Tolman, Siegride, Elan, Ma'yah, and Llewellyn watched as the first wave of pirates were attacking the lizard colony.
Magical fires erupted from bright explosions in the sky and descended upon small storage huts, catching fire to them! Lizard folk men, women, and children were running in every direction for their lives! They were relentlessly pursued by pirates and berserkers and were struck down indiscriminately at every opportunity.
The group decided that they couldn't wait for the dwarves Tamroohk and Gorbash to make it back to the colony in time - if they did, the fight would be over and hundreds of lizard folk would be slaughtered!
At their vantage point, they got a layout of the colony: there was a gate area that lead to the beaches which was currently under assault; a stores area where the huts were on fire; a living area where the lizard folks made their dens; and a prayer area where a temple was built into a cliff-face. The party decided to make their stand at the living area. Far in the distance, three black ships were anchored off shore and a wave of smaller rowboats were coming-aground, landing even more pirates!
This area of the colony had a central system of wet soaking pools in a yard, and around the yard there were huts and mounds of undergrounds dens with small doors. The dens were stacked on top of each other so there were as a walk above the yard to those domiciles. Women folk were fleeing from the pools; men and children were coming out of their dens, wondering what was happening.
Arriving at the scene, Ma'yah cast Tongues on Siegride. Siegride immediately told a nearby guard that the colony was under attack by clerics of Tahkesis who've come to defile their goddess. She told the guard to get the people and their queen to safety. The guard, completely taken back, followed Siegride's instructions and went off to inform the queen.
Tactically, the party had some advantages. First, there was a high and low ground - the low ground being in the yard and the high ground on the walk-way against the dens. Elan was first to perch herself on to the walk-way to take arrow-shots at the wave of pirates.
Second, there were two pinch-points - two areas where the pirates were rushing into the yard and they were guarding the only stairs into the prayer area. Third, there were the soaking pools in the middle of the yard that provided a rough terrain movement disadvantage for anyone caught on the opposite side.
On the first round, Siegride cast Sleet Storm on the area/huts that were targeted by the Flame Strikes. That helped to both delay the advance of pirates and put a stop of the fires. Everyone else got into position and started taking down what targets they could at long range, but there was another complication. The board was filled not just with pirates but with innocent lizard folk that were intermixed with the pirates, and would be the target of area-of-effect spell attacks. The combat was on, and it was going to be complicated!
* * *
Meanwhile, as the party was engaged in battle, up in the foothills, the dwarves Gorbash and Tamroohk were enjoying a leisurely morning in the dense fog - completely unaware of the attack on the colony - when Tolman's owl familiar arrived on-scene. The owl had a note clutched in one claw and it attempted to land with just one leg, bouncing up and down, trying to keep its balance. It bounced away as Gorbash tried to approach it, preferring instead to bounce over to Tamroohk who accepted the note and read it. It was from Tolman and said something to the effect of: "The colony is under attack. Your presence is appreciated."
The dwarves immediately gathered up their fighting gear and started rushing down the foothill path towards the colony. Rushing through the fog, they were no more than ten minutes into their run when they noticed they were not alone. That parliament of ravens was back, flying above them, rushing from tree to tree along side their path, watching where they were going.
It wasn't long before the dwarves encountered a fork in the path and there the ravens flushed from the trees and coagulated into a single dark mass! The shadowy form took shape, turning into the dark figure with an enormous brimmed hat, and two shadowy rapiers extended from its sides as if in a fighting position. And in their minds (Vongur, the dwarven amulet around Gorbash's neck included), they could hear it say in Dwarvish: "Your meddling in these affairs will not go unanswered, and I shall take your champion."
Vongur suddenly cursed an oath as he witnessed a blue transparent field of divine energy surround and encompass Tamroohk! A blue shadow of another female dwarf with braids and a fist full of energy came into being - it was the shimmering image of Tamroohk's Goddess, Berronar Truesilver! When Tamroohk spoke, it was both her voice and the voice of the Goddess in tandem: "You can try."
[DM's Note: I pulled a stunt here were Tamroohk, infused/possessed by the power of her Goddess, temporarily received +3 to her AC, +3 to Hit, and could cast spells as a 5th Level Cleric. The Dwarves would need an extra boost against this particular adversary.]
With that, the shadowy form raced up to the dwarves and started swinging! It was a spectacular fighter, committing two attacks per round and when striking caused psychic damage against the dwarves! Then, on a bonus action, it would burst into ravens again causing the flock of birds to race across them both and do piercing damage/scratching as the birds rushed by! Then it would re-form back into the shadowy figure and re-engage with them at a new initiative!
As Gorbash and Tamroohk connected theirs axes and maces against the foe, they learned the awful truth. The creature had resistance to those forms of attacks and the damage made against the creature became greatly diminished! It was barely phased. This was going to be a long fight!
* * *
While this was happening, back at the lizard colony, the player characters would engage the encroaching pirates for another four rounds. A flood of new pirates would arrive and they would try to hit them with distance weapons and spells, and mass-effect spells where possible. Eventually Siegride would cast Spiritual Guardians creating a small sea of spectral eels around her that - when adversaries stepped into - would attack her enemies.
Also, two clerics of Tahkesis arrived, as expected.
One was in green robes - apparently the green dragon cleric that the party had met last cycle fighting the pirates! Unarmored, she lead her brigand force in to battle and backed them up by casting Dispel Magic on the Sleet Storm that was preventing them from going anywhere. She'd eventually take some serious damage from the party, but managed to get in a Flame Strike affecting two party members before play stopped.
Meanwhile, another one wore red armor, had a helm, a shield, and a mace. She had blazing red hair. When she arrived on the field of battle, she attempted to cast Silence on the party but Ma'yah performed a Counterspell to dismiss it. Later, the red Cleric would emerge from a Fireball spell cast by Ma'yah with flames licking off of her armor, and she was smiling gleefully as if she was both unaffected by the spell and really enjoyed the summertime heat. Eventually though a rash of arrows from Elan would force the red Cleric to take cover in a hut. While in the cut, peering through the reeds, she cast a Guiding Bolt on Llewellyn. When play stopped, she was still in the hut.
* * *
Back with the shadowy figure and the dwarves, the fight continued!
Tamroohk healed Gorbash to keep him in the frey as monstrously large claws emerged from the shadow to strike at him, rending at his soul!
Inspired, Tamroohk cast Spiritual Guardian and spectral bears began attacking the otherworldly foe, and this time, the damage was double - it apparently had vulnerability to Radiant damage - and now the Dwarves were able to kick it up as the spectral bears clawed their way through the shadow!
.... and that's where we left it!
More next week as the party takes on the next waves of pirates and Clerics of Tahkesis, and deals with the spooky shadowy thing!
R
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