The Siege of Drekkar

 17th of Planting, Low Summer

A cave had been explored and setup as the group's encampment, a small stream nearby gives water for the group. a winding trail up through the scree and pine trees leads down to the main road South to the crossroads the party had travelled with Ol' Greeta.

Treggin the young stone giant was now with them, as well as Eldeth, Heste, and the four monks from the 3 Crescent Moon Monastery.

The adventurers were ready. Vencer and Faust sent familiars - Vencer his flock of 3 owls and Faust's imp, Mephisto - to scout during the day or night. The party had a very good details on the town, the disposition of kobold guards and buildings in use.

The scouts noted: 

• Some kobolds are painted blue, seemingly multi-coloured - which the party have never seen before - with their natural scales being white, black or green or red.
• 
  Some of the buildings and tents are painted with blue in strange patterns
• There are flights of the flying kobolds circling on occasion before flying off to patrol the areas nearby
• The main gate has a group of kobolds there, with a wagon and debris blocking the gate
• A number of ramshackle towers built it seems by the kobolds dot the area, with 1-2 kobolds standing guard
• A larger round tower with a strange line of black 1/2 way up (#6) has a ballista on top with crew of kobolds. After closer look it seems to be a line of black stone all the way around. Two gun ports with cannon were about 10 feet above this
• A square tower has a ballista as well as what looks like a large slingshot with a stack of urns (some marked in Draconic to be fire - with a wick and others to appear to hold the rotgrubs - which the party previously encountered (DM: blogpost)
• Patrols of kobolds with scaled wolf like creatures patrol inside and outside the town
• The graveyard looks to have a large number of graves - about 1/2 - dug up, contents no where to be seen
• The chapel in the graveyard (#11) looks to be shut a yellow robed kobold - assumedly a leader or witch doctor according to Skrit's knowledge of the creatures - the only one to enter and exit the building
• No kobolds go near the crater (#8)
• Skrit advises kobolds - scaly-ones - are night creatures so it may be beneficial to attack during the day when the sun crests the mountains so the enemy will be hampered by the bright light (DM: this would indeed be a huge impact on the battle - disadvantage for nearly every kobold in the fray!)

A war council is convened and strategy and tactics discussed.

The party makes ready. Attack would occur at dawn as the sun crests and hits the town. Vencer scribes some scrolls with some key spells on them. The forest had been cut back from the walls, so the main party were gathered East of the gates, looking out. 

The main party was comprised of:

• Irakul, Vencer, Skrit and Faust
• Treggin the Stonegiant
• The demon on contract with Irakul - all seemed to stay as far a distance from the creature as possible

Pyra, Eldeth - the hobbit warrior - and the 4 monks were holed up in the abandoned tavern (#5) now in the town. Treggin guiding through the mountains and Pyra's stealth had allowed them to enter the town unseen. Treggin then returned to the main party.

Faust decided to try and see if the rotgrub creatures would affect him, has wood, metal body. They don't seem to be interested in the warforged and the wiggling creature is removed.

Vencer cast enlarge on Treggin. The giant, now close to 30 feet in height. Others prepared spells, and weapons. Mephisto the imp was invisible hidden in the square

tower ready to create havoc amongst the urns of flames and rotgrubs. Pyra and team crouched in the old tavern, ready, waiting for the signal from the woods South of the main gate.

Treggin lifted a massive boulder and hurled it at the same time as Vencer cast fireball. Both attacks hit the round tower in unison. The rock pounding into one of the gun ports and causing a great deal of structural damage. Vencer's fireball explodes at the top of the tower, incinerating the 3
kobolds and damaging the ballista.

Pyra seeing and hearing this, reads a scroll intoning strange powerful words. A bead of energy launches and streaks out to explode in the smithy across the street. Mephisto starts to set fire to the urns in the square tower.

Then all attacked. arrows, bolts and blasts of magical and holy energy hit all over many focusing on the guards at the main gate. The kobolds were surprised. VERY surprised.

The siege of Drekkar was underway.

The kobolds tried to respond, but the coordinated attacks of the heroes and allies were extremely successful. Skrit cast bless on the giant and a few others. A 2nd massive rock flew and crashed into the round tower. Now the black stones purpose could be seen. It was a turret and the gun port was turning slowly towards the group in the forest.

Irakul's demon raced out charging towards the gate to engage the kobolds there. A 2nd fireball explodes at the top of the gate the majority of creatures burned alive.

Pyra is able to sneak attack a number of times firing her crossbow taking down kobolds. The four monks fired crossbows as well as Eldeth firing arrows as well. Irakul takes out a patrol racing up the road, 2 of the kobolds knocked unconscious - the 1st creatures who's spirits would be fuel for the flying tower. Vencer's spells have great effect taking down kobolds left and right. Faust fires off eldritch blasts to also take down the scaly creatures.

The demon had raced up and heaved part of the wagon blocking the gate entrance. The way into the town was open. Slaying a kobold and drenching himself in the blood from the creature, the demon roars!

A 2nd roar in response and the Marshall Drosgarr enters the battle - leader of the kobolds. A short dragonborn, his weathered scales, blue and gold. Wearing a protective chest plate, and carrying a longsword and shield with heraldry of a blue dragon in flight, he clashes his sword against shield to gain the demon's attention. Multiple spells and missiles hit the dragonborn, he shrugs them off. Trading blows with the demon with a githyanki body.

With a screech that echoes across the valley, the demon is beheaded. Even as the creature dies, it shouts out, "Irakulllll!!" and then withers away to dust.

