Chapter 2-12: Escape from Phandalin
General Summary
Kal explained that there was an old hunting trail that led up into the mountains through a cave near Edermath Orchard. Quelline was elated,
"Could you show us the way?"
"No problem"
The group sat down in the vestibule near Garaele to formulate a plan. They'd need to send out a scout to plan out their escape route, and to check the progress of the invaders. Ramas volunteered to send his familiar, Jean Parmigan, if Garaele could open a small hole in the barrier.
The elven priestess sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, facing the door. At first glance she appeared serene, but a closer look revealed beads of perspiration on her forehead and gritted teeth. Miaug knelt next to her and explained what they needed. Garaele nodded slightly.
Ramas and Aetilius pushed open the door and signalled Miaug. The Tabaxi whispered to Garaele, and a small hole opened in the glowing golden shell, around a foot in diameter and about eight feet off the ground. Jean Parmigan alighted from Ramas's shoulder and soared up into the night sky. The shell sealed back up behind him.
Ramas cast out his mind, locking in on the raven and peering through it's eyes as it surveyed the scene below. All of the buildings on the road into town were now ablaze. The fire had spread and the eastern half of the settlement was now smouldering. Figures scampered back and forth in the firelight. The town was overrun, the attackers had swept right through, looting the buildings and slaughtering any of the villagers who hadn't made it to the safety of the shrine.
Ramas directed his familiar to glide northwest from the Shrine, over the woods towards Edermath Orchard. Jean Parmigan swooped down close to the treeline, his keen eyes looking for movement. The forest appeared largely empty. They might be able to sneak the survivors out the back of the Shrine and along beneath the cliff to the orchard.
Looking up at the top of the cliff, Ramas could see the same figure Miaug had spotted, with the eerie purple glow around it's head. Jean Parmigan soared upwards to take a closer look. As the raven drew closer, Ramas recognised the figure. It was Iarno. The back of his skull had been burned away, and the inside of his skull was fulled with a raging purple inferno. Iarno fixed the raven with his gaze. Unable to resist, the familiar was drawn through the air to Iarno. As Jean Parmigan settled on the creature's outstretched hand, Iarno stared into the familiars eyes, looking through them directly at Ramas. Ramas could see that Iarno's eyeballs had been burned out, and the purple flames licked out through the empty sockets, scorching the flesh around them.
Iarno spoke, his voice thick and cloying, as though choking on blood,
"Come to me children. Do not be afraid. Join me and be blessed. A peaceful death and eternity in my service is surely preferable to the alternative. You will all serve me in the end – why resist?"
As he finished his statement, Iarno reached out and grabbed the raven by the head. Jean Parmigan squawked in panic for moment, then Iarno twisted his head off.
Ramas returned to his body with a sudden lurch. Garaele groaned quietly and rocked back. Miaug caught her and steadied her. Ramas recounted the encounter with Iarno to the rest of the party. The group grabbed Quelline, Daran, Kal and Elsa to plan their escape.
The group agreed that Ramas and Kal would sneak out the back of the shrine first, and scout out a path to the orchard through the woods. Elsa tucked her sword into the waistband of her dress and announced that she would go with them, to help protect Kal. Daran smiled, but agreed.
Miaug would sneak out next and set up watch near the lake behind the Shrine, where she could serve as lookout for any approaching attackers. Ryoko and Clootie would head out with the villagers. Ryoko would cast Pass Without Trace to help hide the group's movement. Aetilius would stay behind with Garaele to protect her until the group was sufficiently clear. She would then collapse the barrier, and Aetilius would carry her to safety.
Ramas, Miaug and the two youngsters slipped out through the back door of the Shrine, slipping across the open ground and disappearing into the forest. Miaug crept around the treeline, back towards the lake shore, while the other three pressed on towards the edge of the valley.
Miaug clambered nimbly up into the boughs of a willow tree, which swept out over the surface of the lake. From this vantage point she had a clear view of the Shrine and the village green on the far shore. Ryoko and Clootie emerged from the back of the Shrine. Clootie searched the treeline for Miaug, spotting her and locking eyes. Ryoko raised her hands, and a tenebrous black fog swirled out around her, spilling outward in a radius. As Miaug watched, she found it hard to focus on the druid, her eyes seeming to slip off her. Ryoko stepped forward into the midst of the clearing, and Clootie began to wave the villagers out from the back of the Shrine. The group crossed the clearing, disappearing silently into the darkness under the trees.
Miaug noticed a tiny flash of movement between two of the buildings on the green. As she peered into the darkness, the wooden facade of one of the buildings caught fire. The sudden firelight illuminated two tiny figures, huddled in the shadows behind some barrels as a group of Redbrands stood in front of the building, laughing and drinking stolen ale. Miaug desperately signalled to Clootie. The little gnome followed her gaze and spotted the children. She began to quickly creep along the side of the Shrine towards the back of the houses, when a piece of burning facing fell off the house in front of the children, startling them and eliciting a tiny squeal from the little one. The Redbrands immediately reacted, drawing their swords and turning towards the barrels. Clootie abandoned stealth and ran straight for the children, raising her hand and muttering under her breath as she ran. A sudden burst of sparks erupted right in front of the mercenaries, startling them and causing them to momentarily halt their advance. This bought Clootie just enough time to reach the building and pull the kids from their hiding place, placing them behind her as she faced the Redbrands.
