Session 23 - The Battle of Aleksandrovka

General Summary

The battle between the undead horseman and Lada, Vashti, and Prokhor proved to be just as dangerous as expected. The horseman faced off against all three in the doorway to the hut, and managed to stun Lada and down Prokhor. It was the last minute preparation of a healing potion by Vashti, that turned the tide. With Lada resuscitated, the two ladies subjected the rider of a magical assault for which he was unprepared. He retreated to the yard, hoping to fire arrows from a distance. His plan initially worked, and he downed Lada with an arrow. However, Vashti soundly defeated him right afterwards. She then skillfully tended to the wounded, and saved Lada. Soon after she hid herself and the survivors within Lada's home, barricading it from the inside.
Meanwhile, Hamal had to deal with unexpected and unnatural forces. He had sent two men to guard the graveyard, and kept the rest in reserve to watch the northern road. However, when the wind picked up, and the trees started to bend under its force, Hamal went to check in at the graveyard. The wind was howling so loudly the men could barely hear themselves shout. Soon after, the undead horseman attacked the northern bridge. Two were killed as the rider passed by, and other fled in fear, before the reinforcements could arrive. Hamal and the other survivors retreated across the bridge, following the rider.
In the meantime, two other riders approached the church from the west. The acting Mother Superior and Sister Irina drove them away by displaying the crucifix and the power of Gaal.
On the southern road, Light-Heart, sent to act as a scout, was also experiencing problems. Espying three undead riders three undead riders from a tree, the small-sized foreigner beheld the full danger of the situation, and fell from the tree. After managing to hide in the underbrush, Light-Heart sent a mole with a message relaying the nature of the approaching danger tied to its back. Avoiding the hard-charging riders and their arrows in the open field, Light-Heart then approached the village, and hid behind a large tree, and observed what was happening.
Finally, Ivan and his peasant allies held his ground against the approaching riders' arrow fire from the across the southern bridge. Overconfident, the first rider charged across the bridge, but a second rider was slowed by the horse spikes the defenders had set at the approach to the bridge. The third rider started to cross... and quickly found the bridge cut from beneath the horse's feet, and fell into the river. While the waters of the Osochenka washed him away, Ivan and the courageous defenders brought their makeshift weapons to bear down on the rider's horse. When the rider tried to escape from the onslaught, he was cut off by Hamal, who had come to reinforce the defenders.
The third rider, now with no obvious method to cross the river, rode along the embankment...right into Light-Heart's tricks. A massive bear appeared before the rider, and even his undead heart decided there was no success to be gained fighting such a creature, and he urged his horse to flee with all haste.

Despite the losses, the battle was apparently won, but just then, a disheveled and horned man, his eyes shining with an ominous green, appeared in front of the convent gates, and bellowed: "Where is he?"

Report Date

22 Jan 2023

Primary Location

Aleksandrovka