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We D&D- Tyranny of Dragons Part 2: The Rise of Tiamat #24b Strike Team 1 Part 2 A Ton of Undead.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7641287" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #34 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #20 The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution Part 2.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Brothers of the First Light.</strong></p><p><strong>Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Secondary PCs.</strong></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 5</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 5</strong></p><p></p><p>Note, this is session #34 of our game but only session #20 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario.</p><p></p><p>Also note parts of this session are written in the style of an eleven-year-old writing an essay about what they did on their holidays- there’s a lot of “and then…”, and, “and then…”, get my drift. Apologies, it ain’t literature, it’s a sprawling melee going round by round.</p><p></p><p>The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution is underway, the PCs (<strong>Strike Team #1</strong>- Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric), Lux (Human Warlock), Watt (Human Bard) & Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter), or as you know them the Brothers of the First Light) and their Lizardfolk accomplices have entered the castle, killed some Bullywugs, and persuaded a bunch more Lizardfolk to join their crusade to “throw off the yolk of the Bullywug oppressors!”, that kind of thing.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile <strong>Strike Team #2</strong> (Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk), Hotlips (Halfling Rogue), Derek (Human Druid) & Sgt Harald (Dwarf Fighter)) and their Lizardfolk accomplices are holding the Barbican- the only way in to the castle (that I can see on my map).</p><p></p><p>Oh, and just to make clear the PCs have not changed their attire- they are all still dressed like Dragon Cultists, with Lux attempting to pass for a leader type, possibly Frulam Mondath.</p><p></p><p>The next part of the plan involves an attack upon Fartbox (Pharblex) and his Bullywug minions, the trick is to do this without alerting the rest of the castle, it’s early evening- dusk, and there are still folk about. The PCs chose this time so that those not blessed with Darkvision can still see well enough to fight.</p><p></p><p>But before we get in to it, just a word about the rota of monsters (in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen book), and specifically the Dragon Cultist foot soldiers et al, the PCs are looking forward to meeting- the numbers in the book just don’t add up, and there’s nothing I can see in the errata.</p><p></p><p>According to the book there are-</p><p>16 Cultists (12 in 1q & 4 in 2n) although only beds for 5 (2r),</p><p>4 Dragonclaws in 1q, with beds for 4 in 1n, and</p><p>1 Dragonwing (2n) although there are beds for 13 of the tough guys (7 in 2t & 6 in 3r).</p><p></p><p>I figure many of the Dragonwing bunks are actually the sleeping quarters of plain old Cultists. I therefore decided ahead of time that there are 20 Cultists, 12 Dragonclaws & 3 Dragonwings at the castle, maybe a few more of each if the PCs are having a too easy time.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, the Revolution continues.</p><p></p><p>Next up Fartbox (Pharblex) and the Bullywugs must die- the Scaly Death clan insist- the PCs also need to return here (the north east tower) with the head of Pharblex, this will ensure that Dral’s Lizardfolk guards join the revolution.</p><p></p><p>First up however, an Invisible Watt goes for a sneak around the Outer Courtyard, which the PCs are going to have to move through (a short way) to get to the Bullywug’s lair (the Lower & Upper Barracks).</p><p></p><p>The Bard returns in ten or so minutes, and still Invisible, he tells what he knows- there are more than a dozen Cultists over in the Great Hall (being used as a canteen) they’re shooting the breeze and feeding at least two hefty looking Guard Drakes. The only other building with any signs of life is the Bullywug’s chambers- the croaking coming from within is intense, there are a lot of the buggers in there.</p><p></p><p>This is the do or die bit of the plan, and also the contentious bit- the PCs would rather attack the Cultists first, however Snapjaw and the Scaly Death clan have insisted that Pharblex and the Bullywugs die first (I wanted to make it a little harder for the Players).</p><p></p><p>And so, <strong>Strike Team #1</strong> (Lux, Lummins, Watt & Sgt Bobby- all dressed as Cultists, remember) with their Lizardfolk accomplices stride across to the Lower Barracks, swing open the door and step inside- the croaking stops instantly. The chamber is a filth pit, with a good foot or so of wet slippery mud on the floor, and a slightly less substantial covering on every surface. Not that there are a lot of other surfaces- save for a set of stairs leading up (from which the sound of croaking comes) the chamber is empty- except, of course, for the mud and twenty-something Bullywugs.</p><p></p><p>DM Interlude- Just for the sake of the narrative the four Lizardfolk present are- Ping (controlled by Lux), Gawp (Lummins), Bungle (Sgt Bobby) & George (Watt).</p><p></p><p>All of the Bullywugs stare intently at Lux- she looks like a Cultist leader, remember. Lux takes this in her stride, at least for a short while, that is until it turns out that none of the Bullywugs can understand anything she is saying (she actually said something like- “We are Cultists- take us to your leader- Fartbox”), she starts with Draconic and then scrolls through all the languages she knows.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113052[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Bullywugs speak Bullywug- there’s no other languages listed for them. I guess the leader types have a smattering of the Common tongue, maybe they all understand a few words of Common… let’s see.</p><p></p><p>Silence for a bit, save for the sound of croaking coming from above, Sgt Bobby nudges and points to the stairs- several more Bullywugs are descending from above- investigating their comrades sudden silence.</p><p></p><p>Lux tries again with her question- this time in the Common tongue and louder- and with a bit of mime, and I get her to make a roll- any Skill that will fit the bill, she tries Performance (after all, she’s an ex-Actor).</p><p></p><p>Lux rolls the lowest number on the dice.</p><p></p><p>I roll my Random What Happens Next D20, I roll a ‘1’ too- this has happened before.</p><p></p><p>How to reward two ‘1’s?</p><p></p><p>There’s not enough gone wrong, from a DMs perspective, for the Bullywugs to just launch an attack, after all the PCs look and sound like Dragon Cultists, Lux is just not making much sense (to them).