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<blockquote data-quote="amethal" data-source="post: 4136532" data-attributes="member: 22784"><p><strong>Scene 5 – Commando Raid (Interlude)</strong></p><p><em>February 25th, 7 am</em></p><p></p><p><u>Message from Adar Stonechisel, Captain of Engineers, to Lord Gallo.</u></p><p></p><p>My Lord,</p><p></p><p>Greetings and salutations. I beg to report the successful completion against the enemy catapults.</p><p></p><p>As ordered, my engineers extended the ancient tunnels under the Otharil Vale, so that they emerged within one hundred feet of the enemy position. We were able to confirm that there were ten heavy catapults, protected by a ditch, a wooden palisade and an estimated fifty soldiers and forty engineers. The engineers were readying the catapults to begin bombarding our defences at first light. </p><p></p><p>In addition to the forces our scouts had reported, there was also a dragon providing aerial cover. I am not an expert in such matters, but I am reliably informed it was a red dragon, and was later privileged to witness its fiery breath.</p><p></p><p>Our elite commando force took up positions at the edge of the tunnel. The mage, Gribron, was able to use his arcane powers to provide himself and the rest of the team with some protection from fire. He then cast another spell, and the team disappeared from view, apart from the scholar, Jonathan, who remained with us.</p><p></p><p>We attempted to spot their progress across the snowy ground. I think I saw some footprints, but it may have been a trick of the moonlight. In any event, King Steppengard’s forces did not raise the alarm.</p><p></p><p>The force managed to climb over the ditch and fence without being seen, but someone amongst the enemy must have heard them, because the soldiers started firing crossbow bolts. However, with no visible targets their efforts were futile. This attracted the attention of the dragon, which made a clumsy turn in mid air and started heading towards the soldiers. </p><p></p><p>A force of Steppengard cavalry also noticed the disturbance, and headed towards the catapults. Their starting position was a fair distance away, and in the event they arrived too late to influence the battle.</p><p></p><p>As per the plan, our invisible strike team began covering the catapults in oil. This put the soldiers on full alert, and their commanders attempted to coordinate their actions to find their invisible foes. They were aided in this by the appearance of the dragon, which seemed able to identify at least the rough area its enemies were in. It attempted to bite the targets it found, but with little success – and when it did manage to bite Solsus, the pixie’s fey heritage protected him from the worst of the damage. Eventually, in sheer frustration, the dragon let loose a blast of fiery breath. Gribron’s magic protected his allies from the worst of the damage – but the nearest, oil soaked catapult was not so lucky, and started burning merrily.</p><p></p><p>Once all the catapults were soaked, our team started throwing vials of alchemists fire at them, and soon they were burning merrily. This was Jonathan’s cue, and he emerged from the tunnel and let loose a massive sheet of flame which had the catapults burning even more furiously.</p><p></p><p>Jonathan then somehow transformed himself into a wyvern, beloved of Ragesia’s military, and headed towards the dragon. The beast responded to the challenge, abandoning the catapults. However, in a ferocious battle of tooth and claw the dragon proved no match for the wyvern, and perished.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the rest of the team started harassing the soldiers and engineers who were trying to put out the fires. This cancelled their invisibility, but their superior mobility was enough to keep them out of the worst of the harm.</p><p></p><p>Then the dragon fell, and the morale of the soldiers broke. They abandoned the fight and routed. The team, their job done, withdrew back to the tunnel. As per our orders, once the last member had passed into the tunnel we collapsed it to prevent any pursuit.</p><p></p><p>Adar Stonechisel, Captain of Engineers.</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene 6 – The Battle of Gallo’s Fend</strong></p><p><em>February 26th, 7 am</em></p><p></p><p>Duke Gallo addresses our heroes.</p><p></p><p>“Greetings, my friends. Many thanks for your sterling efforts on behalf of this land. You have proven yourselves to be heroes time and time again. If you are willing, I have one last task for you.</p><p></p><p>“I had hoped that the destruction of his siege engines would drive King Steppengard to the negotiating table. However, a day of talks has proved fruitless. The enemy general, Konigsmarshall Malken, is clearly under strict instruction to accept nothing less than our surrender. Only victory on the battlefield can end this crisis, but every soldier who dies on either side is a victory for the real enemy, Ragesia.