You bring your homebrew class 2!

[Oslecamo]

Ah, that. I had a very fruitfull session with him just a while ago.
Aparently he belongs to a large dragon below cult that call themselves the brotherhood of Yuri. They've been integrating several smaller cults over the years, greatly growing in power.
If we are to believe what he said, they're much more dangerous than we first tought. They seem to have been collecting not only tens of thousands of cultists all over Eberron, but also several artifacts of power that went lost after the Secound Mourning. The gatekeer's cave in particular seems to be holding something really important for them, wich made them come out in big force for the first time.

We are looking at around one seven hundred humanoid cultists, with one in ten being an experienced mage, shaman or warriors among them. They're suported by around three hundred lesser abominations, four beholders and roughly four hundred undeads of several kinds, including some hydra ones. Not to speak of summoned demons, altough that demands special rituals on the spot. There also seems to one black and one green dragon that joined them.

Their leader on the field is a mindflayer. He won't join the frontline untill he's sure there's no danger to him. But we got his location. He has four personal golem bodyguards. A direct strike at him may be a good plan, but I don't feel like taking the risk. Would you take it?

The group in the vilage was suposed to be a defensive force to stop any reinforcments from coming trough and try to get recruits inside the village. They attacked us becauce they heard we were reinforcing the gatekeepers. But since some of them escaped, there goes the element of suprise. You had to skip the conjuration classes hadn't you Bogyk?-tells the captain

You would also have skiped those classes if you had the teacher I had. Anyway, what would be the purpose of airships if everybody could teleport around?-replies the gnome.


Well, the cultist is still alive, if you want to question him yourselves.

[sidhe_blooded]

Samantha

I can play good cop if someone wants to play bad, or, ya know, bad cop if someone wants to play good.

[Emperor Tippy]

Akresh just shrugs and says to the captain "I take it that you took precautions to make sure that he was telling the truth and couldn't hold anything back, correct?"

[Oslecamo]

That he was telling the truth? Yes.

That he spoke all the truth? That I cannot assure you. If you know a better interrogation method, by all means take your chance.

Who do you think we are? The inquisition?

[Emperor Tippy]

Akresh shrugs again and says "I've found that a telepath makes the best interrogator. An ability called Mind Probe is very nice. Unfortunately my regular contacts in that field don't commute and bothering them about this would require me using up favors that I would prefer to save."

[Oslecamo]

Well, there's no telepath in this airship, and there isn't any major city in the path we're taking now, thank you very much.

So, wanna talk to him yourselves or we move on to the planing? We're moving at full speed and should arrive at the cave location in two more hours, acording to Anabela.

[sidhe_blooded]

Samantha

Let's just start planning, if we're gonna get there that soon then we need to figure out what we're gonna do.

[Kagehime]

"Two hours? くそ. I was hoping to get a good night's sleep in. ...Well, maybe we should go talk to him just in case. He might let something else out...'accidentally'." She didn't mean torture. She meant trickery. Yes, she was lawful, but whatever upheld the law...

[sidhe_blooded]

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kagehime, I believe this is the next morning, I could be wrong though

[Oslecamo]

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More than eight hours have passed since you're inside the airship. I assume everybody took the usual rest. Only remembered to tell that now tough.

[Kagehime]

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Oh, alright. Whew!

[SurlySeraph]

Ainariel

Ainariel taps on the wall thoughtfully. "I didn't realize we'd be up against an army that size. But I think we can handle it, if we don't get hit by all of them at once. I think planning our actions might be the most helpful course of action. And I think assassinating that illithid who leads them will be the best way to stop them."

[Oslecamo]

Ah, but remember that we also have some numbers on our side.

This airship has a crew of twenty seven seven brave and well equiped men and women besides me and my lieutenants who all know how to make themselves usefull during a battle, and the airship itself is fited for both air and ground attack. We can deploy siege engines on the deck and we have some other tricks built in that make us a much greater threat than our numbers may hint at first place.

Plus, the gatekeepers themselves claim they've managed to rally at least forty masters and around two hundred initiates, between druids, barbarians, rangers and some others for the defense of the gate.

