Session 52 - Daybreak in Halag
10 Felmont 1010
General Summary
The party heads to the river, and decides to take their break just outside the city... at the bottom of the river. Elincia changes into a shark, since the water is very murky, and they tie a rope to her tail for everyone to use as a lead. When she estimates that they are ~100 yards beyond the city walls, Leo casts Leomund's tiny hut to give them a warm dry place to take their brief rest, and Elincia flops around (along with a bass) trapped in the spell's effect. Elincia, with a bit of help from Stavos, gets back to the water, and tries to eat the bass that Stavos tosses her way, but it darts away from her snapping jaws. Once she bores of fishing, she dives back into the hut, transforming back into an elf in a mid-air somersault - much as she had intended as a bird during the tavern fight.
About halfway through their break, Leo receives a message from Black Jack's lieutenant, saying that the city is pretty stirred up, and that Black Jack wants to take the head of the statue in the park, so hands off! The party debates their next actions. Leo replies that the party is doing well, has taken out both Wyvern towers, and will try to take down Langdedrosa on their way out of the city.
They consider messing with Black Jack and taking the whole statue, the head, or everything but the head, but deep down in their hearts they want to take down Langdedrosa. Their best guess where to find him is by the western gates, so as they head back into the city under Elincia's guidance again. They swim a block or so past the walls, and climb up the river bank, apparently unobserved.
They head toward the small plaza-like space in the north of the western city. Here they see the town starting to stir, as the sun is coming up - the weather has also improved, with overcast skies but only scattered, lighter showers. They spot a couple people near one of the buildings discussing something, and Leo strides up proclaiming that slavery is illegal in Karameikos, and that after seeing the activities within the Barony, the King has outlawed the Baron, and that the tyranny will end soon! One of the men runs away into a building and the other seems quite nervous; he says that it would be great if they were free, but that's not how it works. Leo asks where they might find Langdedrosa, and the worker says usually by the gates, then quickly retreats into the other building. A Wyvern sweeps by, changing its path as it seems to have spotted the party. They decide to head toward the gates, weaving through the alleys.
Tork, with his sharp hearing, senses troop movement a block to the south headed back the way they just came. Leo suggests that they should go surprise these troops to further advance the chaos in their wake. The party decides this isn't the worst option, and doubles back to the plaza. Here they find an Ogre and a bunch of human guards spreading out around the small plaza, searching. Elincia summons two tigers to kick off the assault and they take the guards by surprise. Sweeping both ways around the plaza, the party devastates the guards, with barely a response. However, one of the guards starts ringing a hand-bell, which is a sure way to draw yet another patrol of guards. Stavos has incapacitated one of the guards, and they kill the rest but by the time the guards are down the party hears another group of troops headed in from the west, behind them. Before they can even get themselves turned around they see two small squads of five Hobgoblins arrive in two adjacent alleyways.
Combat picks right back up where it left off. The party is a bit off balance with Leo nearest the enemy, and Stavos attempts to get to the front. However, this concentrates the party even more and, from the back row, one of the hobgoblins casts a fireball, dropping it right in the party, hitting Tork, Elinicia, Seraphina and Stavos. Elincia and one of the Tigers take the worst of this hit, and definitely look worse for wear. As the frontline troops move forward, Leo retreats back and blasts the one closest to Elincia, taking it down, and tosses her a small boost of healing. Tork, Seraphina, and Stavos have moved forward by now and, with the tigers, are able to engage the troops to help keep them off Elincia and Leo. Tork is trying to get to the fireball shooting Hobgoblin in the back, but he casts another spell, and flies up to the rooftop, keeping out of reach of melee specialists. Seeing this, Leo blasts him hard with Hex and Eldritch Blast, and Elincia tries to snipe him with Sharpshooter, but he is not taken down, and rains another fireball on the pair, who are still too close together. This blast hits Leo right in the teeth, and he loses concentration on Hex, as well as getting the wind knocked out of him. Elincia seems to avoid the effects a bit better this time, and heals herself up a bit. However, the Wizard Hobgoblin flies away rapidly out of sight, escaping what will soon be a rout of the Hobgoblins.
Tork, Seraphina, and Stavos meanwhile have waded into the ground troops, quickly slicing through their better armed (than the human troops before them) chain and shields. This improved defense clearly isn't enough to tilt the odds however, as Seraphina once again destroys the sword of the Hobgoblin Captain and Tork, seemingly effortlessly, cuts through three of the Hobgoblins.
Once this combat is resolved, they wake up the guard that Stavos had incapacitated and interrogate him. He seems terrified of the situation with a hungry looking tiger, an angry Stavos, and Elincia looking down on him, and agrees to give them whatever information they desire. Stavos asks where is Langdedrosa, and he explains that he is gathering up some dissidents to make an example in the bigger plaza west of here. Leo asks the man if he is married, and he nods yes. Leo suggests that he run back home and pretend he was killed in battle, waiting out the coming change of power here in the Barony. He seems more than happy to comply with this request, and runs off to the South.
The party quickly decides that they will head to the plaza and intervene on the "example" that Langdedrosa plans to make, suggesting that they make an example of him. They head that direction; entering the edge of the plaza, they see 10 Humans with their hands tied behind them, and Langdedrosa and a large number of troops arrayed about the plaza. Shortly after they arrive, someone notices them, and the alarm is raised.
Report Date
20 Aug 2021
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