Realms S1E18 Hold True

Edayk is under siege and the party rushes to the walls fighting them off with force, fireballs, pickles and ... nudity? Buckle up, you’re in for a wild ride.

Player Characters Present
Jeidobii, Torq, Denahi, Burakubuu, Guests: Harkm, Zin

Synopsis
With the mammoth approaching, Jeidobii wrestles with whether to meet it with violence as he electrifies the ogres beating upon the walls once more. The ballista has been destroyed and, seeing no other way to stop the living, breathing battering ram headed for the doors, Torq and Buu leap down onto the battlefield, taking Denahi and Dorius with them. Zin takes back to the skies to toss his pickle grenades upon the field.

Torq charges forward with his axes, hamstringing the mammoth but failing to stop it’s advance. The party takes out the mammoth’s rider and Denahi uses her thaumaturgy to redirect the mammoth’s attention but it’s too late; even without it’s rider the creature rampages forward. Zin comes crashing down right in front of our heroes and gestures to his bag. Buu grabs a jar from Zin’s bag and launches it at the enemies to discover... it is a jar of healing pickles.

The crumpled heap of misery that is Zin calls out, “You idiot...” The pickles ineffective, Buu leaps onto the mammoth’s back and tries to calm it, ripping off chunks of it’s spiked and painful harness. Seeing that just freeing the beast will not stop it’s collision course, Torq reluctantly puts the creature down.

The immediate threat resolved, the group turns their attention to the army of orcs, goblins and ogres closing in around them. Zin tosses a few spells into the crowd then makes himself invisible. Seeing no possible victory against these numbers, Buu turns to Torq:

“Are you strong enough to get Dorius back to the wall?”

Torq looks to his friend and nods acknowledgement. And with that, Burakubuu explodes with light, his wings bursting from his back and felling several enemies around him. He grabs Denahi and, seeing his aura, Zin, and flies them back to the wall where they rejoin Jeidobii and Harkin. Buu sees some flying bat creatures haranguing the his friends and slays them. Jeidobii has lost his control of the storm and with it dissipated is fending off the invaders with Aros.

It’s not enough. The invaders have made it into the keep and pour out in great numbers from the keep’s own towers. Everyone is fighting back to back to back. Denahi falls, but in the mayhem no on sees. Our heroic warriors are striking down the enemy in great numbers but it does nothing to stem the flood of their forces. Then, from one tower, Dane the Goliath captain and his men appear to reinforce our heroes’ efforts! From the other tower, Duke Ravus appears with a militia of citizens who’ve taken up arms in defense of their city! And yet, it’s not enough. The invasion shows no signs of stopping.

Sounding out through and over the chaos, a scream.

A flash, just as all seemed lost. A brilliant green energy emanates out from the keep and blasts through the entirety of the army upon the battlefield. The entirety of the invading army is destroyed.

Jeidobii realizes immediately the scream was his niece; she has unleashed the same power as her mother the Duchess. He and Ravus head into the keep together. Jeidobii finds his niece exhausted and takes her in his arms, rejuvenating her and thanking her, but fearful inside for the burden she’s brought upon herself at such a young age. He looks over to his nephew, who shuns him and leaves the room.

Elsewhere, Torq thanks Harkin for his aid and the impressive warrior heads back to his corner of the city to aid his neighbors. Leaving Jeidobii to his family, the rest of the party heads back to the manor to check on their friends. As they make their way they see the devastation of the city, but the Duke’s desire has been realized: They are united, working together to undo the damage done.

At the manor, a scene of great anguish. Rydel is alive, though hurt, and tending to the heavily injured Arryn. Rydel informs them the entire back half of the manor was destroyed and several of the staff with it. Burakubuu realizes something, and rushes to the back end. There he finds Remus, kneeling beside his fallen brother, Ty. Burakubuu laments the loss and expresses empathy for Remus. He asks if there is any chance to save Ty, to heal him, but Remus assures Buu it is too late. Buu nods, and kneels down beside Remus in camaraderie. Just then he hears a squeak, and finds there in the dead man’s clutched hands his pet, Arlo, safe and alive. Buu solemnly, gently, removes his shaken little friend.

Torq and Denahii sit in the remains of the kitchen, pondering their next move. These two, who have lost so much already.

They will stand by this new family.

It is time to rebuild.