Rise of Drekis: Chapter 2 Episode 09

__NOTOC__
==Synopsis==
On their march up the mountain pass, Elaine and her soldiers encounter a surprise attack by orcs. Crumpet's oversight leads to the ambush, but after several rounds of intense combat, the Drekisians emerge victorious. The party return to Santa Barbara to rest and heal their wounds, when a ship arrives with scrolls and supplies on board. 
== Recap ==
=== Ambush on the Mountain Pass: August 5th - 6th, 1517 ===
The party, followed by Willa and her 15 soldiers march towards the mountain pass, with Crumpet taking on the role of scout ahead of the group. They successfully reach the base of the mountains after a day of marching without encountering any adversaries.
On the subsequent day, the party commences their ascent up the mountain pass. However, halfway through their journey, Crumpet overlooks the ambush laid by a group of orcs, resulting in an unexpected attack by six orcs, including Maahk-Terrahk, targeting the halfling.
==== Combat Begins ====
===== Round 1 =====
* Crumpet whistles warning everyone of the ambush and retreats back to the party.
* The orcs follow after her.  
===== Round 2 =====
Crumput, using her duel wielding short swords, successfully hits Maahk-Terrahk, dealing minimal damage.
Vincent casts at 5 of the orcs above him on the switchback, causing 3 of them to become hypnotized.
One of the orcs swings his axe at Elaine, missing what would have been a massive hit.
Elaine ignores the orc that attacked her and swings her sword at Maahk-Terrahk, hitting him for minimum damage. She then bashes the half-orc with her shield, landing a critical blow.
Maahk-Terrahk responds to Elaine's attacks with two attacks of his own that brings an already injured Elaine closer to death.
Willa and her bowman all take arcing shots at the orcs above them but none of them land a hit.
===== Round 3 =====
* The third round of combat begins with Maahk-Terrahk once again landing a critical strike on Elaine, bringing her to the brink of death.
* The orc next to Maahk-Terrahk swings his axe at Elaine, missing.
* Elaine misses both her attacks against Maahk-Terrahk.
* Maahk-Terrahk goes to attack Elaine again, when Crumpet attempts to jump in front of the axe but slips and falls down the cliff. The attack by the half-orc ends up barely missing no thanks to Crumpet.
* The archers make their attacks and land 5 hits on 5 separate orcs injuring but killing none of them. 
===== Round 4 =====
* Maahk-Terrahk swings his axe at the almost dead Elaine, just missing her.
* Elaine responds with an attack with her long sword, successfully damaging the half-orc. 
* Crumpet attempts to climb back up the cliff but fails. 
* A spearman and an orc exchange blows, both missing each other.
* The archers make another round of bow shots landing 2 hits on the orcs but fail to kill any.
* One of the orcs lands a hit on Elaine, bringing her to unconsciousness.
* Once Elaine goes down, the spearmen and bowmen lose their nerve and break for it. As they run, one spearman is struck down by Maahk-Terrahk.
===== Round 5 =====
Vincent casts on Maahk-Terrahk hitting him with 2 bolts of magic.
Crumpet jumps behind Maahk-Terrahk and lands one of her two attacks on the half-orc.
Maahk-Terrahk, realizing the wizard is the true threat, charges towards Vincent, provoking an opportunity attack from Crumpet who lands 2 hits. He ignores the halfling and brings his axe down on Vincents almost killing him in one strike. 
Vordren attacks Maahk-Terrahk, but misses.
Maahk-Terrahk makes a second attack on Vincent, missing him by an inch.
===== Round 6 =====
Vordren attacks Maahk-Terrahk with his long sword, finally bringing him down.
With her 2 short swords, Crumpet kills 2 orcs who were already injured from the archers.
Vincent casts on 7 orcs, revealing 10 more orcs waiting in ambush above them on the switchback.
The remaining orcs, seeing their leader dead and over 50% of their allies either dead or asleep, lose their morale and retreat up the mountain pass.
==== Combat Ends ====
Witnessing their leader's demise and with more than half of their comrades incapacitated or deceased, the remaining orcs lose their resolve and retreat further up the mountain pass.
Vincent instructs Crumpet to dispatch the seven sleeping orcs, thereby increasing the tally of orc casualties to nine. Crumpet stabilizes Maahk-Terrahk, intending to extract information upon his awakening. While disposing of the orc bodies, Crumpet mutilates and disfigures them in an attempt to send a message to the other orcs. Meanwhile, Vincent attends to the injuries sustained by Elaine and the injured spearman. Vordren descends the mountain pass to rally the soldiers who had fled, and upon his return with the Drekisian soldiers, Elaine regains consciousness.
While unconscious, Elaine experiences a vivid dream of being pursued by a polar bear on Arrow Island, accompanied by Gregor, who disappears after slipping on ice. Startled awake, Elaine is briefed on the situation by Vincent. Observing Crumpet's actions in the background, Elaine intervenes, telling her she has done enough and to cease the mutilation of the corpses. Grateful for Elaine's safety, Crumpet embraces her. Following their conversation, Elaine decides to end Maahk-Terrahk's life out of respect for defeating her in combat.
=== Return to Santa Barbara: August 7th - 10th, 1517 ===
The party descends the mountain and reunites with the remaining Drekisian soldiers, returning to Santa Barbara. Their arrival in Santa Barbara occurs on the evening of the 8th of August. The subsequent day finds Elaine recuperating in bed, visited by Lord Campbell, who presents her with a bouquet of flowers. Elaine recounts the encounter with the half-orc and expresses gratitude for the assistance provided by Crumpet and Vincent. She then asks Lord Campbell if he has read anything recently. Campbell responds by attempting to read one of Elaine's journals. He struggles with understanding most of the words, but it is clear to Elaine that he is trying to improve, which makes her happy. 
The following day sees the arrival of a ship sent by Elaine to the mainland for reinforcements. Among the delivered supplies is a letter from Richard Marshal, expressing regret for the inability to dispatch troops but offering two scrolls — a Scroll of and a Scroll of — along with a letter written in orcish telling the orcs to surrender.
==Experience==
No experience given this episode.
Category:Rise of Drekis Episodes
Category:Rise of Drekis