GoCorral

Everyone was in attendance for this session. We used Skype for voice and video and Roll20 as a virtual tabletop. I used the trial version of Voxal Voice Changer to do the voice of an antagonist in this session. The preset “Alien” voice worked perfectly. Voxal is great and the trial version is just fine as long as you’re prepared to deal with it’s limitations (one of which is crashing your computer if you unplug your mic, FYI). I’ve continued to use it going forward and would recommend it to anyone gaming over the internet and looking to introduce some character voices.
I’ve also used a special font to represent that voice in the written update. If you’re interested in the font it’s called Abaddon and can be found with a quick Google search.

Plan the Attack

The day of the undead attack on the Xorians came at last. Prior to the battle Eathirilu cast a control weather spell causing it to rain constantly. When he enacted the magic he noticed another weather control spell in place. The two seemed to not conflict, so he shrugged it off as inconsequential. The cloudy sky grew darker as rain poured down.

Tunnels were dug beneath Demeter’s Ford across the Great Divide. The excavation went quickly thanks to Hektor’s honed arcane talents. Below the river the tunnels filled with water, but fortunately undead soldiers do not need to breathe. Kig and Gradorian had moved hundreds of thousands of zombies and skeletons from the Shacklack Desert into the tunnels beneath the Ford using the ring gates. More and more would flow until the start of the battle at which point Gradorian, Kig, and the mages with them would teleport back to Jipangu taking the ring gates with them for protection.

Tagenadi wanted the undead to act intelligently in the coming battle, so hundreds of clerics from Crux were brought to the battle site. They used the powers granted to them by Hades to better control and direct the skeletons and zombies. The clerics were also able to cast water breathing allowing them to go into the tunnels with the undead for a few hours.

With the undead in position just below the earth, Tagenadi, Hektor, Barakah, Danar, Eathirilu, Zelus, and Astyanax observed Demeter’s Ford invisibly from above. The Xorians were clearly wary of an attack while they crossed. Two large contingents of Amazon cavalry had come north from Gazeara to guard the crossing on the west and east banks of the Great Divide. A group of the lesser Xorian cavalry had already crossed to the western bank along with about half of the elite Brigade hoplites that Xoria was famous for. The rank and file conscripts of the black and red army were marching across the ford in formation. An impressive sight from the air.

The party began casting their protection magics. Hektor and Danar had previously summoned some allies for this fight as well. Hektor had a planetar class angel, Delirius, and a marilith, Drashkul, assisting him while Danar had a fully grown bronze dragon, Hron’dar. Everyone grouped together around Hektor, their teleporter. Tagenadi touched his shield hand to his temple, psychically commanding all the undead, “Begin the attack.”

Contact with the Enemy

Zombies, skeletons, and wights burst from the ground all across the Ford. The terrified screams of thousands of Xorian soldiers reached the ears of the Exiles half a mile in the air. As the skeletons emerged they displaced the water, creating a temporary widening of the river. Horses reared on the eastern bank as wights erupted forth to encircle them. The Brigade troops kept calm and lowered their spears to engage. The battle had begun.

The party planned to attack the Xorian leadership. Cut off the head and the rest of the snake will die. Hron’dar and Delirius, having the best eyes in the group, scanned the battlefield, looking for the regally dressed commanders. On the western bank by the Ford they spied half a dozen dragovinians dressed in purple shouting at the soldiers surrounding them.

“That’s them,” said Danar.
“Gather up,” said Hektor. “We’re going in.”

Hektor enacted his teleport magic. He aimed for the party to appear fifty feet above and to the north of the dragovinian commanders. The rest of the party readied themselves to attack. The spell took effect and the group entered the astral plane, but as their bodies turned to astral vapor Hektor ran into a block that he hadn’t previously encountered. What was this? An anticipate teleport spell?!?
“Oh no,” thought Hektor.

The party appeared right next to Jevaninada, Darudanano, Barejando, and Jittehalong. Jittehalong was a new face. She was the new Queen of the Amazons after the death of Ashabodai during the Battle of Phoenix. She was not a dragovinian like the others. She stood at almost eight feet tall, wore sleek wooden armor, and wielded a titanic spear that could only be the Spear of the Amazons.

Further away were three huge red dragons. Heat weeped off them. The Exiles recognized the two larger dragons as Invernix and Sartoria, but something was different about them. Their volcanic eyes were dimmer, their scales paler, and their teeth longer. Tagenadi breathed the word they were all thinking, “Vampires.” Out in the day thanks to the dark overcast sky, partially due to Eathirilu’s magic but also due to that other weather spell he had noticed.

The final dragon was none other than Blendegad the Reaper, Scourge of Cimmeria. He wore a jaw brace equipped with serrated edges made to rip apart his foes. His claws were adorned with golden points, which seemed sharper than the air itself. Blendegad roared,

Then he breathed upon the party. Scorching flames enveloped them, but Eathirilu’s enchantments stood strong and everyone emerged unscathed.

