Brandoch
01-16-2007, 06:10 AM
The party consists of a 4th level Ranger, recently commissioned a lieutenant in a company of scouts and skirmishers, a 4th level Psion, and their henchmen, a 1st level cleric of Ishtar, a 1st level Barbarian, and a Pseudo-Dragon, and the Ranger's Companion, a warhorse. They have as well 10 skirmishers under a 2nd level Serjeant mounted on light warhorses.
The group are instructed to scout out the advance of the enemy upon the city of Fineberg and to evacuate citizens along the way. The first place they arrive at is a small coastal village of people who fish and raise goats. The Ranger bears the surname of a famous hero of the Republic (her grandmother) and they are honored to meet her, bringing out bread, cheese and fish. The Ranger reluctantly informs them that the people must gather their goods, whatever they can carry or put onto animals and evacuate, that their homes must be destroyed. The villagers wail that they have been caulking the boats following the first of the fishing season--how will they live? She replies that the enemy will be ruthless and that they MUST leave.
Following this, leaving smoking ruins behind them, the party advance further to the town of Krothering. They begin to taste and see a haze of smoke on the air. The pseudo dragon (which believes itself to be a Great Wyrm and has delusions of grandeur) is asked to fly ahead and scout things out. It reports telepathically to the Ranger that there are ships at the rocky beach and that there are militia retreating from warriors that have landed. There are buildings burning.
The commission says to avoid engagement unless absolutely necessary. Reluctantly the group agree that the town at least is evacuated and the militia who remained behind are doomed--there is nothing they can do. They quietly withdraw.
Coming across a group of enemy raiders who have just burned out a farmstead and are carryiing away one of the prettier girls, the party decide to ambush them to rescue the girl and prevent the raiders from hitting one of the villages that is in their path. The Ranger leads the group through a light wood and they take up an ambush position, crossbowmen ready to fire into the group of raiders, then to rush in and attack by melee.
A group of men with short braided hair, bluish tattoos riding on shaggy horses come along the path, about fifteen of them, with large quivers of javelins, horsemen's axes and studded leather with iron cap helms. The group open fire on them: the Psion gets one with his repeating crossbow and indeed most find that their bolts get a mark. The Ranger leads them in an attack but finds herself badly losing initiative and taking blows from the enemy leader. The Pseudo-Dragon is knocked unconscious by a blow from a shield, as is the Psion by a blow from an axe that splits his helm and knocks him senseless. The Ranger rallies herself and the troops, ordering that none must escape alive. They notice the captive girl flung herself off the horse she had been placed over and crawled into a ditch. Seeing the enemy leader galloping off the Ranger instructs her barbarian friend to hurl a javelin at him--he strikes a critical blow, crippling the brigand. The barbarian rides after him to finish him and take his head for a trophy.
The group lick their wounds. A jar of Keoghtam's Ointment cures what ails some of them, including the badly wounded Psion. They decide to rest their horses and themselves a bit, taking some refreshment. As they wait they see a large group of refugees--people with sacks, carts, donkeys, people wealthy and poor and ordinary carrying what worldly goods and herding what livestock they may, weariness and fear on their faces. A small troop of twenty cavalry with pennons fluttering from lances but the horses weary, the cavalrymen tired looking but determined, flanks and legs on the beasts dusty and dirty. The cavalry commander greets the party politely, asking their names. He informs them that war has come to Glasstower--the city fell under attack before the refugees were sent away. He is bitter--would that he were with his company! The players grimly inform him that he will get a taste of war soon enough. He nods to them and heads off with his charges.
The party advance shortly after that encounter and find that at the next village a strange black carriage is standing, drawn by two black horses, with a lovely woman in a black dress advising the people on evacuation proceedures. The Psion (a Council Police Officer) believes she might be an enemy spy, a sorceress, and goes up to question her, rather sharply. She replies in astonishment that she is a member of the Nocturnal Council and demands his cooperation. He says "you will obey me, imposter!" and seizes her by the neck--at the same time attempting to use his psychometry on her. She resists him--psychically and physcially, and he realizes she is a fellow "Witch" (psionic) and she suggests that they go inside and discuss things. The Psion informs the Ranger that "Everything is alright, proceed with the evacuation--"
Inside, the Psion who had felt his kind were rare in the Republic realizes that this woman, Nocturnal Councillor Leiden, is an agent of the Great Council and that other Psions secretly work for the Government. He is both gratified and disturbed, and then says "Why did I not see you at the general meeting to discuss the war?" and she smiles and says "I saw you--you did not see me."
