Welcome to the next post in a series where I describe the adventures during a 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I ran a little while ago.
Last time, the party were persuaded to join a company of mercenaries headed southwest to the Sarassid Lands. The contract is a little vague, describing it as a bit of minor policing work, but they aren't fools and know it's likely to be more than that.
Tiraz
After a lengthy but relatively uneventful sea voyage, the mercenaries land in the great port city of Tiraz. In normal times, it's a major hub for international commerce, but now the harbour is full of troop transports and the city is bursting to the seams with troops. The first thing to hit the characters is both the size of the place, and it's smell. It's not too unpleasant; an exotic mix of sand, spices, delicious street food, and sweat.
It's clear this is no minor police action, it's a full expeditionary army. The party are billeted in a cramped room on the upper floor of a tavern, not quite the luxury they'd become used to in Tuadun. But they certainly had an enjoyable evening in the bar that night !
In the process of partying and getting drunk, they were able to talk to other troops who were drinking there. They find out that army is a mix of troops from the military orders of Odin, Thor and Tyr (the primary garrison of this coastal strip of the Sarassid Lands since it was taken by an alliance of Northern armies some ten years previously), and an assortment of mercenary companies.
King Gortig of Jakta is leading the army in person. This explains the high proportion of mercenaries; Gortig has problems at home so wants to leave most of his regular army there to avoid leaving his kingdom vulnerable. But the mercenary companies have been carefully selected from the most disciplined in Northern Argull, and many have worked with Gortig previously.
The players also get the first hint of why the army has been gathered; the city of Ciudad Cassaro a little way to the south was overrun by a large force of undead which burst out of the closed empire of Lymbrium Nomoth Klasmet. These are now starting to move North, reportedly with overwhelming numbers.
Forty eight hours after landing in Tiraz, the party are roused from their billet with the news that the army is marching out of the city. They re-join their company and commence the journey.
Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio
March To War, and First Encounter
The initial destination for the army was the fortress of Krak Des Tyriens, reached after a fairly leisurely march. This is a very new and large castle set up by the Knights of Tyr to protect the lands occupied by the Northerners. Despite it's size, it was nowhere near large enough for the whole army, so most companies had to camp just outside it.
After arriving at the fort, the army planned to spend a few days there to allow the troops to acclimatise and get organised before heading south to Del Mitinri, the border fort which is the gateway to Ciudad Cassaro. Sir Walter Garley, the company commander, sought out our heroes. He had a special task in mind for them.
The party were asked to scout ahead to Del Mitinri, and then report back.
Just north of Del Mitinri, they found a derelict village. The inhabitants were dead or fled, and the place had been occupied by a small scouting force of enemy Mariannu.
What they saw was a number of skeletal warriors moving down the one and only street. They were breaking into each house in turn slaughtering any remaining inhabitants and firing the building.
As the party charge forward to deal with them, they are ambushed by something far more threatening. Two chariots appear around a corner charging straight at them. These archaic devices are drawn by skeletal horses, and each is crewed by a pair of mummies swathed in ancient bandages the colour of the desert dust. They are armed with bows and bronze khopesh blades.
Even more worrying was the captain striding out alongside them. It looks like a muscular seven-foot tall warrior with glistening sage green coloured skin and the head of a giant crocodile.
Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio
What looked like a simple fight rapidly turns into a desperate battle. One chariot was rapidly put out of commission with a lightning bolt, but the other charged straight over the top of two party members, knocking them down and leaving them at a disadvantage against the accompanying foot warriors.
It was very lucky that the character who chose to face off against the crocodile-headed monstrosity (which was clearly in charge of the undead) was the party's paladin, Morson Blackmont. What I'd actually done to create the Avatar of Sobek was to re-skin and slightly customise a Bearded Devil straight out of the Monster Manual.
Morson's fight against the avatar was epic. All the other characters had battles of their own to fight, so it was very much a one-on-one duel. It was Morson's smite ability which made the difference. After several rounds of combat where the two were even, he chose to smite, and rolled a natural 20 - a critical hit ! It was perfect timing, and the amount of damage he did was easily enough to slay the Avatar.
After that, it was a case of rapidly mopping up the survivors.
But that was when the party saw a horrifying sight. A massive, seemingly endless horde of undead on the horizon, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Headed not for Krak Des Tyriens, where the army was expecting to give battle after a relaxing few days recovering from the march.
No, they were headed rapidly for the city of Abadar, a city of 70,000 souls. The player knew they needed to get back and report this to base urgently !
Map created in Wonderdraft
Next time... forced march to Abadar.
Previous posts in this series;
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 1
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 2
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 3
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Player Creation and Briefing
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Arrival At Tuadun
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Mayor Gerd's Problems
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Saving Shepherd Mirag
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Mother White and Sister Raben
The Tarak D&D Campaign - The First Venture Into the Heimial Forest
The Tarak D&D Campaign - An Unpleasant Encounter
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Back to the Woods, and an Important Discovery
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Back Into The Bad Woods
The Tarak D&D Campaign - The Hags' Lair
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Tuadun Attacked !
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Finishing off the Brigands
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Trading and Partying In Filrath
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Enthor of the Woods
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Choices
The Tarak D&D Campaign - A Choice Is Made
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Into The Burial Mound
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Recruited !