The daring Assault on Commander Floodlick's HQ

 

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

Location: City of Fax on the Wildcoast.

Date:  1st day, month of Sunsebb, Winter [reference from our calendar it is December]

Year: 582

Current Status:

The heroes 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. 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 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 - it will be a few days at least for the fully upgraded flying tower to arrive.

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 Kleinus supposedly at a first-aid station - converted temple, who may be able to assist the party. Lt. Spears was able to gather some intel before the party arrived on the mercenary companies [DM: see blogpost for those details]

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

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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

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Other Non-player characters of note:

• ·                  Robin - formerly the undead ruler of Darkreach and a servant to Orcus, now once again: Male aarakocra | Ranger
• ·                  Doc 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 complete! And is flying to Fax by Gothi with some other members of the Fellowship.

 City of FAX

• Request from Greyskulls [a mercenary company] commander and mate - save son in Fax?
• Doctor Kleinus 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)

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Sanctuary in the Smoke

The focus of the foreground is the Fellowship’s current refuge: a partially sunken galleon listing at a slight angle in the freezing cold, black oily water of the harbour. The deck is slick with a light dusting of snow that has begun to fall, contrasting with the dark wood. The dock it is moored to is a jagged mess of charred splintered timbers, partially destroyed.

The Watchman (Thogra): High above the listing deck, Thogra is a solitary, grim silhouette crouched shivering in the crow's-nest. He is wrapped in heavy clothing against the 4:00 AM cold, his eyes—glinting with the reflection of distant fires—scanning the city for patrols.

In the distance, the coastal skyline is dominated by the massive long silhouette of Commander Floodlick's warehouse HQ. It appears as a monolithic block of shadow against the dark sky, identifiable by the eerie, malevolent glow of the black portal on its roof. Faint "rolling plumes of the inferno" and columns of black smoke rise from the ruins of City Hall, creating a hellish backdrop that obscures the rest of the city. The air is thick and heavy, capturing the "rot of dead flesh" and the "chemical bite of alchemist's fire" that the Fellowship must endure while they plan to assault the HQ of Commander Floodlick who they presume is awaiting them!

During the short rest to prepare for the assault on the HQ, Thogra witnessed a 30-foot tall misty humanoid fly from the black portal at City Hall, a new and unknown threat? Or..?

During a high-stakes short rest at their sunken galley hideout, the Redwater Fellowship encountered a Blackrune patrol consisting of two wagons and approximately eight mercenaries. One wagon was a flat-top used for hauling "blackened husks" (bodies), while the other was an iron-barred caged wagon containing humanoids of various races.

Party Observations and Decisions

Thogra first alerted the party from the crow's-nest as the patrol’s heavy, iron-rimmed wheels creaked along the dock toward their position. The party faced a moral and tactical dilemma:

• The Rescue Debate: Some members wanted to "save the slaves" in the cage, but others argued they had nowhere to keep prisoners in a city under siege by an undead tide.
• Reconnaissance: Aeldred decided to stealthily swim through the "extremely cold" icy water to the dock, climbing one of the support posts to get a closer look at the crew.
• The Patrol's Composition: The Fellowship identified two humans, a half-orc, and a dwarf among the mercenaries. They also spotted a female gnome with fiery red hair in red robes—a caster—perched atop the caged wagon.

The Confrontation and "Ghost" Ploy

As the patrol stopped to investigate the ship, a dwarf armed with a man catcher (a spiked/hooked pole used for securing subjects) climbed onto the deck. Aeldred and the party realized this patrol was gathering dead bodies as well as UNDEAD - in the caged wagon - to ensure the town was clear of enemies as much as possible. With that information, they decided hiding was best. The party, hiding beneath the hatch under a cover of old trash and barrels, took defensive actions:

• The Echo Distraction: To scare the dwarf away without revealing their true location, Lieutenant
  
  Spears cleverly manifested a transparent, gray Echo of himself directly in front of the investigator.
• The Fireball: Terrified by what he perceived to be a ghost, the dwarf fled back to the wagons. The gnome caster immediately retaliated by launching a fireball into the ship's hold.
• Consequences: Nenwin took 11 fire damage from the blast, though the rest of the party successfully avoided injury. Ironically, the smoke and smoldering debris from the fireball helped disguise the party's actual campfire from further scrutiny.

Outcome: The patrol eventually moved on, with the sound of their bells and yelling: “Bring our your dead!”  fading into the night as they continued their rounds. While the encounter interrupted the Fellowship's progress, they managed to complete their short rest approximately an hour later, once the area was clear.

