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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: 7960174" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #56 The Rise of Tiamat #15a Slaughter at Boltus Pit Part 1. </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 11</strong></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>&</strong></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Secondary PCs.</strong></p><p><strong>Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on.</strong></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8</strong></p><p></p><p>This is session #56 of our game, but only session #15a of The Rise of Tiamat scenario.</p><p></p><p>This was a short session, mainly because the last fight took a good long while to play through- and people were wanting to get off (for real-world reasons), and then we just got to a nice place to stop (eventually, after a bit of bickering).</p><p></p><p>Lots of fighting this time, and for all the subtle plot and nuanced NPC interactions et al, these buggers (the Players) sure do like their fighting- and by extension slaughtering the heck out of my bad guys. So, they loved this session- go figure.</p><p></p><p>Also, before we get on it a quick word- back in the last session Sgt Bobby met Elsa (the Ice Hunter- not) who is Orcaheart’s beautiful (and very available) sister. Well, after this (in-game) event I set my mind to another little Plot I had brewing- I made contact with Pete (playing Sgt Bobby) and started bargaining for his in-game services. I wanted to get the big lad onside for an upcoming event- in all honesty it was easy-peasy, Pete (Sgt Bobby) went for my initial offer- so, there’s something coming- not in this session, but soon after. You’ll see.</p><p></p><p>Then back to the game, and the Brothers have been sent by Ambassador Connerad Brawnanvil to rescue his brother Argonite from the clutches of attacking Dragon Cultists. The Dwarf is holed up in Deep Forge Nine, in Boltus Pit- a coaling station located in the Spine of the World mountains, 50 miles north of Mirabar. Last bit- it’s 3.00 AM by the time the PCs make it from Stone Circle West, the permanent Teleporter, to the secret backdoor of the Pit.</p><p></p><p>The Brothers therefore have six hours to get in- rescue Argonite (and any others), and then get out again, and then back to the City of Splendours in time for the third Council of Waterdeep (at 9.00 AM, obviously).</p><p></p><p>The clock is ticking…</p><p></p><p>Oh, and of course success here will be enough to guarantee Connerad’s vote, and continued support in the Council of Waterdeep, so there’s that.</p><p></p><p>The PCs are also keen, itching for a fight- and who am I to disappoint them.</p><p></p><p>So, the Brothers cautiously head in through the secret back door of the mine, only the Dragon Cultists have got there ahead of them- there are nine Dragonclaws led by a quartet of Dragonwings- a not too trying encounter, but of course all of the bad guys have MAX HP. I wanted to slow down the PCs somewhat, and eat a few of their resources, and make them think they’d been in a fight.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]120766[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The place is a ruin, it looks like the Dragon Cultists made good use of (spellcasting) artillery to smash their way into the mine, or else something similarly ferocious (and fiery).</p><p></p><p>However, it didn’t help me that the PCs got the drop on my bad guys- with Hotlips sneaking ahead and almost into the midst of the enemies.</p><p></p><p>Lux Shatters the closest trio of Dragonclaws (after being persuaded not to just drop a Hunger of Hadar onto them- the other PCs want to have some fun). Two Dragonclaws are left only just grasping on to life, the room shakes and shudders as more stones fall from the already wrecked ceiling.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby follows in, cutting down the first badly wounded Dragonclaw with Hazirawn (and a Crit), and then Action Surges onwards- and almost slays a second.</p><p></p><p>Lummins strides up to the doors and spies a Dragonwing at the rear of the pack, the Priest of Lathander tosses a Fireball (nonchalantly) into the mix- two more Dragonclaws are incinerated, while the Dragonwing is badly burned and left bloodied.</p><p></p><p>Then large sections of the ceiling roar their disapproval (briefly), and collapse- several more Dragonclaws (and Sgt Bobby) are hit by falling stones, while another Dragonclaw screams wildly (but very briefly) as he is crushed to death when a sizeable chunk of the aforementioned ceiling lands on him.