Enemy at the Gates

Preparations for War

It took the Party several days to get to Brindol. On arrival at the South Gate there was some confusion with one of the over zealous Town Guard who seemed to take exception to their Adventuring Group name , the Heroes of Legend  ( "Where's that then?), but eventually they were ushered up to the keep and brought before the Council. As they went through the mostly deserted streets, they noticed that most of the houses had been boarded-up when the townsfolk  had been evacuated to the nearby city of Dennovar.


Lord Jarmath and the Guard Captain, Lars Ulverth seemed pleased to see them-  having heard of their recent exploits from Speaker Wiston, Captain Soralla  and Sellyria Starsinger. However some of the other members of the Council seemed a little dubious, especially  Lady Verrasa Kraal of the Merchant's Guild and Treedora Goldenbrow of the Church of Pelor.  

Almund took the lead on reporting to the council,"helped" by Gothram,  especially in recounting the deal they had struck with The Ghostlord. After bringing the Coucil up to date  they continued discussions of the best way to meet the Horde.

The Party's contributions proved invaluable, settling various disputes among the Council concerning troop dispositions; the best use of clerics; and how to best prepare defences if the town walls were breached.

It was also agreed that the best use of the Party would be as skirmishers, moving from battle to battle providing support to key locations as the need arose. To that effect Lord Jarmaath's wizard used a scroll of Rary's telepathic bond to establish a link between himself, Almund  Lord Jarmath and Captain Ulverth. After a long day spent in Council they party were invited to stay as guests in the keep.

Next day was spent in various preparations for the Horde's immanent arrival. Gothram inspected the town, walking round the walls alternately rallying and demoralising the guards posted there.

Almund organised the creation of fire-breaks near the walls and also arranged for piles of flammable material to be heaped on the far side of the river where the town's defences were weakest.

Cecily and Rosil introduced themselves to the group of dwarf combat engineers that had been hired from the Hammerfist clan and assisted in the creation of barricades and hard-points through the town. When they returned to the keep, they were given free reign of the magic items stores available to help the defenders.

That evening, just after sundown, the Horde arrived, surrounding the city to the beating of drums and bellowing war cries. The hobgoblin's first assault began immediately, but the Party were not involved , being held back in reserve until Almund received a message from Lord Jarmaath through the telepathic link. Two groups of hill giants were bombarding different sections of the city wall. He had ordered the Lions of Brindol to sortie out to take on one group, but couldn't afford to divert a second group from the main battle. and asked the Party to engage the second group of giants and destroy them.

Swiftly they headed to the heavily fortified gatehouse that gauarded the bridges across the river and dropped down from the battlements. They began to sneak through the enemy lines, except Louella who had wildshaped into an owl and gone scouting ahead. Unfortunately Gothram and Almund were not really  built for sneaking and they were quickly spotted by some hobgoblin troops. Trying to avoid drawing even more attention to themselves they engaged the hobgoblins  blade-to-blade, avoiding magic.   

Razorspawn Raid

Following Louella, wildshaped into an owl,  the Party closed on the hill giant's position, behind a makeshift revetment  of logs and dirt. Still reluctant to use magic and draw the attention of other elements of the Horde they closed to melee range - apart from Rosil who took to the bushes and began sneaking round behind them and started sniping.

The hill giants provide formidable foes able to take and deal out a lot of damage and both Gothram and Almund were nearly slain - relying on Louella's magic to save them. Cecily had a slightly easier time, using Tasha's hideous laughter to incapacitate her opponent before (eventually) killing him.

They barely had time  to gather their breath before Rosil spotted a large squad of hobgoblins charging towards the area and they began withdrawing back to the walls. Unfortunately Rosil then proceeded to stumble into a group of blackspawn raiders resting from the assault. The blackspawn were swiftly dealt with, but it allowed the pursuing hobgoblins to get uncomfortably close, so while the others dashed for the safety of the walls, Cecily used a scroll of fireball to discourage the pursuit.

