#siviri | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thepilgrimofwar · 5 years ago

Text

The Holdouts of the Black Banner - Edited Roll20 Log

[Event Start!]

The journey up to the Cloudrend Glades starts with cobbled path up a minor slope, to a winding road snaking its way up a mountainside, then, as Zarannis takes the Heroes of the Emberglades off the beaten path- a climb with steps made from ancient wooden boards to terraform the soil itself into steps. Before long, they were hundreds above sea level and could see the whole realm from an outlook in the mountainous woods. Mist shrouded lakes of the Cloudrends, beyond that, hills and woods, beyond that the half-burned fields of the Heartlands, and beyond those was The Great Sea.

Zarannis turned back to the others. “Not far now,” she said, carrying upon her back her black greatsword as well as the Black Banner of Lord Tar’saren. One that Sederis had once carried into battle. The hope was that the sight of it would lure out one of their patrols to at least speak with them- at worse, ambush them thinking they were Alliance lackeys who had stolen it.

Then, as they drew to a narrowing between two minor cliffs, something felt off to any observant enough to feel it.

[Perception Roll]

[A figure steps out of the woods. An unshaven elven man armed with a crossbow.]

Gerren Shatterspear lowers his weapon, a crossbow of shoddy construction maintained by animal sinew and hewn wood from the surrounding trees. “Lady Highdawn?”

Zarannis looks back to the member of her entourage.

Thanidiel just fucking squints - the blaze of her fel-green eye dimming some through her golden greathelm. A very simple, direct-to-the-point, statement sounds: "Who the shit are you?" Which, if anything, confirms the man's guess.

Ethalarian:"Making friends everywhere you go, Thanidiel."

Gerren Shatterspear regards the others around her and further lowers his weapon to his side. “Gerren Shatterspear. You don't know me, but we know of you...You were there at the Battle for the Isle. You were there when Lord Emberheart fell.” He pauses for a long moment, as rusty cogs begun churning within his mind. “We didn’t we? We actually won?”

Thanidiel lets out a long 'Mmmmm' that reverberates deep through her chest and comes out muffled from her armour. Perhaps debating Ethalarian's choice of the word 'friends.' "The Kingdom of Quel'Thalas stands, the North from the efforts of the Black Banner preserved; the South diminished by foul magicks."

Zarannis nods at Thanidiel's response. “In short, yes we did. Months ago. Hadn’t you heard?”

Gerren Shatterspear shakes his head. “It’s hard to receive news when you’re constantly fighting for your life.”

Zarannis narrows her eyes. “If you consider stealing grain and cutting down crops fighting- I’m afraid to tell you that you’re inflicting misery upon the local peasantry.”

Gerren Shatterspear frowns. “No, even if they aren’t the Alliance subjugated serfs we thought they were, the peasants were a means to an end.” He thumbs behind him into the deep woods. “You know of the Troll Tunnels that run beneath the Glades?”

Zarannis gives him a look. “I am familiar.”

Gerren Shatterspear “So you know they were infested with the Undead, even after Sederis’ campaign to make them safer.”

Ethalarian perks up.

Zarannis lowers her head. “They’re still down there then.”

Gerren Shatterspear gives her an ominous look. “Them and more. Truth be told, I’ve been sent to get help. From the Alliance. But it’s clear that you’ll make a good substitute. Because the Amani are hunting us down.”

Zarannis also perks up. “The Amani? Here? Impossible, the Amani who lived in the Cloudrends were wiped out in the Fall. Sederis and I went in search of them.”

Gerren Shatterspear nods. “They hunt us from beyond the grave.”

Iriina pipes up. "Going to be hard to get help from the Alliance when they've run off with their tails between their legs."

Gerren Shatterspear shrugs. "Then it is pure luck that I've run into you and yours then."

Thanidiel:"I would not turn down putting down beasts; I believe we were aware it may come to such when we were first briefed."

Following Gerren, the Heroes of the Emberglades find themselves at the entrance of a grand tunnel. Black obsidian tiles marked with intricate designs and pagan runes that held no more meaning for the living. “Follow me close.”

Gerren Shatterspear speaks, half-preoccupied with a lost zombie. Giving some direction to the party. "My company is up ahead. Left tunnel, then turn right once you hit the end and following on through until you hit a cross section.

"Are we moving as one or shall I delve as far as I can go?" asks Thanidiel.

"I can run with you if necessary," Iriina replies

Zarannis nods, "as far as you can go as long as we can support you."

“Then it will be so." Thanidiel shoulders past Ethalarian, taking at Zarannis' heels and eventually outpacing the Farstrider down the tunnelway.

[Combat Start]

The group moves as one initially. Cutting down the Undead that wandered the halls that seemed to grow thicker in number the deeper they went. But as Thanidiel and Zarannis spearheaded their way into the darkness, they quickly leave behind others who begin exploring smaller offshoot tunnels. Zombies start coming at them from all directions, and though they were large in numbers, the party deals with them easily. Save for Iriina who is eventually covered in viscera as she holds back the ones that explode.