Recovering from their surprise, the Redbrands smiled viciously and started to advance on the gnome. Clootie tried to tell the children, a little boy holding desperately onto a tiny little girl, to run; but the little girl seemed frozen in fear. Clootie slipped Kulog off her belt and hurled it directly at the lead Redbrand. It struck him in the face, knocking him backwards. Clootie then raised her hand to the side and recalled the hammer, which arced around in the air, catching another Redbrand in the back of the head and knocking him face down into the dirt. Miaug loosed two arrows from her vantage point, dropping two of the Redbrands in their tracks. The two mercenaries still standing paused for a moment, surprised by the efficiency with which their companions had been taken out.
Clootie dropped to her knees in front of the children, gently stroking the little girl's hair,
"It's ok. You're safe now, I'll take care of them, but I need you to run now"
The little boy took the girl's hands,
"Come on Brie, we need to move. Come with me"
The children started to move towards the rest of the survivors. Clootie stood up and readied her hammer. Both of the Redbrands rushed at her, one swinging his sword down over his head, while the other lashed out with a quick swipe. She dodged both blows easily; muttering Kiliat to Kulog as she did. Electricity crackled up the haft of the hammer and danced across it's head. With a fierce cry, she brought the hammer down on the lead Redbrand's head. Lightning surged out of the hammer as it crushed his skull, scorching skin and setting his scalp on fire as he slumped to the ground. Another arrow sailed out of the darkness, catching the other in the throat. As Clootie turned to follow the children back to the other survivors, the two mercenaries which she had knocked over clambered back to their feet. One of them shouted for help, alerting some of the nearby goblins. Miaug loosed another two arrows which quickly silenced them both.
Meanwhile, Ramas, Kal and Elsa had made their way through the forest in the direction of Edermath Orchard. They emerged out of dense undergrowth onto the banks of a quick flowing river. Kal looked uncomfortably at the rushing water, but after Elsa jumped in and started to swim across, he quickly followed. As Elsa and Kal emerged from the river, Ramas heard a commotion from the direction of the town. He signalled to the two youngsters to hide themselves on the far bank, and he slipped back into the trees to head back towards the source of the noise.
Ramas raced back towards the main group, catching Clootie and Ryoko. Clootie explained that her rescue had alerted some goblins, who were now starting to search the edge of the wood looking for them. Ramas slunk back through the woods towards the searching goblins. As he crept through the trees, he used his magic to shift his features, disguising himself as a goblin. Once he spotted the searchers, he slid unseen through edge of the treeline, heading in the direction of the bridge to the west. Once he was out of sight of the goblins, he emerged and started to run towards the pursuers. The goblins spotted him racing along the edge of the buildings, and the lead creature raised his torch,
"Who goes there?"
Ramas reached the leader, stopping to theatrically catch his breath,
"Villagers. Heading over the bridge. Ambushed us..."
The goblin waved the rest of his group,
"Thank you brother" he clapped Ramas on the back, as the goblins raced past him, in the opposite direction from the survivors. Ramas smiled to himself, then ducked back into the woods, slipping back into his own form and running to catch up with the group. Miaug climbed down from her perch in the willow tree and joined him as they headed back to the party.
Ryoko, Clootie and the rest of the survivors had reached the banks of the river. The little girl Clootie had rescued had recognised Ryoko from the Tari Ce Morte celebrations and was now clinging to the Iskathi's chest, while her brother, Alder, held onto her tail as they walked. Quite a few of the older members of the community eyed the river apprehensively. Ryoko gently put little Brie on the ground next to her brother and stepped up to the river bank. Closing her eyes she started to mutter mystical syllables under her breath. As her magic seeped out into the ground around her, two of the trees near the river began to gently bend towards one another. Whispering branches caught and twined together, and root like tendrils crept along boughs, binding them together. A few moments later and the two trees had knitted themselves together into a narrow bridge across the river. Ryoko let out a shuddering breath and opened her eyes.
Meanwhile, back in the Shrine, Sister Garaele let out a soft gasp and slumped to the ground unconscious. The shimmering golden shell around the Shrine collapsed. Aetilius swept the slender elf up into his arms and raced out through the back of the Shrine. He leapt up into the air and, gliding just above the treeline as he searched for the group. He spotted the survivors making their way across the river, and landed on the far bank beside the rest of the party. Garaele stirred, and Aetilius gently placed her on her feet.
As the group of villagers milled about beside the river, waiting on the stragglers crossing Ryoko's bridge, there was sudden flurry of movement in the trees. Goblins leapt out of the undergrowth and raced towards the helpless townsfolk. Elsa and Daran both drew their swords and ran to intercept the creatures. Ryoko spotted to skirmish and raced to help. She raised her hands as she ran, and an aura of yellow light spilled out around her. The light blurred into shapes, and a small pack of wolves materialized on either side of the druid, leaping forwards and falling on the advancing goblins. Clootie ran towards Aetilius, who recognised her signal. The tiefling linked his hands down at his knees and braced. Clootie stepped onto his palms, and Aetilius launched her upwards. The tiny gnome sailed up into the air, twisting in mid-air and landing across one of the advancing goblins, forcing him into the ground and snapping his neck. As soon as she was launched, Aetilius began to stride towards the battle with Talon ready. He swung it at the remaining, who dodged under the blow. The tiefling then swung the blade around and drove it straight through the creature's skull.
