20151113_Recap WAR! The Coast to Toast Mission - Part One

The Coast to Toast Mission

Lt. Commander Bakken lays out Strike Force Manticore’s mission to secure the northwest coast of the islands which are relatively undefended as the Royalist blockade has ended as the Royalist navy is either at the bottom of the sea or has fled.  SF Manticore is also charged with investigating both a ruined temple of Pelor and a structure that is being built near the village of Homlet.    

Thus, Strike Force Manticore; Pax (Half Elven Ranger – Art),  Raistlin  (Human Invoker – Arthur), Souldun (Human Warlord – Vic) Belladonna (Human Seeker, Kenji) and Tamsin (Monk – Mick) gears up and gets ready to move out.  

Not wanting to teleport into a bad situation, Pax wisely chooses the water route.  Captain Jana Storm of the Windfury is charged with dropping of the team near the village.  The night before arriving at the village, while the team is on watch, a swarm of sea zombies and a specter assault the ship.  Tamsin is asleep below decks with most of the crew.  Pax, Raistlin, and Belladonna are near the bow of the ship and Souldun is near the aft guarding the helm.  Souldun and Sgt Ballard each hold one of the stairways up to the helm while the trio on the bow bear the main brunt of the assault.  The battle seems to be under control until three additional specters appear.  Weapons and spells, while downing or slowing zombies, seems to have minimal effect on the specters.  After a brief battle, the undead are repelled on the bow and with the reinforcements aiding in the battle at the aft, all the zombies and specters are dusted.

A short time later, the team embarks in Homlet and receives little additional information from the garrison commander, Chief Ball.   The team promptly moves out to investigate the temple of Pelor.  The team arrives at the zombie pit near the temple and takes up over watch positions as Tamsin investigates the pit.  Suddenly from the forest to the group’s back, a pack of Carrion Lizards, drawn to the scent of rotting flesh, assail the team.   Souldun advances upon the first signs of battle and blocks a key gap in the trees.  A pair of lizards flank around the northern path and sees Tamsin alone but instead of a tasty treat, they get a crushing kick and flurry of deadly blows!  Arrows, spells, axe blows and fists carry the day and after a dogged battle, the lizards are hounding the team no more.

After a short rest, the team notes an illusion fades, revealing the nearby temple.  Three priest of Orcus appear and one (Obers) speaks to Pax and Raistlin.  Other than telling the team that some of the slaves are used for mining, the team doesn’t gain any new information.  The team continues down the beach but sends Belledonna and Tamsin back to observe the priests and determines that they have swordsmen as guards and that they intend to leave the area soon as their enemies, the priests of Pelor, are largely defeated.

The reunited team then spies a pair of Tyr Amar soldiers that Pax assumes are deserters.  Nar-Kor and Tyron (the big one) tell the party that there are slavers down the beach.  When pressed for information about themselves, the pair seems to be ready to flee so Belledonna prepares a warning shot and raises her bow but is beat to the trigger by Sho-Hawk, 3rd Battle Mage of Tyr Amar who explodes a powerful fireball into the party’s ranks.  Tamsin rushes forward, dodging the guards and leaps into the beautiful reverse side kick but is blasted backward by a powerful energy shield.  Pax then intervenes and de-escalates the situation.  Both sides back off.  The team learns that the humanoid slavers are led by a priest of Pelor and Pearl of Pelor, a hero of the Royalist cause.   The wizard and his guards, allow the team to pass through along the beach.

A short time later, Hulio, a rebel intelligence agent, is running toward the team with a large owl bear in tow.  The bear charges forward and slashes Raistlin, even though some trees were in the way.  Tamsin dodges a powerful slam that would have easily killed a slower man.  Souldun holds the line, allowing the beast to slash him but giving his allies openings to strike the bear’s weak points.  Sensing the urgency of the battle, several of the team members give an extra effort and are further encouraged to strike harder and faster by the warlord.   Enraged, the beast overruns several trees and stumbles forward to at last fall in a flurry of spinning strikes by the monk.

While Pax confers with Hulio, Belladonna continues down the beach and confirms that there is a structure, guarded by about ten to twelve humanoids, a couple of Tyr Amar soldiers, and the Pelor Avenger and Priest.   Hulio gives Pax a sealed packet of dispatches as well as four items – 2 potions of restoration (minor to pull out, minor to use, each potion restores two healing surges to the person drinking it) and 2 healing bandages (minor to use – grants 15 temporary hit points which last until the battle ends or the character takes 15 points of damage).  The team rests while they plan their approach to the guarded building.