Even More Progress

Armagada Progress Report 3

Progress Report Continued (again)

In Niege (In the town of Pria Blanca)

Plotting Regicide

The four Cuernos Woodstrike, Luthien, Astra and Tamuril, are arranging a tournament to hopefully hide the gathering army.

Carlton is attempting to become a member of the Queens personal Guard.

Korath is attempting to become a member of the goblin army.

Ammelath is attempting to ... we are not sure what Ammelath is really attempting to do.

Rowanfury is attempting to annoy Sulindu Elvawen as much as he can in the hopes of getting the commander of the 'Explorers' (a special forces unit of La Ruta Verde) to send an army to help him impose 'regime change' in a land that he has never heard of.

Some Tournaments comments.

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First Tournament.

Well, The young elf Tamuril was brooking no nonsense. Luthien supported her plan, like her puppy dog, despite at one time thinking Carlton's plan had great value. Tamuiril's plan so far has worked, in that there has been a tournament, not organised by the Cuernos, and the Goblin princes believe themselves in charge.

Carltons plan for Mr. Dibbler to organise it was merged with Tamuril's; allowing the Goblin Prince Endorme to hire the entrepreneur's services and unwittingly serve the will of the party.

The tournament itself had mixed results. Rowanfury will probably be over the moon at having won the strength test. Lifting more weight than anyone else. (Of course, since Korath did not take part in that event, we will see if Rowanfury can keep his place in the finals.)

Woodstrike put on the finale extravaganza Fireworks Show. - It would be so nice to think that was the pinacle, but unfortunately, mass blindness was never in the pland, and poor Astra took a hefty hoof to the chest as the centaur panicked and ran amok. However eben that has its up side, it seems there may be plans to have the same thing happen at the grand final tournament. But on purpose this time.

We still have the Princes Timide, Dotore, Eternuement, Heureux, Malhumorado and Torpe to hold their tournaments, so there is still scope for Goblin V Dwarf Mayhem. The first 150 Dwarves arrived with Rowanfury just in time to take part in the Tournament. They were all well behaved. The second 150 turned up as registration was happening, with Astra running out of forms.

They appear to be a very mixed bunch. There are some very unusual looking dwarves in the second lot. Some have no axes or hammers at all. There is at least one Dwarf Druid amongst them, and even a couple who appear to share Woodstrike's odd belief in gaudy red and blue robes with moons suns and stars embroidered in gold and silver. There appears to be some miners and engineers among them. carrying their picks and shovels, and even some scribes by the look of it. Who else would carry an abacus and large scrolls of paper and have feathers stuck behind their ears? They certainly don't look like an invading army.

Perhaps Thingol's hint that the "Main Force" would be elsewhere means something after all.

Second Tournament.

After a bit of a false start the night before when two human guards are inexplicably found dead, having been brutally bludgeoned to death by some large beast with a club or mace, the party look forward to playing in tournament games. Korath spends the night exploring the fort in one or more of his several different ways to be invisible.

However during the evening Elval, a mysterious Wood Elf Ranger comes to the aid of Rowanfury and provides him an alibi and a hiding place for his rather bloodied mace. The same Ranger talks to Luthien and gives vital information of particular shocking interest to Tamuril.

In the morning Tamuril searches out Elval, but stumbles across some worrying accusations from other Elves before meeting him. He tactfully tries to explain to the distraught Elf the real meaning of the revelation that Eludil and the Eludilim are not all she has believed for her entire life. She is utterly shocked, and takes a while to digest the information, going through some classic stages of denial, anger and disbelief along the way.

While Tamuril is starting to digest, if not yet accept the new state of affairs, Woodstrike attempts to show his latest trick, which fizzles out just feet from his fingers. Seemingly dispelled or countered by a rather serious looking Grey Elf Magic user. After some shenanigans fromWoodtrike involving Astra, and some pretty high level casting that messes with the mind and emotions of poor Woodstrike, the Grey Elf reveals his name. Speaking it as though it should hold some importance. Dismissing his own spell he announces "I, Arkun, grandson of Arzhel, release you." Then casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter on the Sorcerer before dispelling that too after a couple of seconds.

Elval accidentally wins the archery competition which he intended only to compete in to assess the opposition. Astra accidentally wins the first horseshoe toss by simply being the last person to hit. Carlton wins the second, after some fierce competition from Korath and one of the Goblins.

Third Tournament.

The party, along with the growing band of Dwarves, Centaurs, Fauns, Elves, Humans, and Goblins decamp, and make their way towards the North West corner of Neige. To the town of Heureuxville which used to be called Platen before Heureux took over control of the garrison and made it his own.