Looking up, the party spotted more goblins swarming down the cliff face towards them. Realising that they had been spotted, Daran, Elsa and Kal shouted at the villager to follow them, and the group raced towards the orchard, just visible across the clearing. The party followed behind, forming a rearguard to protect the escapees. As they reached the path beside the orchard, Miaug spotted a huge mass of goblins and Redbrands running towards them across the bridge from town. She slipped an explosive arrow out of her quiver and took careful aim. The arrow sailed through the darkness, arcing slightly, and caught the advancing group just behind the vanguard. The effect was devastating. The arrow exploded with a thunderous roar, and chunks of gore and pieces of burned flesh flew in all directions. The six goblins ahead of the blast stopped momentarily, looking back at the destruction, then turned and snarled at the party. Clootie swung Kulog around her hand to build momentum, then hurled it at the group. The hammer punched straight through the first goblin, leaving him with a gaping hole in his chest. The hammer then struck the next creature in the face, toppling him like a tree. As she recalled it, the hammer reversed in mid-air and struck another goblin in the back, sending him sprawling. The remaining goblins reached the party, but Aetilius stepped forward to engage them. The goblin's swords rattled harmlessly of the ex-paladin's shield. Ryoko blurred her form into a Dire Wolf and leapt onto one of the goblins, snapping at it's face as it desperately tried to hold her back. Ramas slipped alongside the group and slashed at one of the creatures with both daggers. The creature reacted instinctively and just managed to avoid the attacks. The party's adrenaline was beginning to fade and exhaustion was beginning to dull their edges. Aetilius swung Talon at the goblin in front of him, but the creature managed to deflect both attacks on it's sword. Miaug pulled two arrows out of her quiver and quickly felled two of the remaining goblins. Clootie charged Kulog and slammed the hammer down on the last goblin's head, which erupted in a spray of blood.
Behind them, Daran shouted to them. The tall farmer stood in a narrow cave entrance, waving the last of the survivors in. The party raced towards the cave. The cave stretched back and steeply up for a few hundred feet then opened into a narrow pass through the crags. The party followed the last of the villagers up into the pass, Miaug brought up the rear. Looking back she saw a throng of creatures racing out of the woods and towards the cave entrance. Once the last of the group were clear of the cave mouth, Miaug loosed another explosive arrow from her quiver and nocked it on her bowstring. As she pulled it back to fire into the cave, she dropped the arrow. Inside, the first of the goblins and Redbrands made it to the cave mouth. In a panic, Miaug pulled a fresh explosive arrow from her quiver and pulled it back in her bow. She could see shadows and glowing purple eyes advancing quickly through the darkness of the cave. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled as she loosed it arrow. It flew straight, striking the middle of the cave roof and erupting in a ball of fire and thunder. The creatures inside the cave were incinerated, and the cave roof began to crumble. With a thunderous roar, the mountain collapsed on top of the cave, burying the entrance and any chance of pursuit.
The refugees from Phandalin made their way through the narrow pass, deep into the mountains. Suddenly, a keening wail echoed through the night. The survivors ducked down, pressing themselves into the walls of the pass to hide. A massive dark shape passed overhead, momentarily blocking out the light of Cacolach, but the remaining wisps of Ryoko's Pass Without Trace spell shrouded the group in shadow. The mysterious creature quickly passed, and after a moment Daran got the survivors moving again.
After around an hour of walking and climbing, the column emerged onto a wide plateau. The walls of mountains fell away, revealing a crystal clear view over the surrounding landscape. A dull orange glow emanated from the edge of the mountains in the direction of Phandalin as the town continued to burn.
The majority of the survivors were exhausted from the steep ascent. Daran and Quelline settled the group down to rest momentarily in the soft heather growing across the plateau. Scattered throughout the heather were a number of glowing purple flowers. Miaug stooped over and carefully examined the plants. She recognised them, Wanderer's Flame. a very rare species of flower with potent restorative qualities. Miaug quickly gathered some of the flowers. With the help of Clootie and Ryoko she lit a small fire and began to brew them into a tea. Once it was ready, she passed it around the group of refugees. The effect was remarkable, within minutes the weariness seemed to fall from the villager's shoulders, and a glimmer of hope reignited behind their eyes. While Daran and Quelline started to round the revived villagers up to continue their trek, before the attackers could backtrack through the pass and catch up to them; Clootie sat down cross-legged on the grass and closed her eyes, visualizing Sildar's face in her mind. She concentrated on the image of the old warrior and formed a message in her mind, telling him of the attack, the refugees and asking for aid. Once her message was complete, she focused it into a pulse of magical energy and sent it hurtling through the ether towards Neverwinter.
After a few hours travel back down through the mountains, the exhausted survivors emerged from the foothills of the Icespire Mountains within sight of the Triboar Trail. The group's excitement at being back on level ground swiftly waned as they continued to trudge through the night towards Neverwinter. Ramas slipped ahead of the group, blending in with the shadows along the roadside as he scouted the road to check for possible ambushes. In the distance, the half-elf spotted a group of horses heading down the road towards the survivors. Ramas slid off the road, into a drainage ditch running parallel to the trail, and drifted towards the riders like a ghost. He recognised the wolf's head emblem of Neverwinter on the rider's shields, and relieved he emerged from his hiding place onto the road in front of them.
The guardsmen explained that they had been sent south by Sildar, to protect the refugees and help them to Neverwinter. Once the main group of villagers caught up with the Ramas, the riders dismounted and set the most weary of the refugees, along with the children, on their horses. As the group headed north, the guardsmen and the party formed a rear-guard to keep watch for pursuers.
