Session 4: Orcs in the Gap!

General Summary

We picked up the session during the fireworks display at the end of the festival. Citizens of the Gap were starting to disperse to their homes. Xabu had noticed a death cry of a guard timed with the fireworks, and alerted the team! Badraa the captain of the Bastions immediately dispatched her lieutenants to the three main points of incursions: Eastern, Central, and Western Spire Quarter. Western path - fireworks platform. Ruslan and Zofia dispatched Central path - Temple of the Sovereign Host. Badraa, Brevin, and Milo Eastern path - produce market. Maeral and Lasras dispatched  

Wave 1: West

The heroes (after some confusion and splitting up) were brought back together by Althea and headed to the West. Here they battled a scattered small band of orcs. They rescued a gnome who was on the fireworks platform and prevented the orcs from accessing the firework crates. Dances on Stumps realized his wind powers were enhanced in this area (maybe something to do with the pulsing glow under the waves?) After the skirmish, Ruslan guarded the fireworks while Zofia pressed ahead toward the shouts of a leader on the Western guard tower. The heroes heard shouts from each of the three guard towers, but the loudest leader clearly was at the central tower. They decided to divert toward the center.  

Wave 2: Central tenements

At this point, the team sees Badraa, Brevin and Milo approaching with Brevin's dog from the south. They are about to converge at an intersection of catwalks, when more orcs attack! This time, the orcs are led by large half-ogres (Ogrillons), each with two scooping shields. These Ogrillons start charging down the catwalks, scooping civilians over the side to tumble down the ravine. The heroes help to defeat this threat, but not before Dances on Stumps blew several orcs (and a couple of his friends) over the railing. Luckily, none of his friends fell too far. Now with Brevin and the Bastions, the team pushed ahead, toward the central guard tower and the roaring leader.  

Wave 3: Central tower

Approaching the central tower, the team can see a large group of enemies gathering at its base and pouring out from the tower. The leader stands on top of the tower - a tall and muscular orc with a greataxe in hand. Two archers stand with the leader on top of the battlement and nearly a dozen more orcs stand on the lower catwalks, along with 4 more Ogrillon pushers. A fierce battle ensues, and Xabu and Brevin are shoved from the catwalk early. It begins to look a little grim for the heroes as Relic is pushed over the railing and barely hangs on while two orcs and an Ogrillon hammer at his hands. At this point Dances on Stumps, who had been carrying a crate of fireworks since the platform, decides to make his big move. He tosses the crate to Gnarly Toes who alley-oops it on top of the tower. Stumps then parkours from Gnarles into the air, firing a fire bolt into the cracked crate. Unfortunately, a nearby orc hit him in the back mid-air and knocked him unconscious. The fireworks crate explodes, giving DoS his first failed death saving throw from the damage. The top of the tower disappears in a blinding flash of sparks, smoke, and fire. Several orcs, Relic, and Stumps' bodies are thrown into the gap. And the leader isn't seen afterward. Gnarles and Althea clean up the remaining orcs with Badraa's help, and dive into the gap after their friends.  

The Fall

After a moment of panic and prayer, Xabu is reassured by Brevin that everything will be ok. He has a large hook-like device in his hand. As the two descend, a pulsing silvery glow emerges from under the waves far below, and their descent is slowed (a la feather fall). Brevin points out a cable below the two, reaching diagonally from the ravine wall to reach a floating wooden platform in the water. Xabu notices several of these platforms, each with multiple cables reaching to them. Xabu also notices several boats in the mist-covered water, with grunting figures in them. Relic heals Stumps with lay on hands and Stumps rides him the rest of the way down. Gnarly Toes completely misses the cable, but Althea is able to both grab the cable and the back of Gnarles pants, preventing him from falling in the Mist. The team convenes on the platform and watch as orcs club floating bodies in the water and pull them up into the boats. After a brief skirmish with one boat, the heroes wait until Badraa lowers a rope and climb back up to the city above.

Rewards Granted

1000 xp for combat   Group xp gifts: 100 xp to Althea - from Xabu and Gnarles 100 xp to Gnarly Toes - from Relic and Stumps 50 xp to Dances on Stumps - from GM