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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ilgatto" data-source="post: 9823308" data-attributes="member: 86051">Swords & Spells, or: Coming of Age Part III: Fire on King’s LakeDay 185, continued: “Surely we can all agree that sinking Mim’s barges will weaken him?,” the chevalier cuts in. “We will disrupt his supply lines, he will lose his hold on the rivers and King’s Lake, he will lose revenue and men. Every man we take is one less for his army.”“Certainly,” Navarre says. “It’s just that I’d rather leave the matter to men better suited to the arts of stealth and murder.”“Tiens,” the chevalier muses. “Eh, bien! He must build his barges somewhere, quoi? We must raid his wharf!”“His wharf is in Big Beach,” Sir Oengus’ noble sister says. “You would have to get past his barges at the Sanctuary.”“I’ve counted around a dozen ships down there,” Sir Suvali says. “Ten, maybe fifteen.”“Consider this,” Sir Oengus says. “Taking down the blockade at Lake River would also give us control of King’s Lake.”“True,” Navarre muses. “Your water liners can deal with the other blockades. Free the rimward duchies from his hold.”“En outre, it would trap his elite forces on Apple Island,” the chevalier ventures.“Just so,” Navarre agrees. “I still say that taking Apple Island for the Alliance would send a powerful signal.”“Maybe so,” Sir Oengus’ noble sister says. “But time is running out. The latest is that Mim has rejected the ultimatum, and that the armies are expected to meet on the Sanctuary green when the rains stop. That leaves you fifteen, perhaps twenty-five days at best.”The conversation continues throughout the rest of the morning, and it now seems almost certain that the fight for the throne will be decided in a traditional battle on the common at the Sanctuary of Ilm. Troop movements and tactics are discussed, and then, when one of the Nisibis barons informs our noble heroes that only about half of the Kingsmen have sided with the Alliance, a herald arrives.“To whom it may concern!,” he proclaims. “Let it be known that We, His Majesty, Mim the Younger, Duke Mim, Rightful King of the Realm, Et Cetera, Et Cetera, condemn the unlawful and murderous attempts on Our Royal Assessors in the strongest terms! We demand an immediate cessation of these cowardly and unannounced acts of banditry! By Royal Decree, an exchange of prisoners is to be effected at the earliest convenience, and twenty silver pieces are to be paid in recompense for each head unlawfully taken!”“By Olm!”, Navarre fumes. “The bloody nerve of the fellow! Banditry, indeed!”“Quite absurd,” the chevalier agrees. “Eh, bien! Messieurs, I see that luncheon is about to be served, and I suggest we get down to brass tacks. Eber?”“I say we take down the blockade at Lake River first,” Sir Eber says. “After that, I suggest we take to the forests at the Tree and wage a campaign of terror against his army. Bring down as many men as possible before the battle begins.”“I agree with the first bit,” Sir Oengus says. “Sail down the lake and continue on foot through Palava.”“It’s river blockades for me,” Sir Suvali says. “I can even do this alone. Fly up to them one by one, cast Web a couple of times, and torch the lot.”“I say we take the battle to Mim himself,” Navarre says. “I will throw him the gauntlet…”“Navarre!,” Sir Suvali interrupts. “What spells can your court sorcerer cast?”“Haven’t got the foggiest, old bean,” Navarre says. “Barely know the fellow.”“Eber?”“How should I know?,” the ranger says. “I spend my time in the forest.”“Scaralat?”“A-ha-ha-ha!,” the chevalier laughs apologetically. “I do believe that the man has un faible pour les champignons! Ah! Oui! And for lazuline robes! A man of exquisite tastes!”Sir Oengus, for his part, declares that he wasn’t aware of any sorcerers serving his noble family in any capacity – likely with good reason. A quick review of the ducal sorcerers of the rimward duchies informs our noble heroes that the one in Nisibis is sixty-eight years old and can cast Read Magic, Ventriloquism, and Knock, and that the one in Sarazin is ninety-eight years old and can cast Friends, Grease, and Detect Invisibility. Which is hardly the stuff of battlefield legends to say the least – and dashes any hopes Sir Suvali may have had of an army of sorcerers coming to the aid of the Alliance. Fortunately, it also becomes clear that the enemy’s sorcerers (Mim, Thuxra, Palava) don’t have any spells worth mentioning either. It goes without saying that our noble heroes would have had considerable difficulty suppressing many derisive remarks had they not been such experienced players.After a copious lunch, our noble heroes decide that, for now, taking down Mim’s blockade of Lake River will perhaps best serve their own interests and those of the rimward duchies. They have been informed that the Nisibis camp can supply them with roughly two-and-a-half gallons of a naphtha-like liquid, and about ten times that in lamp oil, and so they prepare a number of fire bombs. They plan to take two barges – one with their horses on board – down the lake, drop anchor some four miles rimward of the blockade, and then continue through the Palavan forests on horseback. Soldiers supplied by Sir Oengus’ noble sister will take the barges back to Nisibis.Day 186: Our noble heroes disembark late in the afternoon. It has been raining steadily all day, and they mount up and continue their journey along a path through the wet, foggy forest. Not long after, they come across an animal trail, where Sir Eber finds evidence of wild boar passing no more than two hours ago.