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby (Pete) makes it clear to the artillery support that this place is unstable- “Could you stop trying to EXPLETIVE kill me! You EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVEs!” Is, I think, how it went.</p><p></p><p>Churchillian, as always.</p><p></p><p>Hotlips scurries in- stabs a Dragonclaw with her magical rapier (in passing) killing the poor fool, and then spins a dagger out at the Dragonwing hiding behind a pillar (an Assassination attempt), and misses- it was a hard shot, the Dragon Cultist is left cowering.</p><p></p><p>But still visible (just) to Watt who follows in and thunks two arrows into the terrified Dragonwing, and now the poor fool is badly injured.</p><p></p><p>Then the screaming and shouting gets going, as the rest of the Dragon Cultists hidden in a previously unseen chamber around the corner surge into battle. The badly wounded Dragonwing behind the pillar gets courage- he leaps into the air and glides over Hotlips to land before Lummins and Watt. The Dragonwing cuts and slices at the Bard, and misses- repeatedly.</p><p></p><p>Lux is having none of it, she scurries forward and Eldritch Blasts the Dragonwing-bastard to death, and then wounds another Dragonclaw reinforcement just arriving on the scene.</p><p></p><p>More Dragonclaws and Dragonwings emerge, and rush into action- Watt is sliced, but my bad guys are missing lots of their attacks. Sgt Bobby cuts down another Dragonclaw, meanwhile Lummins shoves his way into the entrance chamber and unleashes his Spirit Guardians- floating balls of spectral coruscating light- that radiant hurt.</p><p></p><p>Hotlips mostly kills the second Dragonwing to enter the melee, the poor bastard goes from full to 6 HP in a matter of moments, as the Halfling Rogue goes stab-fury-five.</p><p></p><p>A Dragonclaw, radiant burned by Lathander’s Spirit Guardians, gets to the Priest- (Warding Flare fails) and slices Lummins. Seconds later another Dragonclaw cuts Watt, while another pair of Dragonwings are now menacing Hotlips and Lux.</p><p></p><p>The oddity here being Lux never (ever) gets anywhere near the front line (usually).</p><p></p><p>Watt’s had enough of this, the Bard drops his bow and conjures a Hypnotic Pattern- catching all but one of the remaining Cultists in the spell- and only one of the bad guys makes his save, the others stand statue and stare at the ceiling. That is until Lummins’ Spirit Guardians ravish them (and in the process awake them from their idle)- which kinda negates the Bard’s effort.</p><p></p><p>First to revive is a radiant burned Dragonwing, the Cult bastard slashes and cuts Lux, but the Warlock Shocking Grasps the fellow right back- the bad guy is bloodied.</p><p></p><p>Another radiant burned (and formerly Hypnotised) Dragonclaw attempts to flee the scene screaming but is speared to death by Lummins. Likewise, a badly radiant burned Dragonwing (also formerly Hypnotised) tries to fly away from the melee (and the madness) but doesn’t get off the ground- Hotlips skewers the poor bugger- dead.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby Crits and kills yet another Dragonclaw, Hotlips does the same (but for Crit read Sneak Attack), and suddenly there’s just one Dragonwing left alive and the poor sod is surrounded (and beyond bloodied, and within the compass of Lummins’ Spirit Guardians). The Cultists surrenders, and Lummins cuts short his spell.</p><p></p><p>Time for a chat…</p><p></p><p>Quickly (and a little brutally) the Brothers learn the following (with Lummins’ Zone of Truth in place)-</p><p></p><p>1) The Dragon Cultists attacked the mine yesterday- there are/were ‘lots of them’ involved in the assault, certainly, ‘more than 100’, with leader types, including a Wizard and a Red Dragon- consensus is, Bugger!</p><p></p><p>2) The leader of the force however is a Half-Red Dragon warrior, name unknown.</p><p></p><p>3) The Dragonwing has no idea why the mine was attacked.</p><p></p><p>And that’s the lot- of course the PCs have many more questions but- that’s pretty much all the guy knows (or at least they’re the questions he could answer). I was expecting the Players to ask how a force of 100+ Dragon Cultists got here… the answer would, of course, have pointed the PCs to the fact that a/the Dragon Cult lair (actually the location for the Tiamat summoning ritual) is also in the Spine of the World mountains.</p><p></p><p>But they didn’t ask- shame.</p><p></p><p>The Dragonwing is hogtied and left to stew, and then after getting directions the Brothers head off deeper into the mine, the place is a wreck- and the passage of the Dragon Cultists very easy to follow, although the way (to the next encounter) is long and windy.