While the Marshall Drosgarr was busy with the demon, the heroes and allies had made quick work of the kobolds all squinting in the bright sunlight (DM: disadvantage on a variety of rolls is huge!)

A thrid rock hit the round gun turret still slowing turning and with a pounding explosion and gout of flame and smoke the tower implodes and then starts to crumble.

Standing at the rubble by the gate, the Marshall

sees the stonegiant - 30 feet tall - come out from the trees, the heroes taking down kobold flyers with arrows and bolts, blasts of magic energy knocking kobolds off walls and frying them in their tracks.

Deciding the battle for the town was lost, the dragonborn disappeared into the smoke and fire. A blast of a horn rings out across the town. 

Then a magically enhanced grinding voice shouts:

‘KILL the metal Krillniss and save our cursed goddess!'

[Skrit recalls that a "krillniss" is a insulting term for a metallic type dragon]

The remaining kobolds fade into the smoke and flee up to the mine entrances. 

It appears the siege of the mining town of Drekkar is a victory.. for now. 

Negotiations & the Demon Crow

 

15th of Planting, Low Summer

When last we left our heroes, they were in the midst of discussions with the monk of the monastery. A demon summoned/created from the corpse of a Githyanki, with Heste and Roxxberry arriving in the wagon.

Once the dust had settled the following had happened:

• the demon was now outside the monastery, content to await his contract to be completed - destruction of the kobolds
• Roxxberry had decided to leave - not wishing to associate with those whom summon/create demons. Well wishes on both side, the young paladin went off to find the army of Overlord Romack and rejoin her unit
• the monk - 5th - was found and coaxed out to continue  discussion re: the illusion on the monastery, possible alliance.. and more

The monastery was intact, which was partially true.. The leaders indeed are dead, but the majority of the  monastery stands fine and intact. A glamour/illusion covers the area. 

Negotiations are broached re keg, allies vs. kobolds, the 5th shrugs and advise the kobolds "we’re not allies.. But also were not enemies."

The grizzled older man then looks up to a high mountain pass.

‘If.. Hmm.. “ he seems to ponder a difficult choice then sighs and continues, “there is a creature of IUZ that has taken over our high pastures, one reason we keep the illusion ongoing. It has killed all our sheep and some staff." The old man grimaces and continues, "If you will deal with this threat.. I will allow a quartet of Crescent monks join you in your attack on the kobolds. But only this. Once your aggression is complete they will return home. What say you?”

Asking about IUZ’s creature, they call it ‘spawn of IUZ’. A giant demonic bird-like creature with multiple arms and massive crow like head and wings. Can easily pickup a man, even a horse with greater effort..

 A gondola is required to get to the high pastures. Still operational from below, the 5th advises, he assumes the caretaker at the top is dead or has fled the demonic creature.

So the 5th can assist with the gondola ride up, but someone will need to take the similar controls for return. The gondola is a large 10’x20’ long walled box - open top with a locking gate at front and rear. A very thick cable apparatus attaches to the top. The 5th has a turnstile with a set of large rock weights he can control to start the gondola upwards. The elder advises there is a similar setup at the top and this allows the gondola to go up and down with little effort by the controller.

“Once you reach the top, there will be 2 small buildings. One is the caretaker’s home - Dizzg. He is a sullen old dwarf - at the best of times, but a friend. I hope he still lives.” The 5th looks up into the sky as clouds are starting to roll in.

There are two pastures, a fork in the path a 5 minute walk from the gondola. The right goes to our high vineyards - the snow globes.” Many in the party have heard of these, they make one of the Crescent Moon Monastery’s best wine.

“The left goes up to the pastures for sheep”  The 5th looks seriously at the group. “Do not underestimate this creature. It is fast, powerful, and shrugs off many attacks, seems to have some innate resistance to some magicks as well.” Grimacing the monk continues. “I saw it bite the head off one of our mercenary guards with one chomp of his long beak.”

He points up, “the pastures are a set of connected high glades, protected on all sides by high mountains and tall fir trees. The spawn of IUZ has seemingly taken a liking to this area.”

The adventurers prepare a trap and using cantrips (Skrit using Thaumaturgy and Vencer using prestidigitation) the sounds of sheep are heard near the gondola station. For a while nothing, then a perceptive Pyra sees the giant flying creature diving towards the echo of Irakul. 

The rogue warns the party as a screech vibrates down from the demonic creature. 

Back and forth the attacks go, and in the end, the giant demonic crow, crashes to the ground and only black dust remains.

Victorious, the party determine to find the creatures nest.

Trekking up into the pastures, they discover bones of dead sheep, deer, bears and a mountain lion, amongst he bones of dead humans in tattered robes of the monastery.

In the middle of a glade, a large nest, nearly 50' across is found. All feel a dread coming close to it, but steeling their nerves, they move up until sounds of squawking and chirping are heard. The demons young are awake and in the nest!

Preparing again, battle is engaged with the demonic young of the Spawn of IUZ. A shorter battle and the young demonic birds are destroyed. Also turning to black ash and dust. Some treasure is acquired, amongst the trees, broken furniture - even 1/2 a rowboat.

Making their way back down to the gondola, they take a moment to look out over the -now- peaceful valley and monastery - which still looks to be a wreckage, under the glamour still.

Taking the gondola down, they meet with the 5th. Whom is delighted at this news. A quartet of young monks 2 humans(male), 1 dwarf (male), and 1 half elf (female), stand ready to go with the heroes to the next leg of the journey and quest.

The Siege of Drekarr!