The Shield of the North [IC]

[Breitheamh]

Shad Human Grappler Fighter AC: 16 HP: 13/13 PPer: 12 PInv: 9 PIst: 12 Conditions: -- Concentrating: --

Shad swung wildly at the screaming devilkin as it passed out of her range, trying desperately to hold onto her right mind, and finally she succumbs to the panic and loses her will to act, crying out as she shakes her head wildly, her vision blurring as she presses her fingers into her ears.

She blinks through the tears and feels helpless unable to do anything as the creature pounces on Aupti, knocking him into unconsciousness as blood from his wounds begins to pool on the ground.

In desperation to prevent the tragedy she sees unfolding before her, Shad grits her teeth and screams defiance at the noise, calling out, "AUPTI, DON'T YOU ****ING DIE ON ME!!" and swings her halberd at the creature that still threatened the druid.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Attack the devilkin 1 with halberd (not sure if advantage or disadvatange, so if neither just take the first roll)
(1d20+5)[25] or [/roll]1d20+5[/roll]
Damage: (1d10+3)[11] (+10 if crit!)

Edit: I'll roll the second d20 in the OOC since I did that wrong, but hopefully I can just keep that crit lol

[TriciaOso]

Another wave of skeletons hits the wall, where the militia are still reeling from the shrieks that fill the air. One slips over the gate and drops into the wreckage piled there.

Shad cuts the last grounded devilkin in two, as in the air, the Dauphin and the other aerial cavalry finish off the flying necromancer and the last of his devilkin escorts. The horrible shrieking finally stops, and the militia are able to close ranks and throw down the ladders of bone and tendon once again.

The three skeletons who made it over the wall stagger closer, drawn by the smell of blood and the fallen body of Aupti.

[Breitheamh]

Shad Human Grappler Fighter AC: 16 HP: 13/13 PPer: 12 PInv: 9 PIst: 12 Conditions: -- Concentrating: --

"Get away from him!!" Shad screams at the skeletons as she stands in guard over Aupti's unconscious form and tries to smash through the undead creatures.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Attack skeleton 1 with halberd
(1d20+5)[22]
Damage (1d10+3)[9]

[zylodrizzt]

Hasgraek AC:13 HP: 10/10 PPer:13 PInv:14 PIst:9 Conditions: -- Concentrating: --

Hasgraek ears still ringing takes his pickaxe piercing clear through the skull of the closer skeleton and flicks a dagger at the one next to shad trying to fend them off of aupti. Even if he was marked as an enemy now he'd at least try to save that ones life. He then moves in the way of the last skeleton so it can't reach the mechanism to lift the gate. Maybe he'd be killed here and he wouldn't have to worry about being marked an enemy.

[TriciaOso]

Aupti, for a moment, your vision clears, and instead of the Domari Maid you see two skeletons looming above you. Shad smashes one with her halberd and Hasgraek finishes it off, then nearly destroys the other before dashing away to defend the gate. The remaining skeleton makes a feeble attempt to harm Shad, but it can barely hold itself up. A blast of light comes from the wall and finishes it off, as Beatrice finally has breathing room to check on you.

"Hold on, lad! I'm coming!" She vanishes from the wall and reappears in the courtyard, dropping a dozen feet to land in a runner's crouch. She beelines towards Aupti -- but not quick enough...

The last remaining skeleton turns to Hasgraek as the dwarf puts himself in the way and slashes him bitterly with his shortsword.

Spoiler: Summary

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Skeleton 1 is destroyed; Skeleton 2 takes 11 damage. Skeleton 2 attacks Shad but rolls a natural 1 and misses. Skeleton 3 moves slightly to attack Hasgraek and hits with an 18, doing 4 damage.

Beatrice uses the blessing of the Raven Queen to teleport 30 feet as a bonus action and enters the courtyard, then uses her movement to move to Aupti, but cannot reach him before his next death saving throw. She uses her action to fire two eldritch blasts at Skeleton 2; one misses, but the second one hits and destroys it.