Eventually they regroup at a junction where a centralized force of Undead seemed to be fighting the Undead Amani Trolls that Gerren had spoken about. Capitalizing on this, the group engages them while they are occupied. Tearing into them and drawing the attention of their leader.

[Undead Mage Encountered]

A skeletal mage in ragged robes and a blue fire in its chest steps round the corner. Confused to why half of his warriors had ceased to be in the last two minutes. Siviri Stormsinger screeches. “Who in Fel are you lot?” It verbalizes through a blue flame at its heart. It’s teeth clattering as he spoke as if by habit.

Gerren Shatterspear blinks. It is obvious that the soldier had never run into an undead in the tunnels that spoke. He decides not to shoot it on sight. "The living?" Gerren responds, as he wrapped his mind around this.

Thanidiel notes this, "and now we have a target." She leans sidelong, looking behind her and down the corridor to Ethalarian in the distance, "Dawnstalker!" She barks, "Double time, we've the leader of this band ahead."

Ethalarian wastes no time in blitzing down the corridor, Faithbreaker a veritable beacon in the dim light by this point so hot is are the winding flames along the blade's edge. Leader. The mage? The mage. Once in range, he steps hard with his front foot and snaps his hips, putting every ounce of his weight into this blow.

Siviri Stormsinger screeches and responds with a spell, freezing the air around Ethalarian.

Ethalarian grimaces as the air around him immediately turns to ice, freezing his exposed skin and biting all the way down to the bone.

Thanidiel moves forward to support Ethalarian, her poleaxe starting to flare with the same holy flame as her companion. The weapon swings to crumple its weight down into the mage's guard.

The Mage’s Boneguard disintegrates into a pile of bones and armor pieces in a pillar of flaming light.

Ethalarian had wavered for a moment after the ice lance punched through his armor. His Light flickered in the dark, and his knees threatened to buckle. Before they buckled entirely, he managed to brace himself against the wall. "You'll find I'm not so easily killed, stranger," he says to the blonde as he downs the phial of viscous crimson liquid and presses forward down the corridor behind Thanidiel. When he catches sight of the group of trolls just beyond his colleagues, however, he doesn't waste a moment in blitzing past them to engage the newly emerged threat.

[The Bone Mage is Slayed. The group travels forth, and engages the Undead Trolls now]

Highdawn rounds the corner and see's a barricaded section of tunnel, besieged by Undead Trolls. "Are the men behind that barricade?"

Gerren Shatterspear yells. "Then we don't have much time!"

Zin'dayat bellows, her voice carrying through all the nearby tunnels. "More living? Slay them too! Trespassers, all of them!"

Thanidiel yells back at the party. "Hurry up, I'm taking attention off the barricade."

Facing two Troll Warlords from beyond the grave, the party tears into their numbers. Unleashing explosive arcs of Light that sanctifies the waves of minions that are sent to slow them down. Thanidiel charges in, placing herself between the barricades of the Black Banner Holdouts and the worst of the assault. Giving the reckless paladin cover with their crossbows, the Undead Trolls soon find themselves surrounded and attacked from both sides, their retreat down the main tunnels cut off.

In the final moments of the battle, the barricades are breached. But instead of a retreat the Black Bannermen surge through the gap and engage Zin’dayat with bolts and steel. Joining in as the party brings Taufik and his raptor low and putting an end to the would be Warlord of the Amani Tunnels underneath The Emberglades.

[Combat Ends!]

Gerren Shatterspear waits for a moment more as silence begins to finally fill the hallways of the tunnels. Then when it is clear that there was no more fighting to be done, he starts to laugh. "To think we could have ever lost the war. He looks to the heroes around him as the other Black Bannerhold outs retreat to the rest of the company- Many of them not at the barricades themselves wounded, or tending to them.

Zarannis lowers her weapon. "We came to get you home. I'd say that as long as your commanding officer doesn't believe that we're somehow Alliance spies- We've succeeded this day."

Muroco speaks. "Do I look like an Alliance spy to you?"

"That's how they get you," Thanidiel says, dry and humourless.

Gerren Shatterspear gives the Tauren a look. "No, and I'm sure the company won't believe that either." He shakes his head and gives Zarannis a look. "And there is no commanding officer. We're a collective- And we don't have a home- Lord Tar'saren made sure of it to deny Lady Everleigh entry to the Glades."

Muroco gets a cloudy thought bubble over his head as he thinks about all the Alliance members that want him dead. "If someone like me was able to ingratiate myself into the Sunguard for years and act as an Alliance spy then your race truly is doomed."

Zarannis snorts at Muroco's comment.

