Heroes of the 13th Age: Part 8: Exeunt

After a long break, we were finally able to play our 13th Age game again on November 9.

Now, after a rather long delay, I can write what happened.

Our cast continues to be as follows:

Cerise, the Spirit-Touched Cleric

Indigo the Gnome Cleric
Zeema (as always, the name changes), the Half-Elf Rogue
Legolis, the High Elf Ranger
Hey Watchit, the Half-Orc Fighter
Lief, the Human Bard
Delthen Eversoar, the Human Paladin
Rolen Stillwind, the Wood Elf Sorcerer, and
Yoshi Antien, the Samurai flavored Half-Elf Fighter

The one sad note was that our friend who plays Yoshi was not able to make it to play and has had, for the time being, to drop out of the game. You will see that we found a path for Yoshi to take so that he may wander back into our adventures at a later time. Until then, we wish him, and more importatntly our friend, safe travels and good fortune until we meet again.

At the end of the last session, the heroes stood triumphant over the undead guardians of the Accursed Magic Spear Alkaarg, and also over their rival, Seth, who had sought the spear for his own dark purposes.

In the aftermath, the debate of whether to proceed away with their prize immediately, or to see if there was more stuff to loot became the topic of discussion.

Dark Paladin Delthen represented the "loot" faction, suggesting that they set a modest time limit and try to grab as much stuff as they could in the unexplored portions of the dungeon.

Zeema and Rolen argued that it was improtant to get out with the spear while they could.

Indigo added that they could do something to collapse the stairs behind them so as to seal other explorers out and keep whatever else was down there in.

The NPC Brother Crommard was, in the meantime, going through the room as a fascinated scholar of Orcish culture and history, exclaiming at this and that. Nuri, the apprentice workman trailed along. They slowly made their way forward to the throne upon which Mondru, Fourth of His Name, had rested all these centuries.

Taking a break from the argument of "stay and loot" or "go while the going is good," Delthen chopped off Seth's hand to keep as a grisly prize. The Owlbear, Who-grrl, meantime began to act very agitated and hungry. Zeema attempted to call on her experience travelling with a meanagerie to calm the beast, but to no avail. Who-grrl was tired, wounded and hungry, and she wanted to EAT RIGHT NOW! Half-Orc pastry chef and sometimes warrior, Hey Watchit, stepped in, distracting the Owlbear by wrapping one brawny arm around its neck, and then shoving his remaining supplies of pastries (chiefly croissants) down the beast's maw. This temporarily mollified the murderous beast. There was some discussion of whether Who-grrl should be encouraged to eat Seth's corpse, but the general feeling was that giving her encouragement to eat a humanoid would set a bad precedent for everyone else.

During all of this, Brother Crommard and Nuri had made their way, at last, to examine Mondru's throne. Crommard noticed that a metal plate was set into the seat of the throne. Before he could touch it, there was a brief scuffle and Nuri pushed Crommard aside to take up the plate himself. Members of the party saw that the plate was etched with lines, like a map. A moment after Nuri took up the plate, there was a bright flash, and many of the party that witnessed it, saw in the afterglow the symbol of the Prince of Shadows. Nuri and the plate were gone.

Everyone interpreted this event as a reason to pack up and head out quickly.

The took the stairs from the Orcish level, up to the underground level that had been built in old Imperial times, but repurposed first by Elves and later by Mondru's Orcs. They decided to seal off the lowest level with a ritual that would place illusion and a deadly trap over the entrance to the deep dungeon. After some discussion at the table, the players decided that the "ingredients" of the ritual included spears (of which there were many in the dungeon), reflective surfaces (they polished some pots) to dazzle, and poison that disoriented. The illusion was to be woven like a spider's web, and a "sting" powered by Spirits of the Righteous provided the punch to anyone who would seek to pierce the veil. Spirit Touched Cerise cast the main ritual, and Gnome Cleric Indigo, a spider expert, helped with the weaving of the enchantment. After that was completed, they decided to exit up the main stairs from the first subterrainean level back to the fort.

The fort was mostly smoldering ruins at this point, but it still presented some obstacle to easily exiting it's courtyard. After some work, they made their way out. Who-grrl had simply muscled her way through the rubble and over partially collapsed walls and headed out to find food (that was not the adveturing party).

Then, they found their mounts gone, having seemingly broken off their tethers. Briefly they wondered if Who-grrl was to blame, but the signs indicated something else. In the distance, they could see a massive amount of smoke from where the town of Awad must be burning.

