ND/Session 59

<-Session 58 ~~ March 509 ~~ Session 60 ->
*see also Timeline of Events*
Session 59 took place entirely on the Eastern front, in northern Zerniless; PCs present were Trahaern (Eric), Greex (Kiara), Ariana (Kevin), Jerren (Ben), Tezcatlipoca (Joshua), and Zarathras (Jeremy); Attivi (Emily) is also fighting on the Eastern front but was not present for the session.

We pick up from the end of Session 58: the First Legion and the Fae Expeditionary Force are slowly working their way up the mountain road towards Michinowari and the (hopefully) final showdown with Gravecall's forces. It's rough going, with a path needing to be dug through 8' deep snowpack, but that's the reason we brought so dang many engineers. The decision is made to activate the Dwarfen flare late on March 6th, when the estimate is a couple of days left before reaching engagement range with the fortress. The weather continues to be miserable right through the 8th; on the evening of that day the First Legion makes it to the walls of Michinowari (a massive fortress literally carved out of the mountaintop, with multiple rings of walls occupied by hordes of crossbowmen) and activates the Dwarven flare again: we plan to assault the next day.

March 9th dawns with rain instead of snow, but a high-aspected mana (specifically for Death magic). Despite the potential advantage to Gravecall and her necromancers, the decision is made to attack right away: the Liberation needs these troops somewhere else sooner, rather than later. Trahaern begins the assault by sending his best infantry to the walls in a feint; when they 'flee in terror' at the sight of the undead horde, the defenders are drawn out of position in the pursuit and straight into a Fae ambush. A day of heavy fighting ensues, and at the end of it the First Legion and their allies hold the outer fortifications and have destroyed or dispersed nearly a third of the enemy force.

March 10th returns to miserable weather, but this actually serves to help the attackers by depriving Gravecall of badly-needed air and fire support. Trahaern orders an all-out assault on the middle rings of Michinowari's defenses; it's another smashing success, breaching the inner fort. Trahaern and the Liberation leaders lead a charge for the breach, met by Gravecall herself and several squads of defenders hidden behind a globe of impenetrable blackness.

Tezcat - made wary by earlier attempts to sneak into range of the life-sensing undead - advances under cover. Zarathras and Trahaern are less cautious, the former charging straight for the breach while the latter uses the magical powers of his halberd to vault over the enemy to the rear. Ariana, having had quite enough of dark magic for one lifetime, makes a rapid plea to Volundr: Burn away the darkness! The god's power is enough to overcome even Gravecall's will, and the necromancer's spell is shattered. Jerren follows this by sending an illusion of a dragon into the breach - which makes it clear that the defenders surrounding Gravecall are all undead, as they fail to react to the fakery.

Greex, being Greex, hides in a snowbank.

Gravecall's minions surge to the attack; Ariana is peppered with crossbow bolts that penetrate even her heavy armor, while Zarathras casually ignores the efforts of the axemen he faces. Gravecall herself blasts Tezcat with her wand; he is immediately overcome by supernatural despair, the unnatural sense of loss compelling him to try to kill himself; in short order he removes his helment and nearly brains himself on a nearby rock. Trahaern leaps into the melee and Ariana rushes to defend him; both take some injury as the zombie knights swarm them. Jerren disarms one enemy with a blast of acid, then rushes to stabilize Tezcat. Trahaern leaps away again; left alone for a moment, Ariana finds herself face to face with Gravecall.

The necromancer raises her scepter high and brings it down into the center of Ariana's chest, loosing a blast of magic intended to stop her heart: but Ariana's heart is (literally) iron, and the magic fails. In response the priest unleashes the wrath of the forge-god, a massive explosion of divine power that sears the undead nearby and even sends Gravecall staggering back, shrieking in pain and horror.

The session ends on that note, with Ariana barely keeping her feet thanks to her injuries, but the battlefield around her much less populated.

*see also The GM's view*