PnP:Liberation of Osoerde Turn Twenty three
Campaigns » PNP:The liberation of Osoerde » PnP:Liberation of Osoerde Turn Twenty three
Dear Rudolph,
I find it odd sometimes when I write to you about events that you yourself bore witness to, but I know that these missives are passed along to the Whisperers so that they may determine the value of information within. So as always, I will do my best to honor my cities to our order. When last I had sent correspondence, we had left the Barrows and were returning to Hillsfoot. There we were greeted as heroes for stopping the undead, and we had brought the warrior woman Ilskra back to pay for her part in inciting the restless dead. She was left in the stocks at the center of town, and William informed the mayor of what transpired. He also told him of the monument that needed to be built to honor the fallen. We were also glad to see Cerin and Issacarius had arrived, so our band was complete again. Once that task was accomplished, we set about to planning our attack on Castle Ansion.
We traveled as close as we dare to the fortress, and Rena used her abilities to take the form of a hawk so she could study their forces and defenses. It was distressing to see that it was nearly completed and it had a full compliment of troops stationed there. I had hoped the raid Cerin and I had conducted a few months back would have caused more of a delay. But it was decided that the attack was necessary to strengthen the Duke's holdings, and he sent word back to the Aerenwode for our troops to march to meet us. He also called for the Swamp Mage to use the enchanted bowl to blanket the area in fog, much like our assault on Killian.
We learned from Rena's observations that small patrols left the castle on regular intervals to keep watch on the surrounding lands, and that formed the basis of our plan. We would ambush one of these patrols, and I would take the appearance of the guard captain while Rena assumed the shape of my steed. We would then go inside the castle and secure the gate. From there, William and the others would come in under the cloak of magic and help secure things before our troops attacked. But before all this could transpire, there was a concern about Varg that we needed to address.
In our fight with Jaison's half brothers, one had bitten Varg while in its unholy beast form. There were concerns that the curse would be passed along to him and from what William determined we would know at the next full moon. That was the night before our assault, so we made preparations for the worst. Varg was chained to a tree and Rena prepared a bundle of wolfsbane that he needed to ingest to counter the curse. I don't understand the idea that eating a lethal poison is the best antidote for a curse, but magic is not my area. At the appointed time, Varg ate the bundle and we waited. It did not take long. He howled in agony and for a long, tense moment it seemed the curse would win as his body began to change into a beast. But then he screamed again and his normal features returned, and then he seemed to stare at nothing. We Unchained him and said he felt fine but tired, and it seemed as if our friend would be alright.
The next morning the fog rolled in and we set our plan into motion. We intercepted one off the patrols and made short work of them, then Rena and I went off to the castle gates. I must say I was shocked when I saw you there as a guard, and I did see your warning. I contemplated turning around at that time, but I feared if I ran it would ruin all our preparations. One of the things you taught me was that you must be adaptable to any situation if you hope to survive, so I let my training take over. Rena was escorted to the stables, and I began to rethink my decision when I was told I would be taken to see the "Iron Priest." I feared it would be the same seemingly unkillable man we had encountered before when my escorts took me to the chapel and I heard the distinctive sound of armored boots on marble floors.
When we had met him before, he had seen through our ruse almost immediately. I decided to drop my disguise and take a risk on a different lie. I revealed who I was and claimed I was there to offer my services as a spy within William's camp. Unfortunately I turned over Eloéle's kiss as part of my tale, and he seemed very interested in the blade. Is there more to that dagger than you originally told me? I don't think he trusted my story, but he had his guards take me to a cell instead of killing me there. I also hoped it would throw him off the assault, and I managed to pilfer one of the guards' belt daggers to help me later. I also caught sight of the province's viscount as I was escorted out, a vile man. I should not have been surprised to see you in the cell, and whatever aid you provided I am grateful for. I assume you gave the signal for the attack as per my request, because I seemed to have blacked out.