“It’s a giant boar,” he says, dismounting. “I am going after it.”Though his noble companions express their distinct displeasure at the prospect of risking life and limb before they even get to the blockade, the ranger is not to be dissuaded.“It’s an abomination,” he insists. “It must be brought down.”“Right,” Navarre sighs. “But we will go with you.”“What for?,” Sir Eber scoffs. “Think I can’t handle a boar?”“Not at all, mon ami, not at all,” the chevalier comes in. “But it can’t hurt to have some back-up, quoi?”“Alright,” Sir Eber concedes. “But I will face the monster alone.”“Then we will drive it toward you,” Navarre says. “We will keep our distance after that.”“Fine,” Sir Eber says. “Start moving.”“Eh, bien!,” the chevalier says, taking the ranger’s horse by the reins. “Taïaut, mon ami! I will remain here with your horse!”And so, Sir Oengus, Sir Suvali, and Navarre spread out and guide their mounts deeper into the forest, followed by Sir Eber moving along the animal trail. They haven’t gone far before they spy a huge patch of thick brambles ahead, and the ranger signals that this is the lair of the giant boar. The noble riders start circling the area, and when something stirs and grunts within the brambles, Sir Eber advances to within ten yards of it – and then three wild boar, one medium-sized sow and two sounders, burst out and scatter. A second later, a giant boar – easily the size of a small pony – appears and charges Sir Eber. Well, so much for the driving.The noble trio fire their bows in a reflex, though only Navarre manages to hit the beast as his noble companions struggle to control their panicked mounts. The giant boar crashes into Sir Eber, and each inflicts notable wounds on the other. Seeing that things are not at all going as planned, Navarre drops his crossbow and draws his sword – but then the monstrous boar is hit by a volley of magic missiles from Sir Suvali, and twice by Sir Eber, and the fight is over.“Right,” Navarre says, riding up to his noble cousin. “Satisfied, oh Nimrod?”But Sir Eber ignores him and instead announces that he will now skin and butcher the boar and keep its teeth as trophies.After the better part of an hour, our noble heroes continue their journey through the forest. When they finally reach the blockade, they take position on a vantage point in the forest about an hour’s ride duskward, where they start making their preparations. Still smarting from his mishaps during the last assault, the chevalier announces that he will be in charge of securing the cargo hatches this time, and so it falls to Navarre to join Sir Eber at the hatch to the crew’s quarters.As evening falls, the sorcerer takes to the air to and heads for the blockade. As expected, the area is well-lit, and he spies eight archers on the deck of each barge. He spends some time searching the forest for signs of hidden enemy forces but finds none.“It’s thirty yards of open ground to the nearest trees, here, so we can’t spread out,” he says, pointing to a rough sketch of the area upon his return. “Eight lookouts all over the deck means that I may have to cast Sleep more than once to get all of them. They may have time to warn the second ship.”“Tiens,” the chevalier muses. “It would appear that we can take only one barge this time.”“Agreed,” Sir Suvali says. “I’ll cast Sleep on the lookouts and you will attack. Then I’ll use the naphtha to set fire to the second ship and destroy it.”“I can follow in your wake as you approach the first barge,” Sir Eber says. “They won’t hear me coming, and I can have the gangplank in place before they can raise the alarm.”“Okay,” Sir Suvali says. “But don’t board the ship before I have cast my spells.”“We’ll see,” Sir Eber replies.“Are we still taking the barge around Apple Island on the way back?,” Navarre asks. “See what’s what up there?”“To be sure, lubber,” Sir Oengus says. “If the wind holds, the whole trip should take about five hours.”Night: Our noble heroes set out for the river at midnight and they are in position about an hour later. Sir Suvali takes to the air and flies some distance out on King’s Lake before turning and approaching the first barge. Having counted the seconds, Sir Eber advances toward the barge just when Sir Suvali casts his first Sleep spell.The spell sends four of the lookouts into a slumber, but this also somehow results in a lantern coming crashing down onto the deck from somewhere up in the mast. With Sir Eber now about halfway to the barge, the remaining lookouts jump up, and one of them manages to blow a horn before Sir Suvali can cast his second spell and all of them sag to the deck fast asleep. At the sound of the horn, the chevalier sprints for the barge with the oars of the folding boat slung across his shoulder, the others close behind. By the time Sir Eber drops the gangplank, two soldier-types – likely militiamen or conscripts again – have already appeared on deck.