Many horses and soldiers fall to the ground, charred. The parties mounts included. After hitting the ground hard they right themselves and prepare to continue on foot to face Zorok and three of his ogre guard.
As the distance is closed a few ranged attacks are exchanged and Zorok casts his mage armour. The ogre guard put themselves between the party and Zorok as some of the back-rank cavalry continue towards them. The party engage with some of the Ogres and exchange blows, Qas sets fire to the nearest tent in the encampment. After a few short moments the party have brought down one of the ogres and another is engaged with two mounted Mordred soldiers, the third still battling on.
Zorok begins using his Misty Step to engage in melee and things are looking risky especially with the initial fireball damage the party took. The combat rages on and Crom dismembers another ogre, leaving only one and the main target, Zorok.
Initiating the previous strategy once more, Mornington casts hideous laughter, bringing Zorok to his knees and vulnerable to attack as his demon cackle fills the air. Fenris capitalises on this, bringing down a mighty blow with his war hammer. Crom uses his rage fuelled speed to keep toe to toe with Zorok after he misty steps away, keeping tactical flanking between the party members. The remaining mounted soldiers manage to bring down the last ogre guard and move forward, ready to make a wide turning circle.
A burst of frenzied combat occurs and many are wounded from the fights back and forth. Zorok makes a move on Mornington and he flees to keep out of his grasp. Looking particularly injured, bright blue blood fading to dark streaks down the ogre mage's torso, he is caught out in the open. Edward, after contributing several eldritch blasts into the mix turns to Scorching Ray and fires three projectiles towards the hulking figure. All three hit, the first two carving craters into Zorok's chest, the third strikes him in his jaw and erupts out of the back of his skull in a flash of colour. The runes carved across his skin begin to glow with an increasing intensity as his body shakes and emits more and more of an arcane glow. Finally his body vaporises into thousands of pieces and he is blown apart in a bright explosion of blues and purples. Four sparks of light fly out into the air from the location where he once stood, two climbing to a much greater height than the others.
One flies into the largest of the three tents in the ogre encampment, one towards the capstan castle where it disappears at the foot of the gatehouse, the third flies south out of sight while the last flies over the Dust Spine Ridge.
The explosion is large enough to be noticed by those under the banner of The Storm Shard Tribe. They quickly lose morale and disengage from the forces of the Guradam Kingdom. A peace of sorts falls over the surroundings and the party gather themselves as they can hear the cheers of victory coming from the castle to the east.
Making sure everyone is accounted for they gingerly make their way into the large ogre tent, not sure what they will find. Inside, a huge ornate chest is found. It seems to be made from stone and metal, making it look somewhat like an ancient coffin. The lock on it however is modern, but poorly constructed and is broken off quickly. Inside is the largest treasure hoard the party have ever seen. Many weapons, artefacts, gems, art pieces, trade goods and a mixture of currency both modern and ancient. Edward's eyes of the rune keeper allow him to read the ancient language on the coins, denoting they are from the Dargean Empire, something unheard of by the party. As a last check, the chest is investigated for any hidden compartments, and a slip of parchment is found behind a hidden panel. The parchment depicts a circle with several runic symbols around its exterior joined by intricate lines. Crom catches a glimpse and realises he has seen this image before, upon the large door carved into the Horn Peak Mountain.
With the help of a horse drawn cart, and several soldiers, the party bring the treasure back to the castle. Through the now sombre, battle scarred lands surrounding the castle they progress, soldiers nodding in respect as they go.
Once inside the bailey of Capstan Castle the soldiers have cleared a path and the party meet Rahl Capstan by the keep. A few words of praise are given and all men, women and children applaud and cheer the party for the victory they secured this day.
Revelry begins as the victorious celebrate and a great party is hosted in the castle, open to all. The party mingle with many they have got to know in this short period and drink well into the night.
A toast is made to the Faunar Watch, a heart felt thanks for being the heros needed in dark times.
Edward sneaks out of the castle during the celebrations, and heads to the base of the gatehouse where the second of the four lights had travelled. He discovers the axe that Artax had taken from the Hobgoblin Captain, it's distinct carved imagery upon the axe head, wedged in the rocky outcropping. Edward manages to pull it from the stone and notices one of the castle's banners overhead is torn.
They never found a body. Had he broken his fall, or was he now one of the countless bodies strewn across these blood-soaked lands?
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