Blackrune Mercenary Companies in Fax

Lt. Spears while doing early investigations, learned there are four mercenary companies currently holding key positions in Fax:

 

1. The Gilded Phalanx (North Wall)

Located at the North Wall, and inside areas of the city, this company bears the brunt of the "looming tide" of thousands of undead pressing against the city defenses.

Leader: Captain Valerius "The Sun-King" Thorne | human, male | A man who refuses to let the apocalypse ruin his aesthetic, Valerius wears gold-lacquered plate armor and a cape rumoured to be made of displacer beast hide.

Units mainly human, orcish and hobbits:

• 2 cavalry (20-30; medium armour mix of melee weapons, shield and spear)
• 2 Crossbow units (30-40; light armour, heavy crossbows, daggers)
• 1 Slingers unit (10-20 hobbits; light/no armour; light melee weapons)
• 2 heavy infantry [note: 1 was formally cavalry but no longer have mounts (40-50; medium armour, mixture of weapons)
• Rumoured to have an ankheg with handlers. They were tasks to build the canal for the moat - that was not finished.

Condition: Starving. They have been eating their horses for a week. Troop numbers are at 30% of original strength.

 

2. The Red Harbor Irregulars (Dockside/East)

Holding the East Docks, this company controls the narrow strip of safety near the water where Lady Tessa Blackthorn recently fled.

Leader: Captain "Bilge" Barnaby dwarf | male. A cynical, salt-crusted dwarf who smells of cheap ale and wet wool

NOTE: The Redwater Fellowship’s hideout as well as Floodlick’s HQ are in this area. The mercenary group are noted for wearing a red sash

Units: Irregulars. Mixture of all races:

• 3-4 units (70-80 troops; mixture of all types of weapons and armour)

Condition: Moderate supplies (due to fishing), but troop numbers are decimated by internal "Fistful of Dollars"

 

3. The Crimson Corsairs (South wall and Inlet)

Stationed at the South Inlet/South Gate, this company prevents the undead from wading through the shallows.

Leader: Baroness Elara "The Red Rose" Elf | female. A self-styled aristocrat who treats the war like a theatrical performance. She wears a voluminous red silk coat over her studded leather and insists on a "violently crimson" banner being flown at all times so the undead "know who is killing them."

Units: Irregulars. Mixture of all races: rumoured to be mostly pirates, privateers and press-ganged fishermen.

• 2-3 units (50-60 troops; mixture of weapons, flintlocks, crossbow, cutlass and other melee. Armour: mixture of medium to none
• Supposedly have a galleon and a sloop

Condition: High fatigue. They have had no sleep for three days due to constant skirmishing in the South Inlet.

 

4. The Hell Furnace Hounds (West Gate & Merchant District)

Stationed near the West Wall, this group was once a prestigious outfit. They currently guard the West walls as well as protecting the few remaining granaries.

Leader: Commander Hrolf Ironheart. A grim, no-nonsense veteran

Units mixture of all races:

• 1 cavalry (30-40 troopers; medium armour, lance and shield and flintlock pistol)
• 2 musketeers (25-35 troopers; muskets and shortsword, light armour)
• 2 pike (10-15 troopers; pike, dagger and medium armour
• Rumoured to have troll - tamed. Not sure how he/she is kept "tame"

Condition: Critically low on ammunition and medicinal supplies. 

 

Tank Busters

 

Dungeon's and Dragon's campaign log for in-person game since 2017

 Location: City of Fax on the Wildcoast.

Date:  28th of Ready'reat month, Autumn [reference from our calendar it is November]

Year: 582

 Current Status:

Finishing a major chapter in the campaign, the Redwater Fellowship now are located in the Blackrune controlled city of Fax on the Wildcoast.

The Redwater Fellowship's "Fistful of Dollars" ploy has yielded a bloody harvest. By manipulating a captured guard into believing he was tortured by the Warden’s men, ignited a civil war that appears to have decimated the Blackrune command structure and forces. In the chaos of the docks, Thogra watched the mysterious Lady Tessa Blackthorn — a wizard of immense power — flee the city, her entourage struggling with two massive, heavy trunks as they boarded a sloop with red sails to escape into Woolly Bay.

