#Ryker is a dragon-killing maverick

[thederailersdnd]

Session 16: Defending Mountainroot

When last we left our heroes, most were standing over a slain red dragon, while others were converging on their companion’s positions. All while the encroaching orc army continues its progression toward northward, toward the village of Mountainroot.

Wander, Cindy, and Donkey break through the underbrush from the north just as Arunak returns from a wolf killing escapade. Everyone starts to discuss next steps as they triage, healing what they can through spell or potion. Elder Moss informs them that Vinyard is up to something, she just needs more time, and takes flight, returning to the village. Wander passes Spark back to Zezu. As he takes the phoenix chick, she transforms into her juvenile form, now able to fly. As final preparations and decisions are made, Wander pulls out the Efreeti genie bottle and summons him for the last time, sending him forward to cause as much damage as possible. Cindy climbs aboard the giant owl Wander had summoned and takes to the sky.

Passing Spark back to Wander for safekeeping, Arunak and Zezu sneak to the west flank of the army. Their goal is disabling one of the war machines. Stealthily climbing a small cliff, Zezu pushes Arunok back as they come face-to-face with strangely armored orcs with glowing weapons, a familiar metal box pulled by two sabertoothed creatures, and a catapult. As Arunak stealthily moves to climb over the edge, he dislodges a rock, causing a ruckus and making them both slip and fall off the side. At the bottom, they don’t have time to escape the barrage of arrows. Arunak dodges some, but Zezu isn’t so lucky. Bleeding heavily, they both run back to their companions.

Meanwhile, everyone else takes to the eastern side, hoping to distract the forces from Zezu and Arunak’s stealth mission. Seeing the Efreeti do what he can before falling in a fiery blast, they break out of cover… into hoards of orcs. Nahtan surges forward on his wolf steed, taking out swaths of orcs with divinely powered swings. The team notices flashes of a giant ghostly form echoing his movements as divine energy surges around him.

Wander casts confusion, causing a group of orcs to fall into disarray. Ryker alternates firing molotov cocktail arrows over the orcs and with hiding in the trees. Yevin cast fireball over a war machine, but magically shifts the blast into acid. Donkey hurls insults as Havayla prays for intervention. As the battle continues, the Derailers cause an impressive amount of damage, but the hoard is overwhelming. They all move into hiding or cover as they wait for openings in the enemies line.

Returning from their failed stealth mission, Arunak and Zezu run toward their companions. Outpacing Zezu, Arunak confers with Havayla, before joining to support Nahtan’s escape, using with Checkmate, his flying sword. Meanwhile, Zezu is attacked by a former ally of the team, the half orc Grumdark, coming from the north. Battered, Zezu barely escapes and collapses into invisible Wander and hidden Havayla. He explains what happened as Nahtan retreats. Aurora the unicorn, also badly hurt, pulls Nahtan and his wolf toward Havayla as she pulls Zezu to Aurora. Meeting in the middle, Aurora teleports the herself and her wounded comrades back to the village.

The rest of the team has glimpsed a young white dragon attacking Cindy on the giant owl. This is the white dragon that was dissatisfied with the rule of the Council of Draconum and obviously defected. Knowing that there is likely another dragon captive on the ridge and realizing that there are potentially enemies already at Mountainroot, Wander calls for retreat to the village as she runs northward, followed closely by Arunak. As they retreat, a barrage of arrows falls, wounding them both.

Yevin, Ryker, Havayla and Donkey begin to retreat as well, doing what they can to prevent the army’s move forward. Yevin creates a wall of thorns before retreating, followed by donkey. Ryker shoots at the white dragon, hoping to distract it so Cindy can escape. He succeeds… but now the dragon is focused on him and Havayla.

Teleported back to Mountainroot, Nahtan, Zezu, and Aurora appear in what initially looks like an empty village. Closer inspection reveals families invisibly hidden in the trees, only the elders and a small fighting force are visible, protecting the central tree where Vinyard is, as magic flashes around it. Yonder heals them all completely and explains that they only need a little more time for whatever Vinyard is planning. Aurora senses the feywild magic but cannot telepathically connect to Vinyard.