The assault on Commander Floodlick’s headquarters was a chaotic symphony of brute force, misfired rockets, and metaphysical horror. The black and violet shield still encompassed the building. As the party moved through it there were no visible effects except it felt like they were covered in a wet slimy ooze. Their minds all feeling a psychic revulsion to the effect.

The Breach and the Steam Tank

At first commanding a summoned ghost [Lt. Spear’s]  to phase through the door and open the gate, it failed to not understanding or having the strength to open the massive door. The Fellowship initiated a "hammer-and-anvil" maneuver. At the main entrance, Aeldred and Nenwin used their combined strength to confront the 20-foot-tall iron-bound sliding doors. After Aeldred tapped into his rage and applied the strength of a fire giant, the pair achieved a Strength check of over 40, snapping the door's internal mechanisms and forcing it open.

The party brought a massive array of summoned allies to support their charge:

• Berserkers and Skeletons.
• Shades (Shadows) and a Ghost.
• Thogra's three Minions of Set, who appeared as 7-foot-tall black-armored figures.

Inside, they were immediately met by a Blackrune steam tank. Aeldred, ignoring the turret's fire attacks and shot leaped onto the machine and began hammering the reinforced glass viewport. After shattering the 4-inch-thick glass, he breathed fire directly into the cockpit. The tank, its crew screaming and internal

components melting, veered off course and exploded just outside the warehouse.

The Roof Assault and the "Rocket" Mishap

Simultaneously, Lt. Spears, Thogra, and Graxxuzzaz scaled the roof to strike from above. They attempted to use long black tubes found in a case earlier, assuming they were some type of Blackrune demolition charge. The first tube, once lit, behaved like a rocket or Roman candle, screaming across the skyline and exploding in a residential house a block away – screams and shouts were heard... Correcting their aim, the three heroes launched the remaining tubes downward to blow a hole in the roof directly above the central portal.

The Inner Sanctum and the Drummers

Upon breaching the roof, the heroes rained fire down on the 8-foot-tall froglike humanoids drumming a rhythmic, psychic cadence on massive drums.

In the center of the chamber, Nenwin and Aeldred witnessed a horrific procession. Tall, cloaked figures were gently guiding a line of walking up a ramp into this large room slaves—men, women, and children—to jump into two swirling pools. One pool was a whirlpool of fiery orange, while the other was a glassy, stagnant purple. As each slave jumped, a psychic scream echoed, feeding the pulsing portal near the wall.

As the Fellowship entered the inner sanctum Floodlick’s mind and words invaded each of theirs at the same time – even though they could hear the words from the other members of the Fellowship!

Mocking the Fellowship

• To Nenwin: "Mind the webs, little Aasimar. I’ve left a few 'gifts' in the corridors for you. Consider it a tribute to your god, Heironeous. I’m sure he’s watching with great interest—and perhaps a bit of pity—as you bumble and float with your choir through my dark house".
• To Aeldred: "And the dragon-born... still chasing the shadows of a dwarf smith’s family? How
  
  
  noble. How utterly futile. Every soul that falls in Fax isn't just a casualty; they are bricks in the gate I am building for my patrons. Do you hear the screaming from the portals, or is your rage too loud?".
• To Lt. Spears: "A 'Phantom' and an 'Echo' walking into a warehouse filled with ghosts. How redundant, Lieutenant. You think your little phasing tricks will protect you here? In this sanctum, the walls have teeth, and the shadows have masters you cannot begin to comprehend".

The Final Goad

·        "You’ve dismantled my tanks and scattered my mercenaries, but you are merely pruning the weeds while the garden rots. Step deeper into the mist. The Argent Shroud is waiting, and my patrons are... hungry to see if your brains are as impressive as your explosions".

It It seems Floodlick had a focus for Graxxuzazz, as the lizardfolk misty stepped into the chamber the commander had one final telepathic taunt: 

·        “And then there is you, Graxxuzzaz. The Masters remember that particular flavor of grey matter from your time with Romack; [DM: blogpost info] they say your mind still hums with the resonance of their touch. I can see the stains of your past, lizard. I see the residue of that pathetic **'toilet bowl god'** you once groveled before, and the lingering rot of **Orcus** still clings to your scales

like wet silk. But there is a... a coldness now. A static. I look for the tether, but I find only a void of pale yellow and tattered rags."

Floodlick’s voice, previously dripping with sarcastic wit, suddenly hitches. The wet, rhythmic thumping of the drums seems to falter as the Commander's tone shifts from mockery to a sharp, panicked frustration that vibrates in your jawbones. "I cannot see the source! The Masters... they cannot taste the signature! I see what.. A.. a.. King? , but where is the throne? Who is it?! Who is your new powerful patron?!"

