Session 63: "What plan ?" or "The Wall of Ice cometh............"

     24th Day of Snowmoot: Continued                                               

                                                    

                                                        Positions at the end of last session

The attack of the bugbears against Bandur was relentless but they were finding it hard getting through his swinging battleaxe. Killing a bugbear, Bandur stepped backwards so they could only come at him 1 by 1. Aerie crouched down behind him didn't realise the danger she was in yet again.

The priestess of the Water Cult cast her Ice Wall on the battlements forcing Zindra and Hagnulf down the steps towards the waiting enemy at the bottom. Garet jumped from the wall and was attacked by 3 enemy. 

Bron and Fargrim had their own problems. Not knowing their line of retreat was now blocked by a wall of ice they pushed onwards. Fargrim opened a door and saw a largish human warrior ready to charge him. Bron stepping into the corridor found he was standing in a puddle of water seeping under the door opposite as 4 enemy charge round the corner.

Bandur still in a blind berserker fury and sensing someone behind him spun round and sunk his axe into Aerie. Garet dropped enemy after enemy with his monk fighting skills as Zindra, Grog and Hagnulf did the same.

Bron fighting an enemy and killing him suddenly found himself wrapped in water that took the shape of a large water serpent. Fargrim having struck his assailant was dismayed as the human form changed into some kind of hybrid Wereboar form. Blow after blow was struck and Fargrim came out on top but had to heal himself as he was sorely wounded.

Bron broke free of the constricting water serpent and retreated back into the room he had stepped out of a moment before.

Grog free of attacking enemy moved forward and launched spells at the bugbears now attacking Bandur from behind. Garet used his abilities to run as fast as he could and launch himself into a jumping leap onto the battlements they had entered the Keep by. Bandur turned round to face the bugbears and killed another one as Aerie too flight and used her spell abilities to damage another. Hagnulf took off at a run to support Grog then reversed direction to run towards where he assumed the entrance to the main keep building was.

Bron was keeping the water serpent at bay hoping his slashing sword attacks were doing damage. Fargrim was now attacked by the 3 enemy in the corridor and dropped them 1 by 1. Grog used his fire bolt, twice, to blast away at the blocked entrance to the keep so he could support Bron and Fargrim.

Aerie flew over the barrack block and landed in front of large double doors, the entrance to the main building as Hagnulf appeared beside her. Garet charge into the gate tower and attacked the bugbears from behind as Bandur fought them from the front. They didn't last long.

Grog ran into the main building to see Bron fighting off the water serpent and launched an attack of his own. The shape of the serpent collapsed into water and it flowed out of the doorway.

Aerie and Hagnulf entered the main building and found themselves looking up at a balcony on which stood Fargrim, Bron and Grog.

Garet checked the gate tower but there was no sign of the enemy that had entered. The group gathered in the main building and began a systematic search of the Keep. They noticed that the river entrance chain was lowered and the large barge was no longer tied up at the dock. They looked back at the Keep on the heights above and could see that there looked like a cave entrance at the base of the cliffs.

A quantity of arms, armour, coin and gems were found. The coin and gems were split evenly and the group began a thorough search of the main building. 2 secret doors were found. 1 in the upper level leading into a library where various tomes were stored. The other, when opened, smelled of damp, cold and water.

Aerie did a flying reconnaissance of the cave entrance and could see area 22.

In the kitchen area, cowering in a corner were 5 humans. Aerie was astounded that one of them was Toms wife, she wasn't dead. Two others were the missing lads from Womford who had supposedly run away, another woman and Tom, all from Womford.

K1: Double door entrance to keep, portcullis inner door. Lock/raising mechanisms above in K3.

K2: Lower floor Gate Tower.

K3: Upper level Gate Tower.

K4: Upper courtyard.

K5: Stables, roof in bad repair.

K6: Barrack block storeroom/armoury.

K7: Room where 5 humans prisoners where.

K8: Main dormitory for barrack block.

K9. Water Tower, chain mechanism to raise lower here.

K10: Lower landing.

K11: Boom chain.

K12: River battlement.

K13: Cave entrance.

K14: Bugbear tower.

K15: Chapel.

K16: Lower main building area. (S) marks lower secret door.

K17: Lower barrack room.

K18: Storeroom.

K19: Library with (S) door to K21.

K20: Upper barrack room,

K21: Leader room, most of coin found here.

K22: Area observed by Aerie.

As a post script, how many of these do you see?

The third one is a 20 too, verified and checked.

Session 62: "No plan survives 1st contact....." or "2nd contact? What about 3rd then............"