Once over the walls they headed immediately to the field hospital in the Temple of Pelor where the clerics were able to heal their wounds. After being healed, Rosil headed across to the keep to see if the kitchens were opened, while Gothram surveyed the battle form  the vantage point of the hill the temple was built on.

As she was healed, Almund received a message from Lord Jarmath that "monsters" had crossed the river and were attacking the stores of food near the docks. Sending Louella to fetch Cecily, she Gothram and Rosil charged across town to find a group of greenspawn razorfiends, slaughtering the guards outside the warehouses. Almund and Gothram charged in, Rosil dropping back into his normal sniper position. A few minutes later Cecily and Louella arrived - flying in at speed. They engaged immediately, Louella announcing their presence by dropping a flame strike. The greenspawn were eventually slain,  but not before one of the razorfiends managed to get into one of the grain stores and unleashed it's acid breath weapon. As they others finished off the last greenspawn, Cecily dashed in to the granary and began hauling out sacks of grain, trying to save what grain he could from being spoiled.

As things began to settle down Almund received another urgent message from lord Jarmath - the walls had been breached near the west gate!

Flame and Fury

The Party immediately rushed towards the West Gate, which was only a block away. Almund, as she was seriously wounded, lagging behind to drink some healing potions.

Gothram was first to arrive finding a group of city guards accompanied  by some of the Lions of Brindol manning one of the barricades he had supervised building. The hobgoblins who had broken through  the West Gate were pinned down near the Stone Wyvern inn. As he charged forward, Rosil suddenly shouted a warning as the huge form of a red dragon came down out of the night sky breathing a huge gout of flame. Fortunately his timely warning enabled most of the guards to take cover behind their barricade. As the others charged up, those who had them swallowing potions of fly, the dragon unleashed its breath weapon again, setting one of the nearby buildings on fire.

Louella and Cecily began casting spells and Rosil began firing crossbow bolts, while Gotham flew up attacking the dragon despite taking a fearful bite from the creature. Enraged the dragon swung round, catching Louella and Gotham with its breath weapon before heading upwards. The Party members dropped to ground gulping healing potions. Gothram quickly checked the guards on the barricades were holding back the hobgoblins while the dragon lazily flew round setting more nearby buildings on fire.

Almund came charging up  swallowing a potion of fly and as the dragon flew in with another burst of flame-breath the party launched another series of furious assaults on it eventually causing it to flee. This, accompanied by the sight of the rising sun,  seemed to demoralise the hobgoblins, who ceased their assaults and took cover in nearby buildings, allowing Gothram to organise some of the guards to help control the fires. The immediate situation dealt with, the Party retired to their quarters in Brindol Keep, by way of the clerics at the Temple of Pelor. Fortunately they were not called to deal with any crisis in the battle but were able to spend the day resting as best they could.

As the sun began to set Almund donned her armour and went in search of Lord Jarmaath. As she left her room she heard the panicked cry of the guards outside. Calling a warning to the others she dashed out into the courtyard to see the dragon they had seen earlier that day deposit a group of hobgoblins on the keep near lord Jarmaath's quarters. The others followed her into the courtyard in various states of undress, weapons clutched in their hands. Cecily and Louella immediately targeted the dragon, while Rosil began edging round the courtyard towards the chapel.

Gothram, nightshirt flapping in the breeze, headed for the Great Hall, Almund following further behind, as up on the battlements a hobgoblin cleric cast stone shape on the wall. One of Louella's spells momentarily encased the dragon in ice and it plunged down to the courtyard - unfortunately right next to Cecily, who took the full brunt of the dragon's fury, before it flew off. As the dragon fled, Louella managed to hit it with anothe ice storm before it vaished off to the safety of the Horde.  Almund, having spotted Cecily going down, turned back to aid the stricken dwarf, unfortunately she could not reach her in time but a mass vigour spell from Louella stabilised the cleric.

Rosil meanwhile had managed to make it to the chapel when two hobgoblin blade-bearers crashed  through the stained glass windows and confronted him. Louella and Cecily, recovered somewhat thanks to a lay on hands from Almund, began casting spells to help the rogue dispose of them while Almund chased after Gothram.

