Special Event Episode - Siege of Áthulus

General Summary

As the Heroes of Áthulus sat about and spoke of Arion's homeland, they drank with Father Habus. They all drank to breaking, aside from Arion, and passed out in Father Habus' barn. Lumaag woke them with the news of an attack on the village of Áthulus, the heroes sprang into action and charged to manor only to find a horde of Tulwyn Barbarians marching toward the town. At the walls Sir Maild called down, "The barbarian horde is amassing all around us, I need you to get prepared and get into position at the gate if we're going to survive this! Hurry, there's little time. Gods be with you all."   The Heroes of Áthulus took a moment to prepare before the rushed to the gate. Kelaryn took the time to find Arvan and tell him how she felt about him. She expressed her sorrow at most likely not being able to expand their relationship. She then walked up to him, quite boldly, and planted a seriously heavy kiss on him. She then looked into his eyes once more, turned, and ran to her position at the gate.   The winds that often swept over the grass so peacefully in Áthulus drew an eerie feeling about them. The air seemed to thicken as in the distance all those huddled in the manor heard the marching of hundreds of foot steps. Readied, all manor of hero prepared to defend the castle walls. As the barbarians charged the walls with their ladders in tow Duryo launched a fireball from his new-found-necklace and killed four barbarians immediately. As the ladders hit the walls the heroes' vision closed in upon the gateway, whatever they desired in life, whatever they knew before, they knew that the only way out of that town was through that gateway and the horde of barbarians beyond it. They knew they had to fight to survive or allow hell to swallow them if they faltered.   As a group of barbarians rushed through the open gateway into the first doorway into the manor, Lumaag stabbed a spear down through the murder hole above and it rammed into a Barbarian Captain as he charged toward the Heroes of Áthulus leading a team. Arion charged in first and slammed his sword, Medui Tur, into the stomach of the barbarian leader before sliding it across and tearing out the guts of the mighty bastard. Kelaryn charged in for the attack but was parried as the barbarian beserker crashed his axe against the armor on her right arm leaving a massive bruise beneath. Grumwish followed up the attack and cut into beserker as Duryo rang a magic bell to the pain of the beserker below. Duryo then summoned a red barbed whip that lashed open the beserker's cheek as he spun to his death from the force.   All around the manor the barbarian captains placed in front ranks, scaled the walls and struck out at those on the other side in vicious attacks with their massive cleavers. Sir Maild was hacked first among them all splitting open his splint armor, Anvais was startled and slashed down his arm opening up a gaping wound on his old skin, Elendsley shielded an archer from a blow and then that same clever embedded into her shoulder tearing her chainmail, as Baern parried a blow away with his Stone Maul, while the guards on the southeastern wall were killed outright by their hacking barbarian captain. Seeing the devastation on the south east wall, Sir Taebirn rushed to the position to defend it. Upon the wall, Sir Taebrin tore his sword through the barbarian captain and dropped him over his shoulder onto the ground behind him, with the fall ultimately delivering the killing blow. As Elendsley struck out at the barbarian captain climbing her wall, Anvais did the same with his good arm, though he struck a killing blow. Gainim then slew the next barbarian, cutting his head clean off. Baern hacked off the hand of the captain that had hack into his maul and then sent that captain clear over top of his men with his maul as Heirois' archers killed two barbarians. Endeol thrashed another barbarian climbing the ladder before killing the berserker right behind that one.   Back at the gateway as the beserker struggled to his feet, Lumaag's spear shot down from the murder hole above and stabbed into his shoulder just before Arion stabbed his sword down through the same hole Lumaag left. The heroes then noticed another probing group running toward the manor gate but quick to react, Duryo pulled another bead from his necklace and launched it. As the flame erupted it killed a female barbarian in the back and a cultist to the side outright. Upon the gate, Kelaryn walked up and slammed her hammer down on the leading thug's head splashing brain matter all upon the walls. As Kelaryn smiled Grumwish ran up screaming and buried his axe deep in cult fanatic before kicking it out.   