Rottenlead

Thanks to Neil for this Write up of the Battle for Vraath keep in our weekly D&D D20 Roleplaying Game

As told by Malakite (after a few lot of well deserved ale).

After battlin’ the Goblins and Worgs Kira discussed sumthin in private with Tiamo and the two of them flew off over the battlements. I trust both of ‘em with me life so I know that whatever it was that called them away must’a been important, and I surely know they’ll be back as soon as their done.

Fortunate for us Arimil arrived, however he bought grave news of an army amassing some way to the north.

As I moved across the courtyard to greet him I accidentally scraped me shield on one of the boulders which let out a screeching sound like rat bein’ crushed underfoot. This must have alerted the guards as the doors at the base of the tower burst open and out rushed a band of Hobgoblins an’ a fearsome Minotaur.

Assuming that the Minotaur was the master of this decrepit warband I charged towards the nearest Hob that was blockin’ me way. My heart started pounding with anticipation of the battle. I swear for a moment I could feel a pulse in the handle of Thundersbane, almost as if it were alive and revelling with me in the glory of the upcoming fight.

Embedding me axe in the side of the nearest Hob, he doubled over but managed to keep his feet and threw a blow straight back at me. Up went me shield, deflecting his attempts to lay me low. I threw back another great blow; this one took ‘im down and kept ‘im there.

Meanwhile Lysinder called down the power of Lytander, bathing the Minotaur in a golden light that singed the hairs from the whole left-hand side of his body.

Arimil’s bow sent streaks of death towards one of the Hob’s but they harmlessly bounced off his armour. Arimil then dived in to a roll, positioning himself behind the Hob, rapier in hand.

I could also see Lysinder conjuring a cloak of whirling blades slicing anyone foolish enough to get close to her.

Now with a clear path between us, the Minotaur rushed towards me swinging his massive axe, slicing a heavy blow against me. Wracked in pain I managed to get back a retaliatory strike but the pain in my arm interrupted me strike and I missed.

Noticing me agony, Lysinder bought down the healing power of her god and sealed the gash the Minotaur had just opened up in me arm, but at the same time I took some minor scrapes from the whirlwind of blades circling the young lass.

Just when we thought the battle was turnin’ our way another foe entered the fray.

Out from the tower flew, and I mean like a bird but without the wings, a soddin’ Bugbear. Rememberin’ the pain they caused me clan in the many battles defendin’ our homeland I had to hold back the seethin’ anger wellin’ up in side me.

Caught with a Hobgoblin between the two of us I couldn’t get to ‘im… yet. With another mighty swipe of me glorious axe I managed to part the Hob’s head from his shoulders with that satisfying gurgle you get as it draws its last breath from nowhere.

Whist I was dispatching the latest annoyance, the Bugbear flew across the courtyard and opened an unassuming door, bellowin’ instructions inside for something to join the battle.

Sensin’ the danger of more assailants joinin’ the fight I dashed over, wrestled the door from the BB and slammed it shut. “Too Late” he said as he backed away from both me and the door.

Time appeared to slow down briefly as a slow beating noise started, rising in both volume and regularity until a whoosh of air nearly forced open the door I was holdin’ and the form of some great flying beast appeared out of the top of the keep.

With the body of a lion and the wings of a huge bat it up rose from within the ruins, landing on the once grand battlements, surveyin’ the battle it let out a blood curdling roar. Before we could react, a tail ending in deadly barbs whipped out from behind it’s massive form and released a flurry of spikes straight towards Arimil.

With a few Hob’s left, the Minotaur, BB and now this flying pincushion me tactical trainin’ told me to retreat to a safe defensible place, but the only way out was thru the Minotaur.

So vile that the ground itself repelled him, the Bugbear, who now seemed to be the real leader of this troupe, rose up higher in to the air, wavin’ his arms and babbling nonsense just like Kira does sometimes. He looked me directly in the eye and curled his lip like he was tryin’ to smile, at the same time he drew a fancy stick from under his cloak and pointed it at me. POW !! Before I know it a handful of darts made from cracklin’ blue energy shot towards me right out of the tip of his poncy stick. Each bolt dodgin’ and weavin’ its way towards me like I was a big dart magnet. Clangeddin’s beard they didn’t half hurt as each one hit, passin’ thru me armour like I was n’ even wearin’ any.