“Peril and ill-tidings!,” they cry. “The assassins are here!”Two more militiamen appear as Sir Eber boards the barge, and he charges them to clear the way for the chevalier behind him. Blows are exchanged and one of the militiamen has already fallen to the Sword of Shadows when the chevalier leaps aboard, sprints to the starboard gunnel, drops the oars, and joins the fray. Well, he would, wouldn’t he?Navarre and Sir Oengus board next – Navarre charging the militiamen at the stern while Sir Oengus moves to the fore, bow ready, and eyes fixed on the second barge, where Sir Suvali is preparing to dump his load of oil onto the deck. On the stern, the militiamen fail to hit Sir Eber, the chevalier, and Navarre, but the noble trio strike true and so Sir Eber and the chevalier dispatch their opponents. But two more militiamen appear and attack, keeping the trio from reaching the hatch.“Secure the hatches!,” the chevalier yells to Navarre, landing a hit on one of the new arrivals.Cursing the chevalier and his fickle ways, Navarre is left no choice but to back away from his opponent and start looking the oars – wherever his noble friend has left them. He manages to hit his opponent but doesn’t bring him down, so Sir Eber does so for him almost as an afterthought – though he does yell ‛Sorry!’ when he rolls a critical hit with the Sword of Shadows. Duringst the meanwhile, Sir Suvali has dumped about five gallons of oil onto a number of coiled ropes on the deck of the second barge. Presently militiamen and even some actual soldiers begin to emerge from all three hatches.“We’re under attack!,” they shout when they see the fighting on the first barge. “Release the hawsers!”When twenty-five militiamen and soldiers have appeared on deck and the second barge is about to cast off, Sir Suvali casts Web, trapping all but one of them in its sticky strands.“Oengus!,” he hollers. “Fire!”Some time before all of this, on the first barge, Sir Oengus notices that no one is securing the cargo hatches. And so he announces that he’ll leave Sir Suvali to it to take care of that himself. But he has only managed to secure the first hatch with some lines before he sees second begin to open. Mustering all of his strength, he tries to keep it closed, but he has to give up when he loses an ‛Opposed Strength check’, just as he hears Sir Suvali call out to him.With his opponent down and Sir Eber covering his retreat, Navarre hurries to the fore, leaving the oars where they are – first because he hasn’t found them, and second because it’s too late now anyway. He barrels past Sir Oengus to the open cargo hatch, where two militiamen are attempting to climb on deck from hammocks suspended in the hatchway. He swings at one but misses, and the second is now on the deck on the far side.“Eber!,” he yells. “Incoming!”He tries to hit the first militiaman again but fumbles his attack, and now the second militiaman comes charging past him for Sir Oengus. But he, too, fumbles his attack, and so Sir Oengus’ flaming arrow reaches the second barge just after Sir Suvali has cast yet another Web. Both webs flare up instantly, and the trapped militiamen and soldiers are engulfed in flames, perishing in seconds. The only soldier not caught by the webs falls moments later, struck by another of Sir Oengus’ arrows.Back on the first barge, there is now no stopping the militiamen from swarming all over the deck, and a furious melee erupts. But our noble heroes make their attacks count and take but little damage themselves, while the militiamen fall like flies. Navarre even manages to roll “20”, “20”, and “16” in succession, thereby finally killing his first opponent of ever with a single attack sequence. When only six militiamen still remain standing, two of them already severely wounded, the enemy drop their weapons and surrender, calling for parley. The whole thing hasn’t lasted a quarter of an hour.“Start tying yourselves up,” the chevalier orders, gesturing the militiamen to the mast with a casual wave. “We’ll be with you in a moment.”And so, while Sir Suvali sets about extinguishing the fires on the second barge, Sir Eber and Navarre begin tying up the sleeping militiamen and dragging them to the mast, where the other militiamen are, indeed, busy tying each other up.The chevalier has disembarked to collect the horses, and when he returns and the horses are on board, Sir Suvali has extinguished the fires on the second barge. Sir Oengus steers the first barge across the river until it rests alongside the second barge, and then our noble heroes set about tying both vessels together for the return journey.When all is ready and the militiamen are all fast asleep and locked away in the forehold of the first barge, our noble heroes take a breather on deck.