Rushing through the woods, Wander and Arunak run into Grumdark. Recognizing them, he asks about their allegiances. As he speaks of “returning Zandoria to glory” and realizes they are not on the side of Carvacus, Wander commands him to flee. Unable to resist, Grumdark runs to the south west, away from the village and further conflict. As they continue, another set of footsteps approaches, mechanical and familiar. Tinker’s Automaton breaks through the trees and stops, awaiting a command. Wander initially tells it to stay and protect, but realizes it could be more use where they’re going, and calls over her shoulder for it to follow.

Now targeted by a white dragon, Ryker and Havayla begin their escape. Conflicted, Ryker stops, gives Havayla her father’s ring, instructs her to continue running, before turning back to the army, intending to covertly disable the war machines. As he hides, the dragon locks on to Havayla instead. An arrow shot from hiding into its eye gives the dragon a better target in Ryker, as he starts a chase back to the south.

In Mountainroot, Nahtan is unsatisfied with waiting for either friend or foe to break through the treeline. Ignoring Aurora’s telepathic pleas to stay, he hoists up Zezu and rides south, as catapulted rocks begin assaulting the edge of the village.

Wander and Arunak run through the trees, breaking out on the valley’s edge before the path to Mountainroot, and right into the orc leader Azuke with a small orc battalion. Wearing the dragon helm and holding a mace that pulses with magical energy, Azuke demands that Wander surrenders and takes him to her leaders. The Firbolgs have caught the interest of Skulldrinker, due to Wander’s past interactions and the disappearance of one of their Onacks. Calling upon her blessing from the elders, Wander convinces Azuke to let her go down to the village first. Motioning for her to lead the way, Azuke follows right behind, as the attending orcs surround Arunak.

Having thoroughly pissed off yet another dragon, Ryker engages in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, flitting in and out of the shadows, luring the dragon to the ground. Doing what he does best (and aided by a well-timed nat 20 for stealth), Ryker hides in the dragon’s blind-side. A quick distraction and a perfect shot in the dragon’s good eye, another dragon is felled. The stealthy slayer of dragons decides that maybe joining the group is a better tactic than a death run, and turns to follow where Havayla fled.

Yevin, hearing voices ahead, stops in the trees. He watches as Aurnok and Wander are directed away by Azuke. Not knowing the tenuous truce agreed on, he casts hypnotic pattern on the group, avoiding Wander but unable to keep Arunak out of the effect. Arunak and the orcs succumb to the charming display, as one orc and Azuke shake it off. Azuke, with an “I told you no surprises,” releases his held action, bashing an already wounded Wander into unconsciousness with two hits, giving a third for good measure on her broken body, before turning towards the charmed Arunak. Spark flies off in search of Zezu.

*clunk* *clunk* *clunk* *clunk* with a crash, Tinker’s Automaton bursts through the trees, barreling into the charmed orcs, shredding them with a swipe. Cindy lands next to Yevin, takes in the scene of her fallen friend, and fires her crossbow at Azuke. Missing, her shot hits Arunak, which knocks him out of his charmed state, just in time to release a barrage of blows, stunning Azuke. At this moment, Havayla breaks through the trees. Taking in the scene, she ignites her sword and rushes Azuke as well. Yevin runs in to heal Wander, bringing her back to consciousness just as Ryker uses the sending stone to tell her of the felled dragon. Nahtan and Zezu, joined by Spark, arrive to the conflict. Nahtan takes the dragon helm off the sunned Azuke’s head as overhead a familiar multicolored dragon flies, landing in the center of Mountainroot stead.

And that is where we leave our heroes. Will the appearance of a friendly dragon turn the tides? Will all the clans escape to the feywild? Can the Derailers defeat their second orc commander? We’ll find out next week…