soon, even spreading in again to fill the areas that the fire burned away. It also shows no signs of spreading beyond its current area, luckily.

Okay, everyone is taking actions that will take multiple rounds to complete, so I don't see much purpose in going through this round-by-round. There are a lot of things going on, though, so it'll be a bit of recap.

First off, Eclaire has nine rounds of the massive fiery explosion, which seems like as good a cutoff as any. Any civilians who are still in the area after nine rounds of exposure are pretty much certain to be dead anyway. You can, of course, call off your rescue attempts sooner if you'd like.

For each round that you're in the area of ice, you take 4d6 points of damage (a DC 18 Fortitude save cuts this damage in half). Eclaire already made her saves, so no need to reroll those. This is desiccation damage, which is not affected by cold resistance; luckily none of you has the water subtype, since creatures with that subtype are particularly badly off here.

Additionally, in each round that you move through the ice, you're affected as though by caltrops. This means that an attack is made against your AC with an attack bonus of +0, doing 1 point of damage on hit. If you are damage by this, your movement speed is cut in half until you are affected by magical healing or a DC 15 Heal check. This only applies to creatures moving on the ground, meaning that Jethrys doesn't have to worry about it.

Other than that, this seems like a really quite effective rescue plan, so I'd say that probably the only people who are dead are those who got unlucky and died before you got to them. There are quite a few injured people, some severely injured, but deaths are minimal.

[Tuvarkz]

As the last remaining people were carried off, Eclaire left the freezing field and had Davis help her to find a place where she could comfortably seat to catch a breath, moment upon which the ranger started to focus on preparing his spells.

[Chaltah]

Sartha felt very odd from the feeling that chilled her far more than she had ever known in her life in the mountains. This was a cold beyond cold. Her body was shivering involuntarily as she walks over to where Eclaire was sitting and sat down next to her and wrapped her cloak tightly around herself as she sat and rested.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus paladin hisses with discomfort as she dove into the middle and started cutting everywhere with her blade of flames, even if she cannot hope to match the immolation output of Lady Eclair. Still, she stays for the entire time the others do, cutting the way free for people inside to get out. Afterwards, gathers all the remaining wounded, including the party. "That was exceptionally unpleasant. I hope we never go through that again. I shall heal us" With that, she channels her healing energies.

Channel Positive Energy 3 times: [roll0] [roll1] [roll2]
If not fully healed, channel once more [roll3]

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys joins the group and smiles toothily as the healing energy washes over him. "Excellent work, everyone. That could have been a much more significant disaster without your quick reactions. Now that we're up, we should continue to prepare the army. This was undoubtedly orchestrated by the witches of Irrisen and is unlikely to be their last trick. Be watchful."

[ylvathrall]

The ice lingers for ten full minutes, during which time a sizable crowd gathers to stare at it, seeming rather worried. Finally, the bizarre ice begins to melt, leaving little more than a bit of water and a number of corpses on the ground. The bodies seem to be in poor condition, almost more sacks of mush than anything, with only the bones to give them any coherent structure at all.

Not long after the ice melts, a teenage boy runs up. "Castellan Freyr sent me," he says, gasping a little. "The scouts finally made it back. The Irriseni army is coming. They're coming fast. The scouts said...maybe an hour away."

Okay, finally got the stats done for all of your armies; here's the sheet (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d1EKP0vAb0msVdTg2kJ1CCmsdhBdHl1Bp7w_BkbZtVs/edit?usp=sharing). Now you just need to decide who's commanding what, and position them on the field, and we can finally get the battle started. The map has been updated with the current area. It's a bit rough (since, obviously, all of the armies are able to fit in the city most of the time), but mass combat isn't quite as dependent on exact locations anyway, so it should be sufficient, I think.

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak nods his thanks to Abigail.

"So, it is time. In case we do not meet again, I will say this: It has been an honour to know you all. Oh, and be wary: the enemy must have some reason not to attack at night, some trick or weapon which requires daylight."

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire similarly thanked Abigail for the healing, and then said: "May the gods be in our favor today." She then looked her cohort, and said: "Davis, I need you at the command of the rangers-provide ranged support at your best judgement." While looking somewhat disappointed, the bowman nodded, and then the knight headed off to the quartermaster, looking whether the Castellan had procured her a set of armor or not.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys grins at Tabrak's words. "Optimism isn't your strong suit, is it? I'll be with the dragons if you need me. Again, good work here but seems like there's a lot of work to be done today. " With that, he salutes the group and runs off towards the converted bathhouse the dragons use as a barracks.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus curses quietly as she hears how close the enemy is. "I've seen those barbarians train, and I'm impressed by their ferocity and tenacity. I think I shall go lead them and try to keep them alive. As a note, I'll probably keep them in reserve until I see an enemy group that needs to die very quickly and brutally." With that, she heads off to join the barbarians, talk to them a bit about her intended strategy, and also bolster them with her divine protection.

[Chaltah]

Sartha stretches and sighs as she is refilled with vigor. She was glad to be healed but the feeling was short lived as the messenger brought ill news about the troops marching on the city. "I shall also lend my aid with the archers upon the wall. The best of luck to you all upon the field and may Sarenrae see us all back safely." With that she takes off after Davis to lend her support and skill where it would likely be most useful.

[ylvathrall]

Tabrak finds the hill giants waiting where they'd told him they would be. There aren't many, and those who are there are clearly somewhat nervous, but they have their clubs and their stones, and when he leaves, they follow.

Eclaire's barbarian horde is eager for battle, stamping at the ground and clashing blades against shields. Drunk on mead and tales of glory, it seems they feel no fear at all at the prospect of the coming battle. Not far away, the Blackravens test bowstrings and sharpen knives in a quieter, but no less lethal, ritual before the storm.

Jethrys finds the bathhouse, a single steamy room filled with gleaming copper scales. The dragons are few in number, and small for their kind, but still dragons, with all that implies. The copper dragons are unwontedly serious in their demeanor as they file out of their barracks, the lingering water on their scales freezing into ice that cracks and falls as they stretch their wings.

Abigail's troops are less than thrilled with her proposal, clearly eager to take a more active role in the fighting. But their understanding of good tactics wins out over their thirst for glory, and as she meditates to center herself, they channel that thirst into a quiet, disciplined ferocity.

Behind the walls, Sartha sees that seemingly everyone who can hold a bow has been pressed into service. Ranks on ranks of them stand ready behind the fortifications, looking out over the plains, everyone from boys and girls barely strong enough to pull back the string to grizzled elders whose war days are long past. They seem understandably nervous, some of the younger ones in particular almost shaking, but they're there all the same, and every face shows the grim tenacity of the Ulfen people.

You gather your troops, prepare for the assault, and wait.



An hour later, almost exactly, you see the Irriseni army. At first it seems like simply clouds gathering on the horizon. Then you realize that, while there is indeed a storm brewing, this is nothing so benign as weather.

No, those clouds are drakes. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of frost drakes, a swarm of the creatures so massive that it blocks out the sky.

The ground troops are slower to come into visibility, simply because of the angle, but no less impressive when they do. From the southern approach, an enormous group of frost giants pours out onto the battlefield, roaring loud enough that you can hear them from the city walls. Regiments of human troops march grimly down the eastern road in long, well-ordered lines, with here and there a catapult sticking up from among the main body.

As they approach, the swarm of drakes splits into two groups, one circling around to either side of the city. You hear a roar that literally shakes the ground beneath your feet as a silver shape bursts into the air and goes to confront the northern portion of the swarm; Avaleru does not, it seems, intend to cede control of the skies, despite the Irriseni's vastly more numerous aerial forces.

And thus the Battle of Trollheim begins.

Okay, I've got the following:

Eclaire commanding one army of barbarians, somewhere on the field
Davis commanding the army of rangers, behind the fortifications
Jethrys commanding the army of dragons, on the field
Tabrak commanding the army of giants, on the field
Abigail commanding the other army of barbarians, on the field
Sartha commanding one army of militia, behind the fortifications


This leaves one army of militia and the army of clerics to be led by NPCs. This is correct?

Also, map updated with enemy army locations. Based on how the fight is starting, your mobile armies get to decide whether and how to engage, and then those enemy armies that aren't engaged can choose their targets. As a reminder, you first decide on a tactic (if you have one, which only the armies trained with Spellbreakers do currently, I think). Then there's a ranged phase (all enemy armies currently on the field have ranged attacks, so keep that in mind).

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus barely had to time to finish her own meditations before the roaring of frost giant was heard. Opening her eyes, she surveys the battlefield. "It is time. I...don't see any obvious spellcasters, but I see a suitable target for our wrath right away, men! Those puny enemy humans with their bows and crossbows under the flock of drakes. They will melt away before our might! We shall deny them them opportunity to use missile fire on our great dragon, and we shall watch Avaleru TEAR the enemy apart! COME, MEN! WITH ME!"

Abigail leads her barbarians north of the river, and makes a beeline for the human soliders.

After using Prayer of the 4th act, meditated the one hour to recuperate abilities.
Move Abigail's Barbarians (Huge army of Barbarians 3) to engage enemy Gargantuan army of human soldiers north of the river.

Army HP 45/39 (from prayer of the 4th act)
Tactic: Spellbreaker

[Tuvarkz]

As her men and Davis's rangers approach the main road to face the enemy host, Eclaire holds a speech: "Warriors of Trollheim! We find ourselves against a host far more numerous than our own forces! But do not doubt that the gods are with us! Irrisen's vile actions have costed many an innocent's lives, and thus the gods of all that is good and just want us to deliver their wrath against our enemies! And do you think that Gorum would favor mere cowards that fight only to keep their own hides but not you, who fight to protect lovers, family and friends with all your valor!?
Mighty Ulfen warriors, let today's battle remain forever in Irrisen's memory, for them to understand that you will not bend under their tyrannical yoke!"
Davis, in the meantime, has his fellow rangers focus on ranged attacks.

Eclaire's Barbarians go and engage the Human Soldiers in the main road in melee, with Spellbreaker Tactics.
Davis's Rangers follow behind to provide ranged support, with the same Tactics, and choose Ranged Combat Style and Humanoid (Human) as their Favored Enemy, attacking the main road army in the Ranged Phase. Davis will also use a cast of Entangle on the middle of the enemy formation. (Range to cast is 640 ft)
Offense check
[roll0]

[Chaltah]

The sight of the people in arms, the villagers of this city who shouldn't have to fight this war but were in a matter of necessity, gave Sartha a momentary pause as she wondered how many of these people would be returning to their families after this conflict was over. She stands there looking at the people, noticing their nervousness but also noticing the resolve in their eyes. There would have been a time she would have thought them worthless fodder and not worth the time to defend. But she understood now that everyone deserved the chance to fight. She stands on a barrel and speaks briefly to the people.
"I know many of you are nervous, wondering just what is to come. But you are also very brave. Today you fight for more than just yourselves I'm sure. You fight for life yes, but many of you are likely to have families. You who are younger know there is more life to live and I admire your spirit. Take courage in your strength and find peace in your hearts. Do not give in to despair and believe you have the means to make a difference in this conflict."

The hour passes almost painfully slow as she meditated to regain her full strength, knowing she'd likely need every bit of it for what was to come. When she finished she could hear the sound of the giant in the distance as her eyes opened A punctual enemy. How nice. she thought to herself as she drew forth her bow "Do not lose heart. Spread out as much as you can. Do not give the enemy the luxury of numbers with their attacks" She looks out on the field and scans for prime targets. Seeing none just yet she notches an arrow and waits.

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak stands with axe in one hand, javelin in the other, and lapses into the speech of his youth. He looks and sounds every inch the terrible hobgoblin war-king he could have become. After all, that is his aspect which the hill giants will respect most.

"Ya all know what we're 'ere for. Let's knock 'em outta the sky and crush 'em!"

He leads the giants to attack the southern drakes, while being careful to steer clear of the frost giants until they are engaged by any other forces headed that way.

[ylvathrall]

The opening volleys of the combat mostly seem to do little. Jethrys covers the southern group of drakes in a bank of magical fog, but it seems it may be doing more harm than good; neither the wing of dragons nor Tabrak's giants seem to have accomplished much with their attacks, but the drakes manage to chill several of the dragons with their frigid breath before closing. Meanwhile, the clerics charge into combat with one of the groups of giants, led by a massive armored figure roaring praises to Gorum. A handful of them fall to thrown boulders before reaching the fight, but it doesn't seem to have slowed them down much. The militia take shots at another group of giants, but neither the arrows nor the return volley of rocks seems to be hitting the mark. The final giant army throws their stones at the troops following Eclaire, but without any particular success.

There are, however, two noticeable exceptions to the apparent futility of the armies' efforts. First, Avaleru is a terror to behold, ripping into the northern wing of drakes and throwing many of them broken to the ground, seemingly without them harming her at all as she does. Second, the rangers under Davis's command hit the human army with a truly devastating rain of arrows that decimates their ranks and leaves those left alive reeling away from the battle.

Okay, those were some...extreme rolls, in both directions.
Dragon army takes 7 damage from the drakes, and the clerics take 8 damage from frost giants army 1. The human army takes heavy damage from the rangers. Otherwise, misses all around, and on to the melee phase. (Those not actually engaged in melee can just keep making ranged attacks if they prefer).

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire smiled at the success of the ranger squad, and shouted: "The enemy can't even stand a single barrage from our archers! Now, show them the wrath of the Ulfen!" as she led her troops in a raging charge against the enemy forces!

Have Barbarians go Rage, choose Aggressive Strategy
Offense check
[roll0]((Additionally, +3 damage dealt))

[Hjolnai]

Seeing the giants' thrown rocks failing dismally to reach the white drakes, Tabrak incants briefly before exhorting his troops to greater effort. His auras surge, covering more of the giants and granting new power.

"Once more! This time ya gotta hittem properly! Have summa my strength and smite the killer lizards!"

He has his axe, and the giants have their clubs, ready should the drakes close, but thrown rocks will suffice if they don't.

Widen Auras + Aura of Mercy to grant (Merciful) Smite in a 20ft radius, as previously mentioned in the OOC thread. Whether it has any meaningful effect has not been established.

Not sure if the drakes are pushing into melee, or whether ground troops can force them to it, but it doesn't matter either way - the giants are solid ranged troops too, though they likely don't carry enough rocks for more than a few ranged phases. If it does come to melee, Tabrak will select the Reckless strategy. Better to overwhelm the enemy quickly than risk getting caught by a second army, and it seems the best defense is a strong offense.

[Frosty]

Abigail

Seeing the other armies engaging, especially how the clerics and dragons are being hurt, Abigail sees the need for a hasty victory on her end. The enemy human army is in range, and Abigail gives the signal to CHARGE!

"OBLITERATE THE ENEMY, MEN! Kill them so we can aid our allies elsewhere!"

Adopt a reckless strategy. Order army to Rage. Army stats now become:

DV 11 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 45/39
OM 14 (+6 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker

Attack enemy human army: [roll]1d20+14[roll]=32

[Chaltah]

Sartha nods as it seemed the giants were in range of their bows. But her attention was on the humans marching up the road with their siege weapons. Turn your attention to the road. They have the weapons to tear down these walls. With that she lifts her bow and fires with the rest of the militia.

Not sure what kind of Defense the fortifications provide. I'm assuming an extra 8 on their defense if it hasn't already been added already.
[roll0] to hit the Army on the road.