[zylodrizzt]

Hasgraek takes the hit with a growl before bringing his pickaxe down into the skeletons collar bone and dagger into its sternum

[Breitheamh]

Shad Human Grappler Fighter AC: 16 HP: 13/13 PPer: 12 PInv: 9 PIst: 12 Conditions: -- Concentrating: --

See Beatrice come to offer aid for Aupti, Shad slams the butt of her halberd on the ground to pump herself and sprints for the last skeleton, leaping with reckless abandon and slamming the halberd down at the enemy.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Move 30 ft gets me just close enough to hit it with reach.
Attack skeleton 3 (1d20+5)[10]
Damage (1d10+3)[4]

[TriciaOso]

The skeleton stabs at Hausgraek, but is too damaged to do more than drag the blade carelessly over his armor.

Beatrice kneels beside Aupti and carefully allows just a tiny scrap of life force to flow into him; her pool of healing energy is limited, and has to last for hours yet. Seeing color and focus return to his face, she nods briskly and strides back towards the wall.

[J-H]

Aupti pulls himself up off the ground, groaning. "Did you get the name of the horse that kicked me?"

[J-H]

The druid summons a small flame and flings it at the skeleton, retreating 15'. The fire arcs through the air and burrows into the base of the skeleton's skull, causing it to fall off.

Spoiler

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Produce flame (1d20+5)[25] for (1d8)[6]

[TriciaOso]

As the last skeleton collapses into a pyre, Beatrice exhales.

"All right. You've done well, but that's enough for one night, especially with one man down. Connor was sent ahead to the barracks to recover, and it's time the three of you joined him. It will be the Devise Sister's job to see us to morning."

"Good work, and the city thanks you."

[J-H]

Aupti
"Thank you, your..." Aupti pauses for a moment. "Grace." He adds, slightly uncertainly. "Right now I'm glad to be alive. I guess we'll be called if the others aren't enough?"

[zylodrizzt]

Hasgraek doesn't hear a word of that and readies to dash if anyone seems like they could potentially be hostile to him. He keeps his weapons drawn defensively as if warding everyone away WHAT!? he yells still unsure if they are treating him as friend or foe

[Breitheamh]

Shad looks around wildly as the last skeleton is finished off, the adrenaline still surging through her veins. She barely registers that Beatrice is talking, and stares wide-eyed at the pale elven woman. But the thinking part of her brain begins to force itself back to the forefront, and she understands... it's over...

Tonight is over... she could rest now. She had defended this post, this city, with all of her might, and even though she knew she could keep going if she was needed, it was time to rest. A dull thud sounds as her halberd hits the ground, slipping through slackening fingers. She smiles weakly as she goes to pick it up. Maybe they'll need help at the relief station, she thinks to herself, then suddenly feels a lurch in her stomach, and nearly doubles over. She doesn't throw up, though it feels like she might, and she doesn't cry, though there is a significant portion of her that wants nothing more. Just a wave of every imaginable emotion overcoming her at once. The homesickness and betrayal of her family, the fear and panic of being a soldier on the frontlines of war, the relief of being alive, the joy of knowing she had kept everyone she cared about safe, the rage that people had died, the worry for Connor and Aupti, the pain of her own injuries... everything hits her at once, and forces her to a knee.

She puts a fist on the ground, gripping her halberd in the other, and takes a deep breath, and commands her legs to push her up and hold her there. She nods to Beatrice and salutes, blinking back a tear. "Glad I could help, ma'am," she says, somewhat surprised to realize that she actually meant it.

Then Hasgraek's "WHAT!?" sends a jolt through her, and she shakes her head in surprise, and starts to laugh. "It's over, Hasgraek!" she yells to him, not realizing yet that he can't hear her. "We're through for the night! Haha! It's done! And we're alive!" Her laugh rings out clear in the winter air, a pure sound of positivity shining through the gloom if for a brief moment.

[TriciaOso]

Beatrice nods, and crouches so Hasgraek can see her lips move. "Well done. You can rest now." She pats him reassuringly on the shoulder.