</p><p></p><p>An hour or so later (4.15 AM, they need to be in Waterdeep for 9 AM) the adventurers locate their next batch of enemies- and remember my job this session is just to keep the guys amused so that they’ve not got time to investigate the (fake) Green Dragon Mask.</p><p></p><p>So, more of the same, if you please…</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]120767[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>This time however the guys creep up on a (big) bunch of Cultists that are camped out in a section of the mine, these guys are mostly resting- but there are lots of them. Including a command group (spotted by Lummins) atop a rock shelf, the Priest of Lathander is fairly certain he spied a Red Wizard of Thay up there…</p><p></p><p>That’s interesting- the Brothers decide to try to take this guy prisoner.</p><p></p><p>The PCs are also keen to devastate the bastards, and in rather a jolly mood at the prospect of doing so, every now and then it’s fun to watch them grin and whoop as they take down easy enemies, by which I mean enemies that are still challenging, but- more importantly- easy to identify as being the enemy.</p><p></p><p>The absence of doubt- “Are we doing the right thing?” Very often brings on the Player’s guilt-free slaughter of my guys.</p><p></p><p>However, there are obviously lots of enemies encamped here, for your info I started with- 8 Dragonclaws, 5 Thugs, 4 Cult Fanatics, 4 Cultists, 1 Priest & 1 Mage (Wizard of Thay). Oh, and all with MAX HPs, so there’s that…</p><p></p><p>I allow the PCs to get in to position, because we’re just killing time here (a little) and besides the Players are lapping this up- giggling like loons and whispering to each other- “I’ll put a Fireball here, you put one here- are you MAX-enhancing yours?” That kind of thing.</p><p></p><p>So, the guys get in position, and note Lux has cast Fly on herself, Sgt B and Hotlips- Lummins has his Winged Boots on, so just Watt shuffling around on the deck.</p><p></p><p>However, it’s Watt that starts the play- a Fireball (with an incredibly high damage roll) into the command group up on the ledge- two Dragonclaws are instantly incinerated, the Cult Priest is left screaming in agony, while the Red Wizard of Thay is left, alas, only a little singed. The Bard slinks back out of sight- what just happened?</p><p></p><p>Lummins flies forward, and gets some height, and then goes bat-crap crazy, a second Fireball follows- aimed into the largest concentration of Cultists. Two Cultists and another Dragonclaw are incinerated, while several Thugs and Cult Fanatics are left screaming in agony.</p><p></p><p>The Priest of Lathander then spends his Inspiration Point and settles a Blade Barrier around a group of assorted Cultists, including the Mage and Priest up on the ledge- a swarming wall of slashing beams of light (think lightsabres). That’s fairly epic (if that’s not an oxymoron).</p><p></p><p>Lux emerges (flying) next and fires off a trio of Eldritch Blasts, all aimed at the nearest enemies- a scurrying bunch of Cult Fanatics rushing towards the PCs- all hits. Note all three of the artillery, after they’ve unleashed their fury, retreat back behind a sturdy cavern wall- they can’t be seen by any of the dying (or otherwise) Cultists. Good work.</p><p></p><p>Hotlips assassinates a wounded Cult Fanatic (crossbow bolt to the throat) and then flies to a new hiding place, while Sgt Bobby swoops in (flying) and begins hacking at the closest Cult Fanatic left standing, remarkably the foul fellow survives two hefty (Hazirawn) hits (the benefit of MAX HP).</p><p></p><p>Then the action really gets going.</p><p></p><p>A Dragonclaw wakes up to the fact that he’s being bisected by Lummins’ Blade Barrier, the poor idiot is pureed.</p><p></p><p>The Red Wizard of Thay is in a similar position- however he survives the ordeal and exits the Blade Barrier and casts a Greater Invisibility spell upon himself.</p><p></p><p>The Cult Fanatic Sgt B failed to cut down stabs the Fighter twice in quick succession (one a Crit) and then conjures his Spiritual Weapon and clonks Bobby again- Pete, it need not be said, is not best pleased.</p><p></p><p>A second Cult Fanatic (I’m playing these guys as berserker-style lunatic Priests) comes screaming through the Blade Barrier and ignores the pain- it rushes towards Sgt Bobby, en route it too conjures its Spiritual Weapon, but Sgt B dodges just in time.</p><p></p><p>Meantime Lux and Lummins emerge again from hiding, and take back to the air, the Priest of Lathander drops another (enhanced) Fireball into the midst of a bunch more Cultists- the screaming gets louder, while the Warlock Eldritch Blasts the two Cult Fanatics formerly menacing Sgt Bobby to death.