Wrap up 52: Shadow Spider

Session 52 – Shadow Spider Location: Durzig's Hold, middle of the night
PC's: Ardengon now the Bearer of the Copper Circlet, Basalt the Dwarven Battlemaster, Finn the Crusader, Garrick the Rogue, others are present.
The weary travelers welcomed the sight and rest of Durzig's Hold. Among the party it was decided that Ardengon would bear the burden of stewardship. He took the time to acclimate himself to the Circlet knowing at some point there would be a powerful struggle with those who controlled the Brass Dragon.
As the members of The Long Watch recovered from travels through the Badlands a dream came to the Paladin. Not the kind where you ate a piece of odd beef late at night, but the type too vivid to forget. The Hag from the Storm Giants was in it warning him of what he took to be a spider. After all it was not only deep into a night setting, the spider itself was dark and had legs sticking out the sides. Ardengon broke out into a cold sweat as the Hag communicated with him. Durzig's Hold was to come under attack, immediately it felt like. He looked outside and the sky was identical to that in his dream. He woke Finn, Basalt, & Garrick who were sharing this space at the Inn. They helped one another clammer into armor and rushed down the steps raising an alarm. Basalt and Finn stepped outside to see what was in the deep darkness, it took only seconds before they rushed back to the safety of the doors.
A shadowy giant something filled the sky overhead, a spider of titanic proportions perhaps? It was stationary but some roughly man sized shadowy figures were pouring into the courtyard silently where one moment they were absent, the next they were there. Best described as 4 armed, man sized creatures with slightly green skin and very challenging to see in the dark of night. Cries of panic began to fill the air as well from all directions along the wall. Along with the main body of silent warriors was a construct of roughly diamond shaped size which just appeared amid their ranks.
The Inn In the time it took for all that to take place which was surprisingly short Garrick dashed through the door of the Inn, vanishing before stepping outside. Oleg was yelling about something upstairs but those in the common room had their hands full immediately. Ardengon was the first of the warriors among The Long Watch to act, a soft silver beam of pale light filled the central entrance. Having seen the Moonbeam before the other fighters arrayed themselves in a defensive posture. Some form of weapon or magic was used by the attackers destroying the Inns doors showing those inside with wooden shards, as everyone is armored head to toe that had little effect. Several of the creature rush into the beam attempting to get through. Whatever radiant power is held within burns down several with Basalt killing one which made it through and another with a reactionary Riposte. Finn lends his hand at the killing field taking place upon the floor. Seeing this, the central commanding construct works its magic opening a portal onto the other side of the beam and some of the combatants.
The Provisioners Several of the 4 armed creatures rush about to various doorways creating chaos. Some approach larger buildings to the South, magical darts strike them unnerringly from the doorway. Garrick knowing the likely ally sprinted in that direction to help. Inside the doorway he attacked one of the shadowy figures from the darkness himself helping Eosur the Half-Elf.
Back to The Inn Clamor arose as the 4 armed creatures surged through the portal packing the Inn. Daggers and foreign shaped curved shorter blades of sorts clipped, slashed and scraped along the heavy armor of the defenders almost like rain drops. Two different slightly taller enemies came through. Lighter of skin with a more golden hue. Ardengon dubbed them “Nemesis” and the name stuck. His first clash with the Nemesis left some blood on the floor, not all of it from the 4 armed soldier. Basalt was being attacked on all sides, but held lashing out when the opportunity presented itself. Finn turned every which way and noticed they were not only being flanked as those creatures poured through, Ardengon was being shot at through a side door, the three were close to being totally surrounded. As the Moonbeam shone down in a cylinder with pale light, the common room flashed to light with Helm's radiant power leaving no corner in the dark. Every enemy combatant took some damage with 4 flashing from the inside out dropping where they stood along with 5 more taking some damage. Ardengon slays the sword wielding golden warrior shortly after. The overall chime of weapons striking armor is a reminder to the group that sooner or later it will not be metal upon metal, but metal upon flesh. Basalt swings through the remaining attackers with Finn, while Ardengon bursts through the press of bodies.
Outside the Inn Magic Missiles take down some of the cloaked attackers as Garrick defends the Half-Elven Provissioner of the Hold. Dwarven warriors come out of a nearby doorway having moved to action. Once in a while a ballistic bolt can be heard to fire somewhere off on top of the wall. As the battle takes on a new energy to that of a last stand for the attackers, Ardengon having come out of the Inn slashes a precisely aimed attack at the Vortex. It is smitten to the ground dented and drained of any apparent movement.
Aftermath Everyone assembles for clean up and to see who is injured, who could use a hand, and so on. Several of the defenders live to see another day as Oleg helps some of the wounded. Garrick reports seeing a large black spider overhead, within the shape of the giant shadow. The Dwarven Smith from Durzigs staggers out in his armor looking about in either a drowsy haze or a drunken one. The gathered listen to his gruff story where this same black spider shape descends on the Harpy Tower nearby. Maybe it comes from that tower, either way his eyes gaze into the distance as if seeing an event, not a dream. The Long Watch has their next trail to follow.