[TheOneHawk]

Seeing a few of his dragons fall enrages Jethrys and he bellows an ancient warcry as he flies into the drakes, tearing and biting with no regard for his own safety. This display of aggression and valour seems to embolden the already fearsome dragons as they collide with the drakes, making up for what they lack in numbers with sheer power.

[roll0]

Go go ****ing dragons.

[ylvathrall]

Between the assault of the barbarians and the archers, both groups of human attackers are devastated and left to retreat in disarray, leaving siege weapons and corpses scattered on the field behind them. The dragons are much more successful, and with Tabrak's guidance the giants hit with devastating force, their thrown boulders knocking many of the drakes from the sky.

Elsewhere, though, the battle is not going as well. The clerics, having reached the giant army, take a moment to heal themselves, but this leaves them too distracted to attack effectively, and the giants continue to pummel them. The other army of frost giants throws another barrage of rocks at Eclaire's army, this one much more accurate than the last. The final group of giants and the militia continue to trade ranged attacks without making any noticeable progress.

Finally, Avaleru and the northern drakes have reached each other. Both sides lay into each other with wild abandon and no thought for their own safety, and it shows. The broken bodies of the frost drakes fall like rain, but the great silver dragon is visibly wounded as well.

Clerics take 8 damage, heal 5, and are now a total of 11 down.

Eclaire's barbarians take 5 damage.

Dragons take 1 point of damage.

Both human armies are routed; you can attack them one more time as they run if you want, but they're incapable of continuing to fight. Both armies of drakes look to be in rough shape, but they're still fighting.

[Frosty]

Abigail
Morale bonus to army: +6

"Don't let them regroup! Knock them out as they retreat, men!" She tries to get her barbarians to capture the enemy instead of killing them. Will the barbarians listen? If not, she leads her barbarians south across the river after finishing off the routing human army.

Strategy now Aggressive (and still Raging). Army stats now become:

DV 13 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 45/39
OM 12 (+3 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker

Morale check: [roll0]
AoO on enemy human army: [roll1]

[Tuvarkz]

The main host in retreat, Davis shouted: "Now, let's help Lady Avaleru! Fire at the enemy drakes!"
As the archers fire their barrage, Eclaire commanded: "We'll now deal with the Frost Giants! Steady march!"

Ranged phase: Davis's group fires on the frost drakes.
Offense check:
[roll0]
Melee phase: Eclaire will switch to the standard strategy, and move in the direction of the frost giants

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak's giants continue their bombardment of the drakes, and again he empowers them to smite the enemy. Much as Tabrak might like to disengage and come to the aid of the embattled Ulfen, to leave the drakes free would be far too risky.

Assuming each phase is less than 10min, Tabrak can still benefit from Widen Auras on the second use of Aura of Mercy. That burns his last two uses of Merciful Smite, so the giants had best make good use of it.

[TheOneHawk]

With the drakes still continuing to hold fast against his Dragons, Jethrys is forced to summon another shroud of fog for protection so that they may continue their aggressive tactics without fear of proper reprisal. Hoping for one more push to win the fight and control the skies, Jethrys shouts in Draconic, <"Again, brothers and sisters, we shall clear the skies of these lesser beings and win a glorious battle on this day! Fight for Trollheim, fight for Avaleru and fight for Apsu! Attack!">

[Chaltah]

Sartha grins as she watched the people turn and run almost as soon as they had arrived to the field. She could hear the people around her cheering but she couldn't let the truly celebrate as there were still dangers upon the battlefield "This isn't over just yet. Focus on the giants and aid your brethren who fight them! She takes aim at the giants that were fighting the clerics and looses another volley.

Human warriors firing on frost giants.
DV: 23
HP: 16/16
Offensive roll: [roll0]

[ylvathrall]

The giants and the giants continue their assault on the southern drakes, under the cover of a thick blanket of fog. When the cloud finally lifts, the skies are clear of everything but gleaming copper scales. The northern skies are contested as well, but ultimately between Avaleru's ferocity and the rangers' arrows, the last of the drakes falls there as well. On the ground, the battle is similarly bloody. Abigail urges the barbarians to a more restrained conclusion, but they're too enraged to listen for the most part, and few of the enemies survive.

The other armies, though, aren't faring so well. The giants and the militia continue to trade exchanges of missiles with no obvious effect. The group of frost giants engaged with the cleric army, though, gain the upper hand as fortune turns in their favor. Many of them die in just a few moments, and the remainder are left scrambling away as they realize that they're simply outmatched here. The leader continues to fight, but it seems obvious that he can't hold out against the vastly superior enemy numbers.

Okay, both armies of drakes are completely wiped out (i.e., not enough left to rout), as is the army that Abigail was fighting. The other human army is routed and got away.

The cleric army on your side is routed. None of the rest of you took damage this round.

[Tuvarkz]

Davis pointed at the frost giants, throwing a second cast of Entangle at the closest group, as his archers launched a barrage of arrows against them.
In the meantime, Eclaire led the charge of her barbarians against the closest group of giants, shouting: "These are the last enemies remaining! Finish them!"

Ranged Phase: Davis launches his second Entangle at the closest Frost Giants and the rangers attack them.
Offense Check
[roll0]
Melee Phase: Eclaire puts the Barbarians back into Aggressive Strategy and leads them to attack the frost giants
Offense Check
[roll1] ((3 extra damage dealt))

[Chaltah]

Seeing the clerics turning to run Sartha frowns but she wasn't about to let the giants have a victory without some cost. She raises her bow and orders the others to fire once more, hoping to at least fell one or two of them.

Sartha and militia firing at the frost giants who have routed the clerics.
[roll0]

[Frosty]

Abigail
Morale bonus to army: +6

"Follow me! Those frost giants worthy foes. Attack alongside your brothers!" Having tried unsuccessfully to moderate her barbarians' bloodlust, Abigail decides to channel the bloodlust properly instead.

Remain Aggressive (and still Raging). Army stats:

DV 13 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 45/39
OM 12 (+3 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker

Attack the same frost Giants that Eclair's barbarians are attacking, assuming the frost Giants haven't routed. If they rout, then instead attack the next closest frost giant army

Attack roll: [roll0]

[Hjolnai]

Seeing the clerics fleeing, Tabrak carefully conceals his discomfort, falling all the more into his role as a barbaric warleader.

"Ha! We smashed 'em and sent 'em running! Now let's go give them Frost Giants a bloody nose!"

He leads his army to join Eclaire's, seeking to sandwich the giants between them. Perhaps if that army is shattered quickly enough, the rest will lose heart and flee.

Hill giants attack the same target as Eclaire's barbarians. One ranged phase, planning to close to melee with a Reckless strategy.

[TheOneHawk]

The drakes broken, Jethrys allows his dragons a moment of celebration before directing them towards the next target. "Their army is in tatters! Finish the giants, brothers and sisters! We shall have victory on this day!"

I think one of the giant armies is unengaged? Ranged and then melee on the bastards. If they are all engaged, then whichever one appears to be in the best shape. Oh, also, casting sleet storm on them.

[ylvathrall]

The giants are pinned between Eclaire's army and the hill giants, and take heavy losses from both. Meanwhile the dragons' strafing run and the other Ulfen armies do some damage to the other groups of frost giants, even the militia arrows finding some vulnerable targets. The remaining frost giants, seeing that they're now outnumbered and surrounded, stop actually fighting and start just trying to escape the field.

For a moment, after any survivors have made it out, it seems as though the battle is won.

Then, suddenly, you see a pair of robed figures appear in the middle of the battlefield. One of them is carrying a scroll in front of her; before you can react, she reads from it in an authoritative voice, the syllables resounding and echoing off nothing. Moments later, a blast of power rolls out from her, rippling out in a circle from her and knocking almost everyone on the battlefield from their feet. You feel an odd tingling as the energy passes over you, a feeling like something pressing gently on your skin from the inside. It feels a little like stretching after waking up, and a little like stepping out of a warm room into the cold wind, and a great deal like nothing you've ever felt before.

In its wake, the dead rise. All the dead, from either side of the battle, stand and take up arms once again. They clearly aren't alive, though. The injuries that first killed them are still visible, gaping rents in their flesh and crushed limbs, some torn into pieces. Some are little more than skeletons. And in every eye there burns a fierce, unholy light.

The macabre army of the walking dead turns against your forces with cold, unthinking brutality.

A moment later, just as you're adjusting to this new development, the battlefield is shaken again, this time by a more conventional means. Something explodes back in the city, shattering an entire building and throwing bits of stone all the way out to where you're standing.

Remember I mentioned that you'd get a sudden increase in Mythic tier at a pivotal moment? Well, congratulations! You're going to need it.

Incidentally, the blast wave is making a combat maneuver at [roll0] to knock people down. Largely irrelevant whether you're knocked down, just mentioning that for flavor.

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire, feeling the surge of power, shouts: "They come for a second round, it seems! Let them feel your wrath!" as she brings down her sword, a beam of holy light striking the risen giants!
In the meantime, Davis shouted at his fellow archers: "This is not over yet! Don't stop firing!" as the ranger marked with a cast of Entangle the now undead human army in the main road.
Eclaire immediately followed having her barbarians charge again!

Ranged phase: Davis uses Entangle on the main road undead, followed by an arrow barrage. Eclaire uses her Holy Smite SLA on the risen frost giants.
Ranged Offense Check
[roll0]
Holy Smite
[roll1]
Melee Phase
Eclaire attacks the undead giants
Offense Check
[roll2] ((+3 damage dealt))

[Frosty]

Abigail
Morale bonus to army: +6 (+7 against Routing)

"Gather for a charge! We break through to end that woman, who has raised your dead comrades as abominations! The blessings of Sarenrae protects you!" After she shouts that, she calls upon the blessings of her Dawnflower, and helps her barbarians be more accurate and even more hardened against fear.


Cast Bless on barbarian army.

Remain Aggressive (and still Raging). Army stats:

DV 13 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 45/39
OM 13 (+3 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker
Effects: Bless

Attack the undead human army that is led by the spellcaster.
Attack roll: [roll0]

[Hjolnai]

Though he is struck down by the explosion, Tabrak quickly takes his feet again.

"Quickly! Before they can form up again! Break those dead bastards into tiny bits!"

He leads his giants on a rapid charge against the risen giants, the same ones they had fought just before. Once he closes to melee, he channels a substantial burst of positive energy to tear a hole in the undead line.


A Melee phase against the same band of giants as before (risen anew); I assume the opportunity exists to do this rather than go through a ranged phase, since we were already close enough. Strategy: Reckless.

As a Paladin, Tabrak can Channel Positive Energy at the cost of 2 uses of Lay On Hands. In this case, he uses it to damage the undead, trying to break their line - a scattered formation is all the weaker. Though a phase is much longer than a round, he will Channel only once this phase. Channel Positive Energy deals 6d6 damage to Undead in a 3ft radius centred on Tabrak, with a Will save for half at DC19. With this use, it does not provide any healing.

I haven't decided on new tier benefits yet, but I'm pretty sure they won't affect the Channel.

[Chaltah]

Seeing the victory swiftly turned into a new battle Sartha was about to get the militia to open fire but was sent to the ground as an explosion happened before then in the city. She quickly gets to her feet and assessed the situation. Everyone here seemed to be okay but she felt a need to examine where the explosion has happened feeling there there could be casualties."Keep on fighting here brave souls. Let your arrows find their mark and send their corpses to rest. I must see to what has occurred with the explosion ". With that said she takes off full speed toward where the disruption has come from.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys spends a moment in split decision in the immediate aftermath of the army resurrection and simultaneous explosion. If the enemy had gotten into the city that needed to be dealt with right away, but without him here it was likely that casualties would be rather higher than otherwise defeating the second wave. Still, there was a not insignificant difference between soldiers dying in a battle and undefended civilians being slaughtered.

"Dragons! Take the fight back to the drakes! Reclaim our control of the skies, I will ensure the safety of Trollheim from whatever caused that explosion then return to you to complete our victory! Once again, charge and do not let up until their broken bodies litter the ground! We did it once, we shall do it twice!" With that, he once again shrouds the drakes in fog and sets off with full speed towards the source of the explosion.

Ok, so ordering the dragons to attack the drakes with range and then melee aggressive, both of which should be covered by the fog cloud spell.

That is, unless I'm mistaken, 3 second level spells and 2 third level spells cast on the day. That leaves me with 5 and 4 respectively.

[ylvathrall]

It almost instantly becomes apparent that the newly risen armies are far, far more dangerous than they were in life. Avaleru and the undead drakes continue to batter at each other, but the great silver dragon is no longer the obvious favorite; the wing of drakes seems almost equal to her in raw destructive power, and with both sides battling with no concern for their own safety, the carnage is immense. Elsewhere, the battle goes even more poorly. The other wing of drakes similarly ravages the copper dragons, who seem to be in disarray following Jethrys's departure; their counterattack is ineffective at best. The formerly human army and Abigail's forces are more or less equally ineffective against each other, though the undead do suffer some for the exchange; trapped by the plants as they are, they aren't able to really counter effectively. The risen frost giants, though, do far worse; one group inflicts heavy losses on Eclaire's troops, while the other does truly devastating damage to the militia with thrown boulders. Even behind the walls, the defenders cannot seem to escape the missiles, and the losses are swift and appalling.

Several armies did achieve some successes, and while Tabrak's giants had no luck this round, the paladin himself had a devastating impact on the undead frost giants. Ultimately, though, all of the risen armies are still fighting as savagely as ever as the battle grinds on.

Inside the walls, it's not hard to find the source of the explosion. The efficient (if somewhat panicked) efforts of the citizens to assist following the disaster quickly direct you to the site.

Not far behind the walls, a fairly large building has been simply annihilated. It seems to have been an inn or tavern of some sort, but the precise nature of the building is impossible to determine; there's simply not enough left of it for the details to matter. Some other buildings were damaged to the point of collapse, and at least one of them has caught fire as well.

All around, the scene is one of chaos. The injured lie screaming on the ground, crushed under collapsing buildings, pierced by debris, or struck by the force of the blast itself. Others rush around to pull the trapped civilians out from the debris, help to heal the injured, or simply try to ease the pain of those who are beyond helping. A sizable group is fighting the fire, their efforts surprisingly calm and organized.

You note, as well, one additional and ominous detail. Where the building at the center of the blast was, there is now a sizable crater in the ground. At the bottom of that crater, nearly fifty feet down, you can just make out the mouth of a rough-cut tunnel heading east, towards Irrisen.

Copper dragons take 5 damage, Eclaire's barbarians take 9.

[TheOneHawk]

Seeing the carnage as he glides in, Jethrys whispers a quick prayer as he surveys the scene before attempting to detect any residual magic. Finding none, he lands next to the burning building and yells to the crew, "Back away from the flames, I have an idea. Get yourselves to safety, I'll handle this." He then begins ripping columns out of the building, attempting to collapse as much of the building as possible onto the tunnel entrance below.

[Tuvarkz]

"Davis, go help Avaleru!" shouted Eclaire, the archer nodding and ordering his rangers to move and attack the frost drakes attacking their own draconic ally, not before casting a spell upon the giants fighting Eclaire's barbarians.

Ranged Phase:
Davis will use Stone Call on the giants, and then have his rangers attack the frost drakes assaulting Avaleru.
Stone Call
[roll0]
Ranged Offense Check
[roll1]
Melee Phase
Eclaire will once more lead her barbarians into melee
Offense Check
[roll2]((+3 Damage dealt))

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak sees Avaleru's peril, but overrides the internal conflict. He cannot abandon his giants to help, and nor can he withdraw them safely. The only choice is to stay in the fight and finish it quickly.

