 |
| The Red Hand Horde |
RHoD Session 12 - by Matt/Egg
PC: Aron, Half Elven Ranger, Brother
Bear the Druid, Caliyenna a Crinti Bard, Motter the Dwarf Champion Brewer, Tess
of Umberlee & Egg Crinti Swashbuckler.
DM: Commander of Hordes, Master of
Crits, the Doctor of DnD-Simon.
Brindol, Highsun,1491
The party return to Brindol
to find preparations for the defence of Brindol in hand. Lord Jarmath and the council have wasted no
time in organising the town. We are
summoned to the Castle to join the council.
The Top Brass is in Council. Lord Kerden Jarmaath, Lady Verrasa Kaal, Captain
Lars Ulverth, and High Priestess Tredora Goldenbrow are all
present as is Speaker Sellyria Starsinger of the Tiri Kitor (Immerstal the Red not present - ed.). The situation is grave, despite the
recruitment of the dwarven mercenaries the garrison of Brindol is outnumbered
probably by 3:1. Brindol has raised
approximately 1300 troops in its defence whereas the hobber legions number from
3000 to 5000 and include a multitude of bloodthirsty monsters hell bent on the
destruction of Brindol.
During the Council several
topics are discussed.
·
Eggs briefs the
council on the organisation, leadership and motivation of the Red Hand.
·
The party
presents the council with several magic weapons to be distributed amongst the
defenders' officers and champions
·
Aron, Bear and
Captain Lars organise an aggressive defensive strategy, preparing the town for
assault from both the ground and the air.
The creation of the killing space on the inside of the walls, a highly mobile
defence force to respond to breaches and ‘other’ attacks and the magical
communications network are all instigated.
·
The Garrison of
Brindol is made up of a number of different units including; The Lions of
Brindol 17, The Lion Guard 200, The Company of the Shinning Axe, dwarven
mercenaries 200, The Brindol Militia 800, Lady Kaal’s Guard 69, and Lady Kaal’s
Bodyguard 5
·
The Tiri Kitor elves
are with us. And for the moment at least
so is his diabolical eminence the Ghostlord and his army of bonedrinkers (thanks
to Caliyenna’s silver tongue). The Elves
and the Bonedrinkers have been harassing the supply chains of the Invaders.
·
Lord Jarmath (reluctantly)
orders (ed: encourages) the non-combatants to evacuate Brindol.
Many flee to Dennovar, some 80 miles to the east.
·
The bridges
north over the Elsir river are deemed to be ‘safe’ at this time. However, we know the enemy had a base to the
North in the ruins of Rhest, and there have been reports of ogres and goblins
east of the Witchwood. Scouts patrol the
north. If the town falls taking the
Elsir River east to Elsircross then striking north to the Giantshield Mountains
or east along the dawn way to Dennovar seem to be the choices.
The
interrogation of Kal Kaz
Following the council, seeking
further information on the invading horde, Aron, Bear and Caliyenna interrogate
the hobber wizard Kal Kaz, who the party captured last month and imprisoned in
Brindol. Arno in particular is
interested in the organisation of the Red Hand camp with a view to determine
the odds of assassinating the commander of the army Wyrmlord Khan. Under the influence of Caliyenna’s charm
magic the hobber wizard spills his guts gives up some useful information.
Wyrmlord Kharn is
well protected. He is guarded by a tribe
of bugbears and a cohort of dragonborn.
The bugbears known as the Bloodghosts, are a grey furred tribe renowned
for their stealth. Of the dragonborn he
says little. Wyrmlord Kharn is reputed to
have great courage and is the prophets champion and a favoured soul. Kharn it would seem is a holy warrior leading
the bloody crusade against the Vale.
Should Kharn be illuminated a charming fellow named Scather a dragonborn
Assassin is next in line to lead the invading horde (now that 3 of the
Wyrmlords are dead of course).
·
Kal Kaz
reconfirms the prophet and instigator of the hobber crusade Azzar Khul awaits
the destruction of Brindol at the temple of Takhisis. He and his father the legendary Blue Dragon
Turgarun (oh and another army of hobgoblins, this one even bigger numbering
6000) are preparing a ceremony to summon Takhisis, the Dragon Queen, Lady
Chaos, the badass of bad asses herself from the Abyss. A key point in the ceremony is the fall of
the Temple of Lathander.
Information gathered,
Caliyenna places Kal Kaz under a suggestion, he is to return to the invading
forces gather information then return to us and spill his guts again.
Raven’s Eye View
Arno and Bear (shape-changed
into a Raven) accompany the enchanted hobber Wizard to the outskirts of Talar,
where Arno instructs the hober to get specific information about the camp and
return. Arno goes to ground outside
Talar. However, in the time it has taken
Kal Kaz to get to the Red Hand army encampment the suggestion spell Caliyenna placed
on him has worn off and he re-joins the army and blows Arno’s cover. In the meantime, Bear has flown over the Red
Hand camp at Talar and identified Wrymlord Khans quarters at the centre of the
army, strongly defended by the Bloodghosts and Dragonborn in the army
centre. Thousands of troops have crammed
into the ruins of Talar. The assignation
plot foiled Arno gives the Red Hand scouts the slip and returns to
Brindol.
Egg busies himself at the
orphanage whilst waiting. Sister Tuzna,
the urchins and Egg run through the defence and escape plans many times.
Tess and Caliyenna prepare
new spells or such. Motter boost the
defender’s moral with his Champion’s Ale.
 |
| Takhisis |
Enemy at the Gates
Is it the beginning of the
end or the end of the beginning?
Whatever is to happen, the invading legions of the Red Hand of Doom have
arrived.
The first thing the invaders
do is to send a family of Hill Giants to batter down the main gate by throwing
boulders at it. Crude but effective, the
Hill Giant artillery is taking a toll on the gate and the fortifications around
it. The party slips over the wall to
take them on, but unfortunate Tess makes a racket in her heavy armour and alerts
a patrol of Goblin cavalry, worg riders.
We are rumbled. The fight a
bruising encounter is thankfully over quickly.
Bear, Caliyenna and Tess demonstrate their capability with battle magic
and the battlefield is quickly a dizzying array lightning bolts, fleeing worgs
and hypnotised giants following pretty lights.
Giants defeated the party scramble back over the wall into Brindol hoping to take a short rest.
