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Chapter 3: "Invasion"

March 29, 2003
Ramagi, Pedro Gil
Mon Macutay, DM

Dramatis Personae

Amenrath Sethnakhtehamen, Jackalwere Psychic Warrior (3) 1, CG © by Myk Roman
Quinntalis "DeadBane" Galendale, Elven Curst, Ranger (3) 1, CG © by Jet
Malcolm Silverbrow, Irda Paladin of Bahamut (1) 3, LG © by Chris Cruz
Alliana, Gold Elf Wizard 2, NG © by Prixie Tan
Scion Puremind, Human Thief/Psion 2, © by Oliver Valencia
Tarion Gourn, Aasimar Fighter (1) 3, NG © by Dindo Moreno

*Special Guest Appearance of Glenn Chua (who played Jakob Firehand)


Escape from the fort

25TH of Ches, Claw of Sunsets 1371DR (The Year of the Unstrung Harp)

Dereth leads the party, together with 20 rescued prisoners from the fort, to freedom. Along the way (while evading an orc war party), they spot a military camp of over a thousand-strong orcs, goblins and giants headed towards Targos. They estimate the invading force to arrive in 5 - 6 days.

Dereth suggests that the party detour to the Underdark. The other party members agree. Since the prisoners are ill-equipped to deal with the cold, they have to risk the dangers of drow and other Underdark denizens to make headway towards Targos.

Into the Underdark

A day into the dangerous realm of the Underdark, the Company encounter Choldrith (spider-like monsters which are the direct creations of Lloth, Queen of Drow and the Demonweb Pits). The Choldrith control their minions, the Chitine, small and agile 4-armed humanoids. The Chitine have set up traps.( Amen was among the unlucky who was caught in one of the webbed traps). While the Choldrith, who are also spell-casting clerics, aid the Chitine with spells from afar.

With a degree of diffculty, our heroes defeat the beasts and set the webbed caverns on fire.

A few minutes later, they are accosted by a drow patrol led by a certain male rogue named Nym.

Nym, asks the characters to lower their weapons. The drow wish them no harm. Malcolm and Dereth introduce themselves and revealed their true intentions of using the passageways to get to Targos.

While the others geared up for a second fight, Nym surprises the party by thanking them for disposing of "the foul creations of the bitch queen, Lloth." Surprising words, indeed, for a drow...

Apparently, Nym and his drow patrol are worshippers of Vheareun, the drow god of males. Areligious sect opposed to the teachings of the matriarchal-Lloth worshippers. Nym informs the party that they have been trying to clear this sector of Choldrith activity and they thank the characters for "helping out". They have been separated from their brothers at Cormanthor (they owe allegiance to Jez the Lame) and will reunite with them at an "appropriate time".

As a "token of drow hospitality", Nym agrees to guide the characters to the tunnels which will egress to Targos.

Arriving at the sealed tunnels under the docks, Quinntalis swims through the ice floe, surfaces at the docks and informed Tarion Gourn of the situation. Tarion, together with his aide, Scion Puremind, helped the prisoners and the party out of the tunnels.

Preparing for War

The Palisade before the invasion

Emma and Dereth are reunited at last. The Moonblade is returned to Emma.

Meanwhile, Dereth, Malcolm and Jakob Firehand convene the town council led by Uldrec. Present during the meeting were Ulbrec, Lady Elytharra, Bednir, Dereth, Emma, Vagrad the dock master, Hedron Kerdos (leader of the Luskan mercenaries), Garius Subeth the Paladin/Cleric of Torm and the player-characters.

Malcolm breaks out the urgent news about the humanoid army marching towards Targos. Ulbrec sends messengers to Bryn Shander and the Great Worm Barbarians for pleas of help and reinforcements.

Also, Ulbrec allows the Company to set up defenses and lead some of the forces in the defense of Targos.

Tarion and Puremind rally some men from the populace and gave them 'crash courses' on bow and sword fighting.

Jakob Firehand leads a garrison of mercenaries and dig up trenches and fortify the palisade with ice and snow walls.

Lady Elythara and Alliana gather up the spellcasters and brief them on tactics and defensive spell selections..