"Kill the dead! Break their bones and smash their heads! No pause for doubt or fear, just crush 'em!"

For a second time, he channels positive energy to tear apart the risen dead, before returning to the crazed violence of the melee.


Another Channel Positive Energy. I plan on conserving the last one for aerial combat, unless the hill giants are desperately in need.

The hill giants continue fighting with the same Reckless strategy. I expect they'll be entirely crushed the moment things start going badly, but for now they can do a lot of damage that way if they actually hit.

[Chaltah]

Once Sartha arrives on the site of the explosion she looks around at the people around her, seeing many helping to fight fires as well as assisting others who had been caught in the explosion. She scans the field looking for anyone that might have been overlooked as she skirts around the crater, noticing the tunnel beneath. That can't be good is all she thought before Jethrys proceeded to bring down another building to fill the crater with debris.
"Well done Jethrys. Let's hope it keeps anything from coming up for now." Reaching the first closest person who is injured she assesses how badly they are.

Sartha will roll a heal check on the first person she comes to and if they are in need of it she will provide one of her lay on hands
[roll0] heal check
[roll1] lay on hands and also mercy to help remove fatigue if needed

[Frosty]

Abigail
Morale bonus to army: +6 (+7 against Routing)

"We've GOT to break through to that woman. RIP THE UNDEAD TO SHREDS!" Abigail leads from the front, trying to slice her way through the zombie horde, encouraging her barbarians to be reckless.

Switch to Reckless strategy (and still Raging). Army stats:

DV 11 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 45/39
OM 15 (+6 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker
Effects: Bless

Attack the undead human army that is led by the spellcaster.
Attack roll: [roll0]

[ylvathrall]

The battle continues to rage, and takes a turn for the more destructive; Davis's rangers miss most of their shots, but almost everyone else connects with their attacks. Eclaire's forces and Tabrak's giants both smash into one of the two groups of risen frost giants, which is starting to thin dramatically. Further north, Abigail's troops have fought the army of human undead on the road to a standstill, and they, too, are noticeably fewer than they were.

The other side, though, has its successes as well. The giants, despite the poor footing, recover and make a remarkably lucky counterattack against Eclaire's forces, while the risen humans batter at Abigail's troops with rote, mechanical precision. By far the worst off, though, is the militia, which takes another round of bombardment from the other group of giants. Once again, fortune seems to be with them, and the barrage of rocks finds numerous targets. In the end, most of those left standing flee into the city, abandoning the walls despite the best efforts of their commanders. Further north, the other formerly-human army is moving into position to attack the walls, and readying its siege weapons.

Avaleru and the army of drakes continue ripping at each other. Avaleru is now visibly wounded, but the fight swings in her direction this time, and the silver dragon does a terrifying amount of damage to her enemies.

Okay, rough round for enemy rolls this time. Eclaire's army of barbarians takes a whopping 16 damage, and Abigail's army takes 8. One of the militia armies is routed.

I finally got around to updating the map and the army sheet with damage and the new number of armies. For easier reference, here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d1EKP0vAb0msVdTg2kJ1CCmsdhBdHl1Bp7w_BkbZtVs/edit?usp=sharing) is another link to the army stats, with updated HP.

After a bit of work Jethrys manages to collapse the burning building into the pit, where the wreckage sits and smolders in front of the tunnel entrance. The group which was working on extinguishing the fire nod appreciatively to him, and split up to help with digging people out of the wreckage of other buildings.

A few more minutes pass in a frenzy of activity as people are dug out of the debris, stabilized, and carried to safety. Then, quite suddenly, you notice a change down in the pit. The burning building is covered in a heavy, unnatural snowstorm. The snow is falling too thickly to see what's happening inside, but it looks like the thick layer of ice and snow is smothering out the fire.

The man is obviously badly injured, but it seems unlikely that he'll die in the immediate future. While he could likely benefit from your healing magic, he's no more badly in need than any number of other people.

It's a sleet storm spell.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys curses quietly in Draconic when he recognizes the spell. He'd expected this, certainly, but that didn't make it any less worrisome. "Sartha, I'm going to need your help over here. Stand on the edge of the pit and give me cover with that bow, I'm going to try and hold off... whatever it is that's coming through the tunnel. Without waiting for a reply, he leaps into the crater and glides his way to the bottom.

Readying an action to cast haste just before the fire goes out, so as to maximize it's rounds of being active for the fight while not costing me actions IN said fight.

[Tuvarkz]

Her own barbarians were starting to show the signs of battle wearyness, and Eclaire understood that they wouldn't be able to fight much longer, at least not without risking total casualties. "ONE LAST CHARGE!" she then shouted, leading the Ulfen warriors to cross their blades once more with the enemy undead!
In the meantime, Davis once more called upon a rain of rocks, this time aimed at the drakes engaged with Lady Avaleru, his rangers following with an arrow rain.

Ranged Phase
Davis will use Stone Call on the frost drakes, and then have his rangers attack them as well.
Stone Call
[roll0]
Ranged Offense Check
[roll1]
Melee Phase
Eclaire will once more lead her barbarians to clash with the frost giants.
[roll2]((+3 Damage dealt))

[Frosty]

Abigail
Morale bonus to army: +6 (+7 against Routing)

"Keep it up, men! The enemy is half dead. Err...well, they're DEAD already, but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! LET'S MAKE THEM FULLY DEAD AGAIN!" The paladin continues the reckless charge, trying to make efficient use of the remaining time of Sarenrae's blessings on her army.

Remain at Reckless strategy (and still Raging). Army stats:

DV 11 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 37/39
OM 15 (+6 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker
Effects: Bless

Attack the undead human army that is led by the spellcaster.
Attack roll: [roll0]

[Hjolnai]

Seeing the plight of Eclaire's forces, Tabrak pushes his giants to maintain their ferocity. Perhaps after one final push, the enemy will be weak enough that he can disengage to deal with more troublesome threats. Keeping an eye on the skies, he chooses not to strike with a final pulse of positive energy - it may be needed up above.

[Chaltah]

Sartha proceeds to heal the man with he last on hands before turning her attention to the crater, noticing the sleet spell that had been cast. She moves to the edge of the crater and watches as the sleet storm put out the fire."Let them come. I will do what I can. ". She pulls her bow out calling upon the blessing of Sarenrae to empower the bow with cleansing fire. Notching an arrow she waits for whatever is about to come through.

Sartha is using her bond to make her bow flaming and readies an action to attack the first thing that emerges from the tunnel

[ylvathrall]

The seconds tick by with agonizing slowness, and over a minute passes before the snowstorm dies down. In that time, nothing stirs within the tunnel.

The moment the storm ends, though, a large, brutish humanoid form pushes through, brushing the last of the rubble out of the way with casual ease. After a moment, you recognize it as a frost giant, and spot a pair of less physically imposing humanoid forms behind it.

"A welcoming committee?" the giant says, upon seeing Jethrys. "How quaint. I'm busy, though, so here's a deal. If you run now, I won't bother killing you."

Okay, you've got your readied actions and the initiative. Map is updated with your area here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nadxfHxOIMxpsFfMXnTbRPagwdNa3k5S60lqwYVQCeE/edit?usp=sharing).

On the ground, the battle takes a decisive turn in favor of the defenders, as Eclaire's troops and Tabrak's giants crush the enemy army between them. The undead frost giants fight to the bitter end, inflicting yet more casualties on Eclaire's soldiers, but in the end they're beaten. The other group of frost giants continues lobbing rocks at the militia, who have by now given up on attacking entirely and are simply huddling behind the walls for safety. This works somewhat better for them, as they don't seem to take any serious damage from the bombardment. Meanwhile, Abigail's men and the army on the road are still locked in a bloody stalemate, but it seems that the undead army is growing increasingly ragged.

In the skies, things are even more promising for the moment. The copper dragons recover from their initial clumsiness with a vengeance, laying waste to the undead drakes without suffering any meaningful harm in return. Across the river, Avaleru plummets, but it soon becomes apparent this isn't because the silver dragon is crippled; rather, she goes to engage the other formerly human army before it can reach the walls. Her attacks are as effective against them as they were against the drakes, certainly enough to keep them from damaging the walls. The drakes dive after her, but Davis's archers mostly keep them off of her, and for the moment it seems she's safe enough.

Both barbarian armies took 8 damage; sheet has been updated here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d1EKP0vAb0msVdTg2kJ1CCmsdhBdHl1Bp7w_BkbZtVs/edit?usp=sharing).

[Tuvarkz]

"Well done, Ulfen warriors! You have fought well! Now retreat behind the walls as the rest of us finish the enemies!" Sending her men to retreat, Eclaire moves towards Davis's archers as he orders another barrage against the undead drakes. Reaching them, Eclaire orders to Davis: "Go back to Trollheim to see what happened. I will take lead of these rangers." The archer then nodded and dashed off towards the city. Eclaire, then looking at the rangers, said: "Rangers of Trollheim! Your prowess with the bow has been of great help in this battle, but the situation is dire and we need you in the melee as well! Draw swords and engage!" as she commanded the group to engage the main road army as well.

Ranged Phase: Davis orders the archers to attack the drakes once more.
Ranged Offense Check
[roll0]
Melee Phase: With standard strategy, Eclaire will have the rangers engage in melee versus the main road humans.
[roll1]

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys's only answer is a toothy grin before charging directly at the giant with supernatural speed, tearing into it with a devastating barrage of attacks from claws, teeth and tail. The speed and ferocity of his attacks only seems to grow with each successful hit and each one is accompanied by a flash of silvery light.

Oh boy. Here we go. Mythic power used on Mythic Arcane Strike to give Holy and also +2 damage on hit. Attacks count as magic and good for damage reduction. Haste is active. Power attack is active. Mythic power to fleet charge into range and get a free attack. Full attack.

Note that every successful attack increases my weapon enhancement bonus by 1 up to a maximum of +5. This bonus only works when attacking the same target successively. Since I don't know AC, I can't add this in myself. Additionally, if any of the cornugon smash intimidates succeed by 10 or more, that triggers a Will save DC 21 or the giant will be frightened for 1d4 rounds. Also, if any of the intimidates succeed and cause shaken and another attack hits after that, the giant will be sickened for one round. The duration of all intimidate effects are increased by 50% as well, so if the giant is frightened for two rounds, it would instead be three, or four rounds would be six.

Fleet attack bite
Attack [roll0]
Crit Confirm [roll1]
Damage [roll2]
Crit damage [roll3]
Intimidate [roll4]

Full attack claw
Attack [roll5]
Crit Confirm [roll6]
Damage [roll7]
Crit damage [roll8]
Intimidate [roll9]

Full attack claw
Attack [roll10]
Crit Confirm [roll11]
Damage [roll12]
Crit damage [roll13]
Intimidate [roll14]

Full attack tail
Attack [roll15]
Crit Confirm [roll16]
Damage [roll17] + [roll18]
Crit damage [roll19]
Intimidate [roll20]

Full attack bite
Attack [roll21]
Crit Confirm [roll22]
Damage [roll23]
Crit damage [roll24]
Intimidate [roll25]

Haste bite
Attack [roll26]
Crit Confirm [roll27]
Damage [roll28]
Crit damage [roll29]
Intimidate [roll30]

Buffs: Mythic Arcane Strike 8/10 rounds remaining
Haste 7/9 rounds remaining
Protection from Evil 87/90 rounds remaining

Spell slots remaining: 3rd slots: 3/6
2nd slots: 5/8 remaining
1st slots: 7/8 remaining

Mythic power remaining 9/11
Claws rounds remaining 8/9

[Chaltah]

Sartha sat there ready, waiting with bow in hand and an arrow notched upon its string. Once the giant came out of the hole she did not hesitate and loosed her arrow with precise and deadly aim. And she would not stop at that one but looses another volley into the giant, the arrows alighting with fire as they left her bow

Sartha is going to use mythic deadly aim on the giant for all her attacks

Readied Shot
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2] fire
Crit confirm: [roll3]
extra crit damage: [roll4]

Full Attack: Deadly Aim Shots

Attack1: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6] + [roll7] fire
Crit confirm: [roll8]
extra crit damage: [roll9]

Attack2: [roll10]
Damage: [roll11] + [roll12] fire
Crit confirm: [roll13]
extra crit damage: [roll14]

[Frosty]

Abigail
Morale bonus to army: +6 (+7 against Routing)

I shall CLEAR a path for us! DO NOT stop!" The paladin runs forward ahead of the others, into the group of undead. She channels life energy, but this time to harm and destroy the undead monstrosities around her, instead of healing.

Use channel energy to increase OM
Remain Reckless strategy (and still Raging). Army stats:

DV 11 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 29/39
OM 15 (+6 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker
Effects:

Attack the undead human army that is led by the spellcaster.
Attack roll: [roll0]+6 damage

[Hjolnai]

With the risen giants destroyed, Tabrak quickly reviews the situation. Control of the skies is undecided, but seems favourable at present; the undead humans are all engaged. The bombardment of the walls by the remaining giant army seems to be the greatest unchecked threat. However, he is aware that his army does not have a paladin's near-suicidal courage - and it would be a waste of their lives to charge the much greater force. So long as the defenders do not panic and mistake friend for foe, there is an obvious solution to the problem.

"To the walls! The dead will be crushed while we shelter safely. Let's go!"


Tabrak leads the giants to the gates, so they can take positions on the walls and begin throwing rocks at the last undead Frost Giant army. Should the defenders resist, or the giants complain, Tabrak will willingly spend Mythic Power on Display of Charisma for a Diplomacy check.

[ylvathrall]

Jethrys lands two solid blows on the frost giant, and Sartha sends a flaming arrow into it as well. "Alas!" the giant cries, clutching at its chest. "You brave warriors have vanquished me!"

A moment later it collapses, to all appearances quite dead.

The two figures which had been following it step forward a moment later, both chanting and gesturing. Moments later a thick, unnatural fog boils up in the crater, followed a moment later by thrashing movement.

The first spell was solid fog.

And the second was black tentacles.

The frost giant had taken some serious damage, but you don't think it was nearly enough for it to have been lethal.

Jethrys is in a solid fog spell, meaning halved movement and no vision. He's also being affected by black tentacles, which attempt to grapple him at [roll0] for [roll1] damage.

The giants head for the shelter of the walls, where they're met with a few hostile looks. The defenders, though, seem too desperate to turn away any offer of assistance, and soon enough the hill giants are safely within the city's defenses. Eclaire's troops join them shortly thereafter, limping back to the city with rather fewer men than they had when they went out.

Abigail's troops are bogged down on the road, and take another round of blows from the undead while they struggle to coordinate an attack. Eclaire leads the rangers against their flank and cuts some of them down, but not enough to shatter the army for good.

Meanwhile, the dragons dominate the drakes overhead, while Avaleru is making good progress in shredding the other once-human army.

Abigail's barbarians take another 5 damage. Also, that natural 1 means they can't attack on the next phase.

[Tuvarkz]

In the city
Davis had rather little knowledge of whatever spells were being cast, the lady having generally been the one far more knowledgeable in such matters, yet the ranger understood that peril was far from over, and charged his bow with holy energy, positioning himself to snipe upon whatever enemy may come out of the mist.
((Davis will enter the Stance of the Silver Crane, giving his weapon the Holy property and gaining the benefits of Protection from Evil, remaining at around 150 feet from the edge of the fog, and readying a standard action to use Sacred Pinions on the first enemy that may appear from the fog, at +15 attack bonus (And using a surge if needed) and dealing 1d8+2 damage, +2d6 from holy and +5d6 from his maneuver. Sacred Pinions strikes incorporeal enemies as if they were corporeal, and should the target be possessed by a fiend, the host is unharmed, the fiend taking all the damage.))
In the battlefield
The tides of battle turning once more in their favor, Eclaire roared: "One more barrage of arrows at the undead drakes! And then back into the fray!" As the arrows flew, Eclaire charged first into the battle to inspire her men, her flaming blade swinging at the undead enemies.