Gothram arrived, after running up serveral flights of stairs,  to find Lord Jarmaath holding off four hobgoblins, despite a bad wound to his arm. Gothram stepped in, ignoring the fact he was unarmoured as the stricken lord fell to the ground. Gothram managed to kill one of the hobgoblinson his own  before Almund arrived to help after which the remaining assailants were quickly slain and they were able to bind Lord Jarmath's wounds.

Sniper Attack

Weary from lack of sleep the Party were heading back to their rooms at the Keep when they were interrupted by with urgent word that Captain Ulverth had been badly wounded by a poisoned arrow and was being taken to the temple. There was a dangerous sniper loose somewhere near Cathedral Square. Almund led the charge towards the area arriving to find the surviving members of Captain Ulverth's men pinned down across the square. Several bodies were lying strewn across the open space. As Gothram and Louella arrived, Almund took off once again, skirting round the square. After a brief word with the sergeant Gothram followed after the paladin while Louella wildshaped into a hawk and began circling the area on the other side of the square looking for the hidden assailant.  The twp dwarves arrived a few moments later, Cecily taking command of the few remaining guardsmen, ordering them to start trying to pin down their attacker's location.

Having made their way  round, Gothram cam under attack from a nearby building with  a short turret, and followed by Almund charged over and kicked in the door. Louella joined them a few moments later, reverting to her  normal form. Judging by the coffins displayed round the interior this building belonged to a coffin maker. As Gothram began searching he was hit by a couple of lightning bolt spells  from a Kulkor Zhul War Adept hiding in a doorway across the room, badly wounded he headed for safety a grabbed a healing potion as Louella cast mass vigourand  then cure light wounds from her wand. Closing, Almund took the full brunt of a another lighting bolt before finishing off the hobgoblin sorcerer.

Across the square Cecily and the guards spotted a figure in the tower and after briefly considering a fireball, cast  a magic missile. Her target, realising he had been spotted, dived out of a window on the far side and slid down the angled roof. Undeterred, Cecily sent another magic missile arcing  unerringly towards him and then accompanied by the guards, charged across the square.

In the building, a partially recovered Gothram opened another door to reveal a staircase, only for the invisible hobgoblin on the landing to launch another lightning bolt at him! He and Almund charged up the stairs one going right, one left, at the top. Almund found the hobgoblin in a store room and made short work of him while Gothram confirmed the rest of the building was clear.

Down on the ground floor Rosil, who had arrived and taken up position near some of the coffins, saw a blackspawn raider appear in the doorway and throw a flask of alchemist's fire towards a group of coffins which immediately burst into flames. Calling out a warning to the others, the dwarf dashed upstairs. Louella, sensibly, immediately headed out the front door, narrowly avoiding the flames. Almund used a plank of wood from the stock in the storeroom to smash a boarded-up window and dropped to the ground, meanwhile Gothram clambered up to the turret room and used the same exit method as their att
acker.

Rosil, arriving to find everyone else gone, used the simple expedient of crashing bodily though one of the boarded up windows to get out of the building. Dropping to the street outside he found Cecily and the guard engaging the blackspawn raider, who was desperately trying to escape. The was little chance of that however as the rest of the Party closed-in!

Gothram ordered the guards to deal with the fire, while the Party returned to the Keep for a well-earned rest.  They were awoken some hours later with an urgent summons to meet Lord Jarmaath in the Great Hall. The hobgoblin forces had broken though the makeshift defences in the east and were now heading towards the Temple of Pelor. The remaining guards and Lions of Brindol were fighting a rearguard action street-to-street to allow the clerics to evacuate the  wounded to the Keep, but basically, although the defenders cold hole-up in the Keep for some time, Brindol was lost. Jarmaath had one last throw of the dice to propose. Hobgoblins were very dependent on the force of personality of their leader, if they could kill whichever wyrmlord was leading the Horde there was a chance the assault would fall apart. Immerstal the Red had scryed the opposing forces and found their command group was in the market square, he had offered his last remaining scroll of teleport to allow a small group there to launch a final desperate assault. As he finished lord Jarmaath looked expectantly at the Party and offered the scroll to Cecily.