</p><p></p><p>So, if the Bullywugs can’t attack…</p><p></p><p>So, here comes the chaos- the PCs four Lizardfolk accomplices decide at that exact moment that their revenge can wait no longer- the generous DM therefore gives the quartet a surprise round- and unleashes them upon the gawping Bullywugs, I even let the PCs make their Lizardfolk’s rolls- nice of me.</p><p></p><p>Seconds later and the closest three Bullywugs are dead, another barely clings to life, and then… then, it all goes crazy.</p><p></p><p>Bullywugs flee, fight, scream and… well, they hop around an awful lot.</p><p></p><p>And so, in no particular order- Lux Shatters three of the Bullywugs- dead, plenty more of them hop in to the murderous Lizardfolk, spears in hand- Gawp & Ping get stabbed.</p><p></p><p>Then Lummins does the maths (counts the squares in the room) and lets loose a Fireball, and all is madness- it doesn’t end well (for the Bullywugs).</p><p></p><p>Rob (who plays Lummins) has been waiting to do this for like, ever (actually since he got to Level 5 which was probably last session, I’ve told him a million times not to exaggerate etc.).</p><p></p><p>It takes a while for the super-heated steam to clear, the flash fire also bakes hard 90% of the mud in the chamber- there were 18 alive-alive-o Bullywugs in the room six or so seconds ago, now there are just six.</p><p></p><p>Also caught in the blast is Gawp (Lizardfolk), the creature is reduced to 4 hit points- some sacrifices have to be made, Rob states (& Gawp is Lummins’/Rob’s Lizardfolk- so no harm done).</p><p></p><p>The Bullywugs formerly descending the stairs flee back the way they came- panic croaking all the way, while the remaining Bullywugs in the Lower Barracks attempt to get the hell out of dodge- the only exits are however- up the stairs (several of the PCs are heading that way), through the doorway (also blocked by PCs atm) or through a window-sized opening in the back wall and from there down in to the castle moat.</p><p></p><p>The scramble begins.</p><p></p><p>One Bullwug gets out of the window before the exit is plugged by a pair of foolish amphibians who fight each other to be the next to escape.</p><p></p><p>The four Scaly Death Lizardfolk warriors are not idle- they charge in to slaughter the fleeing Bullywugs.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113053[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The PCs however are keen to get upstairs (they think that’s where Fartbox (Pharblex) is), and leading the charge is Sgt Bobby. The Fighter rushes to the top of the stairs and spies the barracks above, there are ten more panicked Bullywugs here (but no obvious leader type). Sgt Bobby orders the amphibians (in Common) to surrender. Alas the Sgt doesn’t have time to wait for a reply, he cuts the nearest Bullywug down (after missing two attacks and spending an Inspiration Point to try again- a Crit follows). The chamber is only slightly less filthy than the one below, with rotten reed bed-cum-nests everywhere, there is however a door to the west, and (more interestingly) a large chest swathed in chains- treasure.</p><p></p><p>Note Sgt Bobby’s failures to hit, this will become a recurring theme- not just for the Fighter but for many on the PCs who are mostly (remember) +5 to +7 to hit.</p><p></p><p>The Lizardfolk however have a much lower to hit chance- and yet they seem to hit all of the time, and the same people are making the rolls.</p><p></p><p>With the same dice of course.</p><p></p><p>It would be very frustrating if that kept happening, for say… maybe 2-3 hours.</p><p></p><p>Let’s see children.</p><p></p><p>Lux is next up the stairs- Eldritch Blasting as she goes, resulting in one dead Bullywug and another wounded, and like Sgt Bobby she also calls for the Bullywug’s to surrender. The evil amphibians are not convinced, or else they don’t understand a word Lux (or Sgt Bobby) are saying.</p><p></p><p>Lummins is next up the stairs, after first guiltily casting a Cure Wounds on Gawp, his Lizardfolk accomplice.</p><p></p><p>Watt, smart fellow, settles in the doorway to the building and begins plugging away at the few remaining Bullwugs below with his bow, the Bullywugs are being ably chased around the chamber by the Scaly Death Lizardfolk. It’s a shooting gallery with leaping targets- the Bard doesn’t miss often.</p><p></p><p>Back upstairs the three PCs cannot as yet get in to the Upper Barracks chamber, the remaining Bullywugs rally (briefly) and surround the stairs- stabbing furiously with their spears at anyone that approaches.</p><p></p><p>DM Interlude- I’ve made twenty-or-so Bullywug attacks so far (about half against Lizardfolk- 50% hit rate) but no hits as of yet on the PCs- not for the want of trying (and with Aid Other/Help to get Advantage). That said Lummins had to make use of his Warding Flare to ward off a Crit.</p><p></p><p>And so Lummins, Lux & Sgt Bobby are reduced to fighting the Bullywugs on the stairs- Lummins destroys another with his Sacred Flames. Watt, seconds later, comes to their help- a Thunderwave clears a few Bullywugs back but fails to kill any of the hoping bastards (his damage roll was something like ‘4’, nice one).</p><p></p><p>The PCs keep missing their attack rolls, and when hitting rolling spectacularly low for damage.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, down below Ping (Lizardfolk) cuts the last Bullywug down- two have escaped out the window and in to the moat, the other 22 are dead. The rest of the Lizardfolk head upstairs, just as Sgt Bobby cuts his way (at last) through the Bullywugs blocking the top of the stairs. That’s enough fighting for my bad guys- all of the Bullywugs left standing (5 or 6 of them) flee the scene. They hop en masse through the western door and in to the Stable Loft, Lux gets after them- Eldritch Blasting as she goes- and missing (she’s only hit once so far, Sandy’s dice are really broken).</p><p></p><p>Then Sgt Bobby misses twice more, Lummins once more, and Watt (with his bow) is just wide of the mark. The Players at this point are screaming at their dice, at each other, themselves, me- and several inanimate objects that have somehow contrived to ‘get in their way’.</p><p></p><p>Remarkably the Scaly Death Lizardfolk are much more accurate than the PCs- Ping (again) takes down two Bullwugs on his turn.</p><p></p><p>Which obviously goes down really well with the Players- they can’t hit with their PCs, while they’re hitting over 50% of the time when rolling for their Lizardfolk. It made me laugh at the time.</p><p></p><p>And so the last four Bullywugs flee through the Loft and then leap down in to the Stable below, Sgt Bobby spins a dagger in to the back of one of the amphibians- and kills it- the three remaining amphibians make it to the doors of the Stable, where they’re croaking up a racket.</p><p></p><p>Watt heads back downstairs in a rush, the Bard attempts to head the Bullywugs off, or else to get close enough to shut them up (permanently) before they attract attention.