CH. 16 - Resistance

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra continues with her attack, hoping that she can at least hurt the dragon one more time.

[JadedDM]

The party continues their assault on Inferno, hoping that they can kill the massive red dragon before he finishes them off.

The flaming sphere comes to a halt as the dragon ceases concentrating on it, and instead starts to suck in his breath. Realizing what is about to happen again, William begins shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Hey, you rust colored lizard! I thought dragons were supposed to be strong! Or is it just you reds that have such trouble with a handful of mortals? I bet you couldn't start a campfire in dry weather with that weak breath of yours!"

It seems likely that, on some level, the dragon must have realized what the priest was doing. But whether due to its rage or it simply being unable to allow its pride to be wounded, Inferno takes the bait. The dragon lets loose another blast of impossibly hot flame, right toward William. As if expecting such, William braces himself. "Remember what you fight for!" he calls to the others just before the flame hits. Some sort of shield around him, placed there by Gobax's earlier prayer, almost immediately shatters and the priest is consumed just like the others.

Miriam and Fiona both cry out at the loss of their leader, and the sacrifice he made to buy the party a few more minutes of survival.

================

Initiative Order
Kendra: 2+5 = 7
William: 3+4 = 7
Fiona: 4+7 = 11
Haahqae: 5+7 = 12
Gobax: 7+7 = 14
Miriam: 10+4 = 14
Inferno: 5+12 = 17

Round 9!

Kendra slashes her elven sword (+2 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 22] (1d20+3): 15+3 = 18, miss. She then slashes her masterwork sword (+1 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 22] (1d20+3): 4+2 = 6, miss.
William slashes his magic long sword (+2 hit/dmg) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+2): 6+2 = 8, miss.
Fiona fires a sheaf arrow from her short bow with great aim (+1 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+1): 18+1 = 19, miss.
Haahqae fires a sheaf arrow from his short bow with great aim (+2 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+2): 17+2 =19, miss.
Gobax swings his mace at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20): 5, miss.
Miriam slashes her magical long sword (+1 hit/dmg) with great strength (+1 hit/dmg) and skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 21] (1d20+3): 7+3 = 10, miss.
Inferno breathes a gout of flame at William (14d10+7): 10,9,3,7,8,7,9,7,9,8,10,7,6,5,7 = 112 damage. William saves vs. breath weapon [16] (1d20+5): 4+5 = 9, fail. Due to Protection from Fire, William takes 56 damage and dies instantly.
Kendra slashes her elven sword (+2 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 22] (1d20+3): 2+3 = 5, miss.
Fiona fires a sheaf arrow from her short bow with great aim (+1 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+1): 8+1 = 9, miss.
Haahqae fires a sheaf arrow from his short bow with great aim (+2 hit)at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+2): 19+2 = 21, miss.
Miriam slashes her magical long sword (+1 hit/dmg) with great strength (+1 hit/dmg) and skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 21] (1d20+3): 9+3 = 12, miss.

(OOC: Actions for Round 10?)

[Haahque]

Haahqae shoots at the dragon twice

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra watches in horror as William is consumed by Inferno's flames, but she continues her attack on the dragon hoping, at some point, to score a hit on him.

[TristenC]

Attacking again with mace

[JadedDM]

As the battle rages on, Kendra manages to slash into the dragon's scales once again with her Dragonarmy blade. Inferno is now covered in wounds, and his wings droop, but he is running on pure rage now. He slashes at Gobax and Kendra with his claws, then bites down on Miriam, snapping her in half.

================

Initiative Order
Kendra: 2+5 = 7
Fiona: 4+7 = 11
Haahqae: 5+7 = 12
Gobax: 7+7 = 14
Miriam: 10+4 = 14
Inferno: 5+12 = 17

Round 10!

Kendra slashes her elven sword (+2 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 22] (1d20+3): 10+3 = 13, miss. She then slashes her masterwork sword (+1 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 22] (1d20+3): 20+3 = 23, critical hit! for (2d12+3): 10+3 = 13 damage.
Fiona fires a sheaf arrow from her short bow with great aim (+1 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+1): 16+1 = 17, miss.
Haahqae fires a sheaf arrow from his short bow with great aim (+2 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+2): 10+2 = 12, miss.
Gobax swings his mace at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20): 6, miss.
Miriam slashes her magical long sword (+1 hit/dmg) with great strength (+1 hit/dmg) and skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 21] (1d20+3): 17+3 = 20, miss.
Inferno slashes with his right claw at Kendra in studded leather (-2 hit) while she is protected from evil (-2 hit) [TH 0] (1d20-4): 5-4 = 1, hit for (1d10): 10 damage. Kendra becomes critically wounded. He then slashes with his left claw at Gobax [TH 0] (1d20): 2, hit for (1d10): 9 damage. Gobax becomes critically wounded. Inferno then bites at Miriam with her magic shield (-2 hit) [TH 2] (1d20-2): 18-2 = 16, hit for (3d10): 1,9,10 = 20 damage. Miriam dies. Inferno moves the Flaming Sphere at Fiona. Fiona saves vs. spell (1d20): 8, fail. She takes (2d4): 2,4 = 6 damage. Fiona becomes critically wounded.
Fiona fires a sheaf arrow from her short bow with great aim (+1 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+1): 4+1 = 5, miss.
Haahqae fires a sheaf arrow from his short bow with great aim (+2 hit)at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+2): 11+2 = 13, miss.

