The Battle of Brannagh's Bridge

The Giant Bat mount of Captain Iroas

The Battle of Brannagh's Bridge is the twentieth session of Campaign 1. In the session, Arine attempts to speaking with Archmage Grennis about the barricade of Brannagh, whilst Darcy and Orion protect the injured on Brannagh's Bridge in the Siege of Pontoporea.

The following contains spoilers for the Tale of Locksmith's Bane.

## Plot

Pray Day 1 Ilmoro 1021 TE

The Battle falls upon Brannagh's Bridge. As Hunter fights in the skies, the ships of the The Larsinian Empire sail North to those trapped in the district. Arine stands beyond the threshold, able to speak with Orion and Darcy. Darcy asks her who is in control of this forcefield. "Archmage Grennis," she replies. The lord asks her to go to him, see if she can convince the archmage to let the remaining people through. The Silver Knight is with them.

"Wolbeth has fallen, maybe Mayor Humble too," Orion interjects. Arine worries to disturb the archmage's concetration. Orion, trying to get through, punches the plasma barrier. A tingle massages his knuckles as they are met with a loud electric charge. Arine calls out to Cygnus for help. Cygnus calls to his people on the bridge: "We must defend this bridge at all costs." He looks to the many injured soldiers around him. The ships making their way. "To the injured, those who have given their all, head to the Northern buildings along the bridge. To the others, prepare for a battle on the South side."

As the Knight calls to his followers, Arine hears the scurrying of horsemen. Behhind her, roughly two hundred soldiers on horse-back, ride to the river, carrying flags, lead by a familiar face. His hair longer, his jaw stubbly, Lord Jimothy Strayth gallops towards the edge of the barrier, dismounting his stead with grace. He looks to Darcy, to Orion, to Darcy, to Arine, to Darcy. "Archmage Grennis," the warlock calls to his startled acquaintance, "the Wizard's Tower."

"We must open the barrier," Arine relays to the Lord.

"D-Darcy," Jimothy mutters with delayed response, before hopping back upon his stead and offering a ride to the wizard. Darcy looks on as the nobleman rushes to Silverhall. If there pain in his heart, it was lost among the aches of war. Cygnus interupts. "If you need the rest, follow me." He leads the boys into a North house, where injured soldiers, some barely teens, rest. Helena and Miriam have taken a corner. "I must continue," he warns Orion and Darcy, but offers them health. As fine warriors, their service to the bridge would do a world of good. Placing his hands upon Darcy's neck, he clears his wounds. Again, upon the chest of Orion, his energy is restored. "Keep some for yourself," Orion orders the paladin. Cygnus nods, leaving the room for battle.

Inside, the boys ignore their fellow brigadeers. Darcy crawls into a ball. "We have a choice to make," Orion tells him.

"We could be invisible," Darcy declares, "safe upon the bridge. Arine and Jimothy will open the barrier."

"I'm not even sure where this path goes." Orion murmers in poetic fear. "We hold the bridge, death is right around the corner."

Darcy suggest invisibility once again. Orion turns to him, "okay." Finally acknowledging their housemates, Darcy pleads with Helena to keep herself and Miriam in the back. She nods. "We don't want to lose anymore friends today," Orion whispers to his companion as they stand to their feet. Cannon fire can be heard.

Meanwhile, through Brannagh's Town and Castle's Keep, Arine and Jimothy ride. They gallop past clean-plated soldiers, before arriving at the gates of Silverhall. A collection of guards wiat for them as they dismount with purpose. "You can't come in here!" a guard declares, ushering the way for a noble row: "Do you know who I am?" Jimothy screams at his oppressor, "I am Lord Jimothy, of House Strayth, Heir to the Great City of Xan, Commander of the Xanian effort in this war, I demand to be let through." The guard refuses to budge.

All of a sudden, the smaller entrance within the grander door erupts. On the other side stands Sandra and Harry. "Arine?" she calls as the guards remain focused on Jimothy. "Have you seen Céline?"