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113054[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The Bard skids to a halt just as he exits the building- in the middle of the Outer Courtyard are easily a dozen Dragon Cultists (and a trio of leashed Guard Drakes), several of the Cultists are heading in his direction. Watt thinks back, what could have alerted the Dragon Cultists to their presence? A Shatter spell? Fireball? Thunderwave? All of the above in quick succession? Too late now, the secret is out.</p><p></p><p>Watt (dressed as a Cultist remember) waves at his fellow Dragon Cultists and limply states “it’s all under control- Bullywugs Tsk!”</p><p></p><p>He rolls something beginning with ‘3’ for his Deception check, plus bonuses of course.</p><p></p><p>At that exact moment the Stable door bursts open and the first panicked fleeing Bullwug hops out- two more equally panicked Bullywugs follow behind accompanied by the sound of Lux’s Eldritch Blasts (both misses- again) echoing after.</p><p></p><p>It’s all got a bit out of control.</p><p></p><p>Bugger it.</p><p></p><p>Watt spends an Inspiration Point and fires an enhanced Shatter spell in to the nearest concentration of bad guys- three Dragon Cultists are killed in an instant, the Dragonclaw holding the leash of the Guard Drake can barely stand (on 2 hit points), the Drake is merely scratched- but enraged all the same. Watt screams for help and then takes a step back in to the building.</p><p></p><p>The four Dragonclaws (one very badly wounded) take charge of the situation- immediately sending Cultist runners to go get Dral & Rezmir, of course the PCs don’t know this- or even see this.</p><p></p><p>The badly wounded Dragonclaw unleashes his Guard Drake and then retreats, the Drake charges in to the building and attacks Watt, who is joined at this point by his Lizardfolk companion- George, that’s nice- they’re going to die together.</p><p></p><p>A second Guard Drake rushes in to the building, and at Watt- four attacks (between the two Drakes) and all misses. It’s contagious.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby and Bungle (his Lizardfolk companion) join Watt & co in the melee, as do several Cultists and a Dragonclaw.</p><p></p><p>Back in the Outer Courtyard Lux exits the Stable and takes in the scene- three Bullwugs hopping off north (to the Inner Ward), while a Dragonclaw with a Guard Drake and a quartet of Cultists are coming her way, and at speed. Ping (her Lizardfolk companion) joins her, Lux fires an Eldritch Blast (a hit at last- oh, and one more miss) in to the Dragonclaw, then starts screaming for back up. Lummins has to run hard to get to her side.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113055[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>And so, we have two fights- at the Stables Lux & Lummins (with their Lizardfolk friends- Ping & Gawp) versus four Cultists, a Dragonclaw and a Guard Drake; and in the Bullywug’s (former) lair Watt & Sgt Bobby (again with their Lizardfolk friends- George & Bungle) against a Cultist, a Dragonclaw and two Guard Drakes.</p><p></p><p>Of course, we play both fights at the same time- Watt opens up with an enhanced Thunderwave, the Bard is in the process, as per usual, of expending all of his spell inventory in consecutive rounds. The two Guard Drakes and the Dragonclaw suffer- and are pushed back, the Cultist is killed outright.</p><p></p><p>Bungle cuts down the Dragonclaw, there is much joy- the Players cheer and holler, then one of the Guard Drakes rushes in and bites Bungle’s head clean off.</p><p></p><p>The cheering stops- Bungle the Lizardfolk (beloved of Sgt Bobby, that’s crazy Pete) is no more.</p><p></p><p>Pete is not happy.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby rushes in and slices in fury at the killer Guard Drake, he misses- twice, he actually missed three times in a row- he screamed that he would spend his Inspiration Point to attack again- rolled a ‘3’ and then was swiftly informed by me that he had already spent his Inspiration Point. That went down well.</p><p></p><p>The second Guard Drake grabs George in its jaws and shakes the Lizardfolk like a ragdoll, smashing its skull repeatedly on the floor and walls.</p><p></p><p>George dies.</p><p></p><p>Jackie (playing Watt, and George the Lizardfolk) is really not happy.</p><p></p><p>Skip to the other fight at the Stables- Lux is set upon by Cultists and slashed repeatedly, the Warlock bleeds- and now Sandy is unhappy too, Lux doesn’t usually get anywhere near combat (and/or danger).</p><p></p><p>Lux thins out her attackers with a Shatter spell- two Cultists and the Dragonclaw briefly throw crazy shapes and then sag to the floor- spirits and bodies broken.</p><p></p><p>Lummins fires off his Burning Hands- the remaining two Cultists are incinerated in an instant, while the Guard Drake is now badly hurt.</p><p></p><p>Seconds later Gawp & Ping rush in and finish the Drake off.</p><p></p><p>Easy!</p><p></p><p>This fight is done.</p><p></p><p>And so back to the former Bullywug lair- Watt spams the Thunderwave button, the building shudders and again both Guard Drakes are hurt (a little bit- he’s still rolling very low for damage) and pushed back a bit.</p><p></p><p>Not for long- both Drakes rush back in to action. The Bard is bitten, and seconds later Sgt Bobby is slammed by the second Drake’s hefty tail and left winded.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby is on maybe seven hit points.</p><p></p><p>Did I mention that Pete isn’t happy.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby slashes the nearest Drake for 21 damage, including 8 from Bardic Inspiration- Watt has only just remembered to use this- they’re desperate and have been scanning their Character Sheets for any ‘spare’ powers et al.</p><p></p><p>Watt stabs a Guard Drake with his rapier, he’s fed up of rolling low damage with his spells, the beast is now very badly wounded, it still however has the strength left to bite Watt again, and now the Bard is beyond bloodied too.</p><p></p><p>The other Drake hits Sgt Bobby with its tail again- the Fighter almost falls (down to 1 Hit Point).</p><p></p><p>At which point Lux and Lummins arrive to save the day. Note there are a few Dragon Cultists (actually a pair of Dragonclaws) still observing from the Outer Courtyard, but they’re waiting on reinforcements and the arrival of their bosses- Rez and/or Dral.</p><p></p><p>Lux, armed with her Shillelagh (fed up of missing with her Eldritch Blasts) attacks (and hits) one of the Guard Drakes, Lummins hits the same beast with a Sacred Flame, Sgt Bobby cuts it down (thanks only to some more Bardic Inspiration, without it he would have missed twice more).</p><p></p><p>There’s just one Guard Drake left in the fight- which has been going on now for something like eighteen rounds- starting with the initial attack on the Bullywugs in their lair.</p><p></p><p>Lummins catches the last beast with another Sacred Flame (it’s bloodied- at last), the Guard Drake however hasn’t finished- thrashing around it bites Lux- the Warlock is now also beyond bloodied.