Session LIV: Blood on the Battlefield

The true assault on Caladan begins!

Without the means of a full siege, Baron Blackmoore discussed a plan of sneaking into the city and opening the gates to allow his troops entrance.  The party was, of course, 'volunteered' for this task.

When marching down to Caladan earlier, the party had run into Jack the stable boy from the Cloven Hoof and Onyx, the blind seer.  They had smuggled themselves out of the city by paying the Brotherhood of the Black Hand.  The party felt that this would be a way back into Caladan.

At evening, the party worked themselves around the outskirts of the walled city along the farmlands looking for the shack of Barthau.

After paying the 'toll' Barthau guided them to a tunnel beneath his shack and gave them the clues to make their way into the sewers beneath Caladan along with the password to exit.

Following the proper symbols through the tunnels and only running into an Owlbear roaming the sewers, the party eventually ended up in the basement of the Dragon and Dagger tavern.  Biding their time they purchased some food and drink but it was the Halfling that was accosted by pirates and he blurted out their plan of opening the gates.  The pirates tried to capture the halfling but the rest of the party jumped in and made quick work of the pirates.  Before more pirates arrived they left the tavern and made their way to the main gate through the darkened alleyways of the port city.

Coming upon the gate, they found it was well guarded by troops, archers and guard dogs so a plan was developed.  Skwanky, the halfling, would cause a diversion to draw some of the troops after him to be ambushed by the Arg and Wolf the Viking.  Meanwhile, Maximus the Chaste would put the remaining guards to sleep. Once that was accomplished, Thovin of the Black Church would light an arrow and shoot it over the wall as a signal for Blackmoor's troops to storm the gate.

Perfect plan!

So Skwanky ran out into the street shouting " I'm a vampire, I'm a vampire!"  The guards sent their dogs after the tiny halfling warrior who lead them into an alley.  There he killed the dogs while a couple of the guards were sent to investigate. Once in the alley, Arg and Wolf slaughtered them.  It was then that Maximus enchanted the other guards to sleep and Thovin sent the signal over the wall.

Wolf tossed one of the heads out into the street to frighten the guards and charged out there in a rage hacking the helpless guards down while Arg opened the gate the let the troops in just in time as more guards arrived.  The battle at the gate was quick and Wolf, Arg and the Halfling hacked through the lightly armed pirates and guards. 

Along with the troops they battled their way through the streets of Caladan to the heavily guarded gates of the former Merchant Guild.  There before the steps of the Guild, the real battle took place as our party hacked and slashed their way through the heavily armed Stygian soldiers.  It was here that Skwanky fell, mortally wounded and Thovin fell dead before Wolf and Arg had cleared a circle. 

The battle on the streets of Caladan!

Covered in cuts, blood and gore, Maximus, Wolf and Arg picked up their two wounded comrades and leaving the battle in front of the gate to the Merchant Guild headed deeper into the city of Caladan.

Looking back they saw that the battle continued on in front of the gate with Baron Blackmoor, standing atop a heap of bloodied bodies, swinging his cosmic sword almost relishing the carnage.  The Stygians and the pirates had fallen back from Blackmoor's forces but were caught in the vengeful rage of the townsfolk of Caladan who had taken up whatever arms they were able to  find and began hacking their months of oppressed frustration onto the pirates and their dusky skinned allies.

Before turning the corner down the main thoroughfare the party saw the gates of the Merchant Guild burst open and the usurper Utasu with a small handful of his heavily armored guards along with three ogres charged Blackmoor and Capt. Vanir.  The last site they saw was a robed figure wreathed in lighting hovering above the fray....