The Battle of Cathedral Square

Cecily used the teleport scroll and the Party appeared near the fountain in Cathedral Square, next to some market stalls. It was a scene of chaos and confusion, the battle raging across the square as the forces of the Horde assaulted the Cathedral of Pelor, the bodies of the slain lying everywhere.

They barely had time to take this in before they were attacked by skullcrusher ogres , who formed part of the Wyrmlord's personal guard. As they engaged the ogres, the other elements of the bodyguard, hill giants, War Adepts and Bladebearers along with Wyrmlord Kharn himself, resplendent in red-dragoncrafted armour closed-in. As Gothram and Almund engaged, Cecily dropped acople of  fireball spells on  the enemy, while Louella cast a couple of flame strike spells , attracting the attention of the War Adepts who cast lightning bolt at her! An injured Louellathen  tried to extract herself from  the unwelcome attentions of one of the ogres, dashing behind one of the stalls for cove, popping up occasionally to  cast spells!. The War Adepts cast a couple of lighting bolt spells as the bladebearers and Wyrmlord Kharn moved to engage them.

Rosil manged to get off a couple of shots with his crossbow before one of the ogres closed, forcing him to drop the crossbow and draw his scimitar. Cecily dropped another flame strike on their enemies before concentrating on keeping Gothram and Almund alive while they cut through the Wyrmlord's defenders. Louella rose into the air having downed a potion of fly and began casting spells into the melee, however this only drew the attention of the War Adapts who began targeting her with lightning bolt and orb of electricity spells, causing her to retreat back to cover,  but not before she had cast vigour, mass, probably saving Cecily as the cleric went down to a series of brutal blows from one of the hill giants.

Blades swung  furiously and magical energies crackled across the square as one by one, despite taking major damage, the Party cut and blasted their way through the hill giants and ogres. The Wyrmlord Kharn stepped forward using his breath weapons of acid and cold, while his troops died around him.  Both Gothram and Almund were badly wounded by the time they had cut their way though to the Bladebearers surrounding the Wyrmlord. Gothram fought like a man possessed, cutting through the Bladebearers in a swathe of gore. The War Adepts meanwhile had managed to get Louella in their sights and both launched lightning bolt spells at her, uncaring of the fact the they also managed to get each other!

Louella managed to move to a better position and killed one of the war adepts with a splinter bolt spell, while Almund charged across and killed the other . Wyrmlord Kharn, badly injured by Gothram's assault and a number of Cecily and Louella's spells withdrew back and began casting cure serious wounds on himself, calling the last of his hill giant guards back to defend him. Rosil meanwhile dispatched the last of the ogres and downed a potion of invisibility as did Louella, taking once more to the air.

Suddenly there was a flurry of trumpets as the Cathedral defenders, led by the surviving Lions of Brindol,  sallied forth from the Cathedral. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction Gothram closed and engaged the last hill giant while Louella cast a splinter bolt at the Wyrmlord killing him.

As his chief fell, the last hill giant let out a roar of despair, which was quickly taken up by the Horde, who's assault began to fail at the counterattack. The hill giant was the first to break, fleeing the field, his actions quickly follower by more of the hobgoblin forces as more troops, from the Keep this time, sallied forth. As the Horde began fleeing from the city, the Party paused to heal the wounded and recover their breath as the troops from the Keep, led by Lord Jarmaath, horns sounding triumphantly and the banner of Brindol flying high, chased the Horde from the city.  

Next day there was a great celebration of the victory at which the Party were  declared the Heroes of Brindol, given the Freedom of the City and appointed honorary members of the Lions of Brindol. Towards the end of the celebration Lord Jarmaath asked that the Party attend him first thing in the morning as they had gained troubling intelligence from the prisoners captured.