It was snowing lightly by the time the party arrived at the south gate of Neverwinter, with the group of exhausted survivors from Phandalin. A concerned looking young guard raced out of the guard house to meet them, "Are you all ok? What happened?" The party explained the events of he previous night, and the young guardsman looked shocked as the story unfolded. Recognising the party's signet rings as they gestures, he bowed deeply, "If it please you my lords, would you care to go speak to the Duke. I'll try to arrange warm beds and food for these poor souls." The party left the guards to tend to the survivors and made their way through the Old Quarter to the keep inner walls.
Two bored looking guards lounged against the wall at the inner gate. As they spotted the bedraggled party members walking towards the entrance, the older guard stepped forward,
"No commoners in the Falls District" he said sharply, glaring down his hooked nose at Clootie.
Indignant, the little gnome drew herself up to her full height and held out her signet ring at the guard, who paled visibly as he recognised it. "Oh - I apologise profusely milord - I did not recognise you for nobility. Please forgive my ignorance. Go right in" he pleaded, obsequiously
The party swept past imperiously. As he passed, Ramas reached out and flicked the offending guard in the crotch. He doubled over in pain, gasping in surprise. Ramas grinned.
Inside the Throne Room, Gabriel was deep in discussion with a dumpy looking older fellow in a roughspun tunic. They were haggling over prices of food from the farms. As the party walked into the room, the Duke looked up and recognised them. He politely excused himself from the grain discussion, and walked over to them,
"Are you ok? Tell me what happened"
The party briefly explained the attack. Gabriel listened intently, interrupting only to ask for clarification on the numbers of the enemy forces, and how long ago this had all happened. Once the party had finished, he paused for a moment to reflect,
"We need to prepare. I'll take you upstairs to the War Room. Come with me. Don't worry, I'll ensure the survivors from Phandalin are well taken care of."
He led them upstairs to a mid-sized room, dominated by an extended hardwood table in the centre, surrounded by a number of ornate high-backed wooden chairs. On the walls around the room were a series of maps of the Summers Coast,
"Make yourselves comfortable for a moment. I'm going to find Sildar and the rest of the Captains."
As he stepped outside the door, he called to a serving woman in the corridor outside,
"Morag, could you please bring some food and ale to my guests in the War Room. They're bound to be exhausted. Thank you very much my dear" he said, clasping her hands.
Morag returned shortly with a platter of meats and a few mugs of ale. Ramas slipped her a couple of gold pieces and asked to bring up some brandy. She flashed him a quick smiled and disappeared back down to the kitchen. Gabriel returned with Sildar, and two other men. One had a long dark ponytail and a tightly trimmed beard, and wore the wolf's head emblem of the Neverwinter Guard; the other was bald with an untamed bushy ginger beard, he wore the sun symbol of the Champions of Lathandar. Gabriel introduces the men,
"You all know Sildar" Sildar grinned at the party, shaking each of them warmly by the hand, "This is Aber Revenmar, the Captain of the City Guard" the dark haired man nodded, shaking their hands professionally,
"And this is Milos Agosto, the Leader of the Champions of Lathandar" the other man smiled at them all, but made no move to shake hands. "Please, I know you must be tired, but could you recount the attack on Phandalin again for my companions"
The party explained the events of the previous night again. This time, the audience asked a lot of additional questions. The generals ask additional details about of the size and composition of the enemy forces. Milos was concerned as the party explained about their encounter with Iarno. Once they had finished their explanation, Aber began to explained the city defences,
"My concern is, Neverwinter's fortifications are mostly designed to repel invaders from the north and east. This attack from the south is against our least protected flank. The city walls have three fortified watchtowers, unfortunately those are all located on the north wall, or the west facing coastal wall. The eastern approach to the city is across marshy ground, and up a steep incline below the wall. This would be very difficult terrain to mount an assault from. Plus, Neverwinter Keep is in the eastern wall, and that's our strongest defensive position. No - if there's going to be an assault, it'll be against the south wall.
The only fortification we have on the South Wall is the gatehouse. It's got two archer towers, that's about it. There's around five hundred feet of wall on the southern border, between the City Guard and the Champions, we've barely got enough men to cover that. We'll need to try to recruit a militia"
Miaug explained how effective her explosive arrow had been in Phandalin, she wondered whether they could get some barrels of explosive liquids and hide them around the area as traps. The generals seemed intrigued by this. Ramas suggested they position some of these barrels on the bridge to allow them to collapse it when they were attacking. Sildar explained that the South Gate Bridge was a stone construction, with two supports located in the river. Destroying one or both of these supports would collapse the bridge. Gabriel unrolled a large map of the southern and eastern approaches across the table, and the group started to plan their defence of the city.
They decided to position barrels of oil on the bridge, to allow the approach to be set on fire using fire arrows from the archer's towers. The bridge would be a natural choke point and should help them to slow the invaders. They would dig channels and build earthenwork barricades on either side of the road past the bridge to extend the length of the choke point. Explosive barrels strapped to the bridge supports would allow them to collapse the bridge when necessary. Oil barrels or alchemists fire barrels in the water upstream of the bridge could be punctured and set alight to set fire to the surface of the water to dissuade swimmers. Similarly, more barrels hidden in the eastern fens could be used to set that approach alight and try to ensure the attackers were funneled to the South. A few more explosive barrels would be hidden in caches on the far side of the river to be used as traps should the enemy get too close. Finally, as a last resort, the trading vessels in the harbour would be emptied and filled with civillians, under orders to flee the city should the walls be breached.
