Act One, Part Nine:Grim Tide
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The Cabalists Unified by Maekar's plan, the Cabalists move into position. [5] The gate guards seem to be on high alert, likely due to some nefarious deed committed recently. However as none of you look horribly suspicious you are allowed to pass beyond the walls of the city.
[3] As far as everyone knows the whole troop made good time. Muirgen, Milos and Maekar are standing at the meeting point. A scenic sloped beach with fine sand and rolling hills to the north and south. A storm darkens the sky and before long it will reach you. Three ships are approaching.
You allow them to approach, taking note that they seem somewhat battered. Several longboats are lowered, even from a distance you can tell that one contains an ornate chest. The pirates come ashore and meet with the three of you.
[Meeting happened on IRC, Details available on request]
Negotiation occurs. You learn that there were wizards defending the cargo, and also that gold and silks were obtained. In addition to this ornate chest. [?] Magical energy pours off the chest in waves, some familiar some unfamiliar. Maekar uses this opportunity to spook the Pirates with dire predictions of the dangers that lie within the chest. The pirates are now Rattled.
After a little discussion the agreement is made. You will enchant the weapons of the pirates, and then the sails of one of the ships. Taking the opportunity, Maekar curses their weapons. Layering malignant necromantic energies across them slowly but surely.
[4] The curses take hold and you withdraw a short distance, meeting up with a few troops up the beach a ways who are supposedly the elementalists who will enchant the pirate vessel. However the plan remains to cut down these pirates and as such Maekar signals for the attack!
Willian opens the battle by summoning forth elemental fire and sending a whirling ball of it towards the massed Pirates. [5] It splashes across the ground and several bodies, lighting small fires and causing a little panic. [6] The captains rally the troops and send a massed volley of shortbow fire towards the onrushing Cabalists and their troops, felling several with precision arrow fire.
The Cabalists charge forward through the arrow fire, closing ranks on the pirates who have taken up their freshly cursed arms and are preparing to do battle. The two forces crash into each other. Cries of alarm float over the water from the pirate vessels. Then the melee is joined by the Cabalist forces.
Milos and Muirgen distinguish themselves quickly, squaring off against two of the captains while the third wades into the melee swinging a pair of long blades with surety and precision.
[Rolls vs Other Rolls, Advantage Milos, Advantage Captain #2.]
Milos easily outclasses his opponent, battering through the feeble guard the Captain is able to put up. The curses laid by Maekar are sapping the strength and speed of the pirate captain, and Milos is taking every possible advantage. The Captain is cut down within a few exchanges with no wounds returned thanks to both the curse, and the light armor Milos is wearing.
Muirgen has a harder time of things, as the captain she is facing is wielding a weapon that was not cursed. Exchange after exchange ends poorly for Muirgen. While your swordwork is excellent the Captain is simply better than you are and any small mistake you make is immediately capitalized upon. One slip up and he smashes a heavy fist into the side of your head. Lights dance in your vision and you slump to the ground.
Muirgen suffers Moderate Wounds and is struck unconscious.
[4+2 vs 1] Milos however sees Muirgen struck down and just prior to the fatal blow, slides his own blade between the second captain's ribs. Gurgling and choking on blood the second captain is struck down.
[2-1] Maekar stumbles over the corner of his robe, repeatedly bungling spells not just due to incompetence, but also being somewhat drained.[3] William switches over to animating the dead, his necromantic energies surging forth over the battlefield and raising up [4] of the dead pirates as zombies which then turn on their fellows.
Gerl does what he can for the wounded, but there is little to be done with arrows still falling in his general vicinity. Gerl takes a light wound when fortunate arrows actually hit him.
[?] Gwyn reaches the melee and lays about himself with his mace-hand, shattering bones and sending enemies sprawling. Truly none of these feeble pirates is his equal and he cuts a wide swath through the fight, giving Cabalists multiple chances to cut down their enemies while they are weakened and distracted.
Engagement after engagement the pirate forces are whittled down. The Cabalist troops do not fight well as a team but the training given by Milos shows some promise in this battle. In the end the Cabal is victorious, the battleground is littered with the dead and dying. In the focus on the land battle however, the ships have slipped away.
-8 Cabal Regulars, -30 Pirates, -3 Pirate Captains
41 Corpses available for recovery.
10 Corpses unrecoverable.
Muirgen is Moderately Wounded.
Gerl is Lightly Wounded.
1 Ornate Chest brimming with magical energies acquired.
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Gm Note: I appreciate your enthusiasm but there is no need to bump the thread. I am always paying attention and have a direct line to most of the players in the form of IRC (adams.freenode.net, channel #Yak4 if you care to saunter in and join our random discussions!)
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Topic: The Cabal - IC thread, Act 1 Part 16. (Currently on hiatus) (Read 10026 times)