"No, is she okay?"

"She escaped. We can't find her!" With Sandra's terror, the guards begin to notice the entryway's opening. Sandra and Harry stumble out as Jimothy pushes through. Sandra turns to see if Arine will follow her out. She doesn't. The wizard quickly slips past the guards, alongside Lord Strayth.

Orion and Darcy step onto the battlefield. The South side of the bridge has been torn to shreds by cannon fire, bodies of fighters litter the floor. Down the bridge, Darcy watches as soldiers fight Gargoyles. Orion looks to his feet. The Clocksmith, from whom he had purchased his golden toy, lay dead before him. CRASH. A gargoyle lands upon the roof of the building in front of them. An eldritch blast from Darcy sends the creature backwards and through the floor of the open bungalow. Orion readies his hammer. CRASH. A cannon flies through the building. CRASH. Another. CRASH. The gargoyle bursts free, lunging towards Orion. Its bite clamps down onto his shoulder, but does no damage, cracking upon the paladin's armour. In his reaction, the warrior slams his hammer into the creature's torso, punting it back in the ruins behind. The gargoyle croaks in fury. Darcy attempts to send it further in with another blast, but hits the floor, out of breath. CRASH. The paladin steps back as another cannonball hits the creature, cracking its arm.

"Holy shit! That was cool!" Orion cries and he smites the foe with a divine blow to its side for good measure. The gargoyle pushes past Orion to Darcy, flying to his shoulderblade for a clawful of the nobleman. It pierces his side. Darcy manages to narrowly miss a bite from its cracked jaw, shifting to his right, missing another eldritch attack. He is tired, powerless, defeated. The gargoyle flies above the fallen warlock, ready to leap again. A burst of divine light blinds the scene, before fading to reveal crumbled rocks falling from the sky. Orion's final push, smashing the creature in its ribs. Darcy falls to his knees. "I'm sorry."

Orion rushes to his comrade, "Are you okay?"

"I couldn't hit it." CRASH. Another gargoyle. SWOOSH. An aaracokra. WIth his spear, directly through the creature's throat, Hunter swings the beast's corpse into the river. Before flying out to find another. Orion heals his friend's wounds. "I can't do much more today." He helps Darcy to his feet, At the other side the bridge, a sea of red and white fighters. The colours of Ilmater on his holiest of days. Another Gargoyle.

Arine and Jimothy rush through Silverhall, running past the guards towards Grennis' tower. The guards refuse them entry, holding their spears at the nobleman of Xan. Arine takes him to the castle's main entrance, more guards. "I am Lord Jimothy, of House Strayth, Heir to the Grea-" the guards let them through. Inside, more guards wander the halls. Arine, knowing the pathway to Lord Rosen, pulls Jimothy up the stairs, who pulls out a loaded crossbow from his waist, aiming it at their persuers, "I am Lord Jimothy..." The unlikely trespassers continue to run up the stairs.

Missed blasts, attacks of light, the gargoyle crumbles to the ground. Darcy doubles over, breathing in the air and rubble. The white and red army draws closer, a black shadow from the clouds. "They're on their way," Orion tells his exhausted companion, hand on shoulder. Before him, the body of The Wool Merchant. As the victorious warrior stares, melancholy, Darcy looks Eastward to the barricade. Céline stands behind the purple hue. Darcy rushes forward, "Céline?!"

"Darcy?" Orion feels his friend leave his palm and turns to witness the scene. Darcy quickly makes it to the barricade. Orion not far behind with worried breathe, pleads to the girl "Go back! What are you doing here?" Céline remains at the barricade. Darcy, with new adrenaline, stumbles back into the Northern buildings. Helena is protecting Miriam in a corner, away from the earlier cannon fire. "Céline is here."