Gabriel offered the party rooms in the west wing of the Keep. The exhausted adventurers gladly accepted. They would need all their strength in the coming days.
"Could you show us the way?"
"No problem"
The group sat down in the vestibule near Garaele to formulate a plan. They'd need to send out a scout to plan out their escape route, and to check the progress of the invaders. Ramas volunteered to send his familiar, Jean Parmigan, if Garaele could open a small hole in the barrier.
The elven priestess sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, facing the door. At first glance she appeared serene, but a closer look revealed beads of perspiration on her forehead and gritted teeth. Miaug knelt next to her and explained what they needed. Garaele nodded slightly.
Ramas and Aetilius pushed open the door and signalled Miaug. The Tabaxi whispered to Garaele, and a small hole opened in the glowing golden shell, around a foot in diameter and about eight feet off the ground. Jean Parmigan alighted from Ramas's shoulder and soared up into the night sky. The shell sealed back up behind him.
Ramas cast out his mind, locking in on the raven and peering through it's eyes as it surveyed the scene below. All of the buildings on the road into town were now ablaze. The fire had spread and the eastern half of the settlement was now smouldering. Figures scampered back and forth in the firelight. The town was overrun, the attackers had swept right through, looting the buildings and slaughtering any of the villagers who hadn't made it to the safety of the shrine.
Ramas directed his familiar to glide northwest from the Shrine, over the woods towards Edermath Orchard. Jean Parmigan swooped down close to the treeline, his keen eyes looking for movement. The forest appeared largely empty. They might be able to sneak the survivors out the back of the Shrine and along beneath the cliff to the orchard.
Looking up at the top of the cliff, Ramas could see the same figure Miaug had spotted, with the eerie purple glow around it's head. Jean Parmigan soared upwards to take a closer look. As the raven drew closer, Ramas recognised the figure. It was Iarno. The back of his skull had been burned away, and the inside of his skull was fulled with a raging purple inferno. Iarno fixed the raven with his gaze. Unable to resist, the familiar was drawn through the air to Iarno. As Jean Parmigan settled on the creature's outstretched hand, Iarno stared into the familiars eyes, looking through them directly at Ramas. Ramas could see that Iarno's eyeballs had been burned out, and the purple flames licked out through the empty sockets, scorching the flesh around them.
Iarno spoke, his voice thick and cloying, as though choking on blood,
"Come to me children. Do not be afraid. Join me and be blessed. A peaceful death and eternity in my service is surely preferable to the alternative. You will all serve me in the end – why resist?"
As he finished his statement, Iarno reached out and grabbed the raven by the head. Jean Parmigan squawked in panic for moment, then Iarno twisted his head off.
Ramas returned to his body with a sudden lurch. Garaele groaned quietly and rocked back. Miaug caught her and steadied her. Ramas recounted the encounter with Iarno to the rest of the party. The group grabbed Quelline, Daran, Kal and Elsa to plan their escape.
The group agreed that Ramas and Kal would sneak out the back of the shrine first, and scout out a path to the orchard through the woods. Elsa tucked her sword into the waistband of her dress and announced that she would go with them, to help protect Kal. Daran smiled, but agreed.
Miaug would sneak out next and set up watch near the lake behind the Shrine, where she could serve as lookout for any approaching attackers. Ryoko and Clootie would head out with the villagers. Ryoko would cast Pass Without Trace to help hide the group's movement. Aetilius would stay behind with Garaele to protect her until the group was sufficiently clear. She would then collapse the barrier, and Aetilius would carry her to safety.
Ramas, Miaug and the two youngsters slipped out through the back door of the Shrine, slipping across the open ground and disappearing into the forest. Miaug crept around the treeline, back towards the lake shore, while the other three pressed on towards the edge of the valley.
Miaug clambered nimbly up into the boughs of a willow tree, which swept out over the surface of the lake. From this vantage point she had a clear view of the Shrine and the village green on the far shore. Ryoko and Clootie emerged from the back of the Shrine. Clootie searched the treeline for Miaug, spotting her and locking eyes. Ryoko raised her hands, and a tenebrous black fog swirled out around her, spilling outward in a radius. As Miaug watched, she found it hard to focus on the druid, her eyes seeming to slip off her. Ryoko stepped forward into the midst of the clearing, and Clootie began to wave the villagers out from the back of the Shrine. The group crossed the clearing, disappearing silently into the darkness under the trees.
Miaug noticed a tiny flash of movement between two of the buildings on the green. As she peered into the darkness, the wooden facade of one of the buildings caught fire. The sudden firelight illuminated two tiny figures, huddled in the shadows behind some barrels as a group of Redbrands stood in front of the building, laughing and drinking stolen ale. Miaug desperately signalled to Clootie. The little gnome followed her gaze and spotted the children. She began to quickly creep along the side of the Shrine towards the back of the houses, when a piece of burning facing fell off the house in front of the children, startling them and eliciting a tiny squeal from the little one. The Redbrands immediately reacted, drawing their swords and turning towards the barrels. Clootie abandoned stealth and ran straight for the children, raising her hand and muttering under her breath as she ran. A sudden burst of sparks erupted right in front of the mercenaries, startling them and causing them to momentarily halt their advance. This bought Clootie just enough time to reach the building and pull the kids from their hiding place, placing them behind her as she faced the Redbrands.