The bells of the Iron Carillions begin to chime midnight. Verglas from the relief station finishes her shift and joins you for the the walk up the Rue Desmontaignes to the Avenue of the Keep.

Coming down the Avenue from the barracks, you pass the Devise Sisters, who salute you. The cots in the barracks are impersonal, warm with other people's body heat, and spartan; through the stones of the keep you can hear the bells ring, the crash of siege weapons and the shouts of aerial combat. Somehow, however, you manage to sleep.

You wake to a new year. The sun shines down on a city shaken but not shattered by the long siege, and people are already in the street repairing damage from the night.

[Breitheamh]

Exhausted from the battles behind her, Shad all but collapses on a cot, largely oblivious to most of the sounds of danger around her and the general uncomfortability of the barracks itself. Just so grateful to be horizontal and not in immediate danger.

She's able to pull herself together enough to properly strip her armor and clean her equipment. She asks Verglas if there's somewhere to bathe, but then fumbles her way out of the obvious awkwardness of such a question. "Uh, um, that is, I mean, y'know, like a water trough so I can get a drink and wash my sweaty bits... alone."

Nope, that's worse... SO much worse... she thinks as the color drains from her face.

She just kind of walks away without saying anything after that and finds a wash basin that she uses to splash water on her face, then returns to her cot and lays down for the night.

Spoiler: OoC

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Not sure how Verglas would respond to that, or anyone for that matter.

In the morning, she makes sure to find the others she'd fought beside. She gives them an honest salute, and says, "I'm really glad to have been with all of you last night," then cringes, "I mean, y'know, fighting. Aah! Why am I so bad with words?! Just, thank you that none of us died, I guess....

You guys wanna get some more pie??"

[J-H]

Aupti
Aupti is tired, but doesn't sleep well. It's noisy, the bells are ringing, and he almost died! He staggers awake the next morning, luckily used to sleeping without a bath or shower - after a while, your nose gets extra-sensitive, and people don't really smell that bad most of the time.

Still, the sun is up. The city has survived.

"Pie? Maybe later. Too much of it imbalances the humors of the body. Or, as I was told before all this fancy learning stuff, it's bad for your energy levels later when the sweetness wears off."

[zylodrizzt]

He still wasn't used to how he slept since that day. No snoring. Still mostly aware almost like being paralyzed. Never felt as tho he slept but somehow felt rested. Guess the blood and the magic did that to him. He hoped he could find someone soon to teach him about his transformation. He of course washed up before bed. His wounds would be barely showing in the morning....

Me pleasure lass me pleasure. Uh... speaking of the fighting... did you happen to notice anythin strange during the fight with them wee demons? he really hopes they hadn't and begins thinking up a lie he could tell. He's still a bit on edge about that thinking at any moment he may have to flee.

As fer the pie tho... checks his pockets still fresh out of cash... sorry tho id really love to.

[TriciaOso]

As you make your way out of the Keep, a weary Beatrice Prochaine approaches you.

"Good morning, all of you. Well done last night."

"We've made it through another year, and the city owes you a debt."

She gives each of you a coin or a medallion, minted with the name of the year and the crest of the city; bell, book and candle. The coin is steel. "This will find you goodwill in this city, and anywhere people honor our sacrifice. If you return next year, you can present it at the armory to be outfitted."

"Folks who go through this kind of trial come out the other side stronger. You'll be capable of more than you were. If you return to test your strength again... we'll be glad to have you. If you never come this way again, you'll still carry our gratitude. Gods be with you."

Around the courtyard, you can see similar half-solemn, half-exhausted presentations happening with other groups.

Beatrice takes Hasgraek aside for a moment.

Spoiler: Hasgraek

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"I know what you are, friend. Takes one to know one, eh?" For a moment there is a flash of something, a face behind her face, dreadful to behold. Not a vampire, but... something. "Strength is strength. Walk the straight and narrow, bend your curse to the fight against evil, and you'll always be welcome here. Slip from the path..." She lays her hand on her rapier.