The stalemate continued on Sir Maild's corner, his barbarian captain slashed through the chainmail on his upper thigh. The barbarian captain leading the attack on the northern wall successfully scaled it and slaughters the two archers on top while parrying Elendsley's blows. Charging like mad up the ladder, a beserker rammed Baern Stonhammer off the wall, knocking him unconscious. As Heirois' page was killed another captain scaled the walls and dueled Heirois' older man-at-arms. Pissed, Sir Maild lashed out at the barbarian captain as he stepped onto the walls and dealt him a heavy blow. As a beserker rushed to assault Taebirn, he parried and received Taebirn's sword in his gut. Heirois' younger man-at-arms delivered his spear into a beserker as Sir Yoreth hacked at a beserker on his wall. Desperate, Elendsley slashed out a captain as his men stepped up on the wall behind him. As she swung, her foot inched ever closer to the edge of the wall. Anvais and Gainim each killed another man as they finished off the team attacking them. Sir Heirois' older man-at-arms gave two deep stabs with his spear against the captain facing him as an order could be heard from across the courtyard, the order was Endeol calling for availability to reinforce. Elendsley shouted back to Endeol begging for help as the Khuzan awkwardly shuffled down the ladder.   As a calm fell upon the gateway, The Master appeared before them and offered a question. All time around the heroes seemed to have come to a halt. As The Master opened his mouth, they saw a whirling purple force of glittery magic and he spoke. "Now you surely understand. You were all meant for more then the meager scraps of the Isle of Hârn. You could toil and work as common folk or journey with me to the path of your true destiny. You have done what was needed here, what lies beyond needs you now. You can either accept the call of adventure or live out your lives here never knowing what beckoned. You decide but either way, I will save you from this certain defeat at the hands of an enemy."   In truth time was set aside for the heroes, to the screams and fear of the civilians in the center of the manor but the battle raged on. Slamming his mace into the barbarian captain Sir Heirois flipped the man over top of his men, and the barbarian crashed down on the ground dead. A beserker then charged up the ladder and sank his axe deep into Sir Maild's shoulder, as the barbarian ripped the axe out, Sir Maild staggered and dropped dead. As the Khuzan charged through the kitchen to reach her, Elendsley was booted off the wall to her death. Flailing in mid-air she gave a chilling scream before her life was stripped away. Fighting valiantly to the east, Sir Yoreth parried the beserker and the two men-at-arms took a beating. As Sir Taebirn swung upon his enemies, Sir Yoreth cut down the beserker on his wall as more barbarians climbed the ladder below. As the Khuzan arrived at the northern tents, they met the barbarian captain that killed Elendsley. Exhausted, Anvais threw himself on the captain and stabbed him to death as they looked one another in the eye. Charging around Anvais, Gainim threw his axe into the beserker and gave a mighty roar as two more barbarians charged at him. Spinning around Anvais and placing himself between his two companions, Endeol sent his sword hurtling between them and into one of the approaching barbarians. On the eastern side of the wall the older man-at-arms pushed his spear into the barbarian captain and drove him from the wall; crashing down with a whole in his stomach the blood soaked the grass as more barbarians climbed up to meet the blood letter.   