</p><p></p><p>Watt steps out of the action and grabs out his magical longbow, and… ‘1’.</p><p></p><p>It was an emotional moment- well, for me- I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard.</p><p></p><p>Gawp & Ping (the Lizardfolk) catch up with the action and wade in to the Guard Drake- three hits out of four attacks, it’s easy this… the Players are (sorta) furious, however the last Drake is nearly down.</p><p></p><p>Lux steps in with her Shillelagh, and… ‘1’.</p><p></p><p>I swear some wee came out.</p><p></p><p>Lummins burns the beast with Sacred Flames- it dies.</p><p></p><p>The fight is over, only…</p><p></p><p>“Who are you? What do you want?” In the new found silence the PCs hear shouting coming from the Outer Courtyard, it’s Dralmorrer Borngray who is killing time waiting for Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon Cultist boss) to arrive on the scene.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113056[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The charming PCs (Lux, Watt & Lummins) exchange pleasantries with Dral (but do not as of yet step out of the building), and we break for a bit of chatter- Dral is trying to buy the PCs off, or else find a way for them to go away (or join the Cult). The PCs are keen for the Dragon Cultists to surrender or die- the last option favoured repeatedly (and loudly) by Sgt Bobby, who is taking every opportunity to insult Dral and his host.</p><p></p><p>The PCs eventually get their confidence back- a round or two of swigging Healing Potions will do that- the quartet (actually sextet including the two Lizardfolk survivors- Gawp & Ping) move out the building and in to the Outer Courtyard. There are a lot more Cultists in the Outer Courtyard- that’s not good, and so the PCs latest plan is to try to subtly and surreptitiously move around towards the exit (the Causeway)- just in case even more Cultists turn up.</p><p></p><p>Also in order to get a good look at their enemies- to see who and what they’re facing, they spot Dral (Elf Dragon Cult Wearer of Purple), a pair of plain old Cultists and maybe eight Dragonclaws (actually 6 Dragonclaws and a pair of Dragonwings- they’re tougher still). The PCs however can’t see Azbara Jos (the Red Wizard of Thay) hiding away in the rear.</p><p></p><p>The chatter goes on a while- with nothing much getting agreed but plenty being said- Pete (playing Sgt Bobby) is still taking every opportunity to insult the Cultists, until…</p><p></p><p>Lummins (played by Rob, normally the mild-mannered placid guy) catches everyone on the hop and launches a Fireball in to the middle of the Cultists. He rolls 33 damage on 8d6- the Bastard. Only Dral (bloodied- he took full damage), both Dragonwings and one Dragonclaw (on 3 HP) survive, oh and the hidden Azbara Jos of course.</p><p></p><p>The Players are laughing like drains- right until Rezmir accompanied by yet more of her Cult buddies steps out of one of the other buildings (the Chapel).</p><p></p><p>Rez’s Cult buddies include 10 Cultists, four more Dragonclaws and another Dragonwing.</p><p></p><p>The PCs fall back a bit…</p><p></p><p>Rezmir isn’t messing about, she immediately (and loudly) orders Dral to destroy the PCs (should he fail to do so then she will kill Dral herself)– then a bit of chat for the PCs (“you again- you’re too late, and now you’re going to die”), and then strides off, catching up with Azbara Jos, and heading for the Teleportation Circle below the castle.</p><p></p><p>Dral flips out and screams at the Cultists to charge/kill/slaughter the PCs, he really embraces the role.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113057[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Watt launches another Shatter spell- four Cultists die. Dral fires three Magic Missiles in to Sgt Bobby, another one of the charging Cultists gets to the Fighter and slashes him with his scimitar, and a Crit- Sgt Bobby is briefly bloodied. He gets his Second Wind and then Crits and kills one of the already wounded Dragonwings.</p><p></p><p>The PCs retreat back to the entrance to the Bullywug’s former lair.</p><p></p><p>Dral orders a quartet of Cultists (a wounded Dragonwing & three Dragonclaws) to go through Stables and circle in behind the PCs.</p><p></p><p>Lux meanwhile takes down a wounded Dragonclaw with another Eldritch Blast.</p><p></p><p>Lummins, saving the best to last- grabs out his holy symbol and fires off his Radiance of the Dawn- and bugger me but I miss a lot of my saves. Five Cultists and three Dragonclaws succumb to the Radiant burst.</p><p></p><p>The only bad guys left in the fight are a badly wounded Dral, a Dragonwing & a terrified Cultist- oh and the other four Cultists Dral just sent in to the Stable to circle around the PCs.</p><p></p><p>Dral screams for the Stable guys to get back here, and then rushes to cut at Sgt Bobby with his longsword- he slices the Fighter, and Sgt Bobby is bloodied again. He cuts back (a ‘1’ and a miss), they really are rolling low.</p><p></p><p>Pete stomps around swearing for a bit, although that’s no biggie- it’s his go-to response for all such situations.</p><p></p><p>The Dragonwing also slashes Sgt Bobby, he’s back down to 5 Hit Points.</p><p></p><p>Pete goes swear-nova.</p><p></p><p>The Dragon Cultists previously heading to the Stables come rushing back, and double move straight in to the action.</p><p></p><p>Lux takes down another badly wounded Dragonwing with her (now) dependable Eldritch Blast. She calls for the Cultists to surrender- the Cultist foot soldiers eager to give it up look to Dral, but the High Elf fights on… The PCs make note of the exchange- knock Dral down and they’re done.</p><p></p><p>Ping and Gawp (the big hitting Lizardfolk) take down the last two Cultists.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby hits Dral- at last, and the High Elf surrenders.</p><p></p><p>The other Cultists also throw down their weapons, and at last- the fighting is over, at least for a bit.</p><p></p><p>The entire snowball encounter took a little over two hours to play out- real time.</p><p></p><p>The captured Dragon Cultists are tied and bagged, and then frogmarched back to the Barbican, and <strong>Strike Team #2</strong>. <strong>Strike Team #1</strong> are spent, and we break for a good thirty minutes while the Players refresh and replay various sections of the epic fight.</p><p></p><p>The PCs are taking a Short Rest, and then get to interrogate Dral and the captured Cultists.</p><p></p><p>DM Interlude- Sgt Bobby spends his Hit Dice to heal and rolls 1, 2, 2, 2 and 2- he’s still bloodied! Pete is apoplectic- the other Players are obviously laughing like drains.</p><p></p><p>I may have smirked once or twice, y’know- just to join in.</p><p></p><p>And so, the rest of the session is spent in Q&A with Dral and the captured Cultists, the PCs learn more about the layout of the castle and what chambers are where- Dral is very honest, he wants to live, and bargains furiously for his life. Lux eventually states that all of the Cultists will be allowed to live- and possibly to claim a new life for themselves, a good life- the Cultists just need to change their ways and embrace the Light.