Helena crashes into the battefield, to her daughter. "Céline, honey? It's not safe her." She tries to stroke her hair. Tears fall from both faces. Céline looks up at Darcy, at Orion, and back to her mother, on her knees. Looking into her daughters eyes, Helena watches her upon her mouth to speak. She does not. She sings to the tune of Harry's song:

> "As buildings burn in the city
>
>
> And people fall to war
>
>
> We sing our song in harmony
>
>
>
> For those who guard our door."
>
>

Sandra and Harry arrive on the scene, pushing past the crowd of wounded soldiers and Xanian horsemen. Helena, Darcy, and Orion watch on. Céline repeats the same words. Helena joins her. Sandra joins her. the crowds join. Darcy and Orion watch on. Harry takes his lute from off his back, and strums the chords to the classic tune. He sings with the crowd, and from his instrument, a faint orange glow seeps into the air, joined by the breath of the choir, passing through the barricade, ethereal. Helena looks up as the glow blankets her view. She continues to sing with her daughter. With heavy breathes, Orion and Darcy cannot avoid the ethereal breath. Nor can the retreating soldiers of Pontoporea as the armies come their way. Cygnus, Esrafin, Fownai, Fentos, Edhron, Turatyl, Elvina the Unnatural, hundreds of other soldiers, and couple dressed in black cloaks all inhail the enchantment. The white, shining armour of The Larsinian Empire rushes past the bleeding red of Pontoporea. The soldiers painted pure white, as are their horses and weapons. They do not share the magic of the enchanting score. The black figure in the clouds rushes to the forefront of the battle scene. A Giant Bat with what appears to be the Captain of the Army mounted on its back. The beast flies directly above the Silver Swan. Darcy holds out his hand.

As buildings burn in the city, and people fall to war, Darcy unleashes an eldritch blast, inspired by the score. As crowds sing their song in harmony, for those who guard their door, Orion swings at imperial knights, but carves into the floor. As gargoyles fly into the scene, and an old Dwarf joins the fray, Helena continues her mighty song, and Hunter soars and slays. As a dragonborn thief and her tiefling sister stab and blast their foes, the courage of two barbarians, a chef, and a librarian signficantly grows. From upon his mighty bat, the Captain takes a fall, knocked from off his perch by the warlock, Darcy Hall. Now upon the battlegrounds, the Silver Swan draws near, a duel begins, their swords take aim, calling all to hear. Orion rushes to see Sir Cygnus, calmly take a blow, he collapses to the ground, his blood begins to flow. The cloaked figures guard his body prone, one, tall, takes the hit, Orion lays his healing hands, and now the Swan can sit. Darcy's second blast lifts the head clear off the bat, inspired fighters engage its rider, dead in seconds flat. As buildings burn in the city, and people fall to war, the song continues in harmony, for those guarding the door.

Above the city, Arine watches through the window of Silverhall Castle. Fire burns from Wolbeth, right down the bridge. She and Jimothy stand outside the quarters of Lord Rosen. Strayth slams his shoulder against the door. Still glowing an enchanted hue to keep the Lord within, the door refuses to budge. Arine sighs, "the one day, I didn't prepare 'Knock'." With a mighty kick, she smashes the lock, and door falls from its frame. The pair enter down the long corridor before finding Lord Rosen by the fire, in his chair. "Hello?" he calls in a raspy voice.

"I am Lord Jim-"

"We need you to lower the barricades" Arine interupts.

"What?" asks Rosen.

"The Silver Swan and the rest of the army is trapped on the bridge, we need to upon the barricades to save them and us and join them in the war!"

"War? What war?" asks Rosen. Arine stops silent. Jimothy interjects, "the war with the Larsinian Empire."