The scream echoes with such psychic force that it causes the magical fog to ripple violently. Then, as quickly as the outburst began, the mental connection snaps.

 

Total silence.

The only sound remaining is the distant, mindless chanting and the strangely rhythmic and then chaotic drums. 

 Then the battle started - Betrayal and the Assassin

The battle took a dire turn when Aeldred was dominated by one of the robed humanoids – mind flayers! Believing he was protecting a "friend," the Barbarian turned his blades on Nenwin’s summoned berserkers, slaughtering them with clinical efficiency.

During this chaos, a gaunt, masked blonde assassin emerged from the shadows. Wielding violet psychic blades, this entity bypassed Aeldred’s formidable AC 28 entirely, treating his scale and magical armor as if it were air. The blades dealt 61 points of psychic damage in a single strike, described as a "freezing burn" that severed the nerves of the mind.

The battle went back and forth until 2 mindflayers – the tall robed humanoids – were destroyed, as well as Thogra had fallen to the blade of  the masked assassin. Throat slit.

The End of Floodlick

The fight concluded when Lt. Spears cornered an incapacitated Commander Floodlick and his blonde

assassin ally [thanks to signature spell from Graxxuzazz!]. Spears performed a "double-tap," driving daggers into the Commander's throat as well as the blonde assassin – to FULLY ensure they were both dead! Both were.  As the psychic resonance of the chamber shifted, the party prepared for the next wave of conflict. The Fellowship stood amidst the rubble, with Aeldred preparing to mount Floodlick's severed head on a pike, just as a Blackrune patrol of 20 soldiers arrived at the HQ to investigate the sounds of the explosion.

Nenwin recovered several unusual items from the fallen:

• From the Assassin: A head circlet, a "shroudy mystery cloak," a ring, and calcified wrist glands with bioluminescent nodules – still pulsing even after removal] that were physically embedded into the skin. [DM: party assumes these create the psychic blades]
• From Commander Floodlick: A rod that transformed into tentacles when handled, a circlet – similar to one from the assassin [DM: there was discussion that there may be a link to the two, allowing healing or damage to be shared or..?], two rings, and ornate half-plate armor.
• From Warden Stonefist: Two massive stone gauntlets and a Blackrune medallion used for internal hierarchy

One mind flayer had escaped.

Then.. the impossible and unthinkable:

The Fellowship stand in the garage of Floodlick's HQ. The commander's head hanging from his hair recently removed from the body after the commander was killed by the blades of Lt. Spears. Now held in Aeldred's grip as the Fellowship prepare to confront or avoid the BR patrol, coming up to the HQ. no doubt attacted to the recent explosions and more from on top and inside the HQ.

Then out of nowhere that dreaded voice..

In their minds, as before earlier when they 1st invaded the HQ..

A gurgling.. Coughing.. Spit and hacking cough again.. (All have heard similar when undead try to speak)

"Ahh *cough* "RedWater Fellowship.." *gurgle* "you.. thought me gone? Hahaha." *cough sputter*

"You reside in my mind.. You. Cannot. Leave. Hahahahahahaha.." *cough gurgle*

The bodiless head of the Commander starts to dissolve into a fine back dust.. Into nothing just some dust wafting away in the breeze. The 2 metal doors to the pool and portal room are back in place and not bent open from previously by Nenwin.

Aeldred having dealt with living, dead, undead and healing thinks [DM: after rolling a religion check]: the voice sounds similar to when someone is either recovering from a bad injury, long parched throat.. Or on occasion when one killed an undead and it tried to speak OR an undead 'waking up' from dormant to attack.

Graxxuzazz.. Having the patron of the King in Yellow confirms quite a bit.. [DM: also rolling a 26 for religion check]

He realizes the dome over the HQ is a psychic shield. A full globe around the HQ. The party are possibly INSIDE Floodlick's mind with this affect.. Not magical Graxxuzazz thinks. Either the large portal in the other room is a gateway To Floodlick OR his patron.. The Commander may be also down

the ramp..

The Lizardfolk thinks Floodlick is some weird non-magical undead version of himself now.. The killing and beheading was a good idea or he would have come back at full strength at some point.. Now he won't be quite as strong Graxxuzazz surmises.

 Spoiler alert: if the Fellowship had only taken the time to find the Doctor.. He had quite a Lore drop for them!! 🤔😁

Outside in the dockside street the Blackrune patrol look at the HQ from a distance. It did not appear they had any inclination or interest in coming through the black and violet dome! 

The party were heavily injured some near and out of resources, one dead - and all trapped in the mind of a crazed follower of illithids? 

Until next time!