Now, the "psycho" Commander Floodlick stands triumphant atop his steam tanks amidst the ruins of his rival’s headquarters. The fuse is lit, the Warden has fallen, and Fax waits to see if its liberators will seize the moment or be consumed by the madness of Commander Floodlick

 The RedWater Fellowship [Player Characters]

·                   Lieutenant Spears Male 1/2 elf | Phantom Rogue/Echo Knight - an operative assigned by Lady Cowl's secretive organization - under Overlord Romack - to assist [played by Connor]

·                   Nenwin Albion - Male Aasimar | Paladin of the god: Heironeous [played by Jake]

·                   Graxxuzzaz - Male Lizard-folk | Sorcerer/Warlock of the Great Old One - the King in Yellow [played by Braydin]

·                   Aeldred -  Male Red Dragon-born | Barbarian/Paladin/Ranger of the god: Pelor [played by Campbell]

·                   Thogra - Male 1/2 Orc | Rogue/Cleric of the Egyptian god: Set. | [played by the DM: Dave]

Dungeon Master: Dave [Sleet]

---

Other Non-player characters of note:

·                   Robin - formerly the undead ruler of Darkreach and a servant to Orcus, now once again: Male aarakocra | Ranger

·                   Doctor Sigmund Holliday - Male 1/2 orc | Gunslinger/Paladin of the goddess: The Raven Queen [former close friend of Robin [played by Connor]

·                   Tibaltuous Male 1/2 elf | Bard/Paladin [Bounty hunter] - currently under cover and scouting along the Wild Coast - South near the Pomarj. [DM: more details: Blogpost: https://sleet-dnd2.blogspot.com/2025/10/interlude-tibaltuous-espionage-travels.html] [played by Campbell]

·                   Gothi | Female foreclaimer | Ranger | At town of DragonKeep. Former member of the Fellowship [played by Jake].

·                   Lars | Male elf [VAMPIRE] | wizard | At town of DragonKeep [looks like a pale, very young 15 year old]

·                   Skrit | Male kobold | Priest of Istus. Former member of the Fellowship. Acting Mayor of the town of DragonKeep [until elections take place - next month]

·                   Hester | Male Tabaxi | Cleric of Celestian | At town of DragonKeep. Former member of the Fellowship.

Current quests or options for the party to look into:

Flying tower: upgrades nearly complete at town of DragonKeep.

 

City of FAX

·                   Request from Greyskulls [a mercenary company] commander and mate - save son in Fax?

·                   A Doctor in Fax - potential contact and ally against Blackrunes?

·                   Portal to Sea of Dust (Blackrune expedition) look into or not?

 

Personal quests:

·                   Aeldred - oath to find and save family of dwarf smith who repaired Aeldred's heirloom sword [also Doc and Nenwin have agreed to assist]

·                   Doc Holliday - Elves are now East across sea in Bright desert (Doc personal potential quest)? The "Great Deliverance" a spell cast to take all the Elves to a secret location in the desert.

·                   Graxxuzzaz's circus (he was circus master and has heard rumours they are near Fax now - potential personal quest)?

·                   Tibaltuous' collect bounty for drow [he has the head of the drow] - Contact is in city of Fax

·                   Map to secret Blackrune base/island off Wildcoast - Fax area (Kantif - a rogue, former ally from the Redwater Fellowship has this)

_____________________

The camera returns to Fax, where our erstwhile heroes are in the midst of their "Fistful of Dollars" ploy..

The air over Fax is no longer the salt of the sea; it is a choking shroud of burning pitch, black smoke, and the chemical bite of alchemist's fire with the rot of dead flesh of the undead. From high above, hidden within the rolling plumes of the inferno, Nenwin glides on his own wings as his Pegasus strains under the combined weight flying nearby, with Aeldred - 6'8" dragonborn - and Graxxuzzaz - the portly but athletic lizardfolk - hanging on peering down at the carnage below. Lt. Spears is nearby somewhere hidden in the shadows as well, while Thogra keeps an eye on the Commander Floodlick's HQ at the docks. They bear witness to a city whose political heart has been ripped out — City Hall is a blackened husk, and Warden Durk Stonefist, the strategist who held the line for so long, lies dead in the rubble, snuffed out by a black beam of Commander Floodlick’s arcane malice.

Meanwhile Thogra (NPC) is perched atop a warehouse roof near the docks. His reconnaissance has revealed a dire complication: Lady Tessa Blackthorn—allegedly a wizard of immense power—is fleeing the city. Thogra watched as her entourage hauled two massive, heavy trunks onto a red-sailed sloop, vanishing into the mists of Woolly Bay the sails showing the heraldry of the Kingdom of Fand [ a small kingdom on the lake of the Nyr Dyv.