        24th Day of Snowmoot: Continued                    

                             

                                                                     'The Gate is Ours'

Fargrim pushed on as stealthily as he could soon joined by Bron, who noticed just how dark it was outside. Fargrim and Bron switched to hand weapons and shields. Downstairs Garet secured the downstairs door the guard had fled through as Aerie did the same upstairs. Soon the group were spread across the battlement leading to the large building on the north wall.

A door opened below and 2 Bandits rushed out firing crossbows as they did, they hit nothing but were soon lying in the snow, dead. The group crept on. Fargrim had reached a door, Bron supported with Hagnulf and Zindra covering the stairs and lower courtyard. Garet covered the door the 2 bandits had come from as Grog dropped down off the wall onto the lower level. Bandur moved along the walkway and Aerie covered from the Gatehouse doorway.

Fargrim shoulder charged the door and it creaked and groaned but didn't budge. Suddenly the door was pulled open and before he could react a 3 pronged spear hit him twice, the door was slammed shut again.

The door opened and Fargrim and Bron charged into the room, 4 guards waited for them. These guards were armed with saw toothed swords, a trident, battle axe and one blew a horn loud and long. The fight was on.

With a yell guards poured out of 2 doors from the building the previous 2 crossbow men had come from. One group threw javelins up at the Walkway, whilst the 2nd charged the stairs. At the same time Aerie heard the upper walkway door, she had barred earlier, booming as something crashed into it.

Aerie went down, struck by 3 javelins. Hagnulf and Zindra defended the stairs killing 2, as Garet dropped a figure in the courtyard. Grog hemmed into the corner of stairs and wall fought off 2 attackers and killed 1 with the help of his spiritual weapon. Aerie healed and regained her feet to be pummeled down again as a bugbear slammed his morning star into her body, Bandur rushed forward and killed the bugbear, now in a berserker rage he defended the doorway.

Aerie cast another healing spell and slowly regained her feet. More javelins had narrowly missed Garet. Hagnulf, Zindra and Grog prepared for the next onslaught.

Bron and Fargrim had taken some hits but had killed the 4 guards. Fargrim opened a door and stepped into a corridor.

Photos from  the session tonight:                                                                    

                                                 Fargrim is struck with the 3 pronged spear

                                            Bron and Fargrim attack the 4 guards in the room

Hagnulf, Zindra and Grog defend the stairs.

The battle for the wall and courtyard steps

The Bugbears launch their attack

Bandur holds the door (Ho'dor!)

More enemy reinforcements head for the Gate Tower

More reinforcements

End of Session positions

Orange circles Bugbears

Yellow squares Bandits

Black squares Other humans

Session 61: "To boldly go......" or "Easy peezy, lemon squeezyyyy............"

 24th Day of Snowmoot  

The next day was spent securing the camp as Garet caste his hide tracks on the area they were in. Unless anyone stumbled across them they were all but invisible. A guard was seen patrolling the south wall at odd times, no pattern could be discerned.

Plans were made and discarded. Then the plan was set. Under cover of darkness they would approach the walls, scale the walls and gain entry into the Keep, dealing with whatever they found along the way.

The group approach  Riverguard Keep   

(H=Hagnulf, J=Jax, B=Bron, Z=Zindra, F=Fargrim, B=Bandur, G=Grog, A=Aerie)

Having moved stealthily within 60ft or so of the lower wall Hagnulf successfully scaled the scree slope to his left. He lowered a rope, which enabled the others to scale the slope quickly, quietly and safely. They quickly moved to the south east corner of the gate tower where it joined the south wall. Again Hagnulf showed his versatility and quickly scaled the wall and dropped a rope over securely tied to the parapet. He could see no movement on the wall not anywhere within the inner compound of the keep. Garet & Zindra quickly followed. Zindra moving right and covering the lower wall and inner harbour. Garet cast silence. He then checked the door to his left, locked!

Bron came up next, then Fargrim, Bandur, Grog and lastly Aerie, who had to take position wedged between the parapet as the walkway was full of bodies. Fargrim moved to support Zindra. Grog moved to support Bron, all but Grog had bow or crossbows at the ready.

                                        

Garet moved aside as Hagnulf tried to unlock the door with his thieves tools. The slippery walkway proved to be his undoing and he slipped off the walkway but fell lightly on his feet bow at the ready.

Rope lowered he was soon hauled up and opened the door. On their stealthy entry, luckily still on the edge of silence, Hagnulf, Garet and Bandur could see 3 guards.

                                       

 Hagnulf dropped one straight way, Garet caught sight of a guard in cover to their left and struck him down with multiple blows from his staff, Bandur hurled himself forward and dropped the 3rd.