Ranged Phase: The rangers fire at the undead drakes once more
[roll0]
Melee phase: The rangers once more engage the main road undead while using the standard strategy.
[roll1]

[Hjolnai]

With the walls still absorbing the enemy giants' thrown rocks, Tabrak directs his giants to respond in kind. The walls must be held, and the wavering militia are in no state to do it.

[Chaltah]

Sartha grins as the giant seemed to fall over dead but the smile fades as she recognizes the solid fog spell. She could also see something else going on within but couldn't quite figure it out as to what further had been cast inside the fog. But she readies her bow once more, scanning the fog for anything to emerge from it to shoot at that was not Jethrys. But in the meantime she offers up a quick prayer to Sarenrae to bless her and those with her.

Sartha is casting bless for her, Davis and Jethrys.

[TheOneHawk]

Almost before the giant has hit the ground, Jethrys is off towards the witches behind it, leaping mightily into the air and soaring over the corpse. Once he lands, he continues where he left off with the giant, attacking inhumanly fast with a torrent of mighty blows.

Mythic power to fleet charge into range and get a free attack. Full attack.

Note that every successful attack increases my weapon enhancement bonus by 1 up to a maximum of +5. This bonus only works when attacking the same target successively. Since I don't know AC, I can't add this in myself. Additionally, if any of the cornugon smash intimidates succeed by 10 or more, that triggers a Will save DC 21 or the giant will be frightened for 1d4 rounds. Also, if any of the intimidates succeed and cause shaken and another attack hits after that, the witch will be sickened for one round.

Will attack the northern witch first until it is dead, then switch to the southern witch.

Fleet attack bite
Attack [roll0]
Crit Confirm [roll1]
Damage [roll2]
Crit damage [roll3]
Intimidate [roll4]

Full attack claw
Attack [roll5]
Crit Confirm [roll6]
Damage [roll7]
Crit damage [roll8]
Intimidate [roll9]

Full attack claw
Attack [roll10]
Crit Confirm [roll11]
Damage [roll12]
Crit damage [roll13]
Intimidate [roll14]

Full attack tail
Attack [roll15]
Crit Confirm [roll16]
Damage [roll17] + [roll18]
Crit damage [roll19]
Intimidate [roll20]

Full attack bite
Attack [roll21]
Crit Confirm [roll22]
Damage [roll23]
Crit damage [roll24]
Intimidate [roll25]

Haste bite
Attack [roll26]
Crit Confirm [roll27]
Damage [roll28]
Crit damage [roll29]
Intimidate [roll30]

Buffs: Mythic Arcane Strike 7/10 rounds remaining
Haste 6/9 rounds remaining
Protection from Evil 86/90 rounds remaining

Spell slots remaining: 3rd slots: 3/6
2nd slots: 5/8 remaining
1st slots: 7/8 remaining

Mythic power remaining 8/11
Claws rounds remaining 7/9

[Frosty]

Abigail
Morale bonus to army: +6

"Protect our flanks! Calmly extract yourself from the mud, and then prepare for the next charge! I'll keep you alive!" Abigail curses silently as her army got stuck in mud when charging the hole she had created. She hopes the barbarians can mind their defenses even in their state of rage and bloodlust as she brings forth another burst of healing energies to keep her army up and running.

Make morale check to change strategy from Reckless to Standard.
Channel Positive to heal army for 5 HP.

Army stats if strategy change is successful:
DV 15 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 29/39
OM 11
Tactic: Spellbreaker
Effects: None

Army stats if strategy change is unsuccessful:
DV 11 (+4 vs spell casters)
HP 29/39
OM 15 (+6 damage on successful attack)
Tactic: Spellbreaker
Effects: None

[ylvathrall]

Jethrys pushes his way through the fog and the writhing tentacles, and reaches the witches far more quickly than they had anticipated or prepared for. His claws and teeth strike with brutal force, leaving the witches as little more than red stains on the ground. The cloud and the tentacles, though, remain, making it hard to see precisely what is going on outside.

Moments later, the man Sartha healed points at a wrecked building, hand shaking badly. As he does, a cloud of noxious green-yellow vapor becomes visible in the debris, rolling off down the street.

The man was not simply pointing; that was, in fact, the gesture of someone casting a spell.

The spell in question was cloudkill.

In the field, Abigail's troops finally manage to coordinate themselves again. Luckily the undead have little more luck, failing to gain a decisive advantage over the living army. Furthermore, Eclaire leads the Blackravens in a devastating charge that crushes the undead army between her forces and Abigail's, leaving little more than broken pieces behind.

Across the river, Avaleru similarly shreds the other formerly human army. The drakes harry her as she does, and the silver dragon has to take a moment to heal herself, but the siege weapons are no longer a threat. On the other side of the river, the copper dragons and the undead drakes continue to battle for control of the skies, with the dragons having a slight edge at the moment.

Finally, the giants trade boulders, with some finding vulnerable targets on either side.

Both armies of human undead are destroyed. The hill giants are finally the target of an attack and take 5 damage.

[Tuvarkz]

In the city
Davis noticed the man with the shaking hand was casting a spell, and pointing at a building couldn't mean something good, so the ranger took the shot and fired his sacred-charged attack. However, the noxious looking cloud still appeared, and Davis cursed, before enragedly firing at the enemy spellcaster with an arrow barrage!

Readied Action:
Sacred Pinions at enemy
Attack Roll
[roll0]
Weapon Damage
[roll1]
Maneuver Damage
[roll2]
Holy Damage (If applying)
[roll3]

Full-Round Action: Full attack with Mythic Rapid Shot
Attack 1
Attack Roll
[roll4]
Weapon Damage
[roll5]
Holy Damage (If applying)
[roll6]

Attack 2
Attack Roll
[roll7]
Weapon Damage
[roll8]
Holy Damage (If applying)
[roll9]

Attack 3
Attack Roll
[roll10]
Weapon Damage
[roll11]
Holy Damage (If applying)
[roll12]

Attack 4
Attack Roll
[roll13]
Weapon Damage
[roll14]
Holy Damage (If applying)
[roll15]


In the Battlefield
"Well done! Now, for the giants!" shouted Eclaire as her men once more fired arrows at the drakes assaulting Avaleru before engaging the undead giants in melee. The battle was now in their side once more, and it was just a matter of time. The female knight hoped that things within the city were going well for Davis and the rest as well.

Ranged Phase: The rangers fire at the undead drakes once more
[roll16]
Melee phase: The rangers go for the undead giants with standard strategy.
[roll17]

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak will show not one ounce of the guilt he feels as giants fall around him, wounded or dead. His visage only grows more fearsome, and he urges the survivors on to further violence.

"Vengeance for the fallen! Knock 'em down quick, leave only dust of their shattered bones!"

Though he has no more javelins to add to the bombardment this time, there is no shortage of rocks left behind from the fighting.


The giants continue throwing boulders at their undead counterparts.

Good thing the city has walls - without them, the hill giants might well have been crushed by the first volley.

[Chaltah]

Sartha failed to notice where the spell had come from but from Davis reaction toward the man she had healed before the fight she could only assume that he had been responsible for whatever that cloud was and was likely not a good thing. Though as to what it was she wasn't entirely sure. But she moves on, activating her armor to allow her to fly for the moment so she could get around the cloud without entering it. "Everyone who is able, move away from the cloud. Take whoever you can with you!" she didn't have any spells to help counter this unfortunately so all she could do is help people get clear of the danger zone.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys frowns at the broken bodies of the witches. No way Irrisen had built this tunnel to just send a giant and two weakling witches in, there must be something else in here. Best find out what. He then takes off down the tunnel at a run.

Going to run down the tunnel, stopping for anything unusual.

[Frosty]

Abigail

Millia surveys the battlefield. With only the undead Giants left, things seem under control. She turns to speak to the barbarians army, whom she had just healed. "It has been an honor. I loathe to depart, but there seems to be a sneak attack inside the city walls. Go and attack the undead Giants and finish them off. I shall return if I can after dealing with the chaos inside."

leave the army after ordering them to engage the undead Giants, and then rush for the city to see what's going on.

[ylvathrall]

The man collapses dead under the barrage of arrows, but the spell is already cast. The cloud of lethal poison drifts off down the street to the west. It doesn't move terribly quickly, but then, it doesn't really need to.

Sartha tries to evacuate people from its path. In the cramped, crowded city streets, though, this proves difficult. When the toxic fog turns out to be on a path which takes it directly through an infirmary set up to house and treat those left too wounded to continue fighting, it becomes more so.

The paladin is able to save some people. Certainly the results are less catastrophic than they might have been. But there are still more than a few bodies on the ground in the wake of the cloud.

Hurrying back to the city, you find things in a general state of disarray. The center of the chaos, which you find more by following the sound of screaming than because anyone is able to provide you with coherent directions, is an open square not too far inside the walls. It seems as though it was being used as an infirmary of sorts, set up to house and treat those left too wounded to continue fighting.

At present, a familiar yellow-green cloud is rolling into it from the east. Not too much farther in the direction it came from, you see what looks like the site of the explosion, complete with an impressive crater, some wrecked buildings, and quite a number of injured people, some still pinned in the debris.

Running down the tunnel, you find that it continues more or less straight east, towards Irrisen. It's slightly cramped, just big enough for frost giants to walk in single file, and rough, clearly made with the intention of being functional rather than aesthetically appealing.

You've been running for close to a minute, without any change in the tunnel around you, when you suddenly see a winter wolf approaching you at a dead sprint. The creature seems, at a glance, to be wearing some sort of chainmail armor.

At the same moment you see the winter wolf, while it's still fifty feet away, you feel a heavy weight on your mind. It's suddenly hard to look away from the creature, hard to focus on anything else.

That will be a DC 21 will save.

The remaining army of undead frost giants, surrounded and under fire from Tabrak's hill giants, go down fast. The battle takes a sharp turn against them, and it's only a matter of minutes before they're cut down entirely. Avaleru takes to the skies and resumes shredding the drakes there, while the copper dragons still have a slight edge against the other group of undead frost drakes.

Okay, that's all of the ground armies beaten. None of your armies took damage this round.

[Tuvarkz]

In the City
Davis, unable to think of any way he can truly help with the poisonous cloud, decided to go approach the man he had just shot down, to see if he could gather any clues from his body (And to retrieve the rather endurable arrows he had just shot-His purse was quite empty after all).

Davis will go check on the man that he shot down, looking for any special-looking items he might be carrying, or any wound, scar or mark that shouldn't be there (Naturally, excluding the entry wounds from his arrows and from the siege on the city)
Perception Check
[roll0]
Heal Check to analyze body
[roll1]
((Preemptively burning a point of MP to Mythic Surge the Heal check [roll2]))
He will also retrieve his arrows as part of this.

In the Battlefield
As the last of the enemy ground forces were once more put down, Eclaire commanded: "Blackravens of Trollheim! You have most certainly proven the might of your blades! Now, lend our draconic allies some help so that we may all celebrate a victory tonight!"

Ranged Phase: Eclaire's Ravens will shoot at the undead drakes facing the copper dragons
Offense Check
[roll3]

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak directs his giants to support Avaleru with their thrown rocks. The other aerial fight might well be too chaotic for the giants to avoid hitting copper dragons instead of undead.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys shakes off the enchantment with ease and ceases his run while still a fair distance away from the wolf. "Halt, Wolf. Return from whence you came. Irrisen is not welcome here."

Readying an action to attack the wolf with my tail if it comes in range.

[ylvathrall]

"Oh, it's you," the wolf says, pulling up short and looking at you. "You got me good earlier. I like the look, by the way, the claws, the teeth, it makes a statement. You ever think about a career as an enforcer? You could be good at it."

[Chaltah]

Sartha couldn't help but feel dread in the matter that the cloud was moving toward an infirmary where no one inside was likely able to flee with any real ease. Unable to do much she will continue to assist where she can on the matter of getting people clear of the slowly moving cloud. She scans the area for any further intruders that may have managed to sneak their way into the city to cause yet more trouble.

Since she really doesn't have the ability to dispell the cloud she'll continue to keep moving people who are in the direct path of the cloud. I will roll a perception check in case there might be something worth noticing along the way
[roll0]

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys doesn't acknowledge the banter whatsoever, replying in a calm, cold voice. "Last chance. Leave or die."

[ylvathrall]

"As you please," the winter wolf says. A moment later, it barks a sharp word and vanishes.

That was the verbal component of a dimension door spell.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus looks around at the chaos, and it momentarily reminds her of the abyss. She shakes off the comparison, and goes directly to where to screaming is the loudest. When she sees the familiar green cloud, Abigail curses and knows she must act quickly. "GET THE INFIRM OUT! THE CLOUD IS DEADLY!" She rushes in, and starts carrying as many people out as she can.

[TheOneHawk]

When the wolf disappears, Jethrys curses and begins running back towards Trollheim. He wasn't sure if that was invisibility or teleportation, but either way he couldn't prevent the wolf from reaching the city and letting a caster loose inside the walls could be devastating.

[ylvathrall]

The body seems fairly typical. Aside from the damage which Sartha healed, the only obvious injuries are those from the arrows, which seem more than extensive enough to have been lethal.

You collect the arrows without anything remarkable happening.

Running back, you soon reach the end of the tunnel. The tentacles are gone, but the cloud of solid fog still lingers in the air.

You also find the winter wolf, just inside the boundary of the fog. It's lying on the ground, very much dead, though the body doesn't have a mark on it.

The cloud is slow, but so are the people in the infirmary, and the situation is chaotic at best. Though you save a number of people, there are still bodies on the ground when the cloud has passed, both the injured and those who were working as medics.

Things go better as the cloud of poison continues past the infirmary, both because the people are more able to flee and because a somewhat organized response has finally been coordinated. Eventually, after far too long of this, a priest of Desna arrives to dispel the cloud.

If there was anyone involved in the response who shouldn't have been, it's not readily apparent.

The remaining drakes are soon wiped out by a heavy assault from the dragons and bombardment from the ground, leaving the field clear of Irrisen forces. At first everyone is concerned that this is just the prelude before the dead rise and attack once again, but as minutes roll by without any sign of this, the Ulfen armies let out a collective sigh of relief. It seems the defenders have been successful, at least for the moment.

As the armies regroup, a small group of people gather on the battlefield to discuss strategy in the aftermath of the battle. Avaleru is there, the great silver dragon having healed herself after the fighting stopped and now seeming healthy as ever. Castellan Freyr joins her, of course, accompanied by a pair of bodyguards; one is a Blackraven, while the other looks to be a cleric of Torag. There's another cleric there as well, a large armored man who displays Gorum's holy symbol; Abigail might recognize this cleric. Somewhat more surprisingly, Teva shows up to the meeting. The winter wolf's fur is soaked in blood, most of which doesn't seem to be his. He didn't come through the battle entirely without harm, though; gashes on his flanks and one leg are testament to that.

Runners are sent to bring each of you to the impromptu war council, since you've certainly demonstrated your value in this battle.

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak addresses his victorious giants.