</p><p></p><p>Note still within the Blade Barrier there’s a Cultist and the Priest cowering (the Priest was on 2 HP, until he started with the healing). Alas this situation doesn’t last long- Hotlips flies up above the Blade Barrier and shoots a crossbow bolt into the just healed Cult Priest’s head- and now he’s dead.</p><p></p><p>Sgt Bobby flies closer to the action and gets his Second Wind, the Fighter reports back- there are bunch more Cultists (Dragonclaws and Thugs mostly) heading this way. He also reports that the bad guys are ‘all bunched-up’ avoiding the still whirling Blade Barrier.</p><p></p><p>That’s not good- for my guys.</p><p></p><p>Seconds later however Sgt Bobby is hit by a Hold Person, cast by yet another screaming Cult Fanatic- he’s very lucky, Watt’s Bardic Inspiration (in the end) allows the Fighter to make his save- this after he rolls a ‘1’, followed by Indomitable (roll save again)- and another failed save (but only just- the Bard's Inspiration gets him home).</p><p></p><p>Watt rushes out of hiding and drops yet another Fireball into the bunch of Cultists that are skirting around the Blade Barrier.</p><p></p><p>It’s a bloody/fiery mess.</p><p></p><p>The Bard incinerates three Thugs, two Dragonclaws and a Cult Fanatic, all of whom were already wounded by the previous burn.</p><p></p><p>The Cultists are now officially panicked and fleeing- those that still live.</p><p></p><p>Lummins Sacred Flames to death a fleeing Thug, Lux strafes fleeing enemies with her Eldritch Blasts and yet another Dragonclaw falls, while Hotlips puts a crossbow bolt in the back of another- also dead.</p><p></p><p>The encounter is over.</p><p></p><p>Note, one Thug and the Red Wizard of Thay (Greater Invisibility) manage to successfully flee the scene (the Thug has to hide, briefly) the PCs go looking for survivors (and in particular the Red Wizard). They don’t find either of the two escapees- besides, they’re in a rush- they want to get on.</p><p></p><p>However, when the Blade Barrier comes down the Brothers discover that there’s a cowering Cultist still alive in there. The poor fellow is dragged out for a chat.</p><p></p><p>The broken fellow has little new info to tell, the only reassuring nugget garnered is this- the Red Dragon that was involved in the initial attack on the mine has since departed, heading… well, elsewhere.</p><p></p><p>As with the previous prisoner the unfortunate Cultist is left hogtied- to be picked up later, on the way out.</p><p></p><p>Then we break for the inevitable Pizza- the first two combats proved easy-ish to get through, neither lasted more than 6-7 Turns. Now chatter for a while- and whooping, and gurgling, and grinning.</p><p></p><p>Then we get on to the final encounter in Boltus Pit… but, that’s for the next instalment.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Stay safe and well you lovely people.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7960174, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #56 The Rise of Tiamat #15a Slaughter at Boltus Pit Part 1. Brothers of the First Light. Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 11 Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 11 Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 11 Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 11 & Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 11 Secondary PCs. Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on. Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8 Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8 Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8[/B] This is session #56 of our game, but only session #15a of The Rise of Tiamat scenario. This was a short session, mainly because the last fight took a good long while to play through- and people were wanting to get off (for real-world reasons), and then we just got to a nice place to stop (eventually, after a bit of bickering). Lots of fighting this time, and for all the subtle plot and nuanced NPC interactions et al, these buggers (the Players) sure do like their fighting- and by extension slaughtering the heck out of my bad guys. So, they loved this session- go figure. Also, before we get on it a quick word- back in the last session Sgt Bobby met Elsa (the Ice Hunter- not) who is Orcaheart’s beautiful (and very available) sister. Well, after this (in-game) event I set my mind to another little Plot I had brewing- I made contact with Pete (playing Sgt Bobby) and started bargaining for his in-game services. I wanted to get the big lad onside for an upcoming event- in all honesty it was easy-peasy, Pete (Sgt Bobby) went for my initial offer- so, there’s something coming- not in this session, but soon after. You’ll