(OOC: Wow, he's down to 2 HP, guys. You might actually win this.

Actions for Round 11?)

[TristenC]

[OOC]
Those combat rounds seem to go quicker when there are fewer participants,dont they,
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.
Wait! I have the perfect thing for this! Everyone stand back! Gnomish Thunder Pipes!



[/OOC]

Gobax applies mace to the face! (or any, y'know... actually reachable part of the dragon)

[Haahque]

(OoC: I'd love to apply some gnomish ingenuity; but most of it doesn't work on dragons and most of it was bleed dry before this fight, so I'm down to doing the same thing every round)

Haahqae shoots two more arrows at the dragon.

(OoC: Another 9.5% chance of Haahqae having contributed to the fight in any meaningful way)

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra once again tries with all of her might to bring down Inferno by attacking with her swords. "Die, you bastard!"

[BishGada]

=======================
(OOC: Nice Obi-Wan Kenobi by William)

[JadedDM]

The battle raged on, perhaps hopelessly. Indeed, this fight with the ancient, massive red dragon seemed the perfect metaphor for everything that had happened few months. The odds stacked against the party in every conceivable way, facing an overwhelming opponent that would most likely crush them, and yet they fight anyway. Perhaps they even fight because it is impossible. But why? Maybe they feel meeting death here and now is a superior alternative to a life in chains. Perhaps, like William, they feel that they must fight for others, not for themselves. Or possibly they are seeking to redeem themselves for past sins.

But whether they are fighting against tyranny, against evil, or even against their own demons, they fight on, nonetheless. Even Haahqae, who in the past often chose escape over conflict when he could, who often worried more about himself over the masses, remained. He even saw a way to flee, a way to live another day, and yet still chose to stand his ground and fight against a creature so large it could step on him without even noticing, a creature so intelligent it could easily see through his illusions as if they were paltry cantrips, and so ancient that it was probably already a century old when the Cataclysm struck three hundred and fifty years ago.

But Haahqae did not flee. And if he had, maybe things would have turned out very differently. Maybe the dragon, in a fervent rampage of revenge, would have burned Haven to the ground. But Haahqae did not flee, and so history took a different turn this day.

Just as the gnome was calculating the odds of success in his head, and lamenting how very low they were, he nocked another arrow and took aim. And then everything slowed down. It's not clear if this was luck, instinct, or perhaps that divine intervention that Gobax had earlier prayed for. But for whatever reason, he felt a strange sense of calm blanket over him. Even as the dragon roared in fury, as his companions desperately fought against his claws and teeth, as the fires behind him warmed his backside, as the distant screams of panicking citizens in the rest of the city rose into the sky with the smoke...Haahqae felt a strange sense of comfort. Pulling back the string of his bow, he released his breath steadily, then let loose.

As soon as he did so, time sped back up again. The arrow flew forward at an amazing speed, striking Inferno right in his eye, and nearly punching all the way through. For a moment, everything went silent, as if the entire city was holding its breath in anticipation. Then, without a sound, the dragon started tilting to one side. Those in danger of being crushed quickly moved out of the way as the hulking beast hit the ground with such a thunderous force that the entire ground shook.

Against all odds, and with an enormous cost, they had done it. The dragon was dead.

================

Initiative Order
Kendra: 2+5 = 7
Fiona: 4+7 = 11
Haahqae: 5+7 = 12
Gobax: 7+7 = 14
Inferno: 5+12 = 17

Round 11!

Kendra slashes her elven sword (+2 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 22] (1d20+3): 3+3 = 6, miss. She then slashes her masterwork sword (+1 hit/dmg) with great skill (+1 hit/+2 dmg) at Inferno [TH 22] (1d20+3): 5+3 = 8, miss.
Fiona fires a sheaf arrow from her short bow with great aim (+1 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+1): 3+1 = 4, miss.
Haahqae fires a sheaf arrow from his short bow with great aim (+2 hit) at Inferno [TH 24] (1d20+2): 20+2 = 22, critical hit! for (2d8): 1,8 = 9 damage. Inferno dies.

(OOC: End combat.)

[Haahque]

As Haahqae released another arrow he was barely thinking about his target, falling into brewing over the hopelessness of this battle and how he was likely to get engulfed by another bout of fire or that a stray claw or tail swipe would end all of his ambitions and desires. But depressed as he may be, he adjusts his aim; and using the same bow that had helped bring down a giant; slay numerous cultists and slay the first draconians he had ever seen, Haahqae released the fatal arrow. He hadn’t even realized what had happened until a few seconds later as his next arrow; loosed through habit and disbelief; bounced off the dragon’s scales as the beast clattered to the ground.

The dragon was… dead?