</p><p></p><p>“What I need is a decisive victory, with minimum loss of life. I am therefore proposing to attack the King’s forces in the Otharil Vale. I have split my army into two wings, and we will attempt to envelop the King’s army from either side. With both his flanks turned, Konigsmarshall Malken will have to concede defeat.</p><p></p><p>“However, while this is happening, our centre is under-manned, and Malken can escape the envelopment by bursting through our line. All of our troops are needed elsewhere; I am hoping that you heroes will agree to defend the centre and give my troops the time they need to win the battle.</p><p></p><p>“This is a very dangerous task, but you will not be completely unsupported. I can spare you two of my chaplains. They will try and keep out of the fight, but will be able to heal your wounds. Also, Lady Timor has offered the services of one of her elemental allies.”</p><p></p><p>Lord Gallo produces a small, vaguely rabbit shaped device. “This is called a Thumper. Thrust it into the ground to activate it. It will attract the attention of the elemental, which will come to your aid. It only works once, so use it wisely.”</p><p></p><p>Our heroes accept the challenge, and soon find themselves in the centre of the Gallo line. For some of them it is a particularly lonely place, as some of the others turn invisible.</p><p></p><p>The first wave consists of thirty two soldiers, one commander, one cleric, two of the ram headed criosphinxes and a minotaur. There is also brief aerial support in the form of a male headed androsphinx, which flies in behind the party, roars at our heroes and flies off again.</p><p></p><p>Agatha panics at the noise, and flees away from its source – towards the onrushing Steppengard army. Fortunately, she is invisible and escapes detection. The rest of the party are able to deal with the first wave in her absence.</p><p></p><p>The second wave consists of sixteen mounted knights and three armoured trolls. (Unbeknownst to our heroes, these are brothers of the troll they killed en route to Lady Timor’s.)</p><p></p><p>Jonathan, low on energy after the first wave, pulls another transformation, taking the form of a remorhaz. More despite this than because of it, the party manage to defeat the second wave. </p><p></p><p>There are also occasional incoming fireballs from an enemy wizard. Once the party have defeated both waves, they head after the wizard and bring down the wizard, his escort of eight knights, and a female headed gynosphinx. Our heroes identify that the sphinx is under some sort of charm effect, but find it easier to kill her than to remove the spell.</p><p></p><p>Jonathan has a hypothesis that the gynosphinx is the reason the randy criosphinxes have accompanied the army.</p><p></p><p>The party’s resounding success is mirrored elsewhere on the battlefield, and the Steppengard army surrenders to Duke Gallo.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Act Three – Served Cold</strong></p><p></p><p><em>Scene 1 – Victory Parade in Bresk</em></p><p><em>March 1st, 1 pm</em></p><p></p><p>Duke Gallo’s army enters Bresk in triumph. The people of Bresk are unsure of how best to respond, but in the end opt for lining the streets in curiosity and giving the occasional half hearted cheer.</p><p></p><p>After an hour, the Duke’s army arrives at the courtyard of Castle Steppengard.</p><p></p><p>King Steppengard himself awaits them. He looks healthier than when the party last saw him. He offers a handshake of reconciliation to Duke Gallo, then addresses the crowd.</p><p></p><p>“My people, recent times have been dark for our country. But I am here to tell you that better days lie ahead. All of Dassen’s lords and ladies have arrived here in Bresk, to forge together a new, better future.</p><p></p><p>“Duke Gallo, I commend you for your brave and steady heart. Though we disagreed, and crossed swords because if it, I know now that you acted only with love for your homeland.”</p><p></p><p>“Huh,” snorts Agatha. “Crossed swords? I didn’t see His Majesty anywhere near that battlefield. He must have a very long sword to reach Gallo’s Fend from here!”</p><p></p><p>“I welcome you all into my house,” continues King Steppengard, “and offer you all a chance to compete in the Tournament of Unity. Tomorrow there will be games and celebrations, and in the evening there will be a banquet for myself and the lords and ladies. There we shall speak of unpleasant but necessary matters. Thieves and scoundrels lurk on our borders, but as one united nation we shall defeat them.”</p><p></p><p>“You are talking of the Ragesians, right?” says Duke Gallo, but the King merely smiles.</p><p></p><p><em>Scene 2 – Tournament</em></p><p><em>March 2nd, 9 am</em></p><p></p><p>Our heroes are staying at the home of a minor noble who owes Duke Gallo a favour.