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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 4035894" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 20, "The Climax Battle, July 21st, 1005: Augusta gives Klaaze back the assembled Rod of the Seven Parts. Jolene, Augusta, and the party head upstairs, and walk toward the exit of the Cathedral. When they are right in the center of the 500 foot long Y-shaped building they hear a voice call to them from the altar "Stop right where you are." The group turns around, to see Bly and another naval captain. Bly speaks to them again "Don't try anything funny. You are completely surrounded." At that sixteen archers rise up on each of the two side balconies and five stand up at the end balconies. Four gnoll soldiers then enter each of the two exit doors, and twenty-one hobgoblin and orc troops stand up at the end row of pews. "Don't draw any of your weapons," Bly orders the party. The nine party members respond by all drawing their weapons. [DM’s Note #31: I had originally planned a big battle sequence in the castle as the climax of the module, however, between Kohlorahooh’s quick demise from the Vorpal Blade and then the group’s teleportation out once reinforcements arrived it did not happened. While sitting in church the following Sunday my mind wandered during the sermon, and I started looking around the vast room at the balconies and rows of pews, when this idea struck me for that night’s game. This particular game was a lot of fun for everyone, assisted by the fact that an aforementioned former player’s girlfriend was away on vacation, so he was free to join me that night to play all of the enemy troops.] The High Priest Augusta yells at Bly "How dare you threaten me and my guests while in a Cathedral of YON." Bly replies "I dare do anything I want you traitorous wimp," he then orders his soldiers to attack. The group gets pelted by volleys of arrows from the balconies. Both Kharole and Serita get hit, and loose the spells that they were attempting to cast. The whole group scatters for cover behind the pews. Those with bows start to return fire, hitting a few soldiers. Phuddi orders the group to ignore the archers, and concentrate on the two leaders. Augusta casts a Hold on Bly, but it is soon broken. A second hold on three of the archers proves to be successful. He then does a Stick to Snakes on the remaining archers in the right balcony, causing their bows to transform and attack them. Kharole casts a shield spell on herself, then moves out into the open. With the remaining archers concentrating on the cleric and magic-user, Narg, Jolene, Klaaze and Hherrmyie manage to move closer to the altar. They plug several arrows at the two naval leaders. Bly deflects many with his shield, but the other Captain soon has several arrows sticking into him. Kharole uses all of her Magic Missile spells on the men in the far balcony, killing them. This eliminates the arrow fire from all but one side balcony, who are then attacked by a "Summon Insects" spell that Serita had called. Natasha starts to climb up into this balcony. With the arrow fire from above now over, the hobgoblins and orcs charge down the aisles at the party. Lysdashi and Mark meet them, and soon teach them not to tackle with rangers. The gnoll guarding the door move in to attack. Meanwhile, Bly throws an orb at the party. It hits Jolene and explodes, knocking her to the group and turning several pews into splinters. Augusta looses his temper, and calls down a Flame Strike on the enemy leaders, after which only Bly is left alive. Serita casts a heal on Jolene. Bly moves in at the party, attacking both Narg and Hherrmyie simultaneously. He is very successful, getting about a four-to-one hit ratio on them. Phuddi starts to move in to assist, but is attacked by a magical net that pins both him and his vorpal blade to the floor. Natasha backstabs the men in the balcony. She runs into a problem with one, who turns out to be a 6th level fighter. Mark charges up the stairs to assist her. Lysdashi rushes back to help Phuddi, leaving Serita alone to fight the remaining gnoll soldiers. Klaaze fires his bow at them, killing all but two of the gnoll. Kharole uses up the last of her spells, taking out a few troops who had moved in closer. She then switches to daggers. Hherrmyie takes a nasty sword hit into his arm, and pulls back. "Hey Klaaze, how about helping us out," Hherrmyie yells. Klaaze turns and yells for Narg and Hherrmyie to "Hit the Deck". The two half-elves jump onto the floor. Bly looks up at Klaaze, who is thirty feet away from him. Bly draws a magic arrow to his bow. Before the arrow can fly, Klaaze points the Rod of the Seven Parts at the man and yells "DIE, YOU BASTARD." A blinding flash of light shoots out of the rod, hitting Bly, and turns every bone in his body into protoplasm. The Kohlorahdooh Naval Commander dies instantly. The Rod also causes a backlash explosion, hitting everyone within twenty feet of it (except Klaaze) for for ten to twenty points of damage. This kills Lysdashi. The last of the soldiers fall within a round or two. Augusta casts a Raise Dead on Lysdashi, bringing him back. Jolene and Phuddi go to guard the doors to keep people from entering. The group quickly searches the bodies. Two of the soldiers are found to be alive. The group questions them, and find out that it was a clerical aide from the Cathedral who had alerted Bly and his men as to the group's hiding place. Tao returns to the Cathedral, takes one look at the carnage, and states "It looks like I'm a bit late." Narg downs a tankard of beer. Monty hands him a refill and says "You look awful. See what happens when you get up in the morning. Let's get you back to bed." Before Narg can utter a reply the two of them vanish again.</blockquote>

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