Haahqae looked around at the clearing, lit by the dancing flames of the wall of fire surrounding the lawn. There’s over a dozen of his arrows; scattered, shattered and broken on the ground. All around his arrows are the bodies of former companions, comrades in arms, shattered and broken on the ground, or just burned to crisps.

And in the center is the body of a failed dragon. Older, by far, then anyone here. A creature of immense power, that knew arcane secrets that Haahqae has yet to discover before the cataclysm ever happened. And yet, in hundreds of years being a powerful mage it had never ascended to godhood, become an idol of worship or even made itself a prominent figure amongst the world’s leaders. It had instead been a pawn and killed by a motely crew of heroes from a poorly planned rebellion that was on their last legs, out of resources, physically and mentally drained and without any sort of planning or preparation for a fight that Haahqae knew they should have been prepared for before hand, but weren’t.

This battle has taken it’s toll, not just on his group but its implications are wider than anyone here likely know. Haahqae had done the city a great boon; he knew; by preventing this dragon from burning it down. Thousands of innocents lives saved by this act. An act that probably; just like most of his other acts of kindness, are likely to be overlooked or miscredited unless he brings attention to it personally; and even then they might not believe him. For now. That will change once his life’s quest is complete.

They’ve slain the prefect, causing a power gap in the city. Who knows what power struggles will happen to choose a new leader of the red army in Haven, who will win, and if they’ll be as much of an incompetent moron as the late prefect was, or if they’ll bring brighter times and allow the city to flourish. Magnus was dead, so he’s out of the picture. Dead also is his apprentice; one of Haahqae’s few friends here in Haven (despite his incompetence and lack of responsibility). Chances are pretty high that the blind church with their stupid oracles will take power and blame the death of a dragon on the brothel or something idiotic.

But more important to Haahqae is who still lives. He lives, that’s a plus, and something that he plans on keeping that way. He’ll probably have to slip out through the fire after all and disappear into the night. Then depending on the chaos this night’s events bring; possibly leave the city entirely. Miracle also lives. The one person Haahqae has full confidence and trust in, appears to have survived today the best of them all. And finally Ismene is safe, to the best of his Knowledge.

His life’s quest, he’s never told anyone about it. No friend, no one at home, not even Miracle, but regardless, he’s always worked towards it, and it feels just as far away from possibility now as it ever has. He sought to fill in the gap, become a benevolent being that could give folks guidance in the absence of the old gods. And now, he’s yet to have learned any secrets to immortality or ascension, and he’s felled a magical creature far beyond his own power that’s failed at such a quest for hundreds of years. With the old gods returning is it worth him reconsidering his path in life? Or, as he’s assumed in these past months, are those negligent gods who encompass very narrow aspects of life and believe the world isn’t even worth paying attention to for centuries not good enough for his devotion, and he should continue on his quest. The things which he stands for; knowledge, freedom and accomplishment, still need a champion, and he has a long time yet to live. Perhaps, someday.

The politics of a damned town full of fools lead by the blind? Haahqae could leave it all behind, and perhaps travel to Wayreth and meet Ismene once again. Learn of the arcane from those who study it and maybe build on his quest there. Sure, there are a lot of blasted rules and regulations in the tower; but if they let someone evil like Magnus and incompetent like Tulbus pass their tests; perhaps the regulations aren’t as strict as Haahqae had been lead to believe before? Perhaps; if he found this dragon’s horde of treasure he could have coin for the road, and a nice trinket to gift Ismene when he finally finds her once again.

Haahqae walks over and kicks the dragon to make sure it's dead.

"We've won? The dragon is slain, so is the prefect. We can rescue any surviving unjustly imprisoned folk and the dragon's horde of treasure and arcane secrets is unguarded. Why do I feel so exhausted?"

[HorizonsDream]

Kendra was barely paying attention to what other people were doing during the battle, she was so focus on trying to hack Inferno to pieces. As Inferno dropped to the ground as a lifeless husk, she paused in what she was doing with one of her swords in mid-air. Her eyes were wide with surprise. Was Inferno really dead? It was a hard thing to grasp as she was positive that she was going to die during this battle. Why wasn't she dead? She should be dead, right? She slowly drops her sword down back down at her side, and turns away from the dead dragon to look at the carnage that he left behind before she finally falls to her knees in exhaustion. The horrors of the day were washing over her now. The thoughts of the power vacuum that all of this has created hasn't even crossed her mind because she doesn't care anymore. There was nothing to care about anymore, and she was pathetically still alive.

[JadedDM]

Once Fiona snaps out of the shock of it all, she shakes her head. "No time to celebrate yet. We need to get out of here, quick." She looks back over her shoulder to the fire ring, which has started to weaken. Whether this is from the dragon's death or the fires just running out of fuel to burn is not clear. But there are dozens of draconians on the other side, and it's unlikely they'll herald the party as heroes once that fire goes out and they can cross over.

"The mansion is destroyed, but the basement should still be intact, right? Let's head to the back and try to dig out the basement entrance, so we can get back into the sewers before they swarm the place," she suggests.

[HorizonsDream]

"I...I might be able to buy you guys some time to get to the sewers," Kendra says. "The army doesn't have a leader, and I am pretty much the closest thing left alive that could be considered a leader considering my rank."