Recovering from their surprise, the Redbrands smiled viciously and started to advance on the gnome. Clootie tried to tell the children, a little boy holding desperately onto a tiny little girl, to run; but the little girl seemed frozen in fear. Clootie slipped Kulog off her belt and hurled it directly at the lead Redbrand. It struck him in the face, knocking him backwards. Clootie then raised her hand to the side and recalled the hammer, which arced around in the air, catching another Redbrand in the back of the head and knocking him face down into the dirt. Miaug loosed two arrows from her vantage point, dropping two of the Redbrands in their tracks. The two mercenaries still standing paused for a moment, surprised by the efficiency with which their companions had been taken out.
Clootie dropped to her knees in front of the children, gently stroking the little girl's hair,
"It's ok. You're safe now, I'll take care of them, but I need you to run now"
The little boy took the girl's hands,
"Come on Brie, we need to move. Come with me"
The children started to move towards the rest of the survivors. Clootie stood up and readied her hammer. Both of the Redbrands rushed at her, one swinging his sword down over his head, while the other lashed out with a quick swipe. She dodged both blows easily; muttering Kiliat to Kulog as she did. Electricity crackled up the haft of the hammer and danced across it's head. With a fierce cry, she brought the hammer down on the lead Redbrand's head. Lightning surged out of the hammer as it crushed his skull, scorching skin and setting his scalp on fire as he slumped to the ground. Another arrow sailed out of the darkness, catching the other in the throat. As Clootie turned to follow the children back to the other survivors, the two mercenaries which she had knocked over clambered back to their feet. One of them shouted for help, alerting some of the nearby goblins. Miaug loosed another two arrows which quickly silenced them both.
Meanwhile, Ramas, Kal and Elsa had made their way through the forest in the direction of Edermath Orchard. They emerged out of dense undergrowth onto the banks of a quick flowing river. Kal looked uncomfortably at the rushing water, but after Elsa jumped in and started to swim across, he quickly followed. As Elsa and Kal emerged from the river, Ramas heard a commotion from the direction of the town. He signalled to the two youngsters to hide themselves on the far bank, and he slipped back into the trees to head back towards the source of the noise.
Ramas raced back towards the main group, catching Clootie and Ryoko. Clootie explained that her rescue had alerted some goblins, who were now starting to search the edge of the wood looking for them. Ramas slunk back through the woods towards the searching goblins. As he crept through the trees, he used his magic to shift his features, disguising himself as a goblin. Once he spotted the searchers, he slid unseen through edge of the treeline, heading in the direction of the bridge to the west. Once he was out of sight of the goblins, he emerged and started to run towards the pursuers. The goblins spotted him racing along the edge of the buildings, and the lead creature raised his torch,
"Who goes there?"
Ramas reached the leader, stopping to theatrically catch his breath,
"Villagers. Heading over the bridge. Ambushed us..."
The goblin waved the rest of his group,
"Thank you brother" he clapped Ramas on the back, as the goblins raced past him, in the opposite direction from the survivors. Ramas smiled to himself, then ducked back into the woods, slipping back into his own form and running to catch up with the group. Miaug climbed down from her perch in the willow tree and joined him as they headed back to the party.
Ryoko, Clootie and the rest of the survivors had reached the banks of the river. The little girl Clootie had rescued had recognised Ryoko from the Tari Ce Morte celebrations and was now clinging to the Iskathi's chest, while her brother, Alder, held onto her tail as they walked. Quite a few of the older members of the community eyed the river apprehensively. Ryoko gently put little Brie on the ground next to her brother and stepped up to the river bank. Closing her eyes she started to mutter mystical syllables under her breath. As her magic seeped out into the ground around her, two of the trees near the river began to gently bend towards one another. Whispering branches caught and twined together, and root like tendrils crept along boughs, binding them together. A few moments later and the two trees had knitted themselves together into a narrow bridge across the river. Ryoko let out a shuddering breath and opened her eyes.
Meanwhile, back in the Shrine, Sister Garaele let out a soft gasp and slumped to the ground unconscious. The shimmering golden shell around the Shrine collapsed. Aetilius swept the slender elf up into his arms and raced out through the back of the Shrine. He leapt up into the air and, gliding just above the treeline as he searched for the group. He spotted the survivors making their way across the river, and landed on the far bank beside the rest of the party. Garaele stirred, and Aetilius gently placed her on her feet.
As the group of villagers milled about beside the river, waiting on the stragglers crossing Ryoko's bridge, there was sudden flurry of movement in the trees. Goblins leapt out of the undergrowth and raced towards the helpless townsfolk. Elsa and Daran both drew their swords and ran to intercept the creatures. Ryoko spotted to skirmish and raced to help. She raised her hands as she ran, and an aura of yellow light spilled out around her. The light blurred into shapes, and a small pack of wolves materialized on either side of the druid, leaping forwards and falling on the advancing goblins. Clootie ran towards Aetilius, who recognised her signal. The tiefling linked his hands down at his knees and braced. Clootie stepped onto his palms, and Aetilius launched her upwards. The tiny gnome sailed up into the air, twisting in mid-air and landing across one of the advancing goblins, forcing him into the ground and snapping his neck. As soon as she was launched, Aetilius began to stride towards the battle with Talon ready. He swung it at the remaining, who dodged under the blow. The tiefling then swung the blade around and drove it straight through the creature's skull.