The stakes are high, time is ticking.. Outside the North and West walls of the city, a tide of thousands of undead still presses against the stone, a "mindless hunger" that threatens to spill into the city at any moment. Their numbers have lessened a great deal since Robin - once the Dreadking of Darkreach -  is no longer controlling them, but the undead still can detect life inside the walls of Fax and yearn for it.

As the DM aptly set the scene: "The Redwater Fellowship now stands at a crossroads of fire and shadow... The fuse is lit, the warden has fallen, and Fax waits to see if its liberators will seize the moment or be consumed by the madness of Commander Floodlick."

1. Floodlick's steam tank

2. Second steam tank

3. Burning husk of the Warden's HQ [City Hall]

4. Lt. Spears hiding in the smoke

The party decide to literally take the plunge and attack the Commander and his Blackrune forces while they bask in the moment of glory.

The Pegasus Maneuver: Aerial Tactics and Holy Sparks

Nenwin immediately looked to exploit the verticality of the encounter. He coordinated a high-altitude

"hammer-and-anvil" drop using the Pegasus. The maneuver, described as a "shock wave of thunder and holy light," provides a potent mix of area denial and party utility.

Mechanical Detail:

• The Pegasus Drop: A minimum 20ft vertical descent triggers a 15ft radius impact.
• Enemy Penalty: Hostiles must succeed on a DC 14 Strength save or take 2d6 lightning damage and be knocked prone.
• The "Holy Spark" Buff: Allies in the radius are showered in divine sparks, gaining 2d6 temporary hit points.

DM: The table erupted in "meta" humor, comparing the Pegasus’s up-and-down movement to "1990s

arcade fighting game spam." However, the DM also offered a sharp narrative check: "Heironeous’s patience for spamming favors might eventually wear thin."]

Sabotage and Steam: The Infiltration of Lieutenant Spears

While Floodlick boasted from the turret of his Blackrune steam tank further back, Lieutenant Spears demonstrated why he is the Fellowship's premier operative. Utilizing his Phantom Rogue/Echo knight abilities, Spears went incorporeal and phased directly through the iron hull of the lead tank.

Once inside, Lt. Spears unleashed an Action Surge (Echo Knight) to maximize the sabotage. He rolled a 22 to hit a jar of alchemist’s fire with a blade and an 18 to hit to hit gunpower storage with his own flask of alchemy fire. The result was a catastrophic internal combustion: 26 bludgeoning and 18 fire damage, incinerating the five-man crew instantly. In a masterclass of Echo Knight utility, Spears used a bonus action to swap places with his Echo outside the tank just as the hull buckled. Aeldred jokingly complained that Spears "stole his kill" as the tank transformed into a metal coffin.

Multiple Blackrune infantry fired muskets at the Fellowship, mostly missing or clanging off the strong

armour of the heroes. One did hit the dragonborn and another, Graxxuzazz, it seemed the infantry were also using poison, but the two were able to shrug off the effects.

The "Lawn Mower" on the Ground: Aeldred’s Rampage

Aeldred invoking his barbarian rage, leapt from the Pegasus, landing amidst the Blackrune infantry like a crimson meteor. As a Red Dragon-born, Aeldred ignored the 11–14 points of burning steam damage pulsing from the tanks, using his natural resistance to stand where others would melt.

The Dice Roll Integration:

• Strike 1 (The Impale): A 19 to hit for 22 damage, driving a blade through plate and bone.
  
• Strike 2: A follow-up for another 22 damage.
• Off-hand Attack (The Decapitation): A massive 28 to hit for 21 damage.

[DM: The efficiency was so clinical that Campbell leaned into the "Lawn Mower" moniker. As heads rolled, he muttered: "The lawn mower. And my enemies are... Blackrune."]

 Psychological Warfare: Graxxuzzaz’s Ninth-Level Gambit

Graxxuzzaz opted for psychic devastation. He utilized a first of two high-level scrolls—remnants of a high-level wizard’s work—which boosted the save DCs to a staggering 22. 9th-level Mass Suggestion. With a DC 22 Intelligence check required to resist, the morale of the Blackrune defenders shattered. Nine soldiers were commanded to "flee the city as far as they can" for the next 24 hours. Given the undead tide outside the walls, this was effectively a death sentence, yet the soldiers—psychically dominated—could only obey.