The entrance of the cave itself is a natural fortress, altough several of our enemies will have unnatural ways to bypass those defenses, but it will greatly help us against their lower ranks.

Finnaly, there are binded spirits, feys treants and mystic animals that have defended the place for hundreds of years, altough the gatekeepers insist on not leting out how many or how strong they are.

Now it's a matter of deciding where, when and how would your abilities be best applied in the coming battle. What's the speciality of each of you?

[sidhe_blooded]

Samantha
I assume you have some idea of you want us to do in the battle already?

[Kagehime]

"There had better be a plan...but I'm exceptional at two things. One is healing my...associates, the other is beating my enemies up physically. You'd be amazed how much strength you can develop if you only do hard labor every day."

Rin sits, and then leans back in her chair.

[SurlySeraph]

"I'm a fighter and a necromancer. I'm also decent at scouting, though I expect my apparently elven companion there" - he gestures at Akresh - "is much better at same. I prefer to weaken and kill individual enemies, though I can cut through large groups if I need to. If we're going to try to meet them in a straight battle, which I do not recommend, I'd stay near the frontlines."

Becoming less self-conscious, Ainariel continues. "I think we should start by assassinating their leader if possible. If it proves too difficult to get to him, we can harass their army as they move - assuming that they'll march, not teleport. Meanwhile, those of us who are less inclinced to stealth can fortify the cave entrance. Building concentric walls around it, preferably with caltrops between them, would also be helpful. The airship could hang off and concentrate its artillery on the army as they assaulted the cave - though we would need quite a few people to stay on the airship to protect it from the dragons and any other flyers. We could also conduct surgical strikes against their stronger casters."

[Emperor Tippy]

"Well I specialize in scouting, spying, forgery, and assassination. And in my experience, assassinating telepaths and those who can read mind's is not exactly a trivial exercise. Specialized equipment is a must. If I was going to try and neutralize the mindflayer I would want to be under the effects of a spell called Mindblank. In the past I've used disposable items that would cast that spell on me but my source for those is no longer among the living. Failing that, it depends on the circumstances. The construct guardians shouldn't be a problem but without more details I won't commit to attempting to assassinate the mindflayer."

[Oslecamo]

As far as we know their teleportation abilities aren't enough to carry their whole force, but we must expect small groups of stronger enemies to appear out of nowhere in the middle of our ranks.

Harassing them on the move however isn't really an option, since they've already surrounded the zone. Actually, they've been the ones doing most of the harrassing untill now, performing hit and run attacks to wear down the gatekepeers while they gather more forces for a final assault, wich I fear shouldn't take too long. It seems like they've also rigged the whole area with traps. The gatekeepers also did their best to build defensive structures in their controled zone.

The mindflayer hides inside a small natural dungeon compex around half a mile from the gatekeeper's position. Besides his golems there are also a small group of troops defending the area, wich you would need to bypass in some way.

Spliting up depending on your abilities is also a valid option.

Personally, what I would like to do would be digging in the cave's entrance and killing those damn cultists as they came, then sudenly push forwards with everything we have to cripple them. Retreat swiftly, then repeat, untill the enemy breacks down.

[sidhe_blooded]

Samantha

If I have cover I can take relatively large groups of minions, or I can concentrate on one powerful fellow, or I can provide limited battlefield control.

[Emperor Tippy]

"How good are you at sneaking? And can that field you manipulated to hold us block sound?"

[Kagehime]

"I'll cover everybody's back with shielding and healing, and rub out the ones that get past the first wave," Rin chimes in.

[sidhe_blooded]

Samantha

Sneaking is not my forte, and no, we were talking through the field last night remember? I should probably hang back with Rin, I can cause havok at range, I don't take hits too well though.

[The Glyphstone]

"On me own, nopes, I not sneaky at all, though I got de magic to make myself into somethin' dat is. My talents be in the mastery of makin' things better, or makin' them worse. Blessin's, curses, boons, an' hexes, dey all be at my fingertips - literally."

He holds the small doll in his hand up for viewing, displaying its crude but uncanny similarity to his own appearance.