</p><p></p><p>The Duke himself is tied up in ceremonial duties, but he has asked our heroes to keep their eyes and ears open for treachery. King Steppengard’s change of heart seems too good to be true, but with the Ragesians on the border Duke Gallo cannot afford to turn down the chance for unity. The party agree to liase with proxy Jinis as necessary.</p><p></p><p>None of the games interest our heroes. They even turn down the opportunity to perform in the festivities.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="amethal, post: 4136532, member: 22784"] [B]Scene 5 – Commando Raid (Interlude)[/B] [I]February 25th, 7 am[/I] [U]Message from Adar Stonechisel, Captain of Engineers, to Lord Gallo.[/U] My Lord, Greetings and salutations. I beg to report the successful completion against the enemy catapults. As ordered, my engineers extended the ancient tunnels under the Otharil Vale, so that they emerged within one hundred feet of the enemy position. We were able to confirm that there were ten heavy catapults, protected by a ditch, a wooden palisade and an estimated fifty soldiers and forty engineers. The engineers were readying the catapults to begin bombarding our defences at first light. In addition to the forces our scouts had reported, there was also a dragon providing aerial cover. I am not an expert in such matters, but I am reliably informed it was a red dragon, and was later privileged to witness its fiery breath. Our elite commando force took up positions at the edge of the tunnel. The mage, Gribron, was able to use his arcane powers to provide himself and the rest of the team with some protection from fire. He then cast another spell, and the team disappeared from view, apart from the scholar, Jonathan, who remained with us. We attempted to spot their progress across the snowy ground. I think I saw some footprints, but it may have been a trick of the moonlight. In any event, King Steppengard’s forces did not raise the alarm. The force managed to climb over the ditch and fence without being seen, but someone amongst the enemy must have heard them, because the soldiers started firing crossbow bolts. However, with no visible targets their efforts were futile. This attracted the attention of the dragon, which made a clumsy turn in mid air and started heading towards the soldiers. A force of Steppengard cavalry also noticed the disturbance, and headed towards the catapults. Their starting position was a fair distance away, and in the event they arrived too late to influence the battle. As per the plan, our invisible strike team began covering the catapults in oil. This put the soldiers on full alert, and their commanders attempted to coordinate their actions to find their invisible foes. They were aided in this by the appearance of the dragon, which seemed able to identify at least the rough area its enemies were in. It attempted to bite the targets it found, but with little success – and when it did manage to bite Solsus, the pixie’s fey heritage protected him from the worst of the damage. Eventually, in sheer frustration, the dragon let loose a blast of fiery breath. Gribron’s magic protected his allies from the worst of the damage – but the nearest, oil soaked catapult was not so lucky, and started burning merrily. Once all the catapults were soaked, our team started throwing vials of alchemists fire at them, and soon they were burning merrily. This was Jonathan’s cue, and he emerged from the tunnel and let loose a massive sheet of flame which had the catapults burning even more furiously. Jonathan then somehow transformed himself into a wyvern, beloved of Ragesia’s military, and headed towards the dragon. The beast responded to the challenge, abandoning the catapults. However, in a ferocious battle of tooth and claw the dragon proved no match for the wyvern, and perished. Meanwhile, the rest of the team started harassing the soldiers and engineers who were trying to put out the fires. This cancelled their invisibility, but their superior mobility was enough to keep them out of the worst of the harm. Then the dragon fell, and the morale of the soldiers broke. They abandoned the fight and routed. The team, their job done, withdrew back to the tunnel. As per our orders, once the last member had passed into the tunnel we collapsed it to prevent any pursuit. Adar Stonechisel, Captain of Engineers. [B]Scene 6 – The Battle of Gallo’s Fend[/B] [I]February 26th, 7 am[/I] Duke Gallo addresses our heroes. “Greetings, my friends. Many thanks for your sterling efforts on behalf of this land. You have proven yourselves to be heroes time and time again. If you are willing, I have one last task for you. “I had hoped that the destruction of his siege engines would drive King Steppengard to the negotiating table. However, a day of talks has proved fruitless. The enemy general, Konigsmarshall Malken, is clearly under strict instruction to accept nothing less than our surrender. Only victory on the battlefield can end this crisis, but every soldier who dies on either side is a victory for the real