The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's potatoes

[Sly Boots]

Cool. Nothing too mysterious, we'll just have my dad visiting and it's going to depend on what time he heads home.

[Sly Boots]

Should be ok for tonight, dad's popping off in an hour or so.

[Wrathbone]

Good stuff, should still be fine for me.

[Mantis]

I am but I may be running a tad late.

[Mantis]

That was great fun. It was the first time I've ever done a big battle sequence in DnD and it felt very neat, it's pretty rare you get to flex your big damage spells on larger groups.

I can imagine that if we'd not confused the giants or taken out the ram and ended up losing two sides of the wall then things would have gone south for us very fast.

[Raid]

Yeah, it worked really well.

I was quite pleased with my sleep strategy, though I think I perhaps could have used Blight rather than Polymorph on the giant, given they use the same spell slot level. I figured they were going to take out guards on the wall, so getting rid of one, even if only temporarily, was a good plan (after Jeff removed the other one from the equation).

[Wrathbone]

I’m relieved it worked at all! I was concerned it could be one long tiresome slog, but your combined tactics were inventive and effective and hopefully that kept it fun for everyone.

It’s not over yet, though!

[Wrathbone]

Horns blew and voices barked orders throughout the night air as the Unmentionables prepared themselves for the battle of Helm's Hold. An alliance of forces from Neverwinter and Gauntlgrym manned the ramparts, while legal advocates scurried to find any provable distinctions from the famed ballad of Helm's Deep. The Unmentionables asked Queen Raina if she had identified any defensive weak points, and she noted that the Temple of Helm was attached to the outer wall, meaning there were no ramparts that could be manned there to defend against an assault. Treating this assessment with the respect and urgency it demanded, the party despatched the ever-reliable Hamfist to valiantly defend the temple by himself, hopefully till his dying breath.

The forces of the Zhentarim mercenary army halted before the walls, and their commander stepped forth and issued an ultimatum for the people of Helm's Hold to open the gates and surrender, in which case they would be spared, or else everyone would be put to the sword. It was then that Charr, stood atop the walls and unimpressed with such poppycock, decided that the enemy general could use a nap. Alas the general's slumber was short-lived as the defending archers ended his snoring with an onslaught of arrows.

Enraged at their commander's demise, the army called for a charge. The motley band of humans, elves and dwarves held back as the frontlines of orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears and several hill giants surged towards the walls. Jeff, serene in the face of imminent slaughter, blasted the hill giants with his confusion rays at the western wall, causing them to flail wildly at their own troops as they were peppered with arrows from Slythe. Charr conjured and flung flaming meteors over the south gate at the approaching battering ram, while an enemy mage pummelled the gate wall with fireballs. As Charr attempted to magically repair the wall, Sage stood atop it and surveyed the clamouring enemy. He raised his finger with ire at the insolent mage and issued death upon him. The mage's skin turned grey and peeled from his crumbling bones as he fell to his knees with a sickening shriek. Sage pointed at the rest of the mercenaries and demanded to know which of them was next. The troops then turned tail and fled in terror, clearly familiar with the tales of the Unmentionables and their unwavering lack of mercy, particuarly (but not exclusively) to those who cross them.

Noting that the north wall was faring badly, Slythe leapt over buildings and ramparts to get there in a feat of acrobatic audacity, at least on a par with sliding down a stairway on a shield. The orcs scrambling up the ladders found themselves greeted by a whirlwind of arrows and rapiers, not to mention the torrent of flame from the surprised soldier whom Slythe had imbued with draconic powers. While the battle was far from over, the defences had held against the initial assault.

Sage then informed the party that Hamfist had been bothering him over the sending stone, demanding help as something was battering against the temple walls. Sage remained to defend the gate, while Slythe, Charr and Jeff sauntered over to the temple to see if Hamfist was in genuine peril or simply hallucinating from withdrawal symptoms. To everyone's surprise, Hamfist's tactical appraisal was not innacurate. Shortly after arriving at the temple, the back wall caved in, and over the rubble clambered a substantial enemy detachment. The party motioned for the sheltering priests and children to get to the other side of the temple, and they prepared to defend the breach...

[Sly Boots]

Good summary of our most recent escapades, thanks once again for running it, was a fun one

[Raid]

I can't believe you didn't mention Charr's heroic turning of a hill giant into a newt, who then, got better.

[Wrathbone]

Oh shit, I completely forgot about that!

[Raid]

It'll be wednesday or thursday for me this week.

[Mantis]

Wednesday would be best for me. Could do Thursday at a push though.

[Sly Boots]

Should be free whenever this week.

[Wrathbone]

Wednesday's fine for me, so let's go with that.