I swiped at him with me magnificent axe but he was just keeping out a reach.

Arimil and Lysinder took out the remaining Hobs and set upon the Minotaur, all the time trying to avoid the flying beasts barrage of flyin’ tail barbs.

More bolts of energy flew towards me, each one never failing to miss, singing my beard and sending toe curlin’ pain thru me body.

With two powerful foes bombarding us from a distance we all decided to make a tactical retreat in to the tower to force the battle to come to us, on our terms.

The Minotaur was finally ripped to shreds by Lysinder’s magic as we took cover in the tower.

Knowin’ the place better than us, the BB flew in thru the top of the tower and fired more pain inducing darts at me from his fancy stick.

Forced down from its perch the half-lion/half-bat thing landed in the courtyard. This gave us the chance to surround it and hack at ‘im up close. Badly wounded it tried to fly off but our intensive assault was too much for it and as it lurched upwards Arimil made the killing blow, bringing it back down to earth for its final time.

The BB now attacked us from the assumed safety of the top of the tower. Without any real ability to hurt him at that distance we stormed the tower, charging our way to the top.

Upon reaching the top of the tower the BB was still hovering above us. To one side a rotting corpse was hung either for the amusement of the occupants or as a warning to people like us to keep away. The corpse appeared to pose no threat so we went at the BB with axe, arrow and spell.

Badly wounded but still able to fly the BB retreated away from the tower, leaving us to revel in the glory of overcoming the keeps defences and taking it as our own.

Whether or not it was intentional, you never know with Aramil, one of his arrows had sliced the cords holding the BB’s belt, liberating a number of coins from a pouch and releasing a parchment tucked behind it.

The parchment turned out to be a map, apparently showing a series of planned assaults by the army that Aramil had spotted to the north. The advancing hoard would first cross Skull Gorge Bridge before moving on to attack Drellin’s Ferry. Armed with this news we immediately dispatched Jarr, who had been keeping himself out of harms way during the battle, back to Drellin’s to warn Captain Sreana to prepare for an assault.

We checked out the rest of the keep to make sure there were no more scum around, and they’d either all run away of been put to in to a permanent sleep by us. My only reservation is that we couldn’t kill the BB, who’ll no doubt be makin’ his way back to the army right now.

Before we departed and made haste towards the natural bottleneck of the bridge over Skull Gorge, Arimils keen eyes spotted a trapdoor hidden under some rugs in tower. Don’t ask me why he was lookin’ under rugs but just as well he was because down thru the trapdoor we found a whole pile o’ good stuff. Some of which we’ll need Kira to take a look at.

Anyhow we found the body of Aimery Wrath still wearin’ his armour and carryin’ a fine mace, both of which Lysinder is now lookin’ after for ‘im. We also got ourselves the deeds to the keep which I recon we should come back and renovate once we’ve done what we can about this army (Sheesh… what are we gunna do about a whole darn army ?)

A number of chests which resisted our initial attempts to open, finally gave up a number of interesting items which we have now secured in our trusty bottomless haversack. These were:
• Some money.
• The deed.
• The skull of a black dragon.
• A HUGE spiked gauntlet, with an emblem of a frowning tusked mouth on it.
• Some fancy gauntlets that I’ve got my eye on
• A necklace made up of giant’s teeth.
• A white staff.
• A pearl necklace.
• A fine robe.
• And finally 10 potions that’ll seal up wounds of a moderate nature, apparently.

So, were now on our way to Skull Gorge Bridge to see if we can stop an army from crossing it. I recon that I might finally get to use my extensive knowledge of Architecture and Engineering since I gave up my previous career to… well I’m not sure why I gave it up but I’m glad that I did.

Now, where are Kira and Tiamo…