Looking up, the party spotted more goblins swarming down the cliff face towards them. Realising that they had been spotted, Daran, Elsa and Kal shouted at the villager to follow them, and the group raced towards the orchard, just visible across the clearing. The party followed behind, forming a rearguard to protect the escapees. As they reached the path beside the orchard, Miaug spotted a huge mass of goblins and Redbrands running towards them across the bridge from town. She slipped an explosive arrow out of her quiver and took careful aim. The arrow sailed through the darkness, arcing slightly, and caught the advancing group just behind the vanguard. The effect was devastating. The arrow exploded with a thunderous roar, and chunks of gore and pieces of burned flesh flew in all directions. The six goblins ahead of the blast stopped momentarily, looking back at the destruction, then turned and snarled at the party. Clootie swung Kulog around her hand to build momentum, then hurled it at the group. The hammer punched straight through the first goblin, leaving him with a gaping hole in his chest. The hammer then struck the next creature in the face, toppling him like a tree. As she recalled it, the hammer reversed in mid-air and struck another goblin in the back, sending him sprawling. The remaining goblins reached the party, but Aetilius stepped forward to engage them. The goblin's swords rattled harmlessly of the ex-paladin's shield. Ryoko blurred her form into a Dire Wolf and leapt onto one of the goblins, snapping at it's face as it desperately tried to hold her back. Ramas slipped alongside the group and slashed at one of the creatures with both daggers. The creature reacted instinctively and just managed to avoid the attacks. The party's adrenaline was beginning to fade and exhaustion was beginning to dull their edges. Aetilius swung Talon at the goblin in front of him, but the creature managed to deflect both attacks on it's sword. Miaug pulled two arrows out of her quiver and quickly felled two of the remaining goblins. Clootie charged Kulog and slammed the hammer down on the last goblin's head, which erupted in a spray of blood.
Behind them, Daran shouted to them. The tall farmer stood in a narrow cave entrance, waving the last of the survivors in. The party raced towards the cave. The cave stretched back and steeply up for a few hundred feet then opened into a narrow pass through the crags. The party followed the last of the villagers up into the pass, Miaug brought up the rear. Looking back she saw a throng of creatures racing out of the woods and towards the cave entrance. Once the last of the group were clear of the cave mouth, Miaug loosed another explosive arrow from her quiver and nocked it on her bowstring. As she pulled it back to fire into the cave, she dropped the arrow. Inside, the first of the goblins and Redbrands made it to the cave mouth. In a panic, Miaug pulled a fresh explosive arrow from her quiver and pulled it back in her bow. She could see shadows and glowing purple eyes advancing quickly through the darkness of the cave. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled as she loosed it arrow. It flew straight, striking the middle of the cave roof and erupting in a ball of fire and thunder. The creatures inside the cave were incinerated, and the cave roof began to crumble. With a thunderous roar, the mountain collapsed on top of the cave, burying the entrance and any chance of pursuit.
The refugees from Phandalin made their way through the narrow pass, deep into the mountains. Suddenly, a keening wail echoed through the night. The survivors ducked down, pressing themselves into the walls of the pass to hide. A massive dark shape passed overhead, momentarily blocking out the light of Cacolach, but the remaining wisps of Ryoko's Pass Without Trace spell shrouded the group in shadow. The mysterious creature quickly passed, and after a moment Daran got the survivors moving again.
After around an hour of walking and climbing, the column emerged onto a wide plateau. The walls of mountains fell away, revealing a crystal clear view over the surrounding landscape. A dull orange glow emanated from the edge of the mountains in the direction of Phandalin as the town continued to burn.
The majority of the survivors were exhausted from the steep ascent. Daran and Quelline settled the group down to rest momentarily in the soft heather growing across the plateau. Scattered throughout the heather were a number of glowing purple flowers. Miaug stooped over and carefully examined the plants. She recognised them, Wanderer's Flame. a very rare species of flower with potent restorative qualities. Miaug quickly gathered some of the flowers. With the help of Clootie and Ryoko she lit a small fire and began to brew them into a tea. Once it was ready, she passed it around the group of refugees. The effect was remarkable, within minutes the weariness seemed to fall from the villager's shoulders, and a glimmer of hope reignited behind their eyes. While Daran and Quelline started to round the revived villagers up to continue their trek, before the attackers could backtrack through the pass and catch up to them; Clootie sat down cross-legged on the grass and closed her eyes, visualizing Sildar's face in her mind. She concentrated on the image of the old warrior and formed a message in her mind, telling him of the attack, the refugees and asking for aid. Once her message was complete, she focused it into a pulse of magical energy and sent it hurtling through the ether towards Neverwinter.
After a few hours travel back down through the mountains, the exhausted survivors emerged from the foothills of the Icespire Mountains within sight of the Triboar Trail. The group's excitement at being back on level ground swiftly waned as they continued to trudge through the night towards Neverwinter. Ramas slipped ahead of the group, blending in with the shadows along the roadside as he scouted the road to check for possible ambushes. In the distance, the half-elf spotted a group of horses heading down the road towards the survivors. Ramas slid off the road, into a drainage ditch running parallel to the trail, and drifted towards the riders like a ghost. He recognised the wolf's head emblem of Neverwinter on the rider's shields, and relieved he emerged from his hiding place onto the road in front of them.
The guardsmen explained that they had been sent south by Sildar, to protect the refugees and help them to Neverwinter. Once the main group of villagers caught up with the Ramas, the riders dismounted and set the most weary of the refugees, along with the children, on their horses. As the group headed north, the guardsmen and the party formed a rear-guard to keep watch for pursuers.