"Well done. You fought like heroes - you are all heroes. For now, wait here. I must speak with the King of this place. When I return I will bring the gold you are owed. If any of these humans have the courage to approach and offer you healing, food, ale, you should take it as a hero's reward - but take care not to hurt them, for they are fragile before your strength. There should be no more bloodshed today."

Tabrak then leaves for the war council. It is a bit of a risk to leave the giants unattended, but one which may have benefits. When he arrives at the gathering, he takes a place by Avaleru's side, giving a respectful nod to Teva as he passes. Even in the relief of a victory, it is best for wolf and hobgoblin not to be seen as plotting together, or else he might well have chosen to stand with Teva.

[Tuvarkz]

"Not even coming back from the dead has been enough for the enemy to win! Absolute Victory!" roared Eclaire, holding her greatsword to the sky as the last of the undead were wiped out for good.
Somewhat fatigued by the strenous battling during the whole day, the knight user her greatsword to help balance herself as she joined the council. Davis positioned himself by the warlord's side after quickly summarizing the situation inside the city with a few whispers.

[Chaltah]

Sartha was ever so glad to see Abigail show up to help with the evacuation of the people from the path of the cloud. Though the remaining bodies that could not escape the path did cause her a moment of grief she also knew that this was war the civilians will also suffer in their own ways. As the cloud was dispelled it gave her relief to know that no more people would die today. She will help with the bodies as much as she can until the messengers come to call her to the council.

As she arrives she takes note that there is a Winter Wolf in with the group. This gives her a moments pause but the fact that the Castellen was not concerned she let it go for now as it seems the wolf had seen its share of combat as well.

[TheOneHawk]

Seeing the wolf's corpse at the exit of the tunnel confuses Jethrys, the creature had just cast a spell to get past him and now it was dead without so much as a wound. Something was very much wrong here, Castellan Freyr would have to be informed. Luckily he is summoned to a meeting with the man before he can even begin searching for him. Upon arrival, he smiles to see that all of the paladins and Avaleru have survived the day and bows to the company, taking his place among them and waiting for the meeting to begin.

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail works quite well with the kobold Sartha, and together they save many lives. "Thank you for your assistance. You must give me a more detailed account later. I've...seen this tactic before, and I bet it's the same person." After the cloud is gone and the wounded safe, the paladin goes back to check on her barbarians, to make sure they are alright. "You all did well, and have done my proud! Today, you taught Irrisen a lesson!" Then, she does meet up with Teva on the way to the meeting, and immediately checks over the wolf's injuries. "Do you need immediate healing? If not, I'll heal you later along with the others. Thank you for helping."

At the meeting, Abigail is surprised to see the priest of Gorum here, but perhaps he knew that here would be the site of a good battle, and followed. Still, he and Freyr seem to know each other. It is to Freyr's credit that he trusts the Gorum priest.

[ylvathrall]

"The enemy forces are in retreat at present," Avaleru says, taking control of the meeting so smoothly that it doesn't feel like something she does so much as just a natural sequence of events. "But this victory is only the first step. This was not the whole of the enemy army; it may have been only the vanguard, little more than scouts. There were few witches with this army, none of the fey, none of the dragons they have been sending over the border recently. We should be ready for another attack soon." She glances down. "You're injured," she says to Teva, as though noticing this for the first time. The priest of Gorum also looks to be injured, though not as dramatically. "Let me heal you."

"Allow me," the cleric accompanying Castellan Freyr says, speaking for the first time. "You should save your strength in case of another attack." He walks over and runs his hand over the winter wolf's back, murmuring what must be a prayer under his breath.

A moment later, the cleric falls over dead.

That wasn't any kind of a prayer. The movement and speech were actually part of casting an arcane spell, not any kind of divine power.

Specifically, the spell was greater bestow curse.

Okay, with how the timing on this one works, even if you make the Sense Motive check, I don't think you can interrupt it. You're flatfooted at this point, and I don't think you're in reach of Teva and the cleric, so no attacks of opportunity.

[Tuvarkz]

At the noticing of what the enemy caster was actually doing, Eclaire quickly tried to react, yet by the moment she had started moving towards the arcane spellcaster, he was already dead, at which point the angered knight simply shouted: "Someone get Teva a caster with Break Enchantment! The dastard just used Greater Bestow Curse on him!" Lowering the blade, she then looked at Davis, and the archer, without needing words, dashed to inspect the dead man's body with utmost concentration.
((Davis will take 10 on both Heal and Perception for results of 22 and 29 respectively, then give each a surge, rolled in order: [roll0] [roll1] ))

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys snarls as the priest drops to the ground. This was turning into a really unpleasant pattern. "No, nobody fetch anyone. Something is wrong and I don't want anyone leaving this area until we find out what exactly it is."

Going to detect evil on people. I don't know how many people are here, but everyone in the meeting should be targeted one at a time.

[Chaltah]

Upon seeing the man fall to the ground, Sartha's immediate response was to go over and check on the man. Unaware of what had just happened to their K9 companion until Eclaire stated that instead of healing the wolf, he had in fact, cursed him. She looks to Teva now wondering just how the wolf had been cursed and sighs. How she wished she could help but her knowledge of spells was not quite where it needed to be in order to do so. For now, if no one stops her,, she will use a lay on hands upon the wolf to try and at least abate his wounds. "Something must be done to defend the people from such things. Is there any way to ward the people of whatever these Irisen people are doing?"

Sartha will use one of her lay on hands from her mercy curse
[roll0]

[Hjolnai]

"Jethrys, Eclaire is right - I could tell it was a terrible arcane curse, though the specific effects are unclear."

Tabrak pauses, sighing, then continues.

"No one approach Teva - the curse may have reduced his mental faculties to the point where he cannot distinguish friend from foe, or could take some other dangerous form."

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail hisses. "We've seen this before. Back in the other city, the witch we fought always fought by possessing others so she is never physically in danger. We have no idea of the range, so she could be anywhere. Nobody leave this room right now."

She a,so starts scanning for evil.

[ylvathrall]

Teva cringes away at the curse, whining piteously. Sartha's healing magic helps somewhat, but is obviously insufficient to heal his wounds, let alone to break the spell that was cast. The others who are present are just beginning to react.

Avaleru, though, draws herself up, smiling. The expression is rather odd, and shows a great many teeth. "Ah, that feels better," she says, stretching.

The situation seems normal, with one notable exception. You detect an overwhelming evil aura from Avaleru.

The corpse looks completely unharmed. There doesn't seem to be any kind of wound, any trace of poison...nothing at all to show why this man is dead. His equipment suggests the same thing as a casual glance did: this was a priest of Torag. Though he seems to have cast a spell on Teva, he has none of the tools which an arcane magician might typically carry. If this was a disguise of some sort, it was an incredibly good one.

Map (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nadxfHxOIMxpsFfMXnTbRPagwdNa3k5S60lqwYVQCeE/edit?usp=sharing) is updated.

[Tuvarkz]

Shouting "Avaleru is possessed!" Eclaire took a quick step forward, her greatsword ready to be swung, and chained two strikes together in a brutal combination, positioning herself so that Tabrak's next attack will be a sure hit!

5-foot step into melee with Avaleru as free action, then swift to Noble Blade (+5 to attack, +2d8 to damage on next attack), into Elemental Vortex on Avaleru (+8d6 fire damage, Reflex 21 or catch on fire for 2d4 rounds, sickened as long as she's on fire), followed by Amazing Initiative, burning Eclaire's last MP to use Ruby Zenith Strike, replacing her attack roll for a Sense Motive check and dealing triple damage. Finally, as move action aid another on Tabrak, giving him a +6 to his next attack roll on meeting DC 10.
Elemental Vortex
Attack roll
[roll0]
Damage (Weapon, S)
[roll1]
Insight bonus to damage
[roll2]
Fire Damage
[roll3]
Noble Blade
Sense Motive Check (Replaces Attack Roll)
[roll4]
Damage (Tripled)
[roll5]
Aid Another
[roll6]

[Chaltah]

At the cry of Avaleru's being possessed, Sartha activates her own evil detection to confirm this matter. She blinks in surprise to think that the mighty dragon would fall to possession. She pulls out her bow and readies an arrow, ready to use it with deadly force.

Sartha will use a smite evil and deadly aim on the dragon as Eclair does her attack on the possessed dragon.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] (+26 if this counts as an evil dragon)
Attack 2: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
AC is now 32 against the dragon

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak has no magical capacity to detect evil, but under the circumstances is forced to accept the clear reality both from her words and those of the other paladins. The possessed Avaleru is surely capable of devastating the entire room if unchecked.

Tabrak strikes out with incredible swiftness and precision, first with the haft and then with the back of his axe head.

Blade of Mercy to deal nonlethal damage without penalty, and with a +1 damage bonus. The same Vital Strike + Amazing Initiative routine as before. Power Attack still included, though it makes the attacks unlikely to hit.

(Eclaire's aid gives +6 to the first attack)
Attack 1: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Attack 2: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[TheOneHawk]

Hearing the talk of possession and feeling the evil aura from Avaleru confirms Jethrys's fears of something being terribly wrong. That said, terribly wrong did not mean turning blade to a dragon that had been his teacher and had proven herself an indispensable ally. She needed to have this witch cast out of her, not be killed by her own friends. Stepping forward he cries out, "Stop! She needs to be cleansed, not killed! What are you doing?" Despite his words, he has no idea how this might be done and simply walks forward uselessly for a moment, casting his eyes from person to person in the group, hoping one of them has an answer.

[Tuvarkz]

Her sword still held high, Eclaire says: "For precision, it's her body that has been possessed! Avaleru is already dead!" In the meantime, Davis rises, draws his bow, and steps backward, his stance switching as his bow shines with holy light. (Enter Silver Crane Stance).

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail immediately leaps into action. "Protect the castellan! GET HIM TO SAFETY while we hold off the witch"

She rushes over to Freyr, and wuickly grants one of Sarenrae's basic blessings upon him, one that protects from evil influences and possession.

cast a protection from evil spell on Freyr to prevent him from being possessed.

[ylvathrall]

Eclaire and Tabrak both land solid blows on Avaleru, carving a deep wound in one leg and smashing her with the haft of an axe respectively. Sartha's arrows miss, but Freyr is more accurate, putting two shots into her wing while also stepping back from the fight. The Gorumite priest charges in as well, slashing at her, but his sword glances harmlessly off her scales.

Teva, meanwhile, is in full flight, whimpering in terror.

"Oh, this is fun," the dragon says delightedly. She then begins to chant and gesture, casting spells with incredible, unbelievable speed. Exhaustion tugs at you, like weights have suddenly been hung from your limbs, dragging you down. A moment later a familiar, toxic green cloud appears, followed by a burst of painfully cold air that sweeps over the area. Finally, a trio of foul-smelling humanoid creatures rip their way up from the ground.

The dragon just laughs wildly as this display of magic goes on.

The first spell was waves of fatigue.
The second spell was cloudkill.
The third spell was cone of cold.
The fourth spell was ghoul army

Two of the creatures that were just summoned are ghouls, intelligent undead creatures that feed ravenously on the flesh of the living. They can paralyze with a touch, and spread a disease which turns humanoid creatures into ghouls.
The last one is a ghast, a stronger and tougher type of ghoul. These creatures smell incredibly foul, to the point that it can induce violent illness, but are otherwise largely the same as their weaker cousins.

Okay, whole lot going on this round. First off, Eclaire and Tabrak must make DC 22 Fortitude saves or be nauseated for two rounds as they're wracked with pain. This is a pain effect and a hex. Second, everyone other than Sartha and Davis is fatigued; this effect does not allow a save. Third, everyone but Sartha and Davis takes [roll0] points of cold damage; a DC 21 Reflex save halves this damage. Third, everyone but Sartha is in the area of the cloudkill spell and takes [roll1] points of Constitution damage unless immune to poison; a DC 19 Fortitude save halves this damage. Finally, three creatures were summoned and have been added to the map.

Note that everything Signy is doing here is either a supernatural ability or a spell cast as a swift action, and thus does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Map is updated here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nadxfHxOIMxpsFfMXnTbRPagwdNa3k5S60lqwYVQCeE/edit?usp=sharing). Your turn.

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire managed to resist the wracking pain, but the poison had managed to harm both her and Davis. The archer was first to react, moving out of the cloud and raining a deadly barrage of arrows into the summoned undead. In the meantime, Eclaire changed her stance to favor flanking moves, and started slashing the enemies near her.

Davis
5-foot step NW out of the cloud, and full attack the leftmost ghoul. If ghoul dies, land remaining attacks on Ghast. Activating Mythic Rapidshot, in range for PBS

Attack 1
Attack roll
[roll0]
Damage roll
[roll1]
Holy damage
[roll2]

Attack 2
Attack roll
[roll3]
Damage roll
[roll4]
Holy damage
[roll5]

Attack 3
Attack roll
[roll6]
Damage roll
[roll7]
Holy damage
[roll8]

Attack 4
Attack roll
[roll9]
Damage roll
[roll10]
Holy damage
[roll11]


Eclaire
Swift to enter Golden Commander Stance. As long as two allies within 30 feet of Eclaire are adjacent and in melee vs the same target, they gain flanking (And any ally flanking with Eclaire gains a +6 bonus instead of the usual +2)(Example given: Right now Eclaire and Tabrak are flanking both the Ghoul and the Ghast that are in melee of both, if Eclaire moves into the space where the leftmost ghoul will be no longer, she and Tabrak will be flanking Avaleru)


As full round action: Full attack. If Davis's full attack hasn't killed the ghoul, target him first, and deliver any remaining attacks on the Ghast. After finishing full attack, 5-foot step NW so that Tabrak gets flank on Avaleru. If both Ghast and Ghoul are dead and attacks remain, 5-foot step to land last attack on Avaleru. If any undead get killed by Eclaire, everyone within 30 feet of her gains 16 Temp HP)
Attack 1
Attack roll
[roll12]
Damage roll
[roll13]

Attack 2
Attack roll
[roll14]
Damage roll
[roll15]

Attack 3
Attack roll
[roll16]
Damage roll
[roll17]

[Chaltah]

Sartha was surprised by the sudden and rapid successions of spells that were cast by the possessed dragon but she was unable to determine just what they were. But the undead that rose out of the ground she could discern the ghast that was in the midst of the 2 ghouls that came out of the ground. She takes aim at the Ghast and empowers her bow with power as she takes her shots.

Sartha is going to shoot the ghast. She has Precise Shot so she doesn't take the penalties. She's also activating Unstoppable Strike on her bow to let her attacks count as touch attacks instead of regular attacks. If it only counts toward one attack it'll be on her second attack. She is also using deadly aim.
Attack1: [roll0]
Damage1: [roll1]
Attack2: [roll2]
Damage2: [roll3]
If I get any crits I will confirm in the ooc chat

[Frosty]

Abigail
HP 62/100
Saves 17/12/12
AC26; Touch 13, +6 AC vs the witch
LoH 3/11, Smite 4/4
Mythic power: 7/9
2 negative levels, fatigued, Flame Blade (1d8+3) 7 mins

Abigail knows that the body that the witch is defiling has a very touch shell. Her scimitar would have a hard time penetrating the skin. But, a scimitar of fire however...might do the trick. She targets the witch with her divine mark, and then prays for Sarenrae to grant her a flame blade. With that in hand, she moves forward, ready to do battle.

Smite Evil vs witch.
Cast Flame Blade.
Move next to the dragon. AU20 if possible.

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak burns away the last of his healing energies to clear the fatigue which grips him. He then follows this with another two tremendous strikes, still keeping to non-lethal techniques.