"Oh." Arine and Jimothy step away from the old man. "He can't help us," Arine declares, walking away. Jimothy follows. They wander back to the window. Unsure of the fate of Darcy, Orion, and the rest of the city. On the bridge, the boys find themselves surrounded by soldiers, their friends fighting before them. Cygnus heals the tall, cloaked man, Sir Edwin Dennison, accompanied by Fidget. Helena, at the barricade still looks, through the tears, into her daughter's eyes. From behind her, a periwinkle glow. Arine watches from afar, the mist spreads across the city from the East. Above Helena, flies thousands upon thousands of Ghosts. They storm through the barricade and across the bridge, picking up, passing through, and slaying the Larsinian Soldiers. Orion and Darcy look on in awe at the scene, as they hear a familiear voice behind them: "you left me" describes Deirdre, before turning away to join her fellow ghosts.

The city grows silent. The blue, misty mass of spirits move West, putting out fires in Wolbeth and forcing a retreat of enemy ranks. No more deaths. The remaining city-dwellers are alive: Cygnus speaks with Edwin and Fidget; The Fiends and The Barbarian Brothers hug in relief; Darcy leans against the barricade; Orion kicks the bat in the face. The warlock lights a cigarette. Orion stands beside him and the two stay together, in silence. CRASH. Darcy falls backwards. The barrier moves. Helena storms forwards to her daughter, and holds her tight within her arms. The Xanian forces hurry down the bridge, eager to aid in the rescue attempt.

Darcy gets to his feet to hear another familiar voice behind him. Arine runs onto the bridge, with Jimothy by her side. "You're alive!" She calls to her boys.

"I don't know what you did, but thank you." Orion says, greeting his friend sheepishly.

"I don't know about this, the ghosts. The dream was real," Arine reveals. The boys perplexed, teh wizard explains, "The Great Diviner, in Red Forest, Sharon, I believe was her name... she spoke to me in a dream. A spirit was trying to communicate with me" In that moment, Deirdre returns to the group. Se greets them and they ask of her. She, too was greeted by the Great Diviner.

"We better get his body," Darcy changes the subject abruptly.

"Whose? Who..." Arine asks.

"Stefan. Stefan died." Orion states. Arine opens her mouth, ready to speak, but nothing comes out. Her eyes tear. "We're going to go back," describes Orion, gesturing to Miriam, "collect him and bring him back here." Darcy procures a stretcher from the numerous medics who have arrived at the scene, and the pair go on their way. "Do you want to come?" Darcy asks Arine. She shakes her head. Darcy pulls the necklace Stefan had gifted them from his pocket, orange and green, and places it in her hands. "He gives these to us."

Darcy and Orion head across the bridge, finding themselves in the alley with the decapitated Owlbear and lifeless body. They carry him onto the stretcher. The alley goes dark. The bridge goes dark. Light cannot escape the sky. A dome of darkness spreads over the city. The boys look up. Arine looks up. Descending from the darkness above, thousands upon thousands of Shadows. Before Darcy and Orion, a shadow takes a box from its chest, and places it over the body of Stefan. A periwinkle mist floats from his heart, rising, like steam, into the box, until it is violently shut. They can do nothing but watch in despair. On the bridge, likewise, shadows take what appear to be the souls of the fallen soldiers across the battlefield, Larsinian and Thornish alike. Deirdre looks over to Arine. She to her. A shadow descends upon the spirit with an open box. She reaches her hand out to her friend. Arine can do nothing but watch in despair. the Shadow takes Deirdre.

Carrying Stefan's corpse, Darcy and Orion rush back down the bridge, to find Arine, on her knees. Darcy lowers the stretcher and heads towards her, "Where's Deirdre?" Arine breaks into floods of tears and Darcy gives her a crushing hug. "It's okay." Orion carries the body of Stefan in his arms, placing him before Miriam, with a hand on her shoulder. She places hers on his wrist, eyes fixed upon her husband. After a moment, he walks towards his fellow adventurers, placing his hand on Arine's shoulder. She continues to ball. Darcy continues to hold her. "It's okay," he repeats, "it's okay."

The session ends there.