It was snowing lightly by the time the party arrived at the south gate of Neverwinter, with the group of exhausted survivors from Phandalin. A concerned looking young guard raced out of the guard house to meet them, "Are you all ok? What happened?" The party explained the events of he previous night, and the young guardsman looked shocked as the story unfolded. Recognising the party's signet rings as they gestures, he bowed deeply, "If it please you my lords, would you care to go speak to the Duke. I'll try to arrange warm beds and food for these poor souls." The party left the guards to tend to the survivors and made their way through the Old Quarter to the keep inner walls.
Two bored looking guards lounged against the wall at the inner gate. As they spotted the bedraggled party members walking towards the entrance, the older guard stepped forward,
"No commoners in the Falls District" he said sharply, glaring down his hooked nose at Clootie.
Indignant, the little gnome drew herself up to her full height and held out her signet ring at the guard, who paled visibly as he recognised it. "Oh - I apologise profusely milord - I did not recognise you for nobility. Please forgive my ignorance. Go right in" he pleaded, obsequiously
The party swept past imperiously. As he passed, Ramas reached out and flicked the offending guard in the crotch. He doubled over in pain, gasping in surprise. Ramas grinned.
Inside the Throne Room, Gabriel was deep in discussion with a dumpy looking older fellow in a roughspun tunic. They were haggling over prices of food from the farms. As the party walked into the room, the Duke looked up and recognised them. He politely excused himself from the grain discussion, and walked over to them,
"Are you ok? Tell me what happened"
The party briefly explained the attack. Gabriel listened intently, interrupting only to ask for clarification on the numbers of the enemy forces, and how long ago this had all happened. Once the party had finished, he paused for a moment to reflect,
"We need to prepare. I'll take you upstairs to the War Room. Come with me. Don't worry, I'll ensure the survivors from Phandalin are well taken care of."
He led them upstairs to a mid-sized room, dominated by an extended hardwood table in the centre, surrounded by a number of ornate high-backed wooden chairs. On the walls around the room were a series of maps of the Summers Coast,
"Make yourselves comfortable for a moment. I'm going to find Sildar and the rest of the Captains."
As he stepped outside the door, he called to a serving woman in the corridor outside,
"Morag, could you please bring some food and ale to my guests in the War Room. They're bound to be exhausted. Thank you very much my dear" he said, clasping her hands.
Morag returned shortly with a platter of meats and a few mugs of ale. Ramas slipped her a couple of gold pieces and asked to bring up some brandy. She flashed him a quick smiled and disappeared back down to the kitchen. Gabriel returned with Sildar, and two other men. One had a long dark ponytail and a tightly trimmed beard, and wore the wolf's head emblem of the Neverwinter Guard; the other was bald with an untamed bushy ginger beard, he wore the sun symbol of the Champions of Lathandar. Gabriel introduces the men,
"You all know Sildar" Sildar grinned at the party, shaking each of them warmly by the hand, "This is Aber Revenmar, the Captain of the City Guard" the dark haired man nodded, shaking their hands professionally,
"And this is Milos Agosto, the Leader of the Champions of Lathandar" the other man smiled at them all, but made no move to shake hands. "Please, I know you must be tired, but could you recount the attack on Phandalin again for my companions"
The party explained the events of the previous night again. This time, the audience asked a lot of additional questions. The generals ask additional details about of the size and composition of the enemy forces. Milos was concerned as the party explained about their encounter with Iarno. Once they had finished their explanation, Aber began to explained the city defences,
"My concern is, Neverwinter's fortifications are mostly designed to repel invaders from the north and east. This attack from the south is against our least protected flank. The city walls have three fortified watchtowers, unfortunately those are all located on the north wall, or the west facing coastal wall. The eastern approach to the city is across marshy ground, and up a steep incline below the wall. This would be very difficult terrain to mount an assault from. Plus, Neverwinter Keep is in the eastern wall, and that's our strongest defensive position. No - if there's going to be an assault, it'll be against the south wall.
The only fortification we have on the South Wall is the gatehouse. It's got two archer towers, that's about it. There's around five hundred feet of wall on the southern border, between the City Guard and the Champions, we've barely got enough men to cover that. We'll need to try to recruit a militia"
Miaug explained how effective her explosive arrow had been in Phandalin, she wondered whether they could get some barrels of explosive liquids and hide them around the area as traps. The generals seemed intrigued by this. Ramas suggested they position some of these barrels on the bridge to allow them to collapse it when they were attacking. Sildar explained that the South Gate Bridge was a stone construction, with two supports located in the river. Destroying one or both of these supports would collapse the bridge. Gabriel unrolled a large map of the southern and eastern approaches across the table, and the group started to plan their defence of the city.
They decided to position barrels of oil on the bridge, to allow the approach to be set on fire using fire arrows from the archer's towers. The bridge would be a natural choke point and should help them to slow the invaders. They would dig channels and build earthenwork barricades on either side of the road past the bridge to extend the length of the choke point. Explosive barrels strapped to the bridge supports would allow them to collapse the bridge when necessary. Oil barrels or alchemists fire barrels in the water upstream of the bridge could be punctured and set alight to set fire to the surface of the water to dissuade swimmers. Similarly, more barrels hidden in the eastern fens could be used to set that approach alight and try to ensure the attackers were funneled to the South. A few more explosive barrels would be hidden in caches on the far side of the river to be used as traps should the enemy get too close. Finally, as a last resort, the trading vessels in the harbour would be emptied and filled with civillians, under orders to flee the city should the walls be breached.
Gabriel offered the party rooms in the west wing of the Keep. The exhausted adventurers gladly accepted. They would need all their strength in the coming days.
Report Date
18 Feb 2020
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