I'm operating on the assumption that Eclaire was able to kill at least the ghoul, and so is now adjacent to Avaleru, granting her flanking bonus through class features. If not, reduce attack rolls by 6.

Lay On Hands (Mercy: Fatigued removes the Fatigued status effect)
[roll0]


Amazing Initiative, Power Attack and Vital Strike again for two powerful attacks (non-lethal).
Attack 1:
[roll1]
[roll2]

Attack 2:
[roll3]
[roll4]

[TheOneHawk]

"Avaleru is already dead." Eclaire's words echo through Jethrys's mind for a moment. Avaleru couldn't be dead, she'd been talking to the group just moments ago, but the evidence was laid out pretty clearly at Avaleru was, at the least, no longer in any kind of control of her body. Even if she could still be saved, the risk to the people of Trollheim, and indeed the entire region was too immense to ignore. He steps forward and begins weaving a series of beneficial magic over him and his allies. "I don't know who you are, or where you're from, but you will leave that body by choice or by force and you will pay for your actions on this day."

Arcane strike, same as last time, haste and smite on Signy. Five foot step north.

[ylvathrall]

The first two undead fall to Davis's arrows, and Sartha puts the last one down a moment later. Each of them explodes into a shower of gore as it dies; this doesn't seem to be merely cosmetic, as the explosions are apparently tainted with the power of undeath themselves, and pull at the life force of those unlucky enough to be splattered with the rotten flesh.

Eclaire lands a glancing blow on the dragon, though Tabrak misses on both swings. For her part, the dragon is clearly wounded, but doesn't seem anywhere near to incapacitated. Hrolf bellows a prayer to Gorum and closes with the dragon again, while Freyr stumbles out of the fog, coughing.

"Oh, this is good," the dragon says. "Need to really see what it can do, though." She then continues to chant and gesture, working through spells with incredible speed. After a few moments she switches to a more traditional approach for a dragon, thrashing about and lashing out with all her limbs. The attacks are slightly clumsy, but terrifyingly strong.

Okay, first off, Tabrak and Eclaire are in the explosion from the first ghoul and the ghast. They take [roll0] points of negative energy damage; a DC 20 Fortitude save halves this damage.

Next, Eclaire takes a -4 penalty on saving throws for 9 rounds. A DC 22 Will save reduces this to one round (the penalty doesn't apply on the initial save).

Third, Tabrak and Eclaire both feel as though the air is being pulled out of their lungs. They must make a DC 20 Fortitude save. On success, they are staggered in the next round. On failure, they are unconscious and reduced to 0 HP. A DC 22 Spellcraft check identifies both of these spells as suffocation.

And last but not least, the dragon makes a full attack.

Bite against Jethrys: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

Claw against Abigail: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Claw against Tabrak: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

Wing against Eclaire: [roll7]
Damage: [roll8]

Wing against Eclaire: [roll9]
Damage: [roll10]

Tail slap against Hrolf: [roll11]
Damage: [roll12]

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire attempted to turn the spell into healing energy, but failed to do so, even if the warlord still resisted the effect. In the meantime, she stepped north, and, her blade shining with holy energy, the knight slashed at the dragon!
Davis, in the meantime, took a moment to recover his holy power.

Free Actions: 5 foot step north (Now Abigail is flanking with Eclaire too, gaining the +6 bonus to attack rolls), switch from Victorious Presence to Indomitable Presence (Everyone within 30 feet of Eclaire gains the benefits of the Diehard feat, and a +6 morale bonus to Fortitude saves against death effects, fatigue or exhaustion effects, or poison effects.)
Standard Action: Silver Knight's Blade. On hit, +4d6 sacred damage (+50% to evil targets), Eclaire heals for the same amount.
Attack Roll
[roll0]
Weapon damage
[roll1]
Sacred Damage/Healing
[roll2]
Davis: 5-foot step north as free, Full Round Action to recover Silver Crane's Resurgence.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys grimaces as the dragon continues it's assault. This was it, then, they had no way to help Avaleru anymore and her body posed too much of a risk to not put down. He spends a moment steeling himself, then steps forward directly into the fray, a whispered "Sorry Avaleru" at his lips as he begins to fight.

Attacks count as magic and good for damage reduction. Haste is active. Power attack is active. Full attack.

Note that every successful attack increases my weapon enhancement bonus by 1 up to a maximum of +5. This bonus only works when attacking the same target successively. Since I don't know AC, I can't add this in myself. Additionally, if any of the cornugon smash intimidates succeed by 10 or more, that triggers a Will save DC 21 or the giant will be frightened for 1d4 rounds. Also, if any of the intimidates succeed and cause shaken and another attack hits after that, the giant will be sickened for one round.

Full attack claw
Attack [roll0]
Crit Confirm [roll1]
Damage [roll2]
Crit damage [roll3]
Intimidate [roll4]

Full attack claw
Attack [roll5]
Crit Confirm [roll6]
Damage [roll7]
Crit damage [roll8]
Intimidate [roll9]

Full attack tail
Attack [roll10]
Crit Confirm [roll11]
Damage [roll12] + [roll13]
Crit damage [roll14]
Intimidate [roll15]

Full attack bite
Attack [roll16]
Crit Confirm [roll17]
Damage [roll18]
Crit damage [roll19]
Intimidate [roll20]

Haste bite
Attack [roll21]
Crit Confirm [roll22]
Damage [roll23]
Crit damage [roll24]
Intimidate [roll25]

Swift action attack bite (Conditional on one of my intimidates being successful)
Attack [roll26]
Crit Confirm [roll27]
Damage [roll28]
Crit damage [roll29]
Intimidate [roll30]

Buffs: Mythic Arcane Strike 8/10 rounds remaining
Haste 7/9 rounds remaining


Spell slots remaining: 3rd slots: 2/6
2nd slots: 5/8 remaining
1st slots: 7/8 remaining

Mythic power remaining 8/11
Claws rounds remaining 9/11

[ylvathrall]

In the wake of the dragon's violent thrashing, Eclaire steps in and slashes at her, landing a solid blow on the creature's leg. Jethrys assaults her wildly a moment later; most of his attacks glance harmlessly off the silver scales, but two strike home.

Following this assault, the dragon stumbles and collapses, unable to stay standing after sustaining so much damage. Hrolf, growing in size as his spell takes effect, steps in and slashes at the dragon as she falls, his greatsword carving deeply into her flesh. The cleric then grunts, seeming vaguely disappointed, and steps back. After a few moments, it becomes clear that this isn't a pretense; the dragon is genuinely unconscious.

The fight now over, Castellan Freyr walks back towards you, still looking a bit pale from his exposure to the poison. He opens his mouth as though to say something, then closes it and simply stares at the silver dragon in silence instead, a silence that seems to be general across the battlefield.

Okay, fight's over, which means things are happening.

First off, guess who just hit level 12? That's right, it's you guys!

Second, Tabrak and Eclaire do have to make two more Fortitude saves against the suffocation. Failing one save leaves you at 0 HP and unconscious, failing two is -1 HP and dying, failing all three is dead. You can be healed normally once the spell ends, so unless Tabrak rolls extremely poorly on the other saves, this should be more of a fluff consideration than anything.

Third, the dragon is now unconscious due to nonlethal damage exceeding current hit points. Up to you what you guys want to do about that situation now.

[Tuvarkz]

Managing to outlast the magic trying to suffocate her, Eclaire said: "The magic that the witch has used to take over Avaleru's body is truly of the worst kind. The witch transfers her soul to a familiar, from where she can leap over to any other nearby people, outright killing the person and taking over the still alive body. And then, if the possessed body is killed, the witch's soul is returned to the familiar, free to just possess another body and remain free. Of course, this means that generally either killing off Avaleru's body or just letting the witch remain in it will do us no good.

Thanks to the knowledge I've learned from my family's research and secrets, I'm aware of the foundations of the witch's magic, and thus I've devised a plan that should let us manage to seal her off and prevent her from causing any more harm. However, said plan would also render Avaleru's body unrecoverable. My family, as any other spellcasting family, would prefer its secrets remain hidden. Thus, I'd rather prefer to only have the bare minimum people required to set the whole thing up informed on the workings of what I'm about to do. Would anyone raise an objection to this?"

[Chaltah]

Sartha was about to loose another hail of arrows into the dragon but the beast fell as she retrained her sight. Seeing that it was unconscious she moves closer to the party, lowering her weapon. She shared in the silence the Castellan Freyr and the rest of the city seemed to give for their fallen dragon friend. To think that one as great as a dragon could succumb to a witches will was almost unfathomable to the kobold yet here was the proof. Turning her attention to Eclair as she spoke, she listened intently and at the mention of stopping the witch and its circumstances she would step toward Eclair, silent for a moment longer as she looked to the unconscious dragon then back to Eclair. "As much as it pains me to think that the mighty Avaleru will be lost to us. To stop this witch in her tracks so that she could not claim another body would go a long way in this fight. I would be willing to aid you if have need of it"

[Frosty]

Abigail

The Succubus had been ready to thrust her flame blade into the dragon-witch's head when the dragon falls. Fearing this may be a ruse, she keeps her blade trained at the witch, ready to strike the moment there is movement. She shares the moments of silence, a tear rolling down her cheek. After listening to Eclair, she bristles but assents. "I hate any action that would make Avaleru's body unavailable, but stopping the witch is more important. I will assist."

[TheOneHawk]

As soon as the dragon drops, Jethrys quickly checks her vitals to ensure that she has not actually died. So assured, he takes a moment and bows his head, quietly listening to Eclaire's proposed solution. He considers it for a time before replying. "Stopping this witch is, as you say, of vital importance. Avaleru would expect no less of us." He then turns and locks his eyes with hers and gives a steely-eyed stare. "However. Secrets be damned, I will be present."

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire responds: "Jethrys, I cannot let you or Sartha in particular be in close distance of the ritual I'll be performing. The ritual uses a mix of both witch-binding and dragon-slaying properties, and I'm not sure whether, if either of you is closely present, will affect you in what way.
Remember the red dragon engraved in my usual armor? The red wyrm that my ancestor slew and that became my family's crest was killed after the original ritual I'm basing this one of severely weakened him"


Rolling Bluff. The whole thing, save for the fact that Eclaire doesn't know how will the ritual affect Jethrys and Sartha and that her ancestor slew a red wyrm (Which is the one on her usual armor and is her family crest) is a lie.
[roll0]
Additionally, should Eclaire notice someone catching her on the lie, she will roll bluff once more to pass a secret message to them through a look: "Please go along with me." [roll1]

[Chaltah]

Sartha was visibly disheartened at the matter that she couldn't be there for this ritual, her shoulders slumping a little more before she picks herself back up again and takes a deep breath. "I understand your concern for our safety Elcair. But I would still wish to help aid you in this. We all are taking risks in this war and if there is anything I can do to further our cause, even in the face of endangering my own life, I wish to do my part." she lifts her bow and looks at it a moment then back to Eclair as she stands there waiting to hear Elcair's response to her desired wish to help with this ritual of hers.

[Tuvarkz]

"I will seal the witch in an enclosed location, so I'll need some of you to stand watch outside and around the city, looking to see if the witch's familiar shows up, or if anyone seems to act strangely. If we were to catch and destroy her familiar, then we could just simply kill off Avaleru's body without making it unrecoverable." answers Eclaire

[Hjolnai]

Though Tabrak survived suffocation, the initial effect reduced him to unconsciousness. It is in this state that he remains for now.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys shakes his head at Eclaire's words, his gaze darkening. The possibility of this ritual doing him harm just because of his draconic heritage was frankly laughable and if Eclaire didn't know that herself then she probably wasn't competent to do it in the first place. "This is not up for debate. If you wish to do this ritual, I will be present or it will not happen. That is absolutely final."

[Frosty]

Abigail

The paladin channels some healing energy to get Tabrak back up and everyone else healed. After making sure Tabrak is alright, she briefs him on the proposed ritual and then asks Eclair telepathically, "What can I do? I'm not particularly sharp-eyed so I won't be good for watching for the familiar."

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire answers to Abigail mentally: "Honestly, I don't have any particular ideas otherwise. Perhaps you could try and distract those who would seem overtly curious about the whole thing?"
Approaching Freyr, she then says: "Do you have any sufficiently large enclosed space to hold Avaleru's body? I guess myself, Tabrak and Jethrys could drag the body all the way there by ourselves given some time, but some more men to make the carrying easier would be help." Reaching him, she then whispers so that the castellan is the only one hearing her: "I'll also need some strong rope while the smiths to start forging chains and a muzzle, I'll get Vivian to take the measurings as fast as possible. I also need a ring of sustenance to seal the witch."

[ylvathrall]

Castellan Freyr looks searchingly at Eclaire for a moment, then nods. "That can be arranged," he says. "There's a building just outside the walls we use to store goods from Irrisen until they can be inspected. It should be large enough, and the Blackravens will help you get her there without asking questions. The rest will take more time to arrange, but it can be done."

He then looks at each of you in turn. "It shames me to ask more of you when you have already done so much," he says. "But circumstances leave me with little choice. We may have held them off today, but I fear Avaleru's final words were not mistaken. The enemy will soon return, with greater forces. Without her, we will need all the assistance we can arrange to hold them off." He pauses for a moment, then says, "I have work to do now that the battle is over. Meet me in my study in an hour, please."

[Tuvarkz]

A location secured, Eclaire said to Davis: "Davis, please go fetch Vivian and have her go to the storehouse with her measuring tools. Oh, and tell her to make some Lesser Restoration extracts."
Watching the ranger leave, Eclaire then started to remove her breastplate and wear her usual armor as she waited for the Blackravens to arrive.

[Chaltah]

Sartha stands by watching the people go on about with the matters of dealing with the dragon's body. She didn't have any strength to help get the dragon to the store house but she would stand watch for anything that looked potentially like a witch's familiar. That she could do to help with this matter. To halt the familiar would allow an even larger victory over their enemy. She makes her way over to Abigail and shoulders her bow for now "We should go and set up a perimeter around the place where they will be working. Keep people away and always have our senses for evil active while this is going on. We can't allow anything to slip past us so whatever Eclaire has in mind to halt the witch's movements"

[Hjolnai]

Still spluttering a little from his brush with suffocation, Tabrak approaches Eclaire.

"I am..." Tabrak coughs, "concerned. If one witch can manage this, she may have support from lesser spellwrights - perhaps powerful enough to coerce your subordinates, who lack our... resilience, and who are now alone and vulnerable. Your ritual could easily be disrupted and the witch freed. The Castellan may also be at risk, but I expect he already has contingencies in place."

[Tuvarkz]

"Had the witch had more support, there would've been far more chaos and destruction in the city. In regards to Davis, he has some techniques to deal with mental possession, and should be fine himself. And I don't think my attempt to seal the witch will be one to be easily disrupted-I'm a specialist at dealing with arcane enemies, after all." replied Eclaire, confidently. "Of course, if you want to keep watch nearby while I work at sealing the witch, I would gladly have you watching my back."

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus sighs. "Time is not on our side. If anyone really is going to try to disrupt whatever ritual you have, then let's not give them time to plan the attach eh? Someone grab the other end and let's move." With that, she grabs Avaleru's arms and waits for someone else to lift the legs. "Even if she somehow wakes up, with her limbs secured at least it's not likely she can cast."

