Where: Cormuk on the Island of Sarthorn
When: MR 8221 Brenst 13 - Collis 14
Meet: June 23rd 2007
The party returned to Cormuk with Gold to hire the speargrass tribe.
The party is placed in command of a tower, they choose the east tower based on the vision they received. 60 Troops are placed under their command, and the party fortifies the tower to some extent
Nervosh is asked to fire the arrow of denial to keep teleportation from occurring around the city.
The Ludimarites arrive and surround the city
During the first night the ludimarites overran the earthworks of the Groenorornhorth orcs. Nervosh, HräshHläng and Hauthlaugh acted as a vanguard for a unit of orcs. The orcish survivors took shelter in a nearby forest.
Meanwhile (back at the ranch), A group of orcs arrive at the walls asking for sanctuary. Caelum consents to let them near the walls but not to allow them into the city. The orcs violated these terms climbing the walls to attack. An invisible spellcaster began to attack the battlements with great cones of fire and soon animates the dead orcs to form a second wave which were subsequently dispatched by Hedwinn’s black tentacles.
Overall a dozen soldiers are killed and a siege engine is lost.
Elsewhere in the city the paladins of Cormuk tookavy losses while slaying the sole enemy Dracolich.
The next day enemy siege engines started spreading disease throughout the city with little acrid balls of meat. Caelum, while traveling to a briefing learnt that they were skinless, dead rats, bearing a formidable magical illness. Panamet requested volunteers to destroy the enemy siege engines and to prevent the spread of the disease. Caelum stayed on the wall to heal while the rest of the party burrow across to attack the siege engines.
At the siege engines they discovered a devourer, a necromancer, a pair of wraiths, and a few skeletons who were collectively dispatched with moderate difficulty. The party, upon examining the camp found steel boxes of dead and dying rats, a chopping block where their tails were removed, and a vat of acid for removing skin. One of the engineers offered to help them disassemble the siege engines in order to move them back into the city through the tunnel. As a result the party got 3 additional siege engines and 6 more engineers which covers their former losses quite well.
Meanwhile Caelum faced a lone skeletal dragon (not a dracolich just an animated skeleton) and attempted to beat it in one-on-one arial combat, he is forced to retreat and call in the (aerial) cavalry to dispatch it.
The next day the undead launched an all out assault on the east city set off with forged orders for Caelum and followed shortly thereafter with a unit of formidable bugbear skeletons. The party managed to hold the wall against the skeletons and the undead casters (Huecuvas) in their midst but were soon beset by a greater threat, a pair of plague spewers tunneling under the wall and attempting to infect the grain silos
The party at length dispatched the threats and the siege calmed down for two weeks. With ammunition and supplies running somewhat low Cormuk’s navy sets out to break a Ludimarite blockade in order to allow ships from Nilport to come with reinforcements and supplies. The party opted to act as a diversionary force to the south (port, or for landlubbers left) again as per the prophecy.
They found a command barge which was strangely abandoned save for two corpses of Paladins of Cormuk both tortured then beheaded cleanly. Below decks they encountered Maugan Doomscythe leader of the Ludimarite military who bore a striking resemblance to Caelum. After some discussion wherein Maugan claimed that Ludimarites were not animals, and that they were attacking only as diplomacy had failed swords were drawn. The party fought a fierce battle against Maugan and his Mummy minions one of whom overpowered Haudthlaugh and dragged him away on the heels of Maugan as he retreated. The remaining forces were quickly bested and the party set the raft afire to destroy them.
The party reacted with mixed feelings when their ranks were bolstered by half the Athalish navy. The Athalites had come after receiving word form the dwarves and effectively routed the Ludimarites who fled westward. Some of the Ludimarites came under attack and the party moved to aid thief flagship which was rammed by the Dromond Dragonspine. The Ludimarites had captured Titus, a Consul of Athalin and a mighty Paladin of Mechalus. They rescued him fighting their way past a clutch of vampire spawn, an astraly projecting nightmare and an evil adventuring party lead by a vampire cavalier.
Titus, once rescued was very please for the party’s efforts which aided negotiations with Panamet considerably.
At the end of the day Cormuk’s Defenses stood strong enough that Panamet could well withstand for months to come. He welcomed the Athalites and was very pleased with their aid in the naval battle but saw no need for their continued presence. The Athalites after a great deal of negotiation agreed to establish a large bastion in Cormuk whereby military control would be shared between Panamet and Titus while Civil Control would rest with Panamet alone. The Athalites recognized the party as heroes of the battle and presented 3,000 to each (surviving) party member. Additionally they extended citizenship to the entire party allowing each to be treated as a “civilized race” under Athalish law. This highly unusual act on the part of the Athalites has strict caveat upon it; that while in Athalish Territory the party must appear as civilized creatures such as humans, halflings, or dwarves. They provided the party with potent amulets which can be used once per day to polymorph a willing individual who wears them into one of these three races. The change can resize held equipment also.
The Groenorornhorth orcs survived though decimated from their original number in Dachoen.