see. Then back to the game, and the Brothers have been sent by Ambassador Connerad Brawnanvil to rescue his brother Argonite from the clutches of attacking Dragon Cultists. The Dwarf is holed up in Deep Forge Nine, in Boltus Pit- a coaling station located in the Spine of the World mountains, 50 miles north of Mirabar. Last bit- it’s 3.00 AM by the time the PCs make it from Stone Circle West, the permanent Teleporter, to the secret backdoor of the Pit. The Brothers therefore have six hours to get in- rescue Argonite (and any others), and then get out again, and then back to the City of Splendours in time for the third Council of Waterdeep (at 9.00 AM, obviously). The clock is ticking… Oh, and of course success here will be enough to guarantee Connerad’s vote, and continued support in the Council of Waterdeep, so there’s that. The PCs are also keen, itching for a fight- and who am I to disappoint them. So, the Brothers cautiously head in through the secret back door of the mine, only the Dragon Cultists have got there ahead of them- there are nine Dragonclaws led by a quartet of Dragonwings- a not too trying encounter, but of course all of the bad guys have MAX HP. I wanted to slow down the PCs somewhat, and eat a few of their resources, and make them think they’d been in a fight. [ATTACH type="full"]120766[/ATTACH] The place is a ruin, it looks like the Dragon Cultists made good use of (spellcasting) artillery to smash their way into the mine, or else something similarly ferocious (and fiery). However, it didn’t help me that the PCs got the drop on my bad guys- with Hotlips sneaking ahead and almost into the midst of the enemies. Lux Shatters the closest trio of Dragonclaws (after being persuaded not to just drop a Hunger of Hadar onto them- the other PCs want to have some fun). Two Dragonclaws are left only just grasping on to life, the room shakes and shudders as more stones fall from the already wrecked ceiling. Sgt Bobby follows in, cutting down the first badly wounded Dragonclaw with Hazirawn (and a Crit), and then Action Surges onwards- and almost slays a second. Lummins strides up to the doors and spies a Dragonwing at the rear of the pack, the Priest of Lathander tosses a Fireball (nonchalantly) into the mix- two more Dragonclaws are incinerated, while the Dragonwing is badly burned and left bloodied. Then large sections of the ceiling roar their disapproval (briefly), and collapse- several more Dragonclaws (and Sgt Bobby) are hit by falling stones, while another Dragonclaw screams wildly (but very briefly) as he is crushed to death when a sizeable chunk of the aforementioned ceiling lands on him. Sgt Bobby (Pete) makes it clear to the artillery support that this place is unstable- “Could you stop trying to EXPLETIVE kill me! You EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVE EXPLETIVEs!” Is, I think, how it went. Churchillian, as always. Hotlips scurries in- stabs a Dragonclaw with her magical rapier (in passing) killing the poor fool, and then spins a dagger out at the Dragonwing hiding behind a pillar (an Assassination attempt), and misses- it was a hard shot, the Dragon Cultist is left cowering. But still visible (just) to Watt who follows in and thunks two arrows into the terrified Dragonwing, and now the poor fool is badly injured. Then the screaming and shouting gets going, as the rest of the Dragon Cultists hidden in a previously unseen chamber around the corner surge into battle. The badly wounded Dragonwing behind the pillar gets courage- he leaps into the air and glides over Hotlips to land before Lummins and Watt. The Dragonwing cuts and slices at the Bard, and misses- repeatedly. Lux is having none of it, she scurries forward and Eldritch Blasts the Dragonwing-bastard to death, and then wounds another Dragonclaw reinforcement just arriving on the scene. More Dragonclaws and Dragonwings emerge, and rush into action- Watt is sliced, but my bad guys are missing lots of their attacks. Sgt Bobby cuts down another Dragonclaw, meanwhile Lummins shoves his way into the entrance chamber and unleashes his Spirit Guardians- floating balls of spectral coruscating light- that radiant hurt. Hotlips mostly kills the second Dragonwing to enter the melee, the poor bastard goes from full to 6 HP in a matter of moments, as the Halfling Rogue goes stab-fury-five. A Dragonclaw, radiant burned by Lathander’s Spirit Guardians, gets to the Priest- (Warding Flare fails) and slices Lummins. Seconds later another Dragonclaw cuts Watt, while another pair of Dragonwings are now menacing Hotlips and Lux. The oddity here being Lux never (ever) gets anywhere near the front line (usually). Watt’s had enough of this, the Bard drops his bow