                

Shouting from below put them on their guard. Bron entered, Zindra and Grog entered. Fargrim not far behind. Aerie moved to the walkway from her perilous perch and covered the courtyard.

Hagnulf crept down the stairs an dropped a guard below with a well aimed shot.

                               

                               

 Garet decided to jump below, tripped and fell in front of a mean looking guard who swung and hit him. Bandur charged down the stairs straight into a 3rd guard not spotting a 4th who attacked from Bandurs left.

Unknown to Garet, Bandur or Hagnulf a 5th guard had already left the room and was running along the courtyard towards the largest building, Aerie already on watch let fly and arrow, the guard kept running. Loading a fire arrow she let another fly and struck him a deadly blow just before he could make it into cover.

 

Garet picked himself up and struck the guard with a flurry of blows from his staff. The guard reeled back critically injured, near deaths door. Bandur ill timed a sweep hit the open door and knocked his battle axe out of his hand. Grog made it downstairs and firebolted a guard and cast spiritual weapon to attack another. 

                                        

                                         

Garet moved in for the kill, the guard he had struck was near death, he galnced over his shoulder thinking 1 strike to finish this one off and move in to hit another with another 2 blows should finish that one. It was not to be. He turned to see the guards sword pommel smash into his face, not only that but Garet, stunned, miss timed his swing and hit himself. Stunned, prone and critically injured, Garet could only look on as the guard moved in for the kill, the guard plunged his sword down into Garet who let out a groan of death. 

                                       

Bandur picked his battle axe up, swung and dispatched a gaurd, Grogs spiritual weapon made short work of the 2nd as Bandur rushed over and stood over his friend. Grog moved in and healed as Hagnulf let fly an arrow and finished the guard off. Garet sat up, lucky to be alive, one more hit and he was dead for sure.

Meanwhile as Hagnulf, Garet, Bandur & Grog moved downstairs, Aerie on watch outside; Bron, Zindra and Fargrim opened the double doors and rushed into the next room.

                                    

They each took on a guard but they all missed a 4th guard who was able to shoot Zindra in the back. All 4 guards were dispatched.

                                            

                              

Bron pointed out the wheel mechanisms (there were 2) must be for some kind of portcullis arrangement below, although a slot for it to raise up cold not be seen, worse still he uncovered a hole (covered over with a wood cover, 3 murder holes and pointed to 3 barrels standing against the wall. Full of oil he surmised. Fargrim moved through another doorway and stood on the walkway of the west wall.

'The Gate is Ours'

TALLY SO FAR:

12 GUARDS KILLED

40 GOLD PIECES

150 SILVER PIECES

POTION OF HEALING 2D4+2 (GARET USED)

POTION OF DIMINUTION (GAIN THE REDUCE EFFECT FOR 1D4 HOURS)

BANDURS 2 UNKNOWN POTIONS ARE:

POTION OF CLIMBING

POTION OF GREATER HEALING 4D4+4

                                        

Session 60: "A hunting we will go a hunting..........." or "Are we there yet? are we there.........."

  22nd Day of Snowmoot  

                             

                                                               Sunrise on the 22nd.

The group set off after a quick breakfast. Some foraged as Zindra navigated north towards the keep. In the afternoon the tell tale ripples to left and right were spotted. Aerie took to the air and as she flew closer she could see that it was not one but a line of animals moving through the snow. She flew closer and could make out that they were indeed Snow Wolves, larger than a normal wolf, adept at moving stealthily through snow.

The group moved onwards more wary now. As the hills got closer they found a small copse and settled in for the night.

                              

                             

                                                                    Sunset on the 22nd

 Double watch, traps laid out but no attack. Zindra moved out to check as Aerie flew around the perimeter only a single set of tracks approached the camp and a single set went away. There was no sign of the Snow Wolves.

       

23rd Day of Snowmoot  

                                                                      Sunrise on the 23rd

The group quickly packed their camp up and headed north.  The hills were closer and they could make out in the mid afternoon the shape of the Keep in the distance.

                            

A restless night was spent in a small copse. A guard could be seen patrolling the walls and as darkness grew light spread out of small, slit windows around the Keep.

24th Day of Snowmoot  

The next day was spent securing the camp as Garet caste his hide tracks on the area they were in. Unless anyone stumbled across them they were all but invisible. A guard was seen patrolling the south wall at odd times, no pattern could be discerned.

Plans were made and discarded. Then the plan was set. Under cover of darkness they would approach the walls, scale the walls and gain entry into the Keep, dealing with whatever they found along the way.

The group approach  Riverguard Keep