Return to Moonstair parts 1 and 2
From Dan:
After Skalmad’s dire portent and our experiences with Karavakos in the Pyramid of Shadows we were sure he was not altogether slain. After a brief discussion we decided to push on into the warren in the hope that we would find a way to foil Skalmad’s plans from afar.
The room beyond the bloody corridor was a large subterranean forge with two huge fire-pits and a squat bearded troll barking orders to the blind, grey workers. The element of surprise was lost to us as the squat, bearded troll blacksmith roared to his minions and we surged forward, eldritch lightning sparked from my viscious black rod, felling two of the grey beings in quick succession, Flynn engaged a third while Bax defended the right flank and Illvelios moved deeper into the room. Kallista provided covering fire and Sebastian stomped forward shouting “He’s mine!” and gesturing to the troll with his Mordenkrad…
As I sifted through the weaponry in the forge it was all of a kind, crude forged iron, no sign of the Sunguard. Illvellios called us together, he’d received a psychic communication from the Eladrin Ambassador. Moonstair was heavily under siege, the militia were no match for the marauding troll army, the Eladrin forces were similarly outnumbered and we were their only hope! We gathered our gear and made our way back to the sink-hole cave. It was approaching morning and we clambered up the dirt sides of the pit as the last few stars winked out of sight, I could still feel the pull of caiphon from below the horizon, I can always feel the direction of Caiphon since we left the pyramid.
We forced a march to Moonstair through the clammy morning mist which didn’t quite seem to burn off all day, as the sun rose so too did the midges which seemed to revel in infiltrating Sebastian’s armour, Kallista seemed unaffected by them as they hissed and fizzed, electrified or burned to a crisp if they flew too close. Bax and myself were also largely unaffected minly due to the toughness of our skin.
As we approached Moonstair we could see smoke rising, we broke into a jog and soon came upon the first of the burning farmsteads. As far as the eye could see the outlying lands of Moonstair had been devastated, Kallista guessed we were now only an hour or so behind the trollen army and we re-doubled our efforts. Not far down the road and we heard the screams of a human woman, her pale dirt-smudged face silhoetted in a window-frame spewing thick black smoke. Below her stood a huge troll, laughing and taunting her in broken common. The fields around the farmhouse were also ablaze and we stalked through the burning crops hidden in the cloying smoke and soon we spotted the beastmaster’s wards – six big black hairy wargs stalked around the building, pure feral teeth and muscle that we could smell from upwind, and they could smell us! Quickly Illvelios ordered our battle-lines and we attacked, leaping through the flames, weapons drawn and shouting our anger to supress the waves of fear that rolled off of the fearsome beasts.
and Part 2 from me:
The fight with the Wargs was a tough one, illvellios surely coming off the worst. I dispatched my second troll of the day and felt good for it. Unfortunately there was no time for rest and we moved on once again, but not before we’d doused the flames and calmed those in the burning farmhouse….
Smoke rose from the horizon as we approached Moonstair. Silhouetted against the darkening sky the city was ablaze. The first wall had been badly battered and breached in several places and the sounds of fighting echoed from far into the city.
We decided to circumnavigate the city and come in from the east via the docks, hopefully taking us into the heart of the city without getting bogged-down in the skirmishes of the to opposing forces. This direction brought us to a watchtower, manned by two guards crewing a great ballista. Flynn, as is usual, saw fit to ascend the tower (on the outside!) and scare the wits out of the two men. Were he a lesser warrior, flynn may have even been cut by the panicked guardsman, much to our amusement.
A horn sounded off in the distance and before we knew it we were involved in a tough fight with a tentacled monstrosity, seemingly controlled by two Kua-toa warriors.
“Tentacles!,” cried Moonchild, “why did it have to be tentacles!” He decided to face his fears and launched a dazzling assault at the beast. Ilvellios and I battled against the slime-wrought Kua-toa whilst Flynn launched a volley from the ballista. The fight was a bloody one, finding myself at one point flying through the air into a cage made up entirely of lightning. This hiccup meant i was the last to end my foe, though it was still over quickly.
Moving into the city from the docks we ran into a group of fleeing civilians. It didn’t take long to spot what they were fleeing from. The smoke swirled as three large flying beasts approached our position. Their great wings fanned the fires as they flew low across the rooftops, it was here, I decided, that i would fight them. I entered a nearby building and after a few moments emerged from a window in its roof. Hefting my hammer i bellowed a challenge at one of the creatures, a Wyvern. Flynn in the meantime was swiftly slaying the leader of this troupe, a Troglodyte shaman riding a Manticore. Callista and Raelphos added fire support to myself and Ilvellios, while he and Bax took on another Wyvern. Ending my foe swiftly, with some assisstance, I charged from the roof of my building. Landing squarely at the back of the other Wyvern, using gravity as an ally, I brought my weapon down on the creature’s spine ending its life. As all enemies were finally slain, I couldn’t help but notice the huge grin on my own face, that was fun!
Bloodied and tired, though more experienced against this multitude of enemies, we moved on to the city proper…..