Heureux is the third of the Goblin Princes to run a tournament. His town is close to the border with the Sylvan Lands of Arzhel. Home of many of the Sylvan folk who have joined the tournament throng. His tournament should prove interesting. Especially since a certain "Human" called Brian Argent has joined the "council" who meet in the marquee. He seems very influential for a mere human. and he seems very capable considering his aparent absolute ordinariness. Things certainly seem to be developing.

Briefly a small group of humans from Furn showed up. They didn't do much other than hang around with various people. Drink with Tamuril. Fight with Tamuril, and become friends and allies of Tamuril. Brian Argent and Astra seemed to be able to communicate uncanily well in Draconic. Strange that a mere human could speak the language better than Astra. Stranger too that he appeared to be an accomplished sorcerer depite not appearing to have the abilities to back it up.

A plan is formed, as if from nowhere. Kor'Ath is to replace Heureux after Heureux is dispatched by Ammelath. That will leave a friendly "Goblin" in place. Yet part of this plan now appears to be to attack and kill the very "Goblin" that will now be friendly, as part of an all out assault on his town.

We leave our friends awaiting the dawn, and the signal to attack the keep. There may not have been an actual precipice to hang them from, but there could not have been a better cliffhanger if I had planned it myself.

This could still end in tears. You mark my words

Dawn Attack.

The dawn chorus stops shortly after its commencement. An eerie silence steals over the city. The Guard, bakers and those who rise early hear the creaks of gigantic leathery wings as a dragon swoops toward the slumbering castle. The silence is broken as screams mix with the death cries of many, many goblins. The icy breath or maybe ancient draconian magic makes castle disappear into a cloud of mist. Inside the keep, the elite goblin guard rush to save their Prince. They inform him of the attack, and urge him to rally the troops. Unbeknownst to them, their Prince lays dead in a ditch not to far from the city walls. The impostor is not a near four foot goblin, but a morphed eight foot green tinged half ogre magi. (He also happens to be a monk.) His name is Kor’Ath.

The Portcullis is down. The city is sealed off to those who seek refuge within. A lady elf (Tamuril) walks boldly up to the gate keepers. After a bit of talk, they lift the portcullis. Meanwhile an erstwhile figure (Ammelath) climbs the bastion. A goblin guard notices the grapple hook and pops his head over for investigation. Sensing his friend’s danger, Astra unleashes a flaming sphere upon the hapless guard, but the sphere start weak, and only delivers pain, resulting in the alarm being raised. Tamuril ducks under the raising defences, and bids the human to make a choice. She then turns to kill the goblin, but the Human guard has made up his mind long ago. It is his sword that delivers the first kill of the new dawn. Tamuril alerts the dozen or so centaurs with their motley crew of adventurers, who then rush the gates. The flaming sphere now decides to help out; its intensity increases, and silences the guard forever. It then follows Ammelath who, not being adverse to fire as most, leaps through the ball of fire and kills a witless goblin. Ammelath chases the guard from the top of the barbican, and then gets into mortal combat with the last of the rooftop defenders. Inside the gate house, Tamuril and the human guard (Barney) open the portcullis fully after despatching goblin resistance. Luthien enters the gatehouse to open the portcullis at the far end whilst Carlton barks orders and co-ordinates the fray. Barney then blocks of the wall doors so as no other goblins can offer any more trouble. Then off. The Centaurs and riders gallop full on toward the keep.

Somewhere by the city wall, a small shop full of beautifully hand crafted woodwind instruments lies in slumber. The shop owner is awakened by commotion. Usually quiet, the dawn is broken by the sound of running, confusion, but more alarmingly, panic. Not one to miss out on trouble, Helibobs the gnome slips out to investigate. She follows the sound of battle, and walks quietly past the scared goblins that run away from the fracas. Helibobs wanders nearer to the city square, where delightedly she starts to happen across dead goblins. Her mood lifts and craves a better view, so Helibobs ascends to the higher rooftops on the edge of the city square. Here, her vantage point is shared by other goblin slaying enthusiasts, and they all watch the drama unfold.

A mighty centaur gallops to complete his mission. He races for the keep, swinging a double handed mace from side to side, and mashes a route through the hordes of foulness. In his wake he is followed by eleven other centaurs and the adventurers. The Centaurs, urged by Carlton, form a wedge behind the lead centaur to cut a line through the goblins. Astra shouts for space, and the wedge splits for his spell. A lightning bolt streams out from the fingers of Astra and many goblins fall aside either dead or trying to run from deaths icy grip. Rowan (recently de-Furied) heads for the keep gates, and although sustaining heavy damage, the cleric of Corellan makes it to the castle just in time to see the “Prince” address his people.