(end of first session of the Siege of Fineberg)
The group are instructed to scout out the advance of the enemy upon the city of Fineberg and to evacuate citizens along the way. The first place they arrive at is a small coastal village of people who fish and raise goats. The Ranger bears the surname of a famous hero of the Republic (her grandmother) and they are honored to meet her, bringing out bread, cheese and fish. The Ranger reluctantly informs them that the people must gather their goods, whatever they can carry or put onto animals and evacuate, that their homes must be destroyed. The villagers wail that they have been caulking the boats following the first of the fishing season--how will they live? She replies that the enemy will be ruthless and that they MUST leave.
Following this, leaving smoking ruins behind them, the party advance further to the town of Krothering. They begin to taste and see a haze of smoke on the air. The pseudo dragon (which believes itself to be a Great Wyrm and has delusions of grandeur) is asked to fly ahead and scout things out. It reports telepathically to the Ranger that there are ships at the rocky beach and that there are militia retreating from warriors that have landed. There are buildings burning.
The commission says to avoid engagement unless absolutely necessary. Reluctantly the group agree that the town at least is evacuated and the militia who remained behind are doomed--there is nothing they can do. They quietly withdraw.
Coming across a group of enemy raiders who have just burned out a farmstead and are carryiing away one of the prettier girls, the party decide to ambush them to rescue the girl and prevent the raiders from hitting one of the villages that is in their path. The Ranger leads the group through a light wood and they take up an ambush position, crossbowmen ready to fire into the group of raiders, then to rush in and attack by melee.
A group of men with short braided hair, bluish tattoos riding on shaggy horses come along the path, about fifteen of them, with large quivers of javelins, horsemen's axes and studded leather with iron cap helms. The group open fire on them: the Psion gets one with his repeating crossbow and indeed most find that their bolts get a mark. The Ranger leads them in an attack but finds herself badly losing initiative and taking blows from the enemy leader. The Pseudo-Dragon is knocked unconscious by a blow from a shield, as is the Psion by a blow from an axe that splits his helm and knocks him senseless. The Ranger rallies herself and the troops, ordering that none must escape alive. They notice the captive girl flung herself off the horse she had been placed over and crawled into a ditch. Seeing the enemy leader galloping off the Ranger instructs her barbarian friend to hurl a javelin at him--he strikes a critical blow, crippling the brigand. The barbarian rides after him to finish him and take his head for a trophy.
The group lick their wounds. A jar of Keoghtam's Ointment cures what ails some of them, including the badly wounded Psion. They decide to rest their horses and themselves a bit, taking some refreshment. As they wait they see a large group of refugees--people with sacks, carts, donkeys, people wealthy and poor and ordinary carrying what worldly goods and herding what livestock they may, weariness and fear on their faces. A small troop of twenty cavalry with pennons fluttering from lances but the horses weary, the cavalrymen tired looking but determined, flanks and legs on the beasts dusty and dirty. The cavalry commander greets the party politely, asking their names. He informs them that war has come to Glasstower--the city fell under attack before the refugees were sent away. He is bitter--would that he were with his company! The players grimly inform him that he will get a taste of war soon enough. He nods to them and heads off with his charges.
The party advance shortly after that encounter and find that at the next village a strange black carriage is standing, drawn by two black horses, with a lovely woman in a black dress advising the people on evacuation proceedures. The Psion (a Council Police Officer) believes she might be an enemy spy, a sorceress, and goes up to question her, rather sharply. She replies in astonishment that she is a member of the Nocturnal Council and demands his cooperation. He says "you will obey me, imposter!" and seizes her by the neck--at the same time attempting to use his psychometry on her. She resists him--psychically and physcially, and he realizes she is a fellow "Witch" (psionic) and she suggests that they go inside and discuss things. The Psion informs the Ranger that "Everything is alright, proceed with the evacuation--"
Inside, the Psion who had felt his kind were rare in the Republic realizes that this woman, Nocturnal Councillor Leiden, is an agent of the Great Council and that other Psions secretly work for the Government. He is both gratified and disturbed, and then says "Why did I not see you at the general meeting to discuss the war?" and she smiles and says "I saw you--you did not see me."
(end of first session of the Siege of Fineberg)