Over the western wall, that which the Khuzdûl left to reinforce the collapsing northern wall, slipped two barbarians intent on reeking havoc upon the manor. The assassin crashed into the kitchen and immediately slaughtered the two assistants within who were trying to find out how the battle was going. Their children ran down from the loft above and were slaughtered by him as well before Marlyn dropped down and killed the assassin. Later on, Marlyn and the cook would take the bodies of the children into the pantry. The Gladiatorial Barbarian from the fated crossing would enter the manor and slay the guard before offering Arvan the mercy that was extended to him on the road. Arvan's blood pumped with adrenaline as his ring finger began to exude a black haze and the Gladiator would make a deal, which Ms. L'sean would hear from under her bed, and then Arvan would allow the gladiator upstairs. Knocking Father Habus unconscious on the table, the barbarian would proceed to slaughter Lady Erane's two children but leave her alive. As the first wave of barbarians began to fail, Sir Taebirn flung his head back so hard his helmet flew off. As he screamed in pain Sir Taebirn slipped and fell off his wall and crashed into the ground unconscious. Four barbarians climbed his wall and Sir Heirois as was joined by barbarians on his. Hacking with his mace, Sir Heirois killed two of the barbarians on his wall as he dueled the berserker but two barbarians slipped by him. The two men-at-arms fought like mad and cleaned up their wall only to see the southeastern wall and Sir Taebirn's fall. Sir Yoreth hacked and slashed cutting through the weaker, though stout, barbarians as Endeol killed the last of the northern barbarian.   As the conversation with The Master continued, the barbarians from Sir Heirois' wall charged the crowd as he slaughtered the beserker and lept off the wall behind them. Cutting them down as he reached them, blood splatted on the unsuspecting locals. It was then that the Gladitorial Barbarian made his was back down stairs leaving an unconscious Lady Erane behind. On the opposite end of the manor Sir Yoreth killed the last barbarian at his wall as the Khuzdûl and the men-at-arms made their way south. The Khuzan crashed through the crowd of locals as the men-at-arms clashed with three barbarians. Then, like a rising tide, a barbarian warlord and Mind Flayer rose above the wall. Standing on the wall, the two surveyed the battlefield. As the conversation with The Master concluded and the Heroes of Áthulus could be seen again along with The Master.   Anvais called out, "fate wrought you lot like a gift from the gods themselves. Blessed are you fine folk surely for when Hârn's worst enemies fall upon its weakest corner, you are here!"   The Master then summoned J'onn J'onzz and the two slew the barbarian horde outside the walls as the Heroes of Áthulus prepared to fight the barbarian leadership within. Arion charged the guard tower, bounced off one step of ladder, and then slammed into mindflayer above with his shield and ran it through with Medui Tur. Embroiled in rage, Kelaryn passed through he compatriots and charged the tower as well. With a massive overhead sweep, she swiped the feet of the warlord above and splashed his head in as he fell to the floor of the tower. Grumwish charged several barbarians at the same time and slammed his battle axe into the one about to charge him. Riding the barbarian to the ground Grumwish ripped his axe out and looked up upon his foes ready for more as Duryo used his magic to sunder the remaining foes attacking the men-at-arms.   As the hypertimeline version of J'onn J'onzz flew over, that they would later meet, the Heroes of Áthulus agreed to a higher fate and joined The Master on a Quest of Fate.  

Part Two

The Heroes of Áthulus entered the meeting room of Destiny of the Endless and discussed the Vanishing Point, Zenric the Creator, the Multiverse, Than's killing of the gods of Kèthîra in the future, and fate with a hypertimeline version of J'onn J'onzz fated to die if he left the Vanishing Point (whom agreed to use the rest of his life to broadcast the Meeting Room) and Than, the Last Titan of Urgrund. Though disagreements were had about accepting Than, because of his murder of the princess, the Heroes of Áthulus agreed to work with him to find the Godfather Gems. Tenents of trust were established and Arion was picked as the group leader. The Champions of Destiny established, Arion, Duryo, Grumwish, and Kelaryn agreed to travel to Hârn to sure up the situation there, though actually to find the yellow Godfather Gem, and then travel to Toril to find a lead on a gem there.

Rewards Granted

1000xp

Missions/Quests Completed

Sidequest Siege of Áthulus Completed. Grand Campaign Quest, Quest of Fate Started.

Character(s) interacted with

The Master became an ally, Death of the Endless was met in passing. Than, the Last Titan of Urgrund became and ally.

Created Content

Sir Maild's death added as well as his children's. Destiny of the Endless, Godfather Gems, and J'onn J'onzz [Roll20].