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys keeps his stare focused on Eclaire for a time before assisting with moving Avaleru's body. It was clear, touching her, that there was life still in her. It wasn't the same life he was used to, the powerful chill usually radiating from her scales was, while not absent, greatly diminished in strength. Still, she drew breath and was certainly still alive, though who occupied the mind was certainly questionable. "Eclaire, how sure are you that Avaleru herself cannot be saved at this point? I find myself wondering how you claim to know such a great deal about the finer points of a witch's possession. It seems to me that this would be something of a tightly guarded secret among their number, and your information may simply be inaccurate."

[Tuvarkz]

"As matter of fact," started Eclaire "we could bring Avaleru back. We could kill the body, which would force the witch's soul back into the witch's familiar, and then have someone use a resurrection spell on Avaleru's body, which should bring her back to the world of the living. However, that would mean the witch would be free to just possess someone's body again and start another rampage of destruction, leading to the deaths of many more innocents. What I will do will prevent the witch from escaping, leaving it stuck on Avaleru's body, but at the same time the witch won't be able to harm anyone in that state."

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak also moves to aid in shifting Avaleru's body, though reluctantly.

"So Avaleru could be saved, but only with the risk that the witch would take advantage of her vulnerability, and she would be lost to us anyway. No, Eclaire's ritual is the safer course. I think we will come to deeply regret this... but indecision is worse than either choice."

[ylvathrall]

A group of Blackravens show up within minutes of the Castellan's departure, and set to work without delay or comment. With so many hands even the dragon's bulk is relatively easy to move, and you don't have a great deal of difficulty in hoisting her and carrying her to the warehouse Freyr mentioned.

The building itself looks as much like a fortress or prison as a storage building. Thick stone walls, metal doors with heavy locks, and a complete absence of windows all add up to a distinctly unwelcoming facade. The loading doors are large enough to carry the dragon through, after which one of the Blackravens closes and locks them.

The interior of the warehouse is largely empty, allowing plenty of room for the dragon. There are a few piles of lumber, and a stack of iron ingots; there are also, by chance or deliberate arrangement, a number of coils of heavy rope.l

[Chaltah]

Sartha follows the procession toward the warehouse, staying outside of the building as the doors were locked behind. She would stand watch outside the building not letting anything or anyone approach the building as Eclaire requested to keep as few people around as possible as the ritual was being performed. She hated to think that the dragon would not be able to be saved but there are times where sacrifices had to be made for the good of the people. And as much as she hated to admit it, this seemed to be the best option.

[Tuvarkz]

While waiting for Davis to come back with Vivian, Eclaire started walking around the room, as if trying to get a better sense of the measures herself.

[ylvathrall]

Davis and Vivian arrive at the warehouse within a few minutes, seeming a bit curious as to what's going on.

[Tuvarkz]

As the alchemist arrived, Eclaire requested one of her parchments and some ink, writing instructions for the measures to be taken without letting anyone else see what the female knight was writing on. Passing the closed scroll to Vivian, the warlord then ordered: "Once you're done taking the measures, have Davis and one of the Blackravens take them to the smiths. I'll need your help here, so wait for me to come back afterwards. Davis, you then come back here to stand watch, just in case."

Rejoining the group, Eclaire then said: "Well then, shall we go meet the castellan?"

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail frowns. "I see, so we are waiting on extra equipment before we can do this ritual? Shouldn't someone remain to make sure that the witch remains unconscious during our meeting with the Castellan?"

[Hjolnai]

"I agree. It seems entirely too risky to leave her with only Davis for company - he can do little to contain an enraged witch-dragon. In any case, we still have quite some time before the Castellan is ready."

[Tuvarkz]

"Don't worry," commented Eclaire. "As a general rule, dragons don't heal in a particularly fast way. However," said the knight, approaching one of the coils of rope, "binding the snout might just be a good safety measure."

[Frosty]

Abigail follows everyone to the meeting, not wanting to waste any more time.

[ylvathrall]

In Freyr's office, you find the Castellan hard at work. He seems to have been debriefing a scout, whom you pass in the hall outside. It seems he's taking the threat of possession seriously, as the guards outside the door stop you even after recognizing you, and seem quite prepared to plant an axe between your eyes until you prove your identity to their satisfaction.

Inside, Freyr is standing at the desk, scribbling a note. It seems like he hasn't stopped moving since the battle ended, and he's visibly tired, but still moves with a tense, nervous energy.

"Sirs," he says, finishing what he's writing and folding the piece of paper before looking up at you. "Thank you again. Time is short, so I'll get right to the point. We may have won this battle, but I'm not at all confident that we can afford to continue the war like this. Our losses were relatively low compared to Irrisen's, but we also don't have the numbers to afford them, and with Avaleru removed from consideration we've lost our single strongest defender. It's possible the entire assault was a feint to cover for the real attack on her, and one which succeeded."

"Now," he continues, "scouts are confirming that this attack was not remotely the whole of the enemy force. More mobile troops, including winter wolves, cavalry, and possibly dragons, are already conducting raids on the southern areas of Hagreach. The evacuation orders came early enough that losses have been minimal, but they're still seizing territory to use as a base for further attacks, and killing those who were too slow to run. Elvanna is likely also moving troops in through the north, where Avaleru was the main defense against incursion. It seems very likely that Trollheim will soon be flanked by the enemy. The most recent scouting report also suggests that they've already seized Blackraven Hall, which is our main strategic defense to the direct east."

He pauses and looks at each of you in turn. "Sirs, I am not sharing this information with the people of the city. Morale is already shaky with Avaleru's...condition. With you, however, I will be blunt. I do not think that Trollheim can stand against another attack comparable to the last one, and with this city fallen Irrisen will be able to march into the Lands of the Linnorm Kings at will. If Elvanna can continue to conduct this war as she likes, we will lose."

Freyr pauses again, letting that news hang in the air for a few moments. "We need two things if we're going to have any chance of holding Trollheim," he says. "First, we need the Linnorm Kings to contribute their full support to the war. Now. Left to their own devices they won't react until they can't ignore the threat any longer, by which time it will be too late, and when they do react they will seek to protect their own lands first. Elvanna will crush them individually. We must act as a whole, before it's too late, to have any chance of victory. Second, we must prevent them from controlling how the war develops. We have to disrupt their plans and slow their attack, or there won't be time for reinforcements to arrive even if they can be found."

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys nods his head in agreement with Freyr's assessment of the situation. "It did seem like a remarkably small force from Irrisen, though even with the relative weakness of their attack we are much diminished by it." He sighs, shakes his head and steps away from the group, a distant look in his eyes. "I am no military strategist, merely a warrior who's birth was graced by creatures far beyond myself. I am I your service and will do what I can to defend this place until my dying breath, though if I may offer a preference, I would like to take the fight to Irrisen myself and avenge those we have lost."

[Tuvarkz]

"I don't think that would work particularly well, given Irrisen's conditions. Neither a small squadron or a moderately sized contingent would have any reasonable chance at overturning the situation in such a manner, and sending a massive army is just asking to be wiped out, particularly by some long range spells the witches seem to be knowledgeable of.
Indeed, I concur that the best course of action is to send messengers to all the Linnorm Kings to convince them to lend their aid to the war effort. Of course, the question would be how to draft a message strong enough to convince them all. Or to make each individual message appeal to the recipient individually as much as possible."

[Chaltah]

Sartha listens as the others talk about the options available and the dangers that weighed up on the land. It was very clear that they needed the aid of all potential allies for this fight. She looks back and forth to the various people as they spoke about idea and further options and where to go. "Who do we approach on this matter first? I gather that we do not have time to spare and those we are able to convince will be crucial to this whole fight in the future."

[Hjolnai]

"While previously I was in favour of a pre-emptive strike, the recent attacks have made it clear that an attack without the full support of the Linnorm Kings would be doomed to failure, as Eclaire says. However, it is not enough to contact them now. It will take weeks at best for their armies to be ready to march. We must find some way to delay the forces of the Irrisen Queen, whether by misdirection or violence. Delaying tactics are not my area of expertise, so I can say little more on that matter."

"Given the successes of the giant mercenaries, I have also considered the idea of raising an army from the hills - I believe it could be done. However, such an army would require a great deal of gold - gold which the city cannot afford to part with, given the costs of war and rebuilding. Certainly something to keep in mind, if we manage to find some other source of wealth."

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus thinks long and hard, and keeps quiet until the rest have spoken. "I believe that messengers need to be sent out. While we could act as such, we are not as well-known as your people most likely. What we *can* do is perform guerilla raids. Hit enemy supply convoys and slow down the enemy advance to buy you time for the messengers to do their work and for the armies to get organized."

[ylvathrall]

"I would hardly expect any raiding party to single-handedly defeat any significant Irrisen force," Freyr says. "But we need to buy time. If they take Trollheim, it will not matter how effectively we muster our forces. This city is our strongest defensive point against eastern invasion. Holding Trollheim might not be our last hope for defending these lands, but it is our best hope."

The Castellan then sighs. "I don't presume to tell you what you should do," he says. "You're far more able to judge your own abilities than I am. But whatever you decide, it must be soon. Time, at present, is a commodity in short supply."

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys sighs and looks around the room. "I can perhaps act as an effective envoy for our cause, though in my current frame of mind I would much rather strike at the heart of our enemies. I will take whatever role is needed to ensure this city stands." Turning to Tabrak, he hesitates a moment before speaking again in a softer tone. "It pains me to say this, but Avaleru is dead. I know where her hoard is and there are things there we should claim before Irrisen does anyways. She kept some very valuable art and jewellery as well. Probably not the best things to bribe giants with, but it's a start. Castellan Freyr, would you be able to arrange for a teleportation to Hero's Rest?"

[Hjolnai]

Tabrak sighs.

"Very well. I am no stranger to pragmatism, though it seems no course in this war is easy on the conscience."

Turning to face the group as a whole, he continues.

"I propose this course of action: First, we must resolve this ritual of Eclaire's. Then, Jethrys shall collect as much of Avaleru's wealth as shall be needed, while I go to pay off the giants who fought for us today. One among us shall go as emissary to the Linnorm Kings, and I shall go into the mountains - the giants already have reason to trust my word, and it will take longer to gather them since they seem to have no central authority. The rest of us should prepare for a lightning raid on some military target - a drake's rest or a supply caravan, anything to provoke a reaction without getting caught."

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus starts counting with her fingers. "Alright...but that only leaves 2 of us to perform lightning raids on the enemy. Beyond that, we're only sending ONE person to go collect an entire hoard? Forget about defeating anyone else who wants to lay claim to the hoard...how is he going to carry it all back by himself? I say 3 of us go secure the hoard and bring it back, and then the same three go perform raids after that."

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire commented on Abigail's doubts by saying: "There's a wide array of magical items made for that purpose, and Avaleru probably has some of those in her loot if Jethrys doesn't already. And we really don't need more than one or two of us to hold the lines while Davis and perhaps some Blackravens we get to accompany us use their arrows to attack from afar."

[Hjolnai]

"Remember also that I cannot leave for the mountains until I have the gold to persuade the giants. While some part can be promised for a later date, I must take enough to persuade the giants that my promises are not empty. Given the availability of magic, I had assumed Jethrys' task to be quick enough that it could be completed first."

[Frosty]

Abigail

"Then you should go with Jethrys, since you need the gold anyways. So, who will go on these raids? I volunteer myself for one."

[Chaltah]

Sartha speaks up "Ranged combat for your lightning raids will be key to keep the opponents pinned down. I will join you in the strikes" she looks around at the other people present for a moment before looking back to Abigail "How are we going to go about these strikes?"

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire comments: "I'd suggest oppening with an arrow barrage, then going in and finishing off any enemies still alive, then looting what can be carried and setting the rest aflame. I guess I'll leave Davis with you two, since I think I'll be the one going to negotiate with the Linnorm Kings as soon as I'm done sealing the dragon."

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail nods. "Fine. So where do we find our targets of opportunity to hit?"

[ylvathrall]

"I may be able to help with that," Freyr says. "It will be more efficient for less experienced troops to do the scouting and find vulnerable targets for you to hit. I can provide those scouts fairly easily."

[Tuvarkz]

"Your help is much appreciated, Freyr. Then, shall we get on the move? Time is of the essence, and while the things I need to to seal the witch might take some more time to be ready, I'd like to get started with the preparations as fast as possible." Eclaire commented.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus seems to have a bit of trouble sitting still, as if wanting to get started. "How long do you expect before your scouts get us a target? I'm going to spend the intervening timing raising the dead back to life. I still have a few I brought from the other city I need to get to, and then I can get started on the people here."

[Chaltah]

Sartha was also eager go get started on these strikes. The people of Irrisen would pay for their brazen act toward these people and dragon kind alike. "would come help but I promised to keep watch while the ritual went on to make sure that no one disturbs them. If we have time after the ritual I will return to help speed along the healing process of those you have brought back from the grave."

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys glances about the group for a moment, then looks back at Freyr. "Then we are decided. I will accompany Eclaire back for the completion of the ritual. Please inform me when the mage is prepared for transport, Castellan Freyr."

[ylvathrall]

"Understood," Freyr says, nodding. "I'll begin making arrangements as soon as possible. The scouts should have reports in for you within hours."

You've barely reached the corpses and started to get ready for the ritual when Teva slinks up to you. He'd previously been reluctant to enter the city, but it seems that whatever drove him to it now overruled that concern, and everyone is presently too busy dealing with the aftermath of the attack to cause problems for him.

The winter wolf is clearly distressed. His ears are laid back flat against his head, his tail held low, and a quiet whine escapes from his throat as he approaches.

Back at the makeshift prison, things seem unchanged. The dragon (or, as the case may be, the witch) is still unconscious, and doesn't seem to have so much as twitched since you left. A handful of Blackravens are turning people away from the building, and no one seems suspiciously interested that you can tell.

[Tuvarkz]

At the makeshift prison, Eclaire comments: "I still need to wait on Davis and the castellan to fetch me some things I need to seal the witch in here. There's things that can be done in the meantime, however." However, her sword drawn, she starts moving around the room, marking a series of complicated arcane arrays into the floor with her weapon (Somewhat resembling that of a Magic Circle against Evil), taking her time as if preferring to take longer to avoid making even the most minimal mistake.

[Hjolnai]

As the others leave, Tabrak decides to pay off the resting giants quickly before following the main group to Eclaire's ritual. He sends the giants off with their new gold and with promises of more should they join his next campaign, and also asks them to spread the word among the other giants in preparation for his journey to their mountains. He then heads to the warehouse where Eclaire's ritual is to take place, some minutes late.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys stands next to Avaleru's corpse impassively, watching Eclaire's every move and waiting for her to complete her work.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The paladin gives Teva a concerned look. "Are you still injured from the fight? You seem distressed.". Just for safety, she scans the area for traces of evil.

[ylvathrall]

"Not hurt," Teva says, still looking distinctly unhappy. "Feel a little sick, though. And...and she can't be dead. It can't be that easy."

You don't detect any evil auras in the vicinity.

[Frosty]

Abigail

The paladin reaches out with her hands and tries to remove any nausea from Teva's body. "There, does that feel better? If not, we'll take you to see the cleric of Gorum. So, what makes you say the dragon isn't dead? As far as I understand it, the dragon's soul has departed, and the body is currently unconscious with the witch still trapped inside. If you're concerned, we can go back to watch the ritual. I'll admit I am slightly worried that she might have jumped to yet another body, but if she jumped, wouldn't the body be dead?"

use LoH on Teva. Cures Sickened and Nauseated.

[ylvathrall]

"I don't know how it works," Teva says, glancing around anxiously. "But she can't be dead. It's...she's not...it can't be that easy."