Yoshi whistled for his mount, and it just showed up. None of the other mounts did. He saddled up and rode off to find the other animals. The others got moving.

Rolen sent up his familiar, the Raven they affectiuonately call "GPS." The Raven returned with disturbing news. A pack of Kobolds and a continent of Orcs were heading towards them. They decided to hide and either let the monsters pass, or attack by ambush.

Not everything went exactly to plan. The High Elf Ranger, Legolis, got them all situated on the far side of a hill, hunkered down. But a sharp-eyed Kobold Archer spotted Legolis and sounded the alarm. Everyone rolled initiative and started combat.

Round 1

Legolis, Lief, and the Kobold Archers all acted at once. Legolis let fly with one of his precious Twin Arrows, six of which had been gifted him by Yoshi. He rolled a hit and a miss, but rerolled the miss with his Archery and hit killing three Kobold mooks. Lief began his Battle Chant, but failed to hit a Kobold with his magic. The Kobold Archers put three arrows into Legolis, but all other attacks missed, and one fubled due to the power of Lief's magic hood.

Zeema initiated her Shadow Walk.

Delthen killed two Kobold Warriors with his Smite Evil.

Hey killed one Kobold and seriously injured another Kobold Warrior with his tree.

Rolen summoned his power to fire a jet of flame at the Kobolds, but failed.

Cerise, the Spirit Touched cleric summoned her Halo and then cast Javelin of Faith, however, with a fumble she became Daze because of the powerful presence of the divine which she had touched to cast her spell.

Indigo fired his heavy crossbow, but missed.

A troop of six Orc Archers then entered the battle and rolled very poorly for initiative for the next round.

Round 2 Escalation 1

Legolis, for the first time, successfully cast his Acid Arrow, instantly melting four of the six Orc mooks, and leaving the last two with ongoing acid damage.

Lief leveraged his Battle Chant to kill off a Kobold, and he also allowed Hey to pop free of engagement with a Battle Cry.

The Kobold Archers loosed their arrows, hitting Delthen, Legolis and Rolen.

Delthen attacked and missed. Hey attacked and missed. The Kobold Warriors attacked and missed.

Rolen failed his Elven Grace roll, and then failed his attack roll with his fiery attack.

Cerise missed with her Javelin of Faith.

One of the remaining Orc Archers managed to hit Rolen.

Indigo moved up to cast heal on Rolen and then fired off his Javelin of Faith hitting an Orc Archer.

Round 3 Escalation 2

Legolis loosed another of his Twin Arrows at the Kobold Archers, making one hit and one critical hit and causing devestation to the Orc Archers. Lief sang another Kobold to death with his Battle Chant. Kobold arrows missed Legolis, but a critical hit found its mark on Lief.

Zeema then returned from the shadows and attacked with Flying Blade, killing the last Kobold and ending the engagement.


The adventurers were then a a crossroad. Do they continue back on the side road to get to the main road, facing increasing danger of more Orc patrols? Do the head for the coast and try to proceed along the shore? Do they strike out through the rough overland terrain to take arrive at the main road while keeping the marauding Orcs at their back? After some deliberation, enough of them felt that they had wilderness experience to make it across the rough, wilderness terrain and catch the main road away from the main body of Orcs that burnt the town of Awad.

As they head into the wilderness, a Thrush, sent by the High Druid, came to Lief and communicated to him the best way to go. In return, he had to once again find Who-grrl the Owlbear and bring her to the main body of the Wild Woods. Delthen suggested that they pack along some of the Kobold bodies for her to eat. It seemed that Who-grrl was tame (ish) to Hey Watchit's hand, given the many pastries he had fed her, so between his calming influence, Zeema's menagerie experience and the Kobold kibble, Who-Grrl came along redily enough.

Finally, as they slept out under the stars, Lief had a dream granted by the Priestess. In it, he saw that Yoshi had gathered their mounts, and that the mounts would be waiting for them near the road. However, a ship had signalled Yoshi when he was gathering the mounts on the beach. A fast ship from the Imperial Capital Axis had found Yoshi through the Archemage's magic and Yoshi was summoned to imperial duties. He was reluctant to leave his friends, despite being honor-bound to heed the command of the Emperor. The Archemage's envoy used magic to guide the mounts to where Lief and the others would find them, and Yoshi left with the ship to find his way in the Capital.

The next day, the party found their mounts and saddled up to go back to Santa Cora.

Everyone leveled up to second level, the details of which will be worked out next game.

We are all going to miss Yoshi and our friend who plays him. We hope that someday Yoshi will come back into our stories.