20150821_Recap WAR! The Bring Home the Bakken Mission

The Bring Home the Bakken Mission

Battle Chief Cagvree presents Pax with the mission briefing.  Due in part to the intelligence provided by Baron Baltic, coupled with intelligence Kit Katt was able to foster, we think we know the location of Lt. Commander Bakken, a mage loyal to our cause and close friend of Chief Bender. LtC Bakken was thought to have been killed in the Seige of Sulduskoon but now we suspect the forces of Pelor are holding her in an abandoned pirate’s lair on Zemya Minor.

The House of Swords has an interest in Bakken and they may attempt to move her to Tyr Amar as they now suspect we may attempt a rescue.  If Bakken is moved to Tyr Amar, our chances of a rescue are very slim.

Captain Jana Storm of the Windfury will pick you up here (Battle Chief Cagvree points at a map) at 0800 two days hence to take you to the area of operations. Consider this your Warning Order. Draw equipment from the unit quartermaster and await your Activation Order to go to the pre-deployment location. Good luck, and move swiftly to bring home Bakken.

Thus, Strike Force Manticore; Pax (Half Elven Ranger – Art),  Raistlin  (Human Invoker – Arthur), Thrain Soflaug  (Dwarf Fighter – Dan), Vidia (Pixie Rogue – Ross) and Belladonna (Human Seeker, Brad) gear up and get ready to move out.  While Raistlin and Thrain draw equipment, Pax determines that heading out right away and resting at a high class bed and breakfast near the beach where SFM will be picked up, is a better plan than heading out before dawn and risk being delayed, or camping outdoors.  SFM arrives at The Dunes and retire to their rooms, with Thrain indulging in a luxury bath and first class suite.   At dawn, Raistlin and Pax are awaked by noises and when Raistlin opens the door, he sees a huge lizard man in the dining room.  Within a few minutes, Pax and Raistlin have engaged the scaly warrior and have rousted Belladonna and Vidia who were nearby.  A second warrior joins the first and there are sounds of battle outside.  After a brief exchange, with some masterful shooting by Pax, both beasts are down and the team is heading to the other end of the inn to aid Thrain who is fighting a third warrior mano a mano (err..dwarf-O).  Thrain is almost finished with his Lizard man when the head of an arrow appears out of the front of the lizard man’s head, as a split second later Thrain hammers the beast in the skull “Elf!  That one was mine!”

Raistlin opens the door to the courtyard and several incoming javelins convince him to close it.  The large gang of lizard men outside must have fallen for Belladonna’s lizard man impersonation “Hey, uh, Hissss, I think it’s all clear in the kitchen, Hissss,  so you guys don’t have to come in here; uh, we’ve got it, all okay in here, Hissss Hissss.”  Under the cover of that distraction, SFM heads out the south door toward the beach.

Once at the beach, SFM links up with Chief Bull who has been tasked with taking SFM via longboat to the Windfury.  As the team is loading, a huge crayfish snaps at the dwarf.  A flurry of arrows and magic force the first crayfish back into the water, but not before dropping the dwarf into the sea.  As dwarf clambers back on the boat, two more crayfish attack, occupying Raistlin, Pax, and Vidia.  A forth crayfish scuttles out and chases after Belladonna who has run into the dunes above the high tide mark.  While Belladonna and Vidia deal with the inland crayfish, the rest of the team is assailed by a huge water elemental!  For just a moment, a wizard is seen down the shoreline just long enough for Pax to take a  shot before he teleports away.  It’s not long before the crayfish are either driven back or are turned into fresh crab legs and SFM then concentrates on the elemental.  Several clever delaying actions by the Seeker allow Pax to pin point several shots that make a big “splash” and dissolving the elemental and allowing the team to take the long boat to the ship.

About halfway to Zemya Minor, the Windfury is assaulted by a large party of lizard men.  Due to crafty seamanship by Jana, only a handful of attackers are able to board and SFM easily repels them.  Vidia makes a surprising move, teleporting the enemy spellcaster into the ship’s rigging.  Sensing a trap, the priest climbs across the yardarm and dives back into the sea.  Two sailors are killed and several are wounded but the scaly creatures, who seem very active in the area, are left behind in the ship’s wake.

While recovering from the fight, Pax tells Jana that they’d like to be dropped off as close as possible to the cave and have the cover of the magical fog.  This turns out to be a wise choice because when the party is in transit to shore, kicking with their wine casks, the ship is strafed by a manticore.   Although the beast bearing the team’s name flies right over the team a couple times, since it cannot detect the slow moving, relatively vulnerable strike team, it ignores them and takes counter fire from the ship’s crew.

The team hides the barrels and starts making their way into the tunnels.  Partway into the tunnels, the team is attacked, yet again, by a group of lizard men raiders.   These raiders are a bit more challenging than the common warriors faced earlier.  Dwarf and Belladonna attempt to hold the front against the chief, the dreadnought, and a few warriors, leaving Pax, Raistlin and Vidia to fend off the shock priest, the brute and their escorts.  Thrain is nearly dragged under the water but is “bailed out” by Raistlin and Vidia who distinguish themselves with some well placed attacks, but again, it is Pax who causes the major damage.

Moving to the end of the natural inlet, the team finds some stairs leading to a disc shaped door.  Raistlin investigates the door and after trying to open it, and not having enough brawn, dwarf opens it and a blast of sonic energy hits the party.  In the inner halls, the party finds a set of well worked halls and see a very large spider.  The group concentrates fire power and the spider teleports away.  Two more spiders appear, and then a forth.   The team plays hit and run with the phase spiders, a slightly smaller aquatic version, and after just a few minutes, fends them off.  Vidia, Pax and the dwarf fight w especially ardent valor.

Raistlin finds a second sealed door, this one secret.  Raistlin’s magic isn’t quite powerful enough to open the door so Thrain is called forward.  Opening the door unleashes a blast of icy water that the sturdy dwarf shakes off.  Almost immediately, four ghostly pirates appear and by repeating the pirate’s code phrase, the team is able to turn back the specters.  Thrain recalls spending more than a few nights in waterfront bars, surrounded by tough sailors and their ilk.

A search of the ruins, reveals a magical space and again Raistlin not only locates it, he is able to open it and Lt. Commander Bakken falls out, a little worse for wear, but thankful to be among friends.   She guides the team out an escape tunnel and on toward the village.  As the team is halfway through the village, they are spotted by a large group of soldiers from Tyr Amar, led by four Battle Mages.  The team barely makes it on board the waiting Windfury before fire bolts and arrows from the Tyr Amarians, splash short into the sea.

For their bravery in completing yet another mission, Pax is awarded the Medal of Masterful Archery with six diamonds for her amazing display of shooting during the mission.  Thrain is awarded a Golden Combat Shield badge.  Vidia is given a lamp of knowledge.  Everyone may select a 7th magic item or lower.  Further, every player has the option of trading in two 6th level items and a 4th level item and receiving one 8th level item.