I don't think Teva ever got healed after the battle, since you were interrupted around then. If so the LoH would heal some damage, but doesn't seem to have done anything about any other ailments he might have.

[Chaltah]

Sartha remains outside the doors, guarding it as she had been instructed. She felt better knowing Jethrys was in there monitoring the whole thing but wished she could help more than with the simple matter of look out. She lets out a small sigh but keeps her focus on all the goings on around the area, bow at the ready if anyone chose to try and approach without permission. She also kept an eye open for evil auras in the area.

Sartha is going to keep up detect evil and scan the area as she stands watch. Bow at the ready should anyone show hostility.

[Tuvarkz]

Alone with Jethrys and Vivian in the storehouse, Eclaire decided to call her bluff, as the paladin seemed to not be willing to leave. "Jethrys, please keep your voice down after you hear this," she says with her voice down, so that it will not leave the room. After a moment, she admits the truth: "There is no arcane ritual to seal the witch, as I can't perform actual magic. However, I can keep her locked here permanently." Describing synthetically what she actually intends to do to seal the witch in place, Eclaire then continues: "I understand that this method is more than morally questionable, which is why I lied about it, but there's no other alternative that doesn't set the witch free to return to her allies and wreck more havoc. We cannot let that happen-she unleashed a killing spell on injured people without a second thought; and I don't know of any other way to prevent her from harming others again. I understand that we have codes of conduct we are bound to, yet we both know what's the purpose of said standards: To protect the innocent. If we give up on protecting the innocent, there's no point to keeping our ethics. Please, Jethrys, will you allow me to seal the witch?"

[Frosty]

Abigail

The succubus sighs. "Alright, would it make you feel better if we went back to the ritual they are performing right now? We can watch them do it and you can voice your concerns to the others as well."

[ylvathrall]

You detect no evil auras, and don't currently see anyone approaching.

Teva shudders, looking less than pleased with that idea. "No," he says. "No, I...I don't want to be around her." The wolf pauses. "Maybe I'll just take a nap," he says. "I feel a little tired, and it might give me some time to calm down."

[Frosty]

Abigail

"Teva, I'm worried about you. Would you mind napping where I will be raising the people from the dead? That why I can be there if something happens to you?"

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys stares at Eclaire as she makes her case with a mix of anger and disbelief. Once she has finished he advances towards her slowly, speaking in a deliberately calm voice that does not completely mask the rage beneath. "You wish you take the body of an ancient hero, one who has defended this land for generations and without whom our way of life would have likely vanished before we were even born, then mutilate her still living body? A body which we are forced to take your word at being not still occupied by Avaleru, but instead by this mysterious witch whom you seem to know so much about? You have no magic, yet you know with absolute certainty that Avaleru is dead and I as well as everyone else who depends on Avaleru's protection is just supposed to believe you and accept the death of the greatest of our allies? The only reason I haven't killed you as an Irriseni spy already is because Freyr vouched for you, but you best come up with a better plan quickly lest his words leave my mind."

[ylvathrall]

"That's fine," Teva says. Indeed, the winter wolf doesn't hesitate in following you to the location, where he promptly curls up and begins snoring.

You're starting with the group you brought from before, then?

[Frosty]

Abigail begins resurrecting the last of the original group she brought with her. She promised them she would, and she keeps her promises. She keeps a nervous eye on Teva though, hoping that nothing is wrong with him.

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire, unflinching, answered: "Yes, indeed. That's what I intend to do. This is war, and there's no method I will not consider if it will save innocent lives-and there is no other way to keep the witch sealed. While indeed, I possess no magic of my own outside of a few combat appliances and my familiar, I am still a daughter of the Troyard family, and as such I've studied the vast arcane and divine magical secrets my family has discovered and stored for generations. I've dealt with spellcasters of multiple kinds during most of my time as an Empyreal Guardian. If you truly doubt my knowledge, then I dare you: Target me with whatever spell you might want. I will identify it and dismantle it without failure."

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys bares his teeth stoops down to stare directly into Eclaire's eyes, snarling at her from under an inch away "And for all this training, you've never heard of the spell Flesh to Stone? Seems rather more appropriate than your harebrained scheme."

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire answered: "Do you know of a local spellcaster with that spell in their arsenal? Although indeed, it would be a clean way to do it, there'd be no point if we cannot find someone who can cast said spell."

[TheOneHawk]

"I know a caster with teleport and a well connected city leader."

[Tuvarkz]

"Then let's go ask Freyr. But if there's no such caster available, let's go with my plan, shall we?"

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys steps aside and gestures for Eclaire to lead the way, stalking after her wordlessly back the way they had so recently come. Once they leave the warehouse, he spares two words for Sartha as she stands guard outside, "Wait here."

[ylvathrall]

Teva doesn't appear to be obviously injured, though he's sleeping heavily enough to suggest that he's genuinely exhausted.

There are five corpses from Ullerskad which have yet to be raised: a young couple, their daughter, and a pair of merchants.

You see something faintly reflective in the young man's chest. A closer examination finds a bit of metal, seemingly shoved into his torso. It looks like there are long, thin needles piercing several of his organs, which have been carefully hidden from a casual glance. If he were to be raised with those needles still in place, it seems likely that they would kill him again.

It's a DC 20 Heal check to remove the needles without damaging the body too extensively for raise dead to function.

Freyr listens to your explanation of the situation patiently, then sighs. "I expect someone can be found who is capable of the spell you're describing," he says to Jethrys. "But I question whether it's worth using. Our magical resources are already going to be severely tried over the coming days, and magic that strong could be used to help prepare for the war, or help us recover from this attack. Given that Sir Eclaire has a method which doesn't require that sort of magic, I'm unsure whether we can afford to use it on this." He sighs again. "I miss her too. It will be...hard, adjusting to her being gone. But we have to ask ourselves what Avaleru would want for us to do in this situation."

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys' face grows increasingly stony as Freyr speaks, only his eyes revealing the pain and betrayal he feels. Once the man has finished his piece, he bows his head ever so slightly and replies, barely above a whisper "As you say, Castellan Freyr." He then turns and walks to the door without sparing so much as a glance for Eclaire, saying as he goes "I had hoped there was some scrap of honour left in this land. I see my hope was misplaced." He then leaves the room and heads off to find the wizard who will take him to Hero's Rest.

[Tuvarkz]

Her face steeled with determination, Eclaire politely excused herself after Jethrys left, and hastened her way towards the storehouse, channeling the element of fire into giving the knight a burst of speed. She would not allow the witch to harm anyone ever again. Upon entering the storehouse, and alone with Vivian and the unconscious dragon, the Empyreal Guardian grimly performed her duty.

[ylvathrall]

You find the mage waiting outside Freyr's study. The elf looks exhausted, and he's clearly injured, but he nods as you approach, and manages the spell readily enough.

A few moments later, you're standing in the center of Hero's Rest. Stone monuments to various fallen warriors stand all around you, filling the entire valley with steles and runestones. There are no actual bodies here, as many of those who've died fighting against Irrisen over the centuries couldn't be recovered, and the rest were almost always cremated. Over hundreds of years, though, the Ulfen have turned this valley into the focus for their grieving, and turned the area into a field of memorials unlike anything else in the north.

A cave entrance in the hill across from you marks the entrance to Avaleru's lair.

The wizard wanders off to look at one of the gravestones, making it very obvious that he's just passing time until you're ready to go back to the city.

The guards keep the warehouse clear of any intruders while you go about your work, and the dragon doesn't regain consciousness while you do what needs done.

[Tuvarkz]

Somewhat tired as she finished, Eclaire explained to Davis what to do to make sure the sealing was permanent, confident that her cohort would be more than qualified to do it. Exiting the warehouse with the ranger and the alchemist, she explained to the guards to follow Davis's orders regarding the storehouse; looked at the other two paladins making watch and said: "It is done."; and then headed off once more to look for Freyr to see as how she would travel to meet the Linnorm Kings.

[TheOneHawk]

Jethrys strides off towards the cave without a word. Avaleru had told him what to do in case of her death, there was an unremarkable spot in her lair she had shown him for just this purpose. He had protested at the time, sure she would outlive him with ease. This was not the first time her wisdom had proven greater than his own. This memory is enough to crack his metaphorical armour, and by the time he reaches the aforementioned part of the cave there are tears streaming down his cheeks.

[Frosty]

Abigail's eyes not as sharp as she'd like them to be, she completely misses the hidden signs, and goes ahead to try to raise the young man. She is not actually trained in the medicinal arts, and has always relied on the supernatural to do the heavy lifting.

[Chaltah]

Sartha sighs as the words were spoken. This was a dire day indeed when a dragon had to seal the soul of a witch. But this was far from over, and decided it was probably for the best to continue to keep vigil over this place in case someone came to try and undo what had been done. She heaves a heavy sigh and rests a hand on the door, not daring enter and look upon the dragon's body. "Such a fate for one so great as her..." she says softly, wishing she could have done something more than just stand and wait.

[ylvathrall]

Freyr simply nods as Eclaire says that the work is done. "Ugly business," he says. "Now, as for the next order of business. I've only the one wizard that can teleport well enough to cross the distances you'll need to travel. I'm inclined to have him take you where you need to go, since making that happen as fast as possible is absolutely essential. He's taking Jethrys to Hero's Rest to recover Avaleru's hoard. He'll be able to take you west tomorrow. As to actually convincing them, I truly don't know what to suggest. Estrid is the most likely of the lot to listen, but her lands are also the farthest from here. I'd say she's the best place to start."

As you approach the dead-end tunnel where Avaleru told you to go, you're surprised by a sudden swirl of light at the end of the tunnel. A moment later, Avaleru is standing in front of you in her natural form, perfectly detailed and as real as the rock around you.

"Jethrys," she says. "This is a programmed image. If you're seeing this, I am dead. Please don't be sad. I've had a long life now, and I'm ready to face what comes next. I'm sorry to leave you, and I wouldn't have done so if I had a choice in the matter. But sometimes we don't any of us have a choice."

The great dragon sighs. "There are so many things I want to say to you," she says. "I've always looked on you as my son, and I couldn't be more proud of how you grew up. I know you're probably feeling scared right now, and sad, and angry. But you can do this. I believe in you. You're stronger than you think you are. When things seem dark, remember that.

"Now, I suspect that I was killed in the war with Irrisen. It seems likely that they will attack soon, and when they do I will be their first target. I have made preparations in case that does happen. You will find them in the room behind me; the switch to open the door is under my left leg. There are weapons in that room which you may find helpful; I have been stockpiling them for this day for a very long time now. There is also a lever. Don't pull the lever until you're ready to leave this place forever. I have ensured that Hero's Rest will be protected when I am gone, but my protections will not know you from an enemy."

Avaleru is silent for a moment, and then says, "Words are insufficient to convey everything I want to tell you. I suppose I simply have to hope that you already know what I want to say. I am so proud of you. Goodbye."

The image of the dragon then dissolves into sparkles of silver light, before fading entirely.

The young man returns to life as you expected, and for a moment it seems as though everything is going as you would hope. Only seconds after he opens his eyes, though, his expression changes from joy to confusion, and then to agony. He screams, blood streaming from his mouth, and begins tearing at his own body, ripping away flesh to get at the needles buried in his organs. His movements are strong, but clumsy; he's clearly unable to focus through the pain. After a few moments, as the metal becomes visible, he stops moving entirely and collapses back to the ground. His screaming dies away to an agonized whimper, and after a few seconds more he stops breathing again.

Teva, woken by the screaming, stares at the body in shock.

Okay, even if Abigail had the heal skill to take the needles out, she didn't really have time to do anything. I rolled his saves and Constitution damage, and it was enough to kill him in five rounds, considerably fewer than the twelve necessary to actually remove the needles. You can try (the Heal check in this part is just to reduce the damage that removing the needles does, without which the 2d6 damage per round would probably be enough to kill him anyway), but even if you do I don't think there's a way to get around the Constitution damage.

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire nodded, saying: "Understood." Her mind now moving on to other pressing subjects, she asked, looking somewhat worried: "Did Abigail or someone else ask for a spellcaster with the Break Enchantment spell? Otherwise, Teva must still be cursed, and a simple Remove Curse spell won't be potent enough."

[TheOneHawk]

The sight of Avaleru's message drops Jethrys to his knees with grief, and there he remains long after the last remnants of the image fade away. Eventually, however, he recovers himself and wipes away the tears. "Please don't be sad, he murmers, "Winning this damned war by myself seems a more reasonable goal." He gets to his feet and looks wistfully at where the image had appeared, as though hoping for one last glimpse of Avaleru, before sighing and flipping the switch she had mentioned.

[ylvathrall]

Freyr looks confused for a moment before understanding dawns on his face. "You mean the wolf?" he says. "That's...I will be blunt, Sir Eclaire. There are very few people in this city who are capable of the degree of magic you're describing. And that sort of magic is incredibly valuable for us in preparing for the next attack. It would be as easy to raise the dead or build fortifications to protect our troops as to break a curse of the sort that was cast on him. To be frank, I don't know that I can justify expending that resource on what is, let us be honest, a rather unremarkable soldier." The castellan sighs heavily. "I hate to say this, but I'm afraid he may simply have to cope with it until resources aren't quite so starkly limited."

You find the switch right where the illusion told you to look, though you'd likely never have noticed it without that hint. Upon tripping it, the cave wall in front of you slides down into the floor, the mechanism so expertly crafted that even after watching the whole thing happen you find it hard to believe that the opening it reveals wasn't always there.

The room inside doesn't look terribly remarkable. It's small, certainly too small for Avaleru to have fit inside in her natural form, and it looks strangely unfinished. Where most of her lair is worn smooth by centuries of use, the walls shaped and carved until it hardly looks like a cave at all, this pocket looks raw. You can still see claw marks where, you realize, Avaleru must have dug this space out of the rock herself.

The contents look rather simple for the importance Avaleru seems to have placed on them. There's a stone table, little more than a slab of rock, on which is resting a large book bound in black leather. On the wall behind it you can see several weapons, resting on simple pegs. The center is a greatsword, impractically long, in a scabbard of white leather with silver fittings. To the right is a spear, pure black wood with a head of black iron, completely without decoration. To the left is a longbow made of pale bone, the arms of which are carved with a very subtle geometric design.

The stone around the weapons is cut with Draconic runes warning against their use in any but the most dire circumstances. You feel an inexplicable sense of unease looking at them; you couldn't say what, but something about those things seems horribly significant. It feels like they're watching you.

On the wall to your right, you see a simple stone lever.

[Tuvarkz]

Eclaire nodded in acceptance, although she wasn't clearly entirely in agreement: "Very well. Then I shall retire for now to rest, unless my help is needed elsewhere."

[Frosty]

I'm a bit confused here. Ok, so the guy is dead again. Why can't Abigail get someone to help remove the needles now, and then raise the guy again? Removing the needles while the guy si dead won't do any extra damage. He's already dead.

[TheOneHawk]

This wasn't Avaleru's hoard, not by a long shot. These items, however, were likely incredibly powerful if Avaleru had put this much effort into protecting them. Jethrys quickly casts about the area for magic, then walks up and examines the book more closely.

[Frosty]

Abigail

Abigail is horrified and frustrated at what happened, and mentally slaps herself for making the young man suffer in such a way. Seeing that Teva is heavily asleep, she decides to let him be and go off to find a skilled healer that can help. She asks around for local churches, hoping to find a temple of Sarenrae. If not, then Desna, and then other good deities. Surely there must a cleric skilled in medicine.