Summary 329: Ramalia-Handra War - Waves 3&4 (2023-09-23)

The Handra-Ramalia War is not pulling any punches!

Ahappi Dismisses Fraud’s spell, Shrett helps the naked Fraud back into his armour, and Ahappi heads off to battle in the waters. You fight your way through the streets, dodging and parrying blows, missiles and debris. As you approach Home-Yard bridge, a messenger youth runs up shouting, “Heroes! Your aid is needed! The Ramalian army is crossing the bridge and our people are fleeing before them! Save our Citizens, hurry!” You can hear the echoing screams of a crowd ahead. You cast spells and approach.

A crowd is rushing across the bridge in mad panic, pursued by the Axemen of the Taxmen & Axemen officials and other troops, who are cutting the citizens down as they go, aided by their Haste spells that make them much faster than any of the hapless people. You square off on the right side of the bridge and move toward them, becoming more cautious once you see how fast they are. They had battle axes (with Bypass Armour 9; fortunately you never learned that firsthand!) and kite shields; wearing decent lamellar armour.

And you see three other figures leading them from behind: two great, brutish, plate-armourd warriors with giant horned helms and massive axes, coruscating with magics and completely mad with berserk fury. They barely seem human; indeed one is made of ice and the other has smoke curlig from his nostrils and fire in his mouth. [These were shock troops of the Ramalians: feared by all, kept locked up in dungeons and “fed” prisoners for rutting and eating. They were Ragnaglar lords; foul worshippers of the God of Rape and father of Wakboth via Thed. Ramalia only unleashed them in war time. They were too uncouth even for much of Ramalia; a guarded secret. Lupdak and Vesel were their names, and they were mighty. Lupdak emanated a damaging cold aura; Vesel could breathe fire but never got a good chance!]

The third was a sorcerer in strange black robes, heavily scarred and wrapped in iron chains that draped off his arms and hands, with a sinister pale blue glowing amulet. He was Bucur the Undesirable, Wizard of Ikadz the torturer god of Chaos. His right arm was warped into an oversized, gnarled thing and his skin had patches of rust on it.

(damage to him with metal caused the weapons to rust – which reminds me, and I am sorry to report it now: Bog’s enchanted mace takes 6 HP no armour after downing him, and rusts away!)

I failed to show pics of the foes, so here they are, since I like them.

The Axemen rush ahead; over 18 people fall to them as they slash their way through in a charge. There are other foes, too, mostly the Axemen, but they’re focused on murdering innocents or fighting other defenders. You engage the wave of six Axemen in a wall, with Boamund and Shrett double-teamed. Fraud tries to see the sorceror’s magics with his Soul-Sight but this is blocked by some strong energy. You trip and blind and block them, luckily avoiding any wounds, but it’s a tough fight. The berserks are slowly closing in, and the sorcerer has been throwing nasty spells at the crowd but soon turns his attention to you. He throws a big spell of Palsy, sending convulsions of pain through you, but only Shrett is affected (via our error, that the St Avlor blessings should have saved you all), falling with a paralyzed leg. Anyway, he then overcomes Boamund, Shrett and Bog with agonizing asphyxiating energy around your necks, and you begin weakening. It looks very grim for you as the Axemen finally are defeated and the berserks draw near

Fraud closes with the berserks first, with all but Shrett close behind. It’s a rough fight; the berserks have strong Shield spells protecting them; but Boamund is well-placed to ignore the ice-damage from Lupdak. Mid-fight, a sphere of flame screams down from the skies, arcing into the area of your battle. It crushes and burns everything as it hits and rolls across the bridge; then hissing steam as it lands in the harbour, taking a Handran ship down with it. You all avoid it, but it burns Lupdak a bit. Fraud deals Vesel a couple of strong blows to his head via the death-sword, so he is able to rush to help Boamund, whose shield has been brushed aside by Lupdak’s fearsome axe, giving Boamund a crippling wound to his leg. Fraud and Boamund chop away at Lupdak again and again and bring him down. Bog charges the sorcerer, who falls down and is knocked out without a chance to fight back. (Bog took time to furiously rip his throat out once his mace broke)