From his balcony vantage point the “Prince” calls for order from his minions. Skirmishes in the courtyard stop. The “Prince” is stern and commanding. He separates goblin from human, then orders his elite guard to join the rest below. All but five leave his side. The “Prince” starts to shout to his people, seemingly trying to alleviate their fears of dragon involvement, all the while he strips of his goblin armour. Once clear of restraint, the “Prince” turns to his five remaining elite, and blasts them with a cone of cold killing them instantly. He then shows his true form. An eight foot green ogre mage steps up on to the ledge declaring that all goblins must die. He then throws himself off the ledge and flies toward the goblins with menace and intent.
Special thanks to Mike (AKA Kor'Ath) for writing up this week's session in such style.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

What the members of the party do not know for sure, but fervently hope, is that they are not the only ones attacking at dawn. (Poor Dawn, she really has had a rough time of it recently.)

On the Northeastern side of the city is another gate; an identical gate to the two the party stormed. This gate faces the river, and therefore the Sylvan lands of Arzhel. It is this gate where any attack would be expected. This gate is far better manned (or Goblined?) with more than twice the contingent of the southwestern gate. As the dragon attacked the keep, this gate was approached by a human female, seemingly captured by a small party of half a dozen heavily encumbered Dwarves. The human female is dressed in a simple shift and soft cloth slippers, looking more ready for bed than a fight.

A tough looking dwarf in full plate armour, and a strange looking Dwarf in what look to be dirty robes approach the gate. Hidden from view is the tough looking Dwarves Grey Elven friend and employer. As the Goblins inside the gate approach, they appear to fall asleep. As do all the goblins on the walls close by.

The robed Dwarf mutters a few words and moves his hands in intricate gestures. He touches the Portcullis with a small twig, and the heavy oaken beams twist and distort into an open doorway. The human female and the Dwarves enter the barbican gate and the robed Dwarf repeats his Woodshape routine on the inner portcullis. Several of the Dwarves, unable to resist the temptation, make the sleeping Goblins rest a lot more permanent. Thus also making them good Goblins.

The heavily laden Dwarves place much of their burden down in the barbican before proceding into the town to continue their chosen task of making as many Goblins good as they can manage.

The human female starts donning some of the equipment left by the dwarves. She is soon joined by the rest of her sisterhood, the remnants of the Turcoenas. Only a score of the Swanmay former royal guards remain, but the score of determined, and now well armed rangers have a task to perform. There is a keep to capture.

The Turcoenas run down the wide boulevard, now littered with the bodies of many goblins, and regretably two Dwarves which lie almost covered by the bodies of their foes. Just prior to the attack they recieved word from the fauns that the party from La Ruta Verde believed they had dealt with Heureux, or at least a goblin who they thought to be the prince. The Dragon's disorienting attack on the keep and the diversionary attack on the Southwest gate by the Centaurs with the rest of the La Ruta Verde party appear to be doing the trick. There is far less resistance than expected. Hundreds of their mixed troops are now swarming in behind them through the opened gate.

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There has been an awful lot of goblin blood spilled. Some human blood, a little elf blood, and even some other assorted races have shed some blood in the courtyard of the keep where the massed army of the late goblin prince were assembled by the impostor Kor'Ath while still in hos goblin guise. Luthien suffered more damage than most, and the elf ranger made his way bravely to Kor'Ath. Seeing the state of his friend, the monk temporarily stopped slaughtering goblins to rescue the young ranger. He took him to Rowanfury and told the centaur to cure the ranger.

The centaur made great show of calling upon Corellon to heal the elf. This was more as a personal agrandisement than any wish to call on his god personally. However the cleric has possession of the Holy Symbol of Nosseveronwe. An artifact that will occasionally channel the divine power of Corellon in order to cure at a far higher ability than its wielder. Luthien is not only healed of his wounds, but cured of all ills, rejuvinated and is back on full health, feeling better than he has done in months.

For some reason, best known to the cleric, he once again manages to insult the young ranger. He tells the elf off for not having insufficient faith in Corellon. Chides him for not worshipping the proper God, and generally does practically everything a cleric can do to insult a devout lay follower of his own God. This is not the first time Rowanfury has behaved in this manner, but he seems to have forgotten standing on the temple steps in Port Harker with Tamuril's sword at his throat. - Or at least not learned anything from the experience.