Battle of Demeter’s Ford

Eathirilu’s magically enhanced senses allowed him to react immediately to the surrounding enemies. He shed the sparrow form he’d assumed for teleporting with the group and hulked out into his tyrannosaur form. He lunged at Blendegad, biting into the dragon god’s side. The rest of our heroes were not so lucky.

Jevaninada and Darudanano ripped into Zelus with sword, claw, and tooth. Sartoria and Invernix, seeing that Blendegad’s fire breath was ineffective, went into the melee with their own natural weapons. They attacked the biggest target, Eathirilu. At the fringes of the battle Stanton cast a spell to strip away some of Eathirilu’s enchantments and Wu peppered Zelus with arrows. Zelus collapsed as the arrows sprouted from his body.

Jittehalong jumped into the air with her mighty spear above the party and rained lightning quick blows down upon them. The spear struck with shattering force, like that of a battering ram. Danar, Hektor, Tagenadi, Barakah, Hron’dar, and Delirius were pushed back by the crushing force at the end of her spear. Astyanax, being directly below Jittehalong, was pummeled mercilessly into the ground. He lost consciousness as his wounds consumed him. Eathirilu alone resisted the spear’s force due to his enhanced size and strength.

Jittehalong’s ugly blows ended up helping Hektor as he found himself away from the melee. He accelerated his body into a time stop. Acting with incredible speed he gated in a solar class angel to help the fight, redid a few of his magical wards, used his shapechange magic to become an earth elemental, and sunk into the ground with just his eyes and new rocky ears above the sloppy mud. As the time stop ended, Hektor commanded the solar, “Return Zelus to the fight.”
“As you command!” The angel raised its holy sword in the air. Light poured from the sword in all directions, then focused in on the downed god. Zelus’s body flowed with new found energy and he flew into the air on his wings.

Blendegad lunged upon Zelus and ripped out his throat.

Blendegad spat at Danar. 

As if commanded, Invernix immediately moved to attack Danar. The draconic sorcerer knight took the blows in stride. Eathirilu moved to assist, biting at Invernix and ripping out portions of flesh.

Barakah, blown to the side by Jittehalong’s spear, got to his feet. Normally his full figure hid beneath his flowing cloak. Now, King Barakah flung his arms out wide, letting the cloak slide off his shoulders. Beneath the luxurious cloth were hundreds of writhing tentacles. Short, long, green, purple, pulsing, nodulous. The pseudopods shot forward and raked along Invernix’s body. The dragon belched fire in protest. The tentacles were leaving hideous acidic burns in their wake. Covered in horrific burns, Invernix’s corporeal form could not hold. He turned into mist and flew to the southwest.

Tagenadi shouted, “Should we pursue?”
“No! Stay focused,” said Danar.
“REVENGE!” yelled Sartoria. She savaged Danar with scorching fury. He would’ve collapsed if not for his magical protections.

Tagenadi dueled with Jevaninada and Darudanano. He fought a losing battle. Defeat was certain, but Tagenadi could detain and contain them for a time with the hope that his allies would gain ground fighting the rest of their foes.

Danar grabbed Zelus’s body and dragged it away to meet up with Hron’dar. He ordered Hron’dar to find Wu and prevent another unseen strike. Delirius joined Hron’dar in the search.

The new solar ended up being the one to find Wu. He was right behind the angel! The angel struck out with positive energy. The magic washed over Wu, leaving him unharmed due to some magical protection he had. He flapped his draconic wings to move away and disappeared into the cloudcast shadows.

Eathirilu quickly cast a spell to heal Astyanax’s wounds before taking another haunch of meat out of Blendegad’s side. Stanton returned the favor by shooting Eathirilu with another round of dispel magic. He got the most important of Eathirilu’s defensive protections along with his wildshape. Eathirilu reverted to his natural reincarnated form of a wolverine. Blendegad didn’t shy away from taking advantage of the situation

The Reaper did just as he said, tearing Eathirilu apart, piece by piece. Eathirilu fell to the ground, dead.

Hektor used his most powerful magic to bring Zelus back to life while his summoned creatures engaged Jittehalong. Zelus used his own magic to bathe the central melee in positive energy. The undead were unaffected, but it restored some vitality to Astyanax and Danar who happened to be just in range of the spell.

The Exiles teetered on the edge. Unconsciousness and death had touched nearly all of them, but a victory here could mean the end of the Second Alliance War. Tagenadi scanned the battleground looking for an advantage. There! Stanton to the southeast! Should he charge him? Continue fighting against his brother and the King? Or maybe the group should cut their losses and retreat. Tagenadi’s warrior instincts kicked in and time slowed down… Which was his best option?