“My Lords,” Navarre says, procuring a bottle of cider from his saddlebags. “A toast.”“Did you see them burn?!,” Sir Suvali yells, clearly reveling in the devastation he has wrought. In fact, he hasn’t stopped talking about it since the fight ended, rather to the chagrin of his noble fellows. Indeed, some of them have been remarkably silent for a while, and perhaps the manner in which they are sowing death and destruction has begun weighing on even their conscience, too – like it has been on Navarre’s ever since they started their ‛covert operations’.So our noble hero hasn’t yet opened his bottle when Sir Oengus interrupts him.“There be no boozin’ tonight, by thunder!,” he hollers at him. “Sails away, lubbers! We’ve got five hours under sail ahead of us before we reach the next blockade!”“We’ll take them all!,” Sir Suvali shouts. Yeah, there’s no stopping him now.“Prepare the ballistas!,” Sir Oengus bellows. “Put yer backs into it, ye scurvy dogs!”Day 187: A fortuitous and strong wind brings our noble heroes close to the reinstated blockade at the mouth of the River Dusk about an hour sooner than expected, just a couple of hours before sunset. The rain has stopped, and they have been sailing at a reduced speed and carrying only the faintest of lights for about half an hour when they first glimpse the enemy vessels, bathed in their own lantern light.When they were crossing the lake to get here, our noble heroes decided to attack the second blockade as well, and spurred on by their earlier successes, they haven’t given the matter too much thought. The plan is to set fire to the vessel to larboard – the one moored on the Sarazin side of the river – and then board the second, with Sir Suvali, who has been asleep for most of the journey, once again using Sleep spells to eliminate the lookouts.As they sail into the mouth of the river, Sir Oengus angles his barges to the stream to reduce their speed even more. Sir Suvali takes to the air again and approaches his target, taking care to avoid the light shed by the lanterns and torches on the shore. When he is close enough, he spies ten archers on deck, six of whom he drops with his first Sleep spell.When the barges bringing the rest of our noble heroes start looming in the light of the enemy vessel’s lanterns, Sir Eber and the chevalier use the starboard ballistas to fire a harpoon and grappling hook attached to lines at it to facilitate their approach – except that, of course, the chevalier actually changes his mind and fires his grappling hook directly at one of the remaining lookouts instead. He even manages to hit the man in the process, albeit to minimal effect.But the harpoon does settle into the side of the enemy vessel as planned, and Navarre and Sir Eber start reeling in the line with all of their strength, further drawing their barges toward it. When they are almost alongside, Sir Suvali’s second Sleep spell drops the remaining lookouts before they have had much of a chance to react. Nevertheless, as they sag to the deck, a lantern comes crashing down from somewhere up in the mast once more.“Alarm!,” a voice yells from across the water. “The bandits! Alarm! Murderers!”To the grinding and tearing sound of barges scraping against barges at an angle – and with their own still moving at some speed – Sir Eber, Navarre, and the chevalier jump aboard the enemy vessel. Navarre is once again in charge of securing the cargo hatches, and Sir Eber and the chevalier sprint to the smaller hatch aft of the mast. When they find it open, the ranger closes it without much ado, just as Sir Suvali starts shouting overhead.“Retreat!,” he hollers. “Retreat!”On the shore, thirty, forty, fifty men in leather armor are emerging from the forest at speed.Reacting instantly, Sir Eber, Navarre, and the chevalier abandon their posts and run for the larboard gunnel, where Sir Oengus is yelling at them to “Cut the lines, by thunder!” just as one of Sir Suvali’s fire bombs shatters on deck somewhere behind them. The noble trio manage to scramble back aboard their barges, upon which Sir Eber cuts the line and the chevalier hurls his lantern onto the deck of the enemy vessel, followed by a fire bomb from Navarre.“Luff and touch her, by thunder!,” Sir Oengus hollers, steering away from the enemy vessel and trying to pick up speed as best he can.Overhead, Sir Suvali flies across the river to the second enemy vessel, where militiamen and soldiers are now pouring from all three hatches. When there are about twenty men on deck and the vessel is about to cast off, he casts Web, trapping most of the men in the sticky mass.As Sir Oengus, Sir Eber, and Navarre are frantically working to gain speed, the chevalier starts firing flaming arrows at the second enemy vessel, first igniting one of the magical webs, and then the second. All men on deck perish in the resulting inferno.Back on the first enemy vessel, the crewmen and soldiers have managed to extinguish the fires caused by the fire bombs thrown by Sir Suvali and Navarre. Orders are hollered to man the ballistas and prepare for cast off, and Sir Oengus yells to Sir Eber and Navarre to deal with the situation. And so the noble duo leave their posts and run to the starboard gunnel, where Sir Eber hurls a fire bomb onto the deck of the enemy vessel, and Navarre, who has run out of them, starts firing his crossbow, to some effect when he rolls “20” and “15”.And then, as yet another magical web appears on the deck of the enemy vessel, and one of the flaming arrows of the chevalier causes it to flare up to devastating effect, stones begin raining down on our noble heroes from the shore.