We start the next session with Luthien currently sitting on Rowan(fury)’s back, threatening (to attempt) to kill the cleric. In his usual self obsessed way, the centaur simply does not comprehend what the problem is, how serious the others see the problem, or indeed how close he has so far come to being killed by Luthien. Rowan(fury) has sensed only that there is some kind of issue with the holy symbol that he uses. (The Holy Symbol of Nossveronwe, which Tamuril saw in the halfling trader emporium at La Ruta Verde, and bought for him.) He simply does not comprehend that it is not his own power that cured Luthien, but the power of Corellon channelled through the Holy Symbol, which is actually an artefact of substantial special power.

Luthien is offended by the centaur’s dismissal of this power and the centaur’s apparent claim that it is his power as a great cleric rather than the power of his God, channelled directly through the Holy Symbol of Nossveronwe which cured him. Luthien may not be a cleric, but the elf is a worshipper of Corellon, as is Tamuril. Luckily for Rowan(fury), Tamuril is too deeply involved with the killing of goblins to have seen the exchange, or even the almost miraculous act of healing itself, which took the severely wounded ranger from the point of almost dead to full health.

Rowan(fury), in exasperated pique, gave the Holy Symbol to Luthien. With the intent of showing that it was his own power that cured the elf.

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Luthien however has reached the end of his tether. He goes for Rowan(fury) again and insists upon finishing the matter right then and there. In fact, it may have turned out that one or other of the pair was finally destroyed over a bout of frayed tempers and misunderstandings, but for the intervention of one of the other centaurs. This fellow, dressed in full camoflagauge gear (for out in the woods!!!) slips between the pair and reminds them that there are more important matters to be dealing with at the moment. Rowan(fury), having not really understood what the problem is anyway, turns aside to continue fighting. Enraged, the tender and delicate Luthien instead turns on the nearest 'enemy' to do away with them and soothe a little of the anger. These happen to be human men. Since, historically, Luthien has been less of a fan of humans anyway he is more then happy to dispatch those men loyal to the goblin Prince. The fighting takes him right into the path of another human man who has also been fighting humans. Though it seems, for a moments that the two allied sides, may come to blows, they eventually part; Luthien to join his line and the other human men to skirt around the fight and form an attack from the opposite side.

And so we return to the battle. The goblins are looking more and more like they are to be outmatched by the furious force of those within the courtyard. Kor'ath with Helibobs hiding beneath his robes is doing a marvellous job as a pretty slick team while Ammelath tries furiously to distract goblins enough to stab them in the back; spleen hunting, don't you know? But an unlucky shot catches her and sends her down to the ground, very much unconcious.

Perhaps he is used to it by now, because Kor'ath wastes no time in grabbing Ammelath, tucking her under one arm and running in the direction of the healer (with Helibobs under the other arm). He is part way there when a fireball streaks from the sky and strikes him hard. Hurts, perhaps, but the unconcious Ammelath suddenly springs to life again with the quip 'I could ge tused to being carried!' Kor'ath promptly dumps her back down again and leaves her to do her part in the battle.

After this point the battle is actually over fairly quickly and both sides meet in the middle over the mound of dead goblin flesh. The Turcoenas descend from the sky and promptly take over the inside of the keep. Even Carlton is denied entry as they slip inside, to discuss matters that apparantly have very little to do with anybody else but them. Kor'ath however, slips inside and manages to remain undetected as he listens to them discuss they next plans. He is vastly unhappy with the way everybody has been used as a decoy by the fey and the Turcoenas and is unappeased by the surprise and praise they get for 'taking the keep.' The mission that follows is one that he must relay to the rest of the party outside, though, when he heads back out there, he is having a hard job of getting folk together:

-Luthien is dogging Rowan(fury)'s steps, happily and smugly laughing at his attemps to heal without his holy symbol; attemps that are nowhere near as effective as they once were.

-Tamril and Ammelath are sitting down for a girlie chat and recovery session mulling on just why Luthien seems so agitated.

-Woodstrike and Astra are also ejected from the innards of the keep and wandering about taking in the carnage on ground level.

-Calton, following the instructions he was given in finding certain members of the resistance - including Arkan - now rejoins with Kor'ath as he tries to band the others together.

-And, Helibobs, having survived her very first battle with a level of amazement and due fascination sets about talking about her shop.


There is another, the human man, Luthien faced, who is also making his own introductions. He and the few loyal men at his side are all that remains of the human forces in the castle and, though he does now, in the traditional sense, have that high rank, he is stomped down by the Turcoenas. He introduces himself as Zhang and falls into discussions with the others as to how to proceed from here, now that 'change is coming.'




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