A fearsome opponent stands along the battlements from the party. A hulking figure with deep red skin, carved deeply by glowing runes that shift in hue. He lowers his head and opens his mouth of jagged teeth as a belowing roar shakes the bones of those around him.
Fenris and Crom advance while taking defensive positions, staying out of range of any melee attacks but still forming a wall between this creature and the other party members. Fenris uncorks a healing potion, quickly sinking it, while Crom dons his large eye-emblazed shield, opting to wield his gretaxe one-handed.
Aegheard Leofred of the Mordred company shouts orders to the soldiers of the castle to get into position. Men from all three noble houses are scrambling for their weapons in the face of the demonic pressence before them. Tomas Vinares of the Capstan Guard is up on the battlements with the party. Seeing archers in the bailey take formation he raises his sword up "READY, AIM ...FIRE" as he whips his sword down. A volley of arrows all draw in to the pinned location of Zorok as many arrows start to tear into him, a few stray arrows causing close calls to the party as well. Zoroks blood oozes forth, momentarily sharing a similar glow to the runes across his body. In response Zorok lifts up his staff and draws concentric circles above his head, a large barrier sphere begins to faintly glow around his body as the last few arrows seem to richochet off of the sphere.
Edward tries to launch an agonizing blast towards Zorok, but with the positioning of the castles tower defences the arcane energy collides with the ramparts instead. Mornington flourishes a short and sharp melody on his flute as psychic energy grips Zoroks mind. Echoing demonic laughter emits from the ogres diaphragm as his body begins to seize up and he falls to his hands and knees, prone. Mornington then shouts to his allies, "HOLD! Take this moment to ready yourself and heal if you need to." The other party members start to do so as Crom and Fenris heal and move up to Zorok ready to strike if the spell were to break.
Tomas raises his sword again as he prepares the soldiers for another volley. "READY, AIM..." Mornington spins on his heel as he stares at the Captain with eyes of daggers. "NO, hold your attack, we have a plan!" pleads Mornington. Tomas looks bewildered at the request seeming an enemy is within their walls. He hesitates as he looks around the castle... "HOLD!" he shouts, standing with his sword still held high.
The red skinned ogre lifts his head from its lowered position, still emitting gutural laughter that bounces from the castle walls, amplifed for a captive audience. He locks eyes with Fenris, and speaks to him in common tongue.
"I AM ZOROK DEMON-BORN, ogre mage of the Storm Shard tribe, and you will die by MY HAND!"
Fenris, barely looking down to meet his gaze, grips his gilded warhammer tight. "Well, in that case, you leave me no choice but to take your hands", Fenris lifts the warhammer and brings it down with furious vengence, a flash of blue light fades to reveal Zorok unscathed, protected by his arcane armour.
Crom digs deep into his wavering reserves of energy and sees a floating patch of the protective sphere still glowing from Fenris' strike. He raises his greataxe up high, one-handed, and screams loudly as he tries to bring it down upon Zorok. It breaks through the sphere with a shattering sound and cuts deep into the collor bone and down the chest of Zorok, an eruption of glowing blood splashes across the axe and his torso before it fades to red.
The castle goes quiet, the laughter has stopped, and Zorok begins to stand.
Edward, who had been holding an eldritch blast, waiting for the right moment, launches forward an orb of purple energy that collides with the demonic ogre. "FIRE!" shouts Tomas as his sword whips downward once more. Another volley of arrows follow Edward's spell, many landing, but some wounding Crom and Fenris in the process.
Zorok holds one hand over the smoke rising from the eye sockets of his staff. Smoke quickly surrounds his body, and in a quick vacuum of energy, his being is ported across the battlements, reappearing toe to toe with Mornington. The wind seems to pick up in an instance as three small air elementals whip into existence around Zorok, almost identical to those that the Faunar element stone summoned.
Fenris runs to aid Mornington, striking down one of the elementals with his magical warhammer. His approach is halted as Mornington is positoned between Fenris and Zorok on battlement stairs.
Mornington turns and looks up at his adversary as the icy sensation of fear comes over him. Despite this, he quickly utters arcane language that vicously mocks the ogre with words that can only be torn from the weave itself. Zorok scrunches his eyes closed and staggers slightly, when he reopens them he has a renewed anger to his expression.
Zorok holds his staff horizontaly towards Mornington as the clouds darken above. Crackling energy shoots down the length of the staff as a lightning bolt lunges forward, electrifying Mornington, Fenris and Crom! The barbarians vision leaps from bright light to deep darkness as he falls unconcsious and his body hits the floor with a thud.
"READY, AIM ...FIRE!" Another volley of arrows, some disrupted by the air elementals, sail forward. Zorok winces in pain, looking visibly worn from his injuries.
Edward, blocked by elementals and Zorok, starts descending the tower in an attempt to take the long route to the now fallen Crom.
Holding one hand over the smoke of his staff once more, Zorok steps through mist, this time out of sight. A soldier points over the ramparts as Zorok is seen behind the siege protection carried by his ogre brethren. He raises his staff as an orange glow surrounds the goat skull head. A small spark floats forward, gaining speed as it rapidly approaches the castle ramparts. Mornington and Fenris barely have time to react as a 40ft wide firball engulfs the castle wall. The smoke parts, and neither Mornigton or Fenris are standing. The air elementals however, are no more.
Edward looks up as he sees the eruption overhead and his heart sinks. He immediately alters his path, rushing back up the tower to aid his friends. He makes it to the top of the wall and can see the scorched devastation before him as the ogres retreat down the castle ramp. He uses his patrons powers to spare the dying and stabilizes Mornington. He rushes over to Fenris and Crom as soldiers also make it to the scene, looking to help. "QUICK, search them for healing potions, HELP THEM!" shouts Edward. He finds a potion on Fenris, as the soldiers search Crom, finding nothing.
Edward rushes to Crom after seeing Fenris' eyelids flutter, he too cannot find a potion. He holds Crom's mouth to his ear, he is breathing, barely. He is stable, a close call with death.
The soldiers help escort the party to the military camp within the castle bailey. There they have wounds tended to and for the first time that day, rest their battle torn bodies.
Tomas joins the party after the apothocaries and barber surgeons concluded their work. Patched up enouigh to be aware of their surroundings, the party speak with Tomas who venerates them for their bravery. The other military leaders, Aegheard and Magnus, enter the tent. They too thank the party for their heroic deeds but bring word that the Lord of the castle requests an audience. They make their way, somewhat slowly, into the keep of Capstan Castle.
Lead to a small meeting chamber within the keep, the party meet Rahl and Heron Capstan. Father and son sat in the arrangement of small thrones in the room. Rahl's two daughters are also sat nearby, looking rather worried with the recent events. The castle is full of villagers and soldiers and it appears that Rahl has willingly let his people use varied spaces within the castle, far more than the party would expect from a Lord. The dull red of the Capstan family colours is visible in the decor of the castle as well as in the clothes of the noble family.
Introductions are made with a mixed result of courtesy from the party and Lord Capstan spills his thoughts and concerns as well as gratitude to the party. He seems unnerved and paranoid, a slightly jittery older man with a lot of weight on his shoulders. Mornington interacts the most and clocks that Rahl recognises, or flat out knows, of Mornington's nobility.
A plan is made to meet in the morning to discuss next moves regarding the current occupation of the village. In the mean time Lord Capstan offers the party suitable quarters for them to retire to and they part ways.
The party are shown to their room, one of the best lodgings they have seen in a long time. Barely enough energy to exchange any further words, the party collapse into a long and well earned rest after a long, long day.
Next Session 37
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