Iriina is busy helping tend to the wounded, but she starts laughing at Muroco's comments anyway.

Isilos speaks. "Our race is doomed for many reasons, but that is not one of them."

Zarannis turns back to Gerren, raising the Black Banner off her back and giving it to Gerren. "Then we'll build a new one. I've been offered Lord Tar'saren's title." She does not mention that she had not taken it, nor that she had been avoiding it. Until now.

Thanidiel gives the girl her support. "Commander Wintergale proved herself like no other after Tar'saren fell in the Kingdom Greater."

Gerren Shatterspear scratches his chin. "We've heard rumors of reports but had believed them to be fabrications of the Invaders to lure us out of hiding. But I see that the reputation of not only her, but all of you were true to life."

Zarannis points to the others around here. "We're all here to fight for Stenden. Rightful ruler of the Emberglades. I'm sure you've seen signs of fighting down in the Heartlands. Now I won't press you to fight for us, seeing that you've never stopped fighting as it is. But any support you can give me will be appreciated."

Ethalarian:"I'd definitely recommend not fighting against us at the very least."

Gerren Shatterspear shakes his head. "You misunderstand, Commander Wintergale." The girl doesn't seemed phased by the description any longer. "Fighting is what we do." He shoots her a smile. "If there's no home to return to- Warfare is the next best place we can go to."

With that, Zarannis gains the command of a Company of Black Bannermen. Though it might take some time to gather up the wounded and get them back to fighting shape, it gave her the power she could use on her family's behalf.

[Event End]

#Epilogue #Roll20 #Zarannis

2 notes · View notes

izimbozada · 6 years ago

Photo

Fourka, Kassandra, Halkidiki 🏝🐠⛱📍 @baya_iyi ekibinin #Halkidiki notları 👍🏻🗺 Geçen hafta Halkidiki’de harika 3 gün geçirdik. 🛩 İstanbul’dan Selanik uçuşu 1 saat 20 dakika, Selanik’ten Halkidiki kıyılarına ulaşmak ise 1 saat sürdü. 🚗 2 sene önce Yunanistan’da 3000 km yol yapmıştık, antik kentleri, İyonya adalarını gezmiştik. Yunanistan’a arabayla gitmek, hem yollar çok düzgün olduğundan, hem de çevreyi özgürce gezebildiğimizden bize daha konforlu geliyor. Bir sonraki Halkidiki seyahatimize arabayla gideceğiz. Size de imkanınız varsa arabayla gitmenizi öneririz. 🗺 Halkidiki Ege Denizi’ne uzanan sıralı 3 yarımadadan oluşuyor. 550 km sahil hattı ve 71 mavi bayraklı plajı var 🏖👌🏻 Halkidiki’nin en haraketli yarımadası güneydeki Kassandra. Kassandra’nın en güzel plajları, restoranları ve manzaraları ise Fourka köyünde. Fourka’nın en büyük avantajı batıya bakması ve her akşam efsane gün batımlarına sahne olması 🌅 Biz ilk Halkidiki seyahatimizde çıtayı baya yüksekten başlattık. Despina Portokali’nin bu yıl açtığı Fourka Plajı manzaralı @soleado_villas ‘da kaldık. Her biri özel havuzlu olan villalarda, 2-3 odalı, 6 kişi konaklanabilir seçenekler bulunuyor. Normalde farklı bütçelere uygun alternatifler de araştırır, önerirdik ama bu seyahatin her anında kendimizi Halkidiki’yi en iyi bilen kişinin tavsiyelerine bıraktık ve kısa sürede Kassandra’nın en iyilerini deneyimleme şansı bulduk. Despina Hanım Gökçeada doğumlu, liseyi çok sevdiğimiz Fener Rum Lisesi’nde okumuş. Sonrasında üniversite için geldiği Selanik’e yerleşmiş. Türkçesi harika, Türkiye’ye aşık ve sık sık geliyor. Uzun yıllardır Fourka’da bir evi var, bu sebeple yarımadayı çok iyi tanıyor, mekanların en iyilerini biliyor. 🍽 Kassandra’da deneyip çok beğendiğimiz bu mekanları sizinle de paylaşıyoruz. En iyi taverna (geleneksel Yunan mutfağı) 🍲🐟 Fish Tavern Takis (Fourka) ve Diamantes (Siviri) En iyi modern Yunan mutfağı 🍤🍴Mple Seaside Gastrobar (Fourka) ve Umbrellas Beach Bar (Pefkochori) Kumdan doğal bir burun oluşturan bakir Possidi Plajı, kahvaltıya gittiğimiz börekçi Tony’s ve Panagia Faneromeni Kilisesi’nde denk geldiğimiz düğün seyahatin güzel sürprizleriydi. (Halkidiki Greece) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EpfiJAfsr/?igshid=1tz4momuj2j3d

#halkidiki

0 notes