Amen and Quin inspect the palisade and instruct their archers to take up key positions during the defensive stand.

Malcolm gets a vision from Bahamut that "help will arrive…"

Setting up defenses, organizing units and briefing the men took most of the day. When dawn broke, they find 1,200 angry, fanatic humanoids beyond the palisade, hell-bent on Targos' destruction.

Defending Targos

The Palisade defenders prepare for the invading army...

Tarion positions his archers outside the palisade (under trenches). He also has a 'shield wall' of Luskan pikemen positioned just outside the town gates. Malcolm and Garius Subeth lead the 20 Paladins of Torm and 100 luskan infantry positioned on the NW hill awaiting orders to flank and run the attackers.

Meanwhile; Amen, Puremind and Quinntalis setup their archers on top of the palisades.

The orcs begin the assault taking heavy casualties from Tarion's archers. Malcolm leads the cavalry and assaults the left flank of the orcish army consisting of Hill Giants and goblins defending the siege machines. The paladins of Torm destroy the 2 siege engines before retreating to the safety of the palisade.

Tarion loses 2 units of archers to orc grunts. Amen, Quin and Puremind send a barrage of arrows against the assaulting orc elite forces.

The giants and the orc elites finally crush the main gates with their ram. The archers retreat to the roof of the buildings within the palisade while Malcolm's paladins and Tarion himself make a defensive stand. Tarion takes a critical hit from a hill giant sending him reeling to the ground in great pain.

The defenders are outnumbered. It will only be a mater of time before the town is sacked.

As if on cue, Malcolm's sword heralds the arrival of 400 barbarians from the Great Worm tribe and 300 militia from Bryn Shander!

The orcs having a hard time against the Palisade archers

With a resounding battle cry, the barbarians overrun the orcish elite while the forces from Bryn Shander make short work of the goblin archers. Morale is boosted and the Targos defenders finally crush the giants and the orc elite just within the walls.

The humanoid army breaks down and the rest retreat back to the Spine of the World.

Targos, once again, is safe… at least, for the moment.

Murders

Amidst the jubilant cheers, Jakob Firehand reveals to the others that Ulbrec and Emma Moonblade have been murdered! Dereth is nowhere to be found. Alliana, meanwhile, remembers the ornate mirror which Malcolm showed him and told everyone that it could be a magical Mirror of Opposition.

Bednir, Ulbec's son and his wife, Lady Elythara, mourn Ulbrec's death. Lady Elythara also adds that Ulbrec does not wish to be raised from death. Emma, on the other hand has served under Lady Alustriel of Silverymoon, the only place where powerful priests can cast resurrection.

Gjal, leader of the Uthgardth barbarians, reveals the existence of a magical portal which leads to the High Forest. They volunteer to take the party to portal so that they can make haste towards Silverymoon.

Lady Elythara prepares Emma's body and also makes preparations for Ulbrec's burial.

The party, meanwhile, make inquiries and investigations into the matter. They gather several leads and information regarding the High Forest and also about the possibility of the drow having visited Targos recently.

They make preparations to go to the portal and henceforth to Silverymoon.

Where is the Dereth? Is the one the party rescued, a Clone? If so, is the real Dereth alive? What was the motivation of the clone to murder Ulbrec and Emma? What about the drow? How do they fit into the picture? What will become of Targos politics after Ulbrec's death?

All this and more will be answered next episode…


QUOTABLE QUOTES

Puremind: "they're inside the tunnels? I will prepare the healers…"
Tarion: "Aiee… we're a small town, we don't have much healers. Some of the best are inside those tunnels…"

==

Glenn: "the avariel will be flying 300 feet high and will be dropping alchemist fire on the army. No spell or arrow can reach him!"
DM: "ahhh… Glenn, I wouldn't count on that…"
Glenn: "Okay, he'll be 1,050 feet"
Dindo: "Sheesh…. Somebody text Erwin. There's gotta be something there he WON'T like…"

==

Jakob (played by Glenn): "maybe we can tie-up a rider and an archer in one horse so they can harass the siege engines?"
Ulbrec: "we don't have professional soldiers… much less acrobats…"

==

Malcolm: "Don't worry… help will come…"


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