"Are we clear?"

[Breitheamh]

Aupti"Pie? Maybe later. Too much of it imbalances the humors of the body. Or, as I was told before all this fancy learning stuff, it's bad for your energy levels later when the sweetness wears off."

"Well, yeah! I mean, that's kinda the point of an indulgent celebration after victory, isn't it?!" Shad gives Aupti a genuine smile and a clap on the back. "At least come get some kinda breakfast with us, yeah?"

Me pleasure lass me pleasure. Uh... speaking of the fighting... did you happen to notice anythin strange during the fight with them wee demons? he really hopes they hadn't and begins thinking up a lie he could tell. He's still a bit on edge about that thinking at any moment he may have to flee.

"Strange?? Oh! You mean BESIDES the screaming monsters of nightmare and Aupti nearly dying? No, can't say anything particular strange about any of that!" Shad gives sort of a sideways look at Hasgraek, the kind that says, "what are you talkin' about?"

As fer the pie tho... checks his pockets still fresh out of cash... sorry tho id really love to.

"I'll buy it for you then! I've got..." she gets sort of distant for a moment as her face falls and she frowns slightly, "Well, at least I can buy a couple slices of pie."

As you make your way out of the Keep, a weary Beatrice Prochaine approaches you.

"Good morning, all of you. Well done last night."

"We've made it through another year, and the city owes you a debt."

She gives each of you a coin or a medallion, minted with the name of the year and the crest of the city; bell, book and candle. The coin is steel. "This will find you goodwill in this city, and anywhere people honor our sacrifice. If you return next year, you can present it at the armory to be outfitted."

"Folks who go through this kind of trial come out the other side stronger. You'll be capable of more than you were. If you return to test your strength again... we'll be glad to have you. If you never come this way again, you'll still carry our gratitude. Gods be with you."

Around the courtyard, you can see similar half-solemn, half-exhausted presentations happening with other groups.

Shad tries to catch the Devises and Verglas before they leave and invite them out for pie and breakfast as well, continuing to awkwardly fumble her way through polite conversation and constantly feel like she is shoving her foot in her mouth.

As Beatrice presents them with their medallions, she examines the marker closely. Steel felt right for something like this. Gold or silver was what the nobility give each other to inflate their egos. Steel was a soldier's honor; earned, unbroken, modest, and direct. She rubs her thumb over the engraved year's name, and realizes, this coin now marks everything for her...

She cannot stop herself this time, and begins to weep, desperately holding back the sounds clumping in the back of her throat as tears stream down her face. She tries to excuse herself, but the sound is choked in her mouth, and as she turns to leave she stumbles slightly and ends up sitting hard on the cold ground, curling up with her arms around her knees, and just rocks for several minutes. She tries and tries to stop herself, taking deep breaths, like her wetnurses and governess' had taught her. Noble women don't cry, but she wasn't even a noble woman anymore. Soldiers don't cry though, right? Wasn't she a soldier now? No! She was just... what the hell was she now?

[zylodrizzt]

Spoiler: beatrice

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Aye captian we are clear... least as clear as 'dont be something i gotta kill' thing is... I know nothing bout any of this since you do... maybe we can speak on it in private sometime or perhaps you can direct me to someone who can help me learn. Guess me secret is out... do i need to worry bout others that maybe not so understandin? The long dark kinda sorta helped me with this before... perhaps i should speak to the priest of the maiden... thats what you know er by right? By the way thank you for the coin in me homeland if you didnt have this on hand someone that found out either made you buy them a drink or make you drink a shot. Lots of variations ta the game. Same here?

To aupti ah come on lad are ya trying to watch yer figure bwahaha. The lass offered so it be rude to turn er down right? Shad id be glad to eat with you once more.

When he notices shad fall to the ground he doesn't really get it but does his best to console her. If she let's him he picks her up and puts her in some seat somewhere private to calm down. Aye lass let it out all steel bends and breaks sometime. Or are ye sick? I dont know what ta say but i be here if you need me he continues to hang around with her as long as he needs to.