enemy, Ragesia. “What I need is a decisive victory, with minimum loss of life. I am therefore proposing to attack the King’s forces in the Otharil Vale. I have split my army into two wings, and we will attempt to envelop the King’s army from either side. With both his flanks turned, Konigsmarshall Malken will have to concede defeat. “However, while this is happening, our centre is under-manned, and Malken can escape the envelopment by bursting through our line. All of our troops are needed elsewhere; I am hoping that you heroes will agree to defend the centre and give my troops the time they need to win the battle. “This is a very dangerous task, but you will not be completely unsupported. I can spare you two of my chaplains. They will try and keep out of the fight, but will be able to heal your wounds. Also, Lady Timor has offered the services of one of her elemental allies.” Lord Gallo produces a small, vaguely rabbit shaped device. “This is called a Thumper. Thrust it into the ground to activate it. It will attract the attention of the elemental, which will come to your aid. It only works once, so use it wisely.” Our heroes accept the challenge, and soon find themselves in the centre of the Gallo line. For some of them it is a particularly lonely place, as some of the others turn invisible. The first wave consists of thirty two soldiers, one commander, one cleric, two of the ram headed criosphinxes and a minotaur. There is also brief aerial support in the form of a male headed androsphinx, which flies in behind the party, roars at our heroes and flies off again. Agatha panics at the noise, and flees away from its source – towards the onrushing Steppengard army. Fortunately, she is invisible and escapes detection. The rest of the party are able to deal with the first wave in her absence. The second wave consists of sixteen mounted knights and three armoured trolls. (Unbeknownst to our heroes, these are brothers of the troll they killed en route to Lady Timor’s.) Jonathan, low on energy after the first wave, pulls another transformation, taking the form of a remorhaz. More despite this than because of it, the party manage to defeat the second wave. There are also occasional incoming fireballs from an enemy wizard. Once the party have defeated both waves, they head after the wizard and bring down the wizard, his escort of eight knights, and a female headed gynosphinx. Our heroes identify that the sphinx is under some sort of charm effect, but find it easier to kill her than to remove the spell. Jonathan has a hypothesis that the gynosphinx is the reason the randy criosphinxes have accompanied the army. The party’s resounding success is mirrored elsewhere on the battlefield, and the Steppengard army surrenders to Duke Gallo. [B] Act Three – Served Cold[/B] [I]Scene 1 – Victory Parade in Bresk March 1st, 1 pm[/I] Duke Gallo’s army enters Bresk in triumph. The people of Bresk are unsure of how best to respond, but in the end opt for lining the streets in curiosity and giving the occasional half hearted cheer. After an hour, the Duke’s army arrives at the courtyard of Castle Steppengard. King Steppengard himself awaits them. He looks healthier than when the party last saw him. He offers a handshake of reconciliation to Duke Gallo, then addresses the crowd. “My people, recent times have been dark for our country. But I am here to tell you that better days lie ahead. All of Dassen’s lords and ladies have arrived here in Bresk, to forge together a new, better future. “Duke Gallo, I commend you for your brave and steady heart. Though we disagreed, and crossed swords because if it, I know now that you acted only with love for your homeland.” “Huh,” snorts Agatha. “Crossed swords? I didn’t see His Majesty anywhere near that battlefield. He must have a very long sword to reach Gallo’s Fend from here!” “I welcome you all into my house,” continues King Steppengard, “and offer you all a chance to compete in the Tournament of Unity. Tomorrow there will be games and celebrations, and in the evening there will be a banquet for myself and the lords and ladies. There we shall speak of unpleasant but necessary matters. Thieves and scoundrels lurk on our borders, but as one united nation we shall defeat them.” “You are talking of the Ragesians, right?” says Duke Gallo, but the King merely smiles. [I]Scene 2 – Tournament March 2nd, 9 am[/I] Our heroes are staying at the home of a minor noble who owes Duke Gallo a favour. The Duke himself is tied up in ceremonial duties, but he has asked our heroes to keep their eyes and ears open for treachery. King Steppengard’s change of heart seems too good to be true, but with the Ragesians on the border Duke Gallo cannot afford to turn down the chance for unity. The party agree to liase with proxy Jinis as necessary. None of the games interest our heroes. They even turn down the opportunity to perform in the festivities. [/QUOTE]
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