It’s over, but it took plenty of time and was very costly. Your breath is ragged as the sorcerer dies, ending his Smother spell (while I play that most spells continue after death of caster, I rule that some progressive ones like Smother end). You do what you can to recover, then make your way northwards. A messenger finds you, spreading word that the North Wall defensive area on Home Isle is under heavy assault and needs aid. You’re going there, so you’re ready. Or so you think. The sky changes further from its sickly hue as the sun itself turns that colour and takes on the likeness of one baleful eye looking hatefully down at the war. Demons scream down from the skies that darken with smoke, or skim across from the marshes. Handra’s people tremble, shrieking that Tyram the Sky Terror comes! The Navy has taken a pummelling from powerful anti-ship magics, monsters and machinery. The Handra’s Last Stand veteran reservists have been called in to refresh defences at key points. Parts of the City are ablaze, and small, scattered fires grow, fought by every Citizen who has the means. But the City has its experts at fighting these threats: Orlanthi fly forth on wind-magics and sylphs and rams and other means, and they shout boastful challenges: once Orlanth conquered Tyram, and so He can again! Or so they claim, but is their confidence well-placed? The battle hangs in the balance. It is a bloody conflict; you see plenty of losses on both sides; and it’s anyone’s guess now who will win.

You close in, calling up new spells. Bog protects himself with Shield and hefts his maul with Crush. There is a three-story sturdy defensive tower on the west corner of the Isle (“location 5”) and two large, strong-walled army barracks and defensive buildings flanking it, with a smaller tower inside that triangle formed, guarding a central courtyard; and another smaller barracks closing off the eastern edge of the space. You find the Handran forces fighting off a terrible group of magicians and demons. The former include the fire-breathing Tyram witch Podoaba Fiercefire, who sports fancy lead lamellar armour but no weapons, relying on nasty Fire-rune magics and flame-breath; and the Vakalta wizard (summoner of demons; you will remember that Chaos goddess from your Boat Planet hell quest!) Grosav Hideousness, who is foul of visage and instead of legs or feet under his robes, only has a mass of greenish tentacles. He likewise scorns weapons, and fights very well with his forbidden sorceries. Then there are two demons; one reddish and one blueish; with evil tusked faces, claws and big bloated bellies, tall and thin (SIZ ~30), who float effortlessly around in the fight. And three demons of Tyram, each different but having their god’s power of corrupt flame in common. All of these foes can fly or otherwise move in the sky and are on top of buildings. It is a huge battle here, full of powerful enemies and defenders, fighting above, across and within buildings; both sides determined and desperate to win. The scale and danger of this fight dwarfs what you’ve experienced in the war against Seshnela in Giraine.

You close in on one of the Tyram demons, who is surrounded by a swirling cloud of searing fire, and is a blasphemous shadow amidst it. Fraud throws his Curse Chaos spell of Arkat and it is severely weakened. But it flies in and hovers over you, surrounding all but Fraud in its flames and badly hurting Shrett. Gradually you surround and batter it in the head until it falls. Meanwhile, the blue demon has become interested and floats down, chuckling, taking a good arrow-shot to its tummy from Shrett but continuing. Fraud uses his Curse Chaos again to excellent effect, and Bog fights it until the rest of you join and dispatch it together. But… meanwhile the Vakalta necromancer has had his attention drawn by Shrett, who gets a bead on him and shoots his arrow, which twice vanishes into his tentacles (and the blessed arrow’s magic rebounds on Shrett, silencing him!). Grosav the wizard remains above his building, casting spell after spell of devastating Hellfire that blasts you, even searing those who are resistant to fire, as it is the unnatural flame of Vakalta’s Hell, which even burns its own demons. Boamund is scorched in the arm and falls unconscious, maimed. You close in, then Grosav vanishes in a puff of brimstone vapour. Shrett stops Boamund’s bleeding with Heal magic and you hurry him into the small tower for cover.

You consider taking a strategic retreat, but rather decide to plot to take down the remaining foes one by one if you can. You’re badly weakened, but you’re pissed off, too. Fraud is emboldened by his successes, and Bog is thrilled he’s still alive amidst all this and winning some good face-offs. Shrett and Boamund have felt the worst of it all. Yet this strategically critical battle for the North Wall is one fight that will help determine if some of the deadliest of Ramalia’s forces overwhelm the City, or are rebuffed to Ramalia’s detriment.

Summary 329: Ramalia-Handra War - Waves 3&4 (2023-09-23)

Images of opponents