I awoke to Varg shaking me, and he let me know that William and Cerin had used their magic to get them inside. He seemed a bit surprised to find me captured, as they thought I may have opened the portcullis for them. Although Rena could have done it, I learned later that she had been hiding in the stable rafters. Again I see your hand in this. Once free, I joined the others as the signal was given to our men. Varg And Issacarius went to destroy the winch for the gates. Cerin went to the other guard tower after killing all the guards there with a volley of arrows, and in the courtyard below we could see our forces clashing with those of the castle. Some of the soldiers from below began to charge up the stairs to the towers, but William destroyed the stairs with powerful blasts of lightning while Cerin kept the others at bay with his bow. More troops came from the castle proper and the battle had begun. We began to cut through them, and Varg seemed to be filled with a rage like I had never seen before as he joined us. The bloodlust in his eyes was almost bestial, which made me fear the curse had not fully left him. In the courtyard below, I caught a glimpse of Rena summoning lightning from the clouds overhead and dozens of men falling beneath her fury.
Cerin and I charged after Varg as he barrelled further in the main keep, leaving William and the others to deal with the garrison. From the peals of thunder and screams of soldiers, it was clear that the lightning they wielded was giving us the advantage.
Varg was another matter entirely though. His rage was like nothing I've seen before, and any guards who stood in our way fell quickly before his fury. I managed to give him direction towards the keep's chapel and the Iron Priest, and Cerin tried to tell him that we must keep the man alive. He wisely surmised that the best strategy against an unkillable man is to imprison him. So we set off to the lower level to confront our enemy.
More guards tried to stop us, but it only fueled Varg further. Once we arrived at the chapel, I could see the Iron Priest and two of his acolytes waiting for us. Even though it was clear his forces were losing outside, his arrogance still was evident and he brazenly threw his immortality in our faces. I could feel Varg bristle at our foe's cockiness, and his arm went back to hurl the warhammer he got from the Barrows. The Iron Priest managed to barely deflect the powerful attack, and the battle was on.
Cerin's arrows and my daggers flew as Varg charged forward. For an unkillable man, I found it curious that the priest kept using his magic to heal himself. His acolytes were also focusing on protecting their master, but that focus allowed us to cut them down quickly. The priest channeled magic into his axe and delivered a powerful blow to Varg, but it only fueled his anger more. With a roar, he slammed his warhammer into the priest's chest and sent our foe flying back into the wall.
I had noticed Eloéle's Kiss on his belt during the battle, and he drew the blade and plunged it into his own heart to prevent his capture. As he again faded into mists, Cerin yelled out in frustration. He stormed over to Varg to chastise him for not following the plan, and we were both shocked when our friend struck out at Cerin. For a moment I swear I saw Varg's eyes turn yellow and slit like those of an animal, but after striking our friend he seemed to regain his senses. Varg stalked off with a mumbled apology, and Cerin and I expressed our concerns for his well-being. I reluctantly told him about my own concerns about strange visions I've been having. When I recovered Eloéle's Kiss from the floor I saw what appeared to be the deaths of William's mother and siblings from the eyes of the assassin. This is not the first such vision I've had, so we must discuss that and the origin's of this blade.
With the retreat of the priest, the castle was ours. As we secured the location, we uncovered papers detailing attack plans against Elinie. We also debated what to do with the captured troops and Viscount Ansion himself, a slovenly and useless man. Cerin said he would deal with the prisoners , and I tried to ignore his comment about taking them "hunting." We decided to take the viscount to Elinie as part of our plan to approach them about a formal alliance. Since Cerin and I had made contact with them before, we were sent to meet with the daughter of Patriarch Daouta. She had made arrangements to talk to us in a town along the border, and word must have traveled fast of our victory. The people of Elinie we met along the way were more positive, more optimistic.
Kalillah was waiting for us at a local tavern, and she too had heard of the battle at the castle. She took custody of the viscount, and we negotiated for troops to help hold the keep and provisions to help sustain our men. I feel this is a strong step towards a lasting alliance, but the battle is far from over. We still need to find a way to slay the Iron Priest and then Jaison must pay for his evil. Until next we speak, may Eloéle protect your secrets with her shadow.
Harker Graywind
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, 04-24-2021 at 10:29 PM
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