</p><p></p><p>I think was channelling her previous PC- Myrium the Blessed.</p><p></p><p>At this point there are no further Cultists left in the castle- that was all of them, Rezmir and Azbara Jos have already departed the scene- obviously the PCs don’t know this as of yet but they’re fairly certain they’ve wiped out a large chunk of the bad guys.</p><p></p><p>After a brief chat amongst themselves, and then another chat with Snapjaw, the PCs decide to head down below next- they’re going to find Fartbox (Pharblex) and destroy him (and the Bullywugs), as promised.</p><p></p><p>Oh and <strong>Strike Team #1</strong> has been rounded out with two Lizardfolk replacements joining the throng to replace the fallen, we have- Jar-Jar (Watt) & Binks (Sgt Bobby).</p><p></p><p>But that’s the end of this session.</p><p></p><p>Again, my apologies for the stylings on an eleven-year-old with the narrative.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7641287, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #34 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #20 The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution Part 2. Brothers of the First Light. Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 5 Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 5 Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 5 Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 5 Secondary PCs. Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 5 Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 5 Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 5 Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 5[/B] Note, this is session #34 of our game but only session #20 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario. Also note parts of this session are written in the style of an eleven-year-old writing an essay about what they did on their holidays- there’s a lot of “and then…”, and, “and then…”, get my drift. Apologies, it ain’t literature, it’s a sprawling melee going round by round. The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution is underway, the PCs ([B]Strike Team #1[/B]- Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric), Lux (Human Warlock), Watt (Human Bard) & Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter), or as you know them the Brothers of the First Light) and their Lizardfolk accomplices have entered the castle, killed some Bullywugs, and persuaded a bunch more Lizardfolk to join their crusade to “throw off the yolk of the Bullywug oppressors!”, that kind of thing. Meanwhile [B]Strike Team #2[/B] (Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk), Hotlips (Halfling Rogue), Derek (Human Druid) & Sgt Harald (Dwarf Fighter)) and their Lizardfolk accomplices are holding the Barbican- the only way in to the castle (that I can see on my map). Oh, and just to make clear the PCs have not changed their attire- they are all still dressed like Dragon Cultists, with Lux attempting to pass for a leader type, possibly Frulam Mondath. The next part of the plan involves an attack upon Fartbox (Pharblex) and his Bullywug minions, the trick is to do this without alerting the rest of the castle, it’s early evening- dusk, and there are still folk about. The PCs chose this time so that those not blessed with Darkvision can still see well enough to fight. But before we get in to it, just a word about the rota of monsters (in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen book), and specifically the Dragon Cultist foot soldiers et al, the PCs are looking forward to meeting- the numbers in the book just don’t add up, and there’s nothing I can see in the errata. According to the book there are- 16 Cultists (12 in 1q & 4 in 2n) although only beds for 5 (2r), 4 Dragonclaws in 1q, with beds for 4 in 1n, and 1 Dragonwing (2n) although there are beds for 13 of the tough guys (7 in 2t & 6 in 3r). I figure many of the Dragonwing bunks are actually the sleeping quarters of plain old Cultists. I therefore decided ahead of time that there are 20 Cultists, 12 Dragonclaws & 3 Dragonwings at the castle, maybe a few more of each if the PCs are having a too easy time. Anyway, the Revolution continues. Next up Fartbox (Pharblex) and the Bullywugs must die- the Scaly Death clan insist- the PCs also need to return here (the north east tower) with the head of Pharblex, this will ensure that Dral’s Lizardfolk guards join the revolution. First up however, an Invisible Watt goes for a sneak around the Outer Courtyard, which the PCs are going to have to move through (a short way) to get to the Bullywug’s lair (the Lower & Upper Barracks). The Bard returns in ten or so minutes, and still Invisible, he tells what he knows- there are more than a dozen Cultists over in the Great Hall (being used as a canteen) they’re shooting the breeze and feeding at least two hefty looking Guard Drakes. The only other building with any signs of life is the Bullywug’s chambers- the croaking coming from within is intense, there are a lot of the buggers in there. This is the do or die bit of the plan, and also the contentious bit- the PCs would rather attack the Cultists first, however Snapjaw and the Scaly Death clan have insisted that Pharblex and the Bullywugs die first (I wanted to make it a little harder for the Players). And so, [B]Strike Team #1[/B] (Lux, Lummins, Watt & Sgt Bobby- all dressed as Cultists, remember) with their Lizardfolk accomplices stride across to the Lower Barracks, swing open the door and step inside- the croaking stops instantly. The chamber is a filth pit, with a good foot or so of wet slippery mud on the floor, and a slightly less substantial covering on every surface. Not that there are a lot of other surfaces- save for a set of stairs leading up (from which the sound of croaking comes) the chamber is empty- except, of course, for the mud and twenty-something Bullywugs. DM Interlude- Just for the sake of the narrative the four Lizardfolk present are- Ping (controlled by Lux), Gawp (Lummins), Bungle (Sgt Bobby) & George (Watt). All of the Bullywugs stare intently at Lux- she looks like a Cultist leader, remember. Lux takes this in her stride, at least for a short while, that is until it turns out that none of the Bullywugs can understand anything she is saying (she actually said something like- “We are Cultists- take us to your leader- Fartbox”), she starts with Draconic and then scrolls through all the languages she knows. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113052[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Bullywugs speak Bullywug- there’s no other languages listed for them. I guess the leader types have a smattering of the Common tongue, maybe they all understand a few words of Common… let’s see. Silence for a bit, save for the sound of croaking coming from above, Sgt Bobby nudges and points to the stairs- several more Bullywugs are descending from above- investigating their comrades sudden silence. Lux tries again with her question- this time in the Common tongue and louder- and with a bit of mime, and I get her to make a roll- any Skill that will fit the bill, she tries Performance (after all, she’s an ex-Actor). Lux rolls the lowest number on the dice. I roll my Random What Happens Next D20, I roll a ‘1’ too- this has happened before. How to reward two ‘1’s? There’s not enough gone wrong, from a DMs perspective, for the Bullywugs to just launch an attack, after all the PCs look and sound like Dragon Cultists, Lux is just not making much sense (to them). So, if the Bullywugs can’t attack… So, here comes the chaos- the PCs four Lizardfolk accomplices decide at that exact moment that their revenge can wait no longer- the generous DM therefore gives the quartet a surprise round- and unleashes them upon the gawping Bullywugs, I even let the PCs make their Lizardfolk’s rolls- nice of me. Seconds later and the closest three Bullywugs are dead, another barely clings to life, and then… then, it all goes crazy. Bullywugs flee, fight, scream and… well, they hop around an awful lot. And so, in no particular order- Lux Shatters three of the Bullywugs- dead, plenty more of them hop in to the murderous Lizardfolk, spears in hand- Gawp & Ping get stabbed. Then Lummins does the maths (counts the squares in the room) and lets loose a Fireball, and all is madness- it doesn’t end well (for the Bullywugs). Rob (who plays Lummins) has been waiting to do this for like, ever (actually since he got to Level 5 which was probably last session, I’ve told him a million times not to exaggerate etc.). It takes a while for the super-heated steam to clear, the flash fire also bakes hard 90% of the mud in the chamber- there were 18 alive-alive-o Bullywugs in the room six or so seconds ago, now there are just six. Also caught in the blast is Gawp (Lizardfolk), the creature is reduced to 4 hit points- some sacrifices have to be made, Rob states (& Gawp is Lummins’/Rob’s Lizardfolk- so no harm done). The Bullywugs formerly descending the stairs flee back the way they came- panic croaking all the way, while the remaining Bullywugs in the Lower Barracks attempt to get the hell out of dodge- the only exits are however- up the stairs (several of the PCs are heading that way), through the doorway (also blocked by PCs atm) or through a window-sized opening in the back wall and from there down in to the castle moat. The scramble begins. One Bullwug gets out of the window before the exit is plugged by a pair of foolish amphibians who fight each other to be the next to escape. The four Scaly Death Lizardfolk warriors are not idle- they charge in to slaughter the fleeing Bullywugs. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113053[/ATTACH][/CENTER] The PCs however are keen to get upstairs (they think that’s where Fartbox (Pharblex) is), and leading the charge is Sgt Bobby. The Fighter rushes to the top of the stairs and spies the barracks above, there are ten more panicked Bullywugs here (but no obvious leader type). Sgt Bobby orders the amphibians (in Common) to surrender. Alas the Sgt doesn’t have time to wait for a reply, he cuts the nearest Bullywug down (after missing two attacks and spending an Inspiration Point to try again- a Crit follows). The chamber is only slightly less filthy than the one below, with rotten reed bed-cum-nests everywhere, there is however a door to the west, and (more interestingly) a large chest swathed in chains- treasure. Note Sgt Bobby’s failures to hit, this will become a recurring theme- not just for the Fighter but for many on the PCs who are mostly (remember) +5 to +7 to hit. The Lizardfolk however have a much lower to hit chance- and yet they seem to hit all of the time, and the same people are making the rolls. With the same dice of course. It would be very frustrating if that kept happening, for say… maybe 2-3 hours. Let’s see children. Lux is next up the stairs- Eldritch Blasting as she goes, resulting in one dead Bullywug and another wounded, and like Sgt Bobby she also calls for the Bullywug’s to surrender. The evil amphibians are not convinced, or else they don’t understand a word Lux (or Sgt Bobby) are saying. Lummins is next up the stairs, after first guiltily casting a Cure Wounds on Gawp, his Lizardfolk accomplice. Watt, smart fellow, settles in the doorway to the building and begins plugging away at the few remaining Bullwugs below with his bow, the Bullywugs are being ably chased around the chamber by the Scaly Death Lizardfolk. It’s a shooting gallery with leaping targets- the Bard doesn’t miss often. Back upstairs the three PCs cannot as yet get in to the Upper Barracks chamber, the remaining Bullywugs rally (briefly) and surround the stairs- stabbing furiously with their spears at anyone that approaches. DM Interlude- I’ve made twenty-or-so Bullywug attacks so far (about half against Lizardfolk- 50% hit rate) but no hits as of yet on the PCs- not for the want of trying (and with Aid Other/Help to get Advantage). That said Lummins had to make use of his Warding Flare to ward off a Crit. And so Lummins, Lux & Sgt Bobby are reduced to fighting the Bullywugs on the stairs- Lummins destroys another with his Sacred Flames. Watt, seconds later, comes to their help- a Thunderwave clears a few Bullywugs back but fails to kill any of the hoping bastards (his damage roll was something like ‘4’, nice one). The PCs keep missing their attack rolls, and when hitting rolling spectacularly low for damage. Meanwhile, down below Ping (Lizardfolk) cuts the last Bullywug down- two have escaped out the window and in to the moat, the other 22 are dead. The rest of the Lizardfolk head upstairs, just as Sgt Bobby cuts his way (at last) through the Bullywugs blocking the top of the stairs. That’s enough fighting for my bad guys- all of the Bullywugs left standing (5 or 6 of them) flee the scene. They hop en masse through the western door and in to the Stable Loft, Lux gets after them- Eldritch Blasting as she goes- and missing (she’s only hit once so far, Sandy’s dice are really broken). Then Sgt Bobby misses twice more, Lummins once more, and Watt (with his bow) is just wide of the mark. The Players at this point are screaming at their dice, at each other, themselves, me- and several inanimate objects that have somehow contrived to ‘get in their way’. Remarkably the Scaly Death Lizardfolk are much more accurate than the PCs- Ping (again) takes down two Bullwugs on his turn. Which obviously goes down really well with the Players- they can’t hit with their PCs, while they’re hitting over 50% of the time when rolling for their Lizardfolk. It made me laugh at the time. And so the last four Bullywugs flee through the Loft and then leap down in to the Stable below, Sgt Bobby spins a dagger in to the back of one of the amphibians- and kills it- the three remaining amphibians make it to the doors of the Stable, where they’re croaking up a racket. Watt heads back downstairs in a rush, the Bard attempts to head the Bullywugs off, or else to get close enough to shut them up (permanently) before they attract attention. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113054[/ATTACH][/CENTER] The Bard skids to a halt just as he exits the building- in the middle of the Outer Courtyard are easily a dozen Dragon Cultists (and a trio of leashed Guard Drakes), several of the Cultists are heading in his direction. Watt thinks back, what could have alerted the Dragon Cultists to their presence? A Shatter spell? Fireball? Thunderwave? All of the above in quick succession? Too late now, the secret is out. Watt (dressed as a Cultist remember) waves at his fellow Dragon Cultists and limply states “it’s all under control- Bullywugs Tsk!” He rolls something beginning with ‘3’ for his Deception check, plus bonuses of course. At that exact moment the Stable door bursts open and the first panicked fleeing Bullwug hops out- two more equally panicked Bullywugs follow behind accompanied by the sound of Lux’s Eldritch Blasts (both misses- again) echoing after. It’s all got a bit out of control. Bugger it. Watt spends an Inspiration Point and fires an enhanced Shatter spell in to the nearest concentration of bad guys- three Dragon Cultists are killed in an instant, the Dragonclaw holding the leash of the Guard Drake can barely stand (on 2 hit points), the Drake is merely scratched- but enraged all the same. Watt screams for help and then takes a step back in to the building. The four Dragonclaws (one very badly wounded) take charge of the situation- immediately sending Cultist runners to go get Dral & Rezmir, of course the PCs don’t know this- or even see this. The badly wounded Dragonclaw unleashes his Guard Drake and then retreats, the Drake charges in to the building and attacks Watt, who is joined at this point by his Lizardfolk companion- George, that’s nice- they’re going to die together. A second Guard Drake rushes in to the building, and at Watt- four attacks (between the two Drakes) and all misses. It’s contagious. Sgt Bobby and Bungle (his Lizardfolk companion) join Watt & co in the melee, as do several Cultists and a Dragonclaw. Back in the Outer Courtyard Lux exits the Stable and takes in the scene- three Bullwugs hopping off north (to the Inner Ward), while a Dragonclaw with a Guard Drake and a quartet of Cultists are coming her way, and at speed. Ping (her Lizardfolk companion) joins her, Lux fires an Eldritch Blast (a hit at last- oh, and one more miss) in to the Dragonclaw, then starts screaming for back up. Lummins has to run hard to get to her side. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113055[/ATTACH][/CENTER] And so, we have two fights- at the Stables Lux & Lummins (with their Lizardfolk friends- Ping & Gawp) versus four Cultists, a Dragonclaw and a Guard Drake; and in the Bullywug’s (former) lair Watt & Sgt Bobby (again with their Lizardfolk friends- George & Bungle) against a Cultist, a Dragonclaw and two Guard Drakes. Of course, we play both fights at the same time- Watt opens up with an enhanced Thunderwave, the Bard is in the process, as per usual, of expending all of his spell inventory in consecutive rounds. The two Guard Drakes and the Dragonclaw suffer- and are pushed back, the Cultist is killed outright. Bungle cuts down the Dragonclaw, there is much joy- the Players cheer and holler, then one of the Guard Drakes rushes in and bites Bungle’s head clean off. The cheering stops- Bungle the Lizardfolk (beloved of Sgt Bobby, that’s crazy Pete) is no more. Pete is not happy. Sgt Bobby rushes in and slices in fury at the killer Guard Drake, he misses- twice, he actually missed three times in a row- he screamed that he would spend his Inspiration Point to attack again- rolled a ‘3’ and then was swiftly informed by me that he had already spent his Inspiration Point. That went down well. The second Guard Drake grabs George in its jaws and shakes the Lizardfolk like a ragdoll, smashing its skull repeatedly on the floor and walls. George dies. Jackie (playing Watt, and George the Lizardfolk) is really not happy. Skip to the other fight at the Stables- Lux is set upon by Cultists and slashed repeatedly, the Warlock bleeds- and now Sandy is unhappy too, Lux doesn’t usually get anywhere near combat (and/or danger). Lux thins out her attackers with a Shatter spell- two Cultists and the Dragonclaw briefly throw crazy shapes and then sag to the floor- spirits and bodies broken. Lummins fires off his Burning Hands- the remaining two Cultists are incinerated in an instant, while the Guard Drake is now badly hurt. Seconds later Gawp & Ping rush in and finish the Drake off. Easy! This fight is done. And so back to the former Bullywug lair- Watt spams the Thunderwave button, the building shudders and again both Guard Drakes are hurt (a little bit- he’s still rolling very low for damage) and pushed back a bit. Not for long- both Drakes rush back in to action. The Bard is bitten, and seconds later Sgt Bobby is slammed by the second Drake’s hefty tail and left winded. Sgt Bobby is on maybe seven hit points. Did I mention that Pete isn’t happy. Sgt Bobby slashes the nearest Drake for 21 damage, including 8 from Bardic Inspiration- Watt has only just remembered to use this- they’re desperate and have been scanning their Character Sheets for any ‘spare’ powers et al. Watt stabs a Guard Drake with his rapier, he’s fed up of rolling low damage with his spells, the beast is now very badly wounded, it still however has the strength left to bite Watt again, and now the Bard is beyond bloodied too. The other Drake hits Sgt Bobby with its tail again- the Fighter almost falls (down to 1 Hit Point). At which point Lux and Lummins arrive to save the day. Note there are a few Dragon Cultists (actually a pair of Dragonclaws) still observing from the Outer Courtyard, but they’re waiting on reinforcements and the arrival of their bosses- Rez and/or Dral. Lux, armed with her Shillelagh (fed up of missing with her Eldritch Blasts) attacks (and hits) one of the Guard Drakes, Lummins hits the same beast with a Sacred Flame, Sgt Bobby cuts it down (thanks only to some more Bardic Inspiration, without it he would have missed twice more). There’s just one Guard Drake left in the fight- which has been going on now for something like eighteen rounds- starting with the initial attack on the Bullywugs in their lair. Lummins catches the last beast with another Sacred Flame (it’s bloodied- at last), the Guard Drake however hasn’t finished- thrashing around it bites Lux- the Warlock is now also beyond bloodied. Watt steps out of the action and grabs out his magical longbow, and… ‘1’. It was an emotional moment- well, for me- I had tears in my eyes I was laughing so hard. Gawp & Ping (the Lizardfolk) catch up with the action and wade in to the Guard Drake- three hits out of four attacks, it’s easy this… the Players are (sorta) furious, however the last Drake is nearly down. Lux steps in with her Shillelagh, and… ‘1’. I swear some wee came out. Lummins burns the beast with Sacred Flames- it dies. The fight is over, only… “Who are you? What do you want?” In the new found silence the PCs hear shouting coming from the Outer Courtyard, it’s Dralmorrer Borngray who is killing time waiting for Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon Cultist boss) to arrive on the scene. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113056[/ATTACH][/CENTER] The charming PCs (Lux, Watt & Lummins) exchange pleasantries with Dral (but do not as of yet step out of the building), and we break for a bit of chatter- Dral is trying to buy the PCs off, or else find a way for them to go away (or join the Cult). The PCs are keen for the Dragon Cultists to surrender or die- the last option favoured repeatedly (and loudly) by Sgt Bobby, who is taking every opportunity to insult Dral and his host. The PCs eventually get their confidence back- a round or two of swigging Healing Potions will do that- the quartet (actually sextet including the two Lizardfolk survivors- Gawp & Ping) move out the building and in to the Outer Courtyard. There are a lot more Cultists in the Outer Courtyard- that’s not good, and so the PCs latest plan is to try to subtly and surreptitiously move around towards the exit (the Causeway)- just in case even more Cultists turn up. Also in order to get a good look at their enemies- to see who and what they’re facing, they spot Dral (Elf Dragon Cult Wearer of Purple), a pair of plain old Cultists and maybe eight Dragonclaws (actually 6 Dragonclaws and a pair of Dragonwings- they’re tougher still). The PCs however can’t see Azbara Jos (the Red Wizard of Thay) hiding away in the rear. The chatter goes on a while- with nothing much getting agreed but plenty being said- Pete (playing Sgt Bobby) is still taking every opportunity to insult the Cultists, until… Lummins (played by Rob, normally the mild-mannered placid guy) catches everyone on the hop and launches a Fireball in to the middle of the Cultists. He rolls 33 damage on 8d6- the Bastard. Only Dral (bloodied- he took full damage), both Dragonwings and one Dragonclaw (on 3 HP) survive, oh and the hidden Azbara Jos of course. The Players are laughing like drains- right until Rezmir accompanied by yet more of her Cult buddies steps out of one of the other buildings (the Chapel). Rez’s Cult buddies include 10 Cultists, four more Dragonclaws and another Dragonwing. The PCs fall back a bit… Rezmir isn’t messing about, she immediately (and loudly) orders Dral to destroy the PCs (should he fail to do so then she will kill Dral herself)– then a bit of chat for the PCs (“you again- you’re too late, and now you’re going to die”), and then strides off, catching up with Azbara Jos, and heading for the Teleportation Circle below the castle. Dral flips out and screams at the Cultists to charge/kill/slaughter the PCs, he really embraces the role. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113057[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Watt launches another Shatter spell- four Cultists die. Dral fires three Magic Missiles in to Sgt Bobby, another one of the charging Cultists gets to the Fighter and slashes him with his scimitar, and a Crit- Sgt Bobby is briefly bloodied. He gets his Second Wind and then Crits and kills one of the already wounded Dragonwings. The PCs retreat back to the entrance to the Bullywug’s former lair. Dral orders a quartet of Cultists (a wounded Dragonwing & three Dragonclaws) to go through Stables and circle in behind the PCs. Lux meanwhile takes down a wounded Dragonclaw with another Eldritch Blast. Lummins, saving the best to last- grabs out his holy symbol and fires off his Radiance of the Dawn- and bugger me but I miss a lot of my saves. Five Cultists and three Dragonclaws succumb to the Radiant burst. The only bad guys left in the fight are a badly wounded Dral, a Dragonwing & a terrified Cultist- oh and the other four Cultists Dral just sent in to the Stable to circle around the PCs. Dral screams for the Stable guys to get back here, and then rushes to cut at Sgt Bobby with his longsword- he slices the Fighter, and Sgt Bobby is bloodied again. He cuts back (a ‘1’ and a miss), they really are rolling low. Pete stomps around swearing for a bit, although that’s no biggie- it’s his go-to response for all such situations. The Dragonwing also slashes Sgt Bobby, he’s back down to 5 Hit Points. Pete goes swear-nova. The Dragon Cultists previously heading to the Stables come rushing back, and double move straight in to the action. Lux takes down another badly wounded Dragonwing with her (now) dependable Eldritch Blast. She calls for the Cultists to surrender- the Cultist foot soldiers eager to give it up look to Dral, but the High Elf fights on… The PCs make note of the exchange- knock Dral down and they’re done. Ping and Gawp (the big hitting Lizardfolk) take down the last two Cultists. Sgt Bobby hits Dral- at last, and the High Elf surrenders. The other Cultists also throw down their weapons, and at last- the fighting is over, at least for a bit. The entire snowball encounter took a little over two hours to play out- real time. The captured Dragon Cultists are tied and bagged, and then frogmarched back to the Barbican, and [B]Strike Team #2[/B]. [B]Strike Team #1[/B] are spent, and we break for a good thirty minutes while the Players refresh and replay various sections of the epic fight. The PCs are taking a Short Rest, and then get to interrogate Dral and the captured Cultists. DM Interlude- Sgt Bobby spends his Hit Dice to heal and rolls 1, 2, 2, 2 and 2- he’s still bloodied! Pete is apoplectic- the other Players are obviously laughing like drains. I may have smirked once or twice, y’know- just to join in. And so, the rest of the session is spent in Q&A with Dral and the captured Cultists, the PCs learn more about the layout of the castle and what chambers are where- Dral is very honest, he wants to live, and bargains furiously for his life. Lux eventually states that all of the Cultists will be allowed to live- and possibly to claim a new life for themselves, a good life- the Cultists just need to change their ways and embrace the Light. I think was channelling her previous PC- Myrium the Blessed. At this point there are no further Cultists left in the castle- that was all of them, Rezmir and Azbara Jos have already departed the scene- obviously the PCs don’t know this as of yet but they’re fairly certain they’ve wiped out a large chunk of the bad guys. After a brief chat amongst themselves, and then another chat with Snapjaw, the PCs decide to head down below next- they’re going to find Fartbox (Pharblex) and destroy him (and the Bullywugs), as promised. Oh and [B]Strike Team #1[/B] has been rounded out with two Lizardfolk replacements joining the throng to replace the fallen, we have- Jar-Jar (Watt) & Binks (Sgt Bobby). But that’s the end of this session. Again, my apologies for the stylings on an eleven-year-old with the narrative. [/QUOTE]
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