[J-H]

Aupti

Aupti awkwardly pats Shad's shoulder, trying to comfort her. Maybe someone else will help?

...
Later, over the next year

Aupti returns to his tiny nameless hamlet. He tells his parents that the fighting over the winter solstice was exciting, safe, and relatively uneventful. "We stayed behind the walls and dealt with enemies that slipped through the rest. I felt pretty safe the entire time." They are relieved to hear this, and aren't opposed to him going back the next year.

He continues learning more nature magic and book learning from Yupik. She seems bothered by his more accurate recounting of the fighting, but refuses to say why. Aupti's not able to figure out what is bugging her. He spends about two weeks a month traveling in the woods, hunting, gathering, and generally supporting himself and finding valuable herbs and mushrooms to sell. It's not what most people from the city would go for, but he's always known it and doesn't mind sleeping rough.

He has another reason to be out in the woods, though. Out of his little hamlet and the ones around, he's the only one to have participated in the defense against the undead, and just about the only one to have been to Coldwater. He is now a young man who is battle-tested, relatively well-traveled, and who seems to have a future in front of him. At the very least, he'll probably be a regionally respected druid. This makes him stand out from all the other young men, and more than a few parents are subtly or unsubtly steering their daughters his way. At feasts and holiday gatherings, he has a full half-dozen of them or more each wanting him to try the food or dessert they've made... twirling fingers in their hair... happening to be around him. Dropping things in front of him by accident. It's exciting and interesting but also a lot more attention than he's used to.

Not everything with his new status goes quite so well, though. A day or two to the north, Fridrik, the local knight, has his herd of horses escape. Aupti is able to help find them and calm, leading them back to the stables. He is paid for this, but when Fridrik invites him to dinner and quizzes him about the fight in Coldwater, Aupti forgets some of the manners he's been taught, and also makes some unfiltered comments about Fridrik's horsemanship and how horses are a luxury item, not a necessity for growing food like oxen, and how they're mostly good for riding down bandits, not defending the walls. Although objectively true, this bluntness also means that Fridrik is cold to him by the end of the meal, and he is not invited back.

Aupti continues to learn more and deepen his connection to the natural world. In late fall, a young adult owlbear moves into the region, killing livestock and mauling a fellow hunter who barely manages to climb to the tip-top of a tree to get away from it. Owlbears can climb, but they're heavy, and smart enough to not climb so high that they cause a tree to break. He goes after it - with his brother and sister each carrying a bow as well - and they are able to down it. Owlbear fur is a bit tough for use in regular clothing or blankets, but he has another purpose in mind. Aupti skins it, and over the next two weeks, he gets some help sewing the pieces of hide together, ultimately resulting in a striking set of fur-covered grey hide armor that is slightly magical, somewhat warmer, and also more difficult to clean. The worst part of the process is that there are three young women who all offer to help, and they bicker almost incessantly, trying to one-up each other around him. He has no idea how to stop it.

The winter arrives, and although he can create magical fire to stay warm at will, that's not the source of the chill, or the dreams that come. It's almost time to return to Coldwater again...

[TriciaOso]

Aye captian we are clear... least as clear as 'dont be something i gotta kill' thing is... I know nothing bout any of this since you do... maybe we can speak on it in private sometime or perhaps you can direct me to someone who can help me learn. Guess me secret is out... do i need to worry bout others that maybe not so understandin? The long dark kinda sorta helped me with this before... perhaps i should speak to the priest of the maiden... thats what you know er by right?

Not everyone will be as forgiving, in a city where everyone has lost someone to the dead. It's good to be discreet.

Beatrice provides you with the name of a priest of the Maiden, Father John Tete, who can perhaps help you in both ways. Father Tete was turned by a vampire while fighting in the militia and joined the clergy to learn self-control and self-denial. Now he ministers especially to those who have been grave-touched or otherwise marked by the undead, helping them control themselves and their abilities and stay... discreet.