The Duel in the Ruins: Nenwin vs. Floodlick

The chaos culminated in Nenwin engaging Commander Floodlick in a "Compelled Duel" and then a
fear effect to root the commander in place. Both affected the Commander who shrieked and slammed the hatch shut to the tank. Nenwin growled and pulled with his vast strength to loosen the hatch but this was taking time.

The Lizardfolk followed this with the spell Hunger of Hadar. Glimpsing a space inside the tank through

a vision slit he cast the spell. Tearing open a agonizing rift in the fabric of reality, exposing a bleeding conduit directly to the incomprehensible, frozen void of the Far Realm. A 20-foot-radius sphere of absolute, light-devouring void erupts INSIDE the steam tank. It was not merely pitch-black—it is an aggressive, smothering absence that hungrily swallows all light, magical or mundane. The dwarf crew and the Commander who had the hatch shut caught within are instantly plunged into a suffocating, sightless abyss, their vision drowned in total, blinding blackness.

Within this sphere, space itself twists into an agonized, viscous slush that clings to legs and drags at limbs, reducing movement to an exhausting crawl. The air grows foul and heavy with the stomach-churning stench of ancient bile and stagnant sea mud, violently vibrating with a sickening chorus: wet, guttural slurping, the frantic tearing of unseen flesh, and a thousand wet, maddening whispers slithering directly into the ears of anyone in the area.

Nenwin went from trying to open the hatch to hammering and keeping the hatch closed so the crew

could not escape the horrors of Graxxuzazz's spell! The Paladin's Pegasus stood on top of the back hatch where more crew were vainly trying to escape!

Then the sorcerer appeared on the battlefield in view of Lt. Spears and cast an ice storm that hammered down on all the party at the tank. The Commander must have used some type of teleportation spell and left his crew to suffer in the tank. Nenwin moved to attack the sorcerer but at the last moment the Commander cast a spell that seemed to affect Nenwin, the paladin raced towards Graxxuzazz and attacked his ally! [DM: dominate person spell affected Nenwin!]

Meanwhile, Lt. Spears expertly through multiple shimmering knives at the commander, but he appeared to be ready for some of these being displaced for one, a "clack" as if the blade hit stone for the 2nd and the final two blades hit home. Floodlick shrieked in pain and anger at this afront! 

 

Floodlick, a "psycho" sorcerer, attempted to use Displacement and Mirror Image effects, causing Nenwin’s first two strikes to "clack" against stone or thin air. However, Nenwin’s Mage Killer traits proved decisive.

Nenwin, under the effect of the dominate person raced over and attacked Graxxuzazz with all his capabilities as a mage killer. [DM: Doing a total of over 100 hit points of damage in a single round! Graxx has never been hit so hard!]

Graxxuzazz then unleashed Raulothim’s Psychic Lance, a shimmering lance of psychic power that slammed into Commander Floodlick target for 39 psychic damage and the "incapacitated" condition. Then again the Commander even though fleeing was still in range of the effective spell and hit again for more damage! 

This cancelled the concentration on the dominate person on Nenwin who was closing in on Graxxuzzaz to finish him off! The Asimar paladin held his blade and turned towards where the Commander Floodlick had disappeared into the dark and smoke.

The field was won, the forces of Commander Floodlick dispersed or dead! The party were able to

recover some of the items carried by the fallen Warden Stonefist - his stone gauntlets, a belt with pouches as well as dagger.

While returning to their hideout in the docks - a partially sunken ship tied up a dock in view of Commander Floodlick's HQ, a sending spell came from Skrit: The Flying Tower was on its way! Gothi is currently flying it toward Fax to reunite with the party.

Resting the party discussed next steps, attack the HQ right away, take a short rest, take a long rest, gather some allies - possible mercenary companies in the city, check on the Doctor they know is in the city - supposedly at a first-aid station - converted temple. Lt. Spears was able to gather some intel before the party arrived on the mercenary companies [DM: next blogpost will have those details]

One option the party devices is blowing a possible hole in the wall with these long black tubes found in a case a ways back. with diversion attacking main entrance..? 

Options.. 

Fistful of Brains - Battle Map

Tactical map for the battle at city hall in the besieged city of Fax.

1. Steam powered dwarven tanks [Commander is in the one further away from city hall]

2. The fallen Warden Stonefist

3. Destroyed barracks and buildings of the Warden's troops