"Me people call it voodoo, and it be a powerful weapon in de hands of a mastah. Dis be my effigy - I made it meself, wid a bit o' hair cut from me own head. It be bonded to me in a way only anothah witch doctah can undahstand, but da point ya need to know is dat for any o' da magics I cast, dis doll and I are one and da same. I got no need to see or touch a mon if I got dere effigy in my hand instead - I cast da spell on de effigy, and de link carries its effects to da one it be bonded to, with more powah than if I had cast it on dem directly. Same goes fo' you, but da craftin' of an effigy takes whatevah bit o' yourself dat ya wish to surrender to be da most effective. Wid da proper time, I can make any mon fight at ten times 'is normal strength an' skill, meself included."

[Oslecamo]

As you discuss strategy, sudenly one crewman comes down the corridor handling a small piece of paper.

Captain! It just arrived an animal messenger for you!

Calm down!-says the dwarf, steping towards the crewman-Let me check that first to see if it isn't traped

The cleric holds the piece of paper and mutters some words, but nothing happens. He then passes the piece of paper to Sajik.

Looks fine, captain, you can read it safely.

Thank you, let's see what it says. It must be from the druids...Oh..Crap...*****!

The captain seems to lose his composture for a moment, but quickly returns to his old self, storing the paper inside his pocket.

Well, good and bad news people. The good news is that the gatekeepers had managed to find some extra reinforcments. Thirty acolytes and four masters The bad news is that they were ambushed in their way to the cave. One beholder, backed up by around one hundred cultists, undeads and aberrations, were waiting for them out of the siege area.

Acording to the message, the gatekeepers managed to kill eighty members of the attacking group, but the beholder ended up overpowering them. Half of them turned to stone or charmed. Only two escaped alive, one master and one acolyte and they're hiding now. They say they saw our airship and they had heard we were coming for help. Now they're begging for us to intercept the beholder and rescue their brethern. They fear that they may try to use the prisioners for some dirty trick. The main gatekeepers force can't help, seems like it's under heavy assault right now.

However, if that's true, then I cannot afford to change the course of the airship for a rescue mission. I must get to the cave as fast as possible. But perhaps you could do it.

Beholders are slow. It surely didn't manage to reunite with the core of the cultists force by now. We could drop you off near his calculated position, then you would track them. Killing the beholder should end the charms, and petrification can be solved later. After that you would have enough strenght to breack trough the cultists lines, or at least hold off untill I could come back for you.

Then, the captain reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a green map. Taking a pen from a pocket, he scribbles a cross on it and then shows it to you:

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By the information on the letter and my knowledge, the beholder should be around here, in the cross zone. It's still foggy weather, not enough to hide the airship, but enough for some men to fly away from it whitout being sighted. This is, I hope you have some means of flying right?

Thunders are the acolyte forces. They're divided in several twenty five men batallions. There's also two large concentration of them in the large thunder positions, between two and three hunder of them in each.

The gatekeepers are the moons. They've chosen to divide themselves in ten members squads. the large moon is the gatekeepers council and the brunt of their force, roughly one hundred, to help where needed and also holding the main entrance. The flower is the entrance of the cave itself, and the punctuated lines are the fortifications protecting it.

You can also choose to ride with us to the gate, but then who knows what the cultists may do with the captured gate keepers...Damn it, we don't need this now! Only bad choices!

[Oslecamo]

(stupid server slowdowns)

[SurlySeraph]

"I'm sure I can track the beholder. But unless someone else here can make me fly, I can't go as fast as I'd want to for this. Still, I think we might want to take out the beholder. Anything that lures any of them out of position buys us time and weakens them."

[sidhe_blooded]

Samantha

I can get you off the ground, but during combat you'll be on your own, I can't keep you up and participate at the same time.

[The Glyphstone]

"Save ya strength for de battle - it be a trivial mattah for me to grant us all de powah of flight, as well as just about any othah defense ya'd like tah name. It gonna cost ya, though - if I'm tah make some propah effigies, I'm gonna need some donations."

[Kagehime]

"I might be able to whip up something that could get you flying. But, again, I'll be doing my own thing, and just yell if you need any support."

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I think I'll add 'Fly' to her list of spells--which is why I left those slots open!

[Emperor Tippy]

Akresh says 'Flying isn't a skill that I've mastered."