and conjures a Hypnotic Pattern- catching all but one of the remaining Cultists in the spell- and only one of the bad guys makes his save, the others stand statue and stare at the ceiling. That is until Lummins’ Spirit Guardians ravish them (and in the process awake them from their idle)- which kinda negates the Bard’s effort. First to revive is a radiant burned Dragonwing, the Cult bastard slashes and cuts Lux, but the Warlock Shocking Grasps the fellow right back- the bad guy is bloodied. Another radiant burned (and formerly Hypnotised) Dragonclaw attempts to flee the scene screaming but is speared to death by Lummins. Likewise, a badly radiant burned Dragonwing (also formerly Hypnotised) tries to fly away from the melee (and the madness) but doesn’t get off the ground- Hotlips skewers the poor bugger- dead. Sgt Bobby Crits and kills yet another Dragonclaw, Hotlips does the same (but for Crit read Sneak Attack), and suddenly there’s just one Dragonwing left alive and the poor sod is surrounded (and beyond bloodied, and within the compass of Lummins’ Spirit Guardians). The Cultists surrenders, and Lummins cuts short his spell. Time for a chat… Quickly (and a little brutally) the Brothers learn the following (with Lummins’ Zone of Truth in place)- 1) The Dragon Cultists attacked the mine yesterday- there are/were ‘lots of them’ involved in the assault, certainly, ‘more than 100’, with leader types, including a Wizard and a Red Dragon- consensus is, Bugger! 2) The leader of the force however is a Half-Red Dragon warrior, name unknown. 3) The Dragonwing has no idea why the mine was attacked. And that’s the lot- of course the PCs have many more questions but- that’s pretty much all the guy knows (or at least they’re the questions he could answer). I was expecting the Players to ask how a force of 100+ Dragon Cultists got here… the answer would, of course, have pointed the PCs to the fact that a/the Dragon Cult lair (actually the location for the Tiamat summoning ritual) is also in the Spine of the World mountains. But they didn’t ask- shame. The Dragonwing is hogtied and left to stew, and then after getting directions the Brothers head off deeper into the mine, the place is a wreck- and the passage of the Dragon Cultists very easy to follow, although the way (to the next encounter) is long and windy. An hour or so later (4.15 AM, they need to be in Waterdeep for 9 AM) the adventurers locate their next batch of enemies- and remember my job this session is just to keep the guys amused so that they’ve not got time to investigate the (fake) Green Dragon Mask. So, more of the same, if you please… [ATTACH type="full"]120767[/ATTACH] This time however the guys creep up on a (big) bunch of Cultists that are camped out in a section of the mine, these guys are mostly resting- but there are lots of them. Including a command group (spotted by Lummins) atop a rock shelf, the Priest of Lathander is fairly certain he spied a Red Wizard of Thay up there… That’s interesting- the Brothers decide to try to take this guy prisoner. The PCs are also keen to devastate the bastards, and in rather a jolly mood at the prospect of doing so, every now and then it’s fun to watch them grin and whoop as they take down easy enemies, by which I mean enemies that are still challenging, but- more importantly- easy to identify as being the enemy. The absence of doubt- “Are we doing the right thing?” Very often brings on the Player’s guilt-free slaughter of my guys. However, there are obviously lots of enemies encamped here, for your info I started with- 8 Dragonclaws, 5 Thugs, 4 Cult Fanatics, 4 Cultists, 1 Priest & 1 Mage (Wizard of Thay). Oh, and all with MAX HPs, so there’s that… I allow the PCs to get in to position, because we’re just killing time here (a little) and besides the Players are lapping this up- giggling like loons and whispering to each other- “I’ll put a Fireball here, you put one here- are you MAX-enhancing yours?” That kind of thing. So, the guys get in position, and note Lux has cast Fly on herself, Sgt B and Hotlips- Lummins has his Winged Boots on, so just Watt shuffling around on the deck. However, it’s Watt that starts the play- a Fireball (with an incredibly high damage roll) into the command group up on the ledge- two Dragonclaws are instantly incinerated, the Cult Priest is left screaming in agony, while the Red Wizard of Thay is left, alas, only a little singed. The Bard slinks back out of sight- what just happened? Lummins flies forward, and gets some height, and then goes bat-crap crazy, a second Fireball follows- aimed into the largest concentration of Cultists. Two Cultists and another Dragonclaw are incinerated, while several Thugs and Cult