Session 124: Fort Fight

General Summary

30th Brussendar 836PD   After midnight the party trek under the light of the full moon the few miles north to the Bandit’s fort. Raven wildshapes and scouts out the mud fort, spotting guards at the doors, a dozing desert giant in the courtyard, and a sleeping Adult Blue Dragon on the roof.   Enessa tries to counter the brightness of the full moon by covering the group in the shadows through Pass Without Trace. Using Arthur’s telepathic bond, the group quickly concoct their plan of attack, aiming to neutralise the Dragon as top priority and then to clear through the fort.   Raphael casts fly on himself, Arthur and Orlando to get close to the Dragon. Arthur uses his Arcane Abeyance to condense the exhausting magic of a Sickening Radiance into a bead for Orlando to use, whilst Arthur sets to trap the Dragon in a Wall of Force within the radiance.   Meanwhile inside the fort… an Orc storm herald Barbarian, Nodrog, is chained in a prison room. His captor, the War Chief Djinguré torments him over withheld water, but the orc will not talk. When the Chief leaves, Nodrog rages as he strains against the chains. The storm raging within him electrifies the chains and breaks them off the wall. Just as the clang of chains would alert the prison guards, a loud screech is heard outside…   Simeon cast silence on the guards outside the fort for Raven and Zeni to take them down, but the wizards chromatic magic is picked up by the sleeping Dragon’s keen senses and wakes it up. Orlando activates the Sickening Radiance bead, but the Adult Dragon flies out of green sphere’s exhausting influence. However, Arthur is able to trap the clear target in the air, wrapping it in an invisible sphere of magical force.   The War Chief rushes out to find the entrapped blue dragon, he and the guarding Giant thrown their weapons at the sphere but they can’t break the wall of force. The alarm is well and truly sounded, and the bandits begin to flood out of the fort.   One bandit is caught within the Sickening Radiance and wastes away under its burning sphere, the others spot the Unbroken assaulting from the outside.   Simeon summons his duplicate and plays he usual teleporting trickery with it to confuse the guards, whilst Raven sneaks from behind the corners of the fort to strike them down. Raphael flies to engage with the Giant as the next big hitter, his cold strikes of Frostweaver crack the desert giant’s skin.   Nodrog uses the commotion outside to get his equipment and pursue his tormentor outside, closing with him and striking deep with his hand axes. The aura around the barbarian becomes static, as the lightening storm bolts through his body as he rages at the War Chief.   The Blue Dragon frantically claws inside the sphere of force, and lets out a terrifying furious roar that frightens Arthur and Nodrog.   Simeon and Raven move into the fort, whilst Zeni is stuck outside blocked by the heavy door. The gloomstalker and the Cleric target the Giant in the courtyard, radiant bolts strike the Giant’s knee and ringing bells toll the Giant closer to the end, the final sound it hears is the bang of Orlando’s gun.   Raphael freed from fighting the Giant, now joins the fight with Nodrog against the War Chief, smiting him prone with his eldritch strikes. Nodrog holds his nerve through his fear of the screeching Dragon, and his hand-axes fly into the Chief’s chest. Raphael then deals the final blow, planting Frostweaver through the Chief’s throat.   Raven, Arthur and Zeni chase down the few remaining bandits, as Zeni hurls motes of acid across the bandits, Arthur clenches them to death with his Chill Touch and Raven shoots down the last bandit as he tries to escape.   The party regroup, assessing the barbarian and the Dragon in the bubble. Nodrog shouts at the trapped Dragon to face him, and to pay for destroying his village. Revenge being a satisfactory cause for alliance, the group plan how to tackle the trapped Dragon.   With the several minutes left of the wall of force, Simeon dimension doors inside the sphere and quickly switches places with his duplicate, wreathing it in spiritual guardians and slowly ‘cooking’ the Dragon inside the sphere.   As the Dragon cooks, the group get themselves into position to unload everything they’ve got to fell it. Orlando and Raven take up position to shoot it, whilst Raph, Simeon, Arthur and Zeni ready their magics. Nodrog persuades Orlando to magically enlarge him, so that he can lay in wait on top of the sphere to fall and wrestle the Dragon down.   The Adult Blue Dragon, Griddyss- the Azure Prince, curses and taunts the party, and just as it was mid-flow with its tirade the ‘bubble’ bursts and the victorious screech is winded with the loud thud of a large falling orc on top of the Dragon’s back.   Orlando and Raven unleash their volley, violently striking into the side of Griddyss’s head. Arthur and Zeni try to subdue the Dragon by casting Mind Sliver and Slow, but it uses the last of it’s legendary resolve to resist the magic.   Simeon blesses himself, Raph and Nodrog. Raphael hexes the Dragon, cursing its strength to aid Nodrog in grappling and restraining the blue beast. Griddyss tries to shake the orc off with his wings, but the vengeful Orc will not yield.   The bloodied blue dragon screeches in pain, cursing these lowly creatures and vowing his sire Zolar the Suneater will avenge him. Nodrog, glibly tells him to ‘shut up’, then uses his enlarged strength to grab the dragon by the jaws and rip his head in two. The anguished death rattle of the Azure Prince echoes across the moonlight desert.   With the dragon dead, the party slump once the adrenaline runs out, Simeon kneels in prayer under the full moon, to give thanks to his Lady the Moonweaver. Weary of the fights they've faced, and will yet to come against Zolar, Simeon's prayers for his Lady's divine intervention are answered so that they may rest fully and rejuvenate under the grace of her moon this evening.