Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Marquis de Sade" data-source="post: 3163799" data-attributes="member: 25787">Marauder Attack!So, the heroes are back in Melvaunt having defeated the Orc Warlord Thrull and his plans to unite the orctribes of Thar (Sons of Gruumsh). They spend a couple of weeks resting, training and resupplying. The letter they found in the orc citadel Xûl-Jarak is indeed worrysome and hints of war in the south of Faerun. In a place called Misty Vale (Elsir Vale). The heroes know that they must travel to Misty Vale to inform the inhabitants of this lurking danger. They use the letter of credit they got from one of the noble families as a ticket for one of the ships that cross the Moonsea and head south through the Dragon Reach and continues to cross the gigantic Sea of Fallen Stars. They continue south through the Vilhon Reach and sail down the river Nagaflow and the lake Nagawater. After many weeks at sea they end up in Ormpetarr, a town on the trade route the Golden Road. There they enlist as guards for a caravan heading further south and eventually they pass Lake Lhespen (Lake Rhest) and enter the Misty Vale.As they get closer to the vale they hear stories of war from people they meet. It seems that war is urgent and the small towns in the valley are trying to prepare for it. But as the heroes travel through villages and towns it is obvious that these peaceful farming communities are not used to defend themselves. The militias being set up look incompetent and weak. The adventurers are not comforted by what they see.The heroes are:Geth Helder, Human Swashbuckler/Fighter/Dervish, 3rd/2nd/1stEluard, Aasimar Cleric/Church Inquisitor, 5th/1stAnor, Elven Ranger, 6thEruan, Elven Warmage, 4thFalrinn, Svirfneblin Druid, 2ndVrinn, Drow Rogue, 1stWe play with Geth Helder, Eluard, Anor, and Eruan as main characters, and use Falrinn and Vrinn as cohorts. They are low-level PCs played by new players. This is a method we use to introduce new players and new PCs into our campaign. RHoD is designed for 4 PCs of 5th-6th level so our main PCs are spot on.As the players enter the woods just north of Drellin´s Ferry, they are victims of a well-staged and fierce ambush. Arrows rain down on them from fortified positions up in the tree-crowns, as the PCs franticly get ready for battle. They were lucky with their spot checks though. Only Geth Helder was surprised. But he rolls a high initiative instead. As did I the DM! The RHoD warriors are disciplined and trained. They know their targets. They fire primarily against the spellcasters and the point man Anor who carries a visible gigantic Mighty Hunting Composite Longbow +3 (+3 Str). They score several hits on Anor, Eruan, and Eluard, but no serious damage. The Hellhounds rush out from the undergrowth and breaths fire on Anor and Eluard. Anor starts feeling the pressure as he gets hit again by arrows from the snipers. Anor takes off into the trees trying to get cover. Eruan pounds the enemy marksmen with his offensive spells Magic Missile, Snowball Storm, and Lesser Acid Orb. Farlinn summons his natures allies wardog and uses his animal companion, an owl, to distract enemy shooters. The enemy Cleric fails with Hold Person and Command. The low DCs being no problem for lucky players and experienced heroes! But it´s a tough battle that lingers on. Eluard starts using his spells to boost hitpoints and with Prayer he boost their rolls +1 and at the same time lower enemies rolls -1. Vrinn is starting to get low on arrows, having only 10 arrows total. The enemy Blade Bearer scores a few hits but then misses a lot. I guess he was nervous when he saw his comrades fall.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />  The heroes take out the Hellhounds pretty easy, and when also the enemy Cleric falls they are in control of the situation. Eruan is brutally effective with his spells that kill a lot of enemy troops. Anor can fire 3 arrows per round (rapid shot) and started taking out the snipers in the trees. When our session ended only 3 enemy marksmen remained up in the trees. The battle already won.But with victory comes many questions. Have the enemy already built up blockades and ambush-sites around the Misty Vale? Where is the enemy army located? Are they near? How much time do the heroes have to prepare for war? Where is Vraath Keep where the alledged commander Wyrmlord Koth resides?Hopefully next session will provide a few answers! To be continued!</blockquote>

Verification