Fanatics are left screaming in agony. The Priest of Lathander then spends his Inspiration Point and settles a Blade Barrier around a group of assorted Cultists, including the Mage and Priest up on the ledge- a swarming wall of slashing beams of light (think lightsabres). That’s fairly epic (if that’s not an oxymoron). Lux emerges (flying) next and fires off a trio of Eldritch Blasts, all aimed at the nearest enemies- a scurrying bunch of Cult Fanatics rushing towards the PCs- all hits. Note all three of the artillery, after they’ve unleashed their fury, retreat back behind a sturdy cavern wall- they can’t be seen by any of the dying (or otherwise) Cultists. Good work. Hotlips assassinates a wounded Cult Fanatic (crossbow bolt to the throat) and then flies to a new hiding place, while Sgt Bobby swoops in (flying) and begins hacking at the closest Cult Fanatic left standing, remarkably the foul fellow survives two hefty (Hazirawn) hits (the benefit of MAX HP). Then the action really gets going. A Dragonclaw wakes up to the fact that he’s being bisected by Lummins’ Blade Barrier, the poor idiot is pureed. The Red Wizard of Thay is in a similar position- however he survives the ordeal and exits the Blade Barrier and casts a Greater Invisibility spell upon himself. The Cult Fanatic Sgt B failed to cut down stabs the Fighter twice in quick succession (one a Crit) and then conjures his Spiritual Weapon and clonks Bobby again- Pete, it need not be said, is not best pleased. A second Cult Fanatic (I’m playing these guys as berserker-style lunatic Priests) comes screaming through the Blade Barrier and ignores the pain- it rushes towards Sgt Bobby, en route it too conjures its Spiritual Weapon, but Sgt B dodges just in time. Meantime Lux and Lummins emerge again from hiding, and take back to the air, the Priest of Lathander drops another (enhanced) Fireball into the midst of a bunch more Cultists- the screaming gets louder, while the Warlock Eldritch Blasts the two Cult Fanatics formerly menacing Sgt Bobby to death. Note still within the Blade Barrier there’s a Cultist and the Priest cowering (the Priest was on 2 HP, until he started with the healing). Alas this situation doesn’t last long- Hotlips flies up above the Blade Barrier and shoots a crossbow bolt into the just healed Cult Priest’s head- and now he’s dead. Sgt Bobby flies closer to the action and gets his Second Wind, the Fighter reports back- there are bunch more Cultists (Dragonclaws and Thugs mostly) heading this way. He also reports that the bad guys are ‘all bunched-up’ avoiding the still whirling Blade Barrier. That’s not good- for my guys. Seconds later however Sgt Bobby is hit by a Hold Person, cast by yet another screaming Cult Fanatic- he’s very lucky, Watt’s Bardic Inspiration (in the end) allows the Fighter to make his save- this after he rolls a ‘1’, followed by Indomitable (roll save again)- and another failed save (but only just- the Bard's Inspiration gets him home). Watt rushes out of hiding and drops yet another Fireball into the bunch of Cultists that are skirting around the Blade Barrier. It’s a bloody/fiery mess. The Bard incinerates three Thugs, two Dragonclaws and a Cult Fanatic, all of whom were already wounded by the previous burn. The Cultists are now officially panicked and fleeing- those that still live. Lummins Sacred Flames to death a fleeing Thug, Lux strafes fleeing enemies with her Eldritch Blasts and yet another Dragonclaw falls, while Hotlips puts a crossbow bolt in the back of another- also dead. The encounter is over. Note, one Thug and the Red Wizard of Thay (Greater Invisibility) manage to successfully flee the scene (the Thug has to hide, briefly) the PCs go looking for survivors (and in particular the Red Wizard). They don’t find either of the two escapees- besides, they’re in a rush- they want to get on. However, when the Blade Barrier comes down the Brothers discover that there’s a cowering Cultist still alive in there. The poor fellow is dragged out for a chat. The broken fellow has little new info to tell, the only reassuring nugget garnered is this- the Red Dragon that was involved in the initial attack on the mine has since departed, heading… well, elsewhere. As with the previous prisoner the unfortunate Cultist is left hogtied- to be picked up later, on the way out. Then we break for the inevitable Pizza- the first two combats proved easy-ish to get through, neither lasted more than 6-7 Turns. Now chatter for a while- and whooping, and gurgling, and grinning. Then we get on to the final encounter in Boltus Pit… but, that’s for the next instalment. Stay safe and well you lovely people. [/QUOTE]
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