“Slingers!,” Sir Oengus yells. “Let go and haul! Take them down, by thunder!”Ducking for cover behind the gunnels, Sir Eber and Navarre see that the men on the shore have overtaken their barges and are now lined up along the towpath, where they are presently readying another volley.“Take this!,” Sir Eber yells, dropping a bag of fire bombs on the deck between himself and Navarre after he has taken one of them and hurled it at the slingers on the shore.Another rain of stones pelts the deck, and Navarre and Sir Eber are hit, though not as badly as Sir Oengus, who stubbornly refuses to let go of the wheel and continues steering his barges before the wind. Navarre and Sir Eber hurl two more fire bombs at the slingers, and now the chevalier joins them and starts firing arrows at the men, dispatching one of them. But it is far from enough and the slingers launch another volley – and Sir Oengus takes the brunt of the attack once more. Though severely wounded by now, the intrepid captain refuses to take cover and continues to steer his barges to catch every breath of wind, slowly but steadily increasing the distance to the shore and the slingers.And then, when Sir Eber and Navarre hurl the last of their fire bombs and the slingers ready yet another volley, a massive explosion erupts aboard the enemy vessel to starboard. Screaming in pain and terror, soldiers start jumping overboard to escape the raging inferno that is now their vessel, many of them sill ablaze when they hit the water.The effect on the slingers is immediate: their number already greatly reduced by the fire bombs, those in the first line break formation and start running for the forest. And when the arrows and bolts of Sir Eber, the chevalier, and Navarre, wreak further havoc, all remaining slingers retreat.“Reef the sails!,” Sir Oengus hollers, as his barges are picking up ever more speed and the distance to the enemy vessels increases.High on adrenaline, Navarre lowers his crossbow and turns to look at the Wagnerian drama unfolding behind him.“By Olm!,” he whispers, his voice a curious mix of exhilaration and horror.Thick clouds of smoke billow up into the night sky, lit by the fires raging on both enemy vessels, whipped by the fierce wind. Crew, militiamen, and soldiers are jumping overboard, burning, meeting their fiery reflections when they hit the water, their screams and cries joining with the wind and the roar of the flames as if in an infernal choir.“And so the attack on Apple Island is avenged,” he murmurs, with shivers running down his spine.“They’re going to extinguish the fires!,” Sir Suvali shouts from above, as twenty soldiers with buckets come running from the forest to larboard, and some of the surviving slingers on the left bank are retrieving buckets from the tree line. “Keep moving!”He dives toward the enemy vessel on the left bank and casts more Sleep spells on the advancing slingers, eventually catching all of them – and therewith condemning the first vessel and its screaming crew to the flames.“The sorcerer seems to be enjoying himself,” Sir Eber calls to Navarre from the stern.“Quite,” Navarre replies pensively. “Quite so.”Behind him, the chevalier approaches Sir Eber behind the wheel.“To the shore?,” he asks, hand on his sword.But Sir Oengus will have none of it.“Avast, lubber!,” he roars, blood gushing from several wounds on his head. “Can’t say as ter be feelin’ too spiffy.”“Just take us to the shore,” Sir Eber says, who hasn’t taken his eyes off the enemy vessels burning in the distance. “You stay on board.”But Sir Oengus stays the course.“Dead men tell no tales, lubber!,” he hollers. “And cease yer bletherin’ lest ye be kissin’ the captain’s daughter!”“And there may be more soldiers lying in ambush,” Sir Suvali adds, landing on deck.And so the noble trio decide that they have done enough damage for now, and sail on to the camp in Nisibis.Day 188: Our noble heroes drop anchor at the Nisibis army camp on the River Dusk a few hours after sundown, where the DM informs them that they have killed around four dozen men and starts handing out xp – an event that is Sir Suvali’s cue to repeatedly declare how many men he personally managed to bring down, how much damage he has inflicted all by himself, how his spells ensured the success of all operations, how…Anyway. To not-so-subtly suggest that he deserves more xp than the others, which he doesn’t.</blockquote>

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