17th Sypheros

17th Sypheros late afternoon somewhere on the Rhest Trail

This sounds harsh even within the privacy of my own thoughts but we must develop a thick skin in this horrid war. Bryanna was almost slain because I feared for the safety of Cyran female human, a total stranger by the name of Kaitlin. Although I must admit to myself, if to no one else, the urgency of the mission was as much a consideration as was Kaitlin’s safety. I am no longer willing to take such extreme risks with our lives to win a war that is already lost.

Of course the situation began with our current dilema, that is the absence of our warforged champion Zed the swordmaster. Zed is off warding the refugees from Drenlin’s Ferry in their journey to New Cyre.

Pazenga the githzerai martial artist, Elarin our elven warrior-wizard, my beloved Bryanna the priestess of Boldrei, Shard her earth elemental familiar, Failin the House Orien teamster, and I were traveling on the Rest Trail planning to break the goblin blockade to the north. We heard screams in the distance, seemingly those of a human female. In the distance we spied an overturned wagon, a small band of goblins, and two huge and terrifying giants. Unlike ogres, their distant kin, it is unusual to see such creatures in Khorvaire so far from their native homeland of Xendrick. As our eyes focused we came to see that the giants had two heads EACH and a huge club in either hand. Ettins, I have read a little about such creatures and none of it made this situation look promising, except perhaps their stupidity.

We probably would have been wise to flee but instead, I paused for a few seconds to develop an impromptu plan that would give us a high certainty of victory with no casualties. I knew that if we all charged in the giants would dash up to pieces. I did not share my plans with the others as there was no time. I simply asked Pazenga if he was willing to face the giants alone with my magical support and if he was willing to serve as my steed if only for a few seconds. Paz, being the extremely courageous and trusting creature that he is readily agreed. Elarin cast a strength enhancing magic on Pazenga without questioning my intentions. Paz then scooped me up like a sack of grain and sprinted toward the giants leaving the Failin’s elemental wagon far behind. The giants spotted us and counter-charged falling right into my trap. As soon as they were within range I released my time-altering spell of slowing. Neither giant had the power to resist and thus they began to move as though wading through a deep swamp, except that the magic extended to their arms as well as their legs. Paz quickly placed me on the ground and I cast an illusion spell on the gith that would make his body appear to be a few feet removed from his actual location (much as fish are not actually where we think we see them due to a synergistic interaction of the magics of elemental water and elemental air). As soon as the illusion was cast I retreated out of the immediate danger, preparing to support or heal Pazenga as need be. While all this was going on Elarin began a long range bombardment with his acid missile spell. Though the spell could not generate enough acid to kill something as large as a giant, the pain weakened and distracted the giants giving Pazenga all the opening he needed. The combination of my illusion spell and the gith's own incredible speed left Paz nearly untouchable for a short time and he laid into them, an almost invisible ball of spinning kicks and punches. By unspoken consent Pazenga and Elarin focused their attacks on the giant that seemed the weaker of the two and in short order it was slain. My spell of slowing and Pazenga’s defensive illusion all expired at nearly the same time leaving our gith monk to face the second giant in a fair one-on-one contest. Of course I was not about to allow that happen, so I began a barrage of my force missiles. Elarin followed suit and blasted the thing with his last acid missile. Pazenga took full advantage of the magical distraction and scooted in between the thing’s legs. He snapped a lightning quick jab upward and we heard a wet popping sound that heralded the giant’s emasculation. Instead of fleeing as would have been advisable, the stupid creature instead chose to take out its pain and frustration on a target that did not move as quickly as Pazenga, that is me. I avoided being crushed by a hastily created illusionary double that drew the giant’s club away from me. The double-headed giant had made a fatal mistake, however, when he turned his back on Pazenga. Paz launched a series of blows to the giant’s spine that crushed a number of vertebrae and ended the creature’s life.

As soon as we were ascertained of the creature’s demise we hurried to the overturned wagon to locate the source of the screaming. Hiding under the wagon we found a young human woman by the name of Kaitlin. This woman told us that she was bringing three thousand gold sovereigns to a troop of Deineth Blademarks some three hundred strong. Three hundred Blademarks to defend the walls of New Cyre might almost give us some hope of defeating the immense hobgoblin army. Unfortunately she was heading in almost the opposite direction. Kaitlin insisted on continuing her journey to deliver the mercenaries their money even though her path led south well away from our current goal. Unable to either delay the lifting of the road block or to convince the human woman to accompany us, we made the ill-advised decision to divide our company yet again. We thought that with Pazenga’s speed he could accompany Kaitlin south and then run back to us before we reached the road block. This was to prove a nearly disastrous decision.

The basic reasoning behind our plan was sound. Pazenga should be able to catch up with us easily, especially if he rested on the wagon trip south and ran non-stop back north. The drawback of course was that New Cyre is teaming with goblin raiders.

We had only traveled for about a half a day when we were ambushed by a hobgoblin raiding party. Aside from the five ubiquitous hobgoblins, there were also two bizarre humanoid dragons. Their leader was some sort of a spell-casting vulpine shapeshifter. The wolf-sorcerer cast a spell that caused the hobgoblins to grow nearly ogre-sized and then another spell that either teleported him away or at least turned him invisible. The oversized hobgoblins laid into us with their blades and we were hard pressed to preserve our lives. I had to constantly drop below the level of the elemental wagon’s fence to avoid decapitation and this made it extremely difficult to cast any spells. Luckily for us Elarin and Bryanna are more competent at casting spells while being hacked at than I or we would have been overrun. Elarin began launching a barrage of firebolts at the dragonman in adjacent to my wife but the flames barely charred its scaly chest. My wife threw up an illusion that made it look as though were seven of her. Thus the hobgoblins had a very difficult time hitting her. In the confusion one hobgoblin got in a lucky slash opened her arm but she merely winced at the pain and continued the fight.

It was at this time that the two dragonmen opened their fangs maws and spat acid upon us. Failin fell to the bottom of the wagon moaning in agony. My wife’s familiar, Shard, did not even land a single blow before he was melted into a pile of gravel by the vitriolic vomit. I did not receive the dousing that slew Shard but even so the burning pain was nearly unbearable and I would have swooned had it not been for Byranna and her powerful healing staff. The acid-vomit had a similar effect on Elarin and Bryanna was forced to rush to his aid as well. By this time I had finally managed to cast my own illusionary image spell and was thus safe to begin smiting the enemy with my offensive spells.

After healing Elarin, Bryanna was caught in the direct blast of the acid vomit and dropped to the floor of the wagon. The first offensive spell I managed to get off was a spell of slowing. The dragonmen resisted the spell but the weaker hobgoblins fell victim to its power. Elarin skewered the dragonman in front of him with his magic-charged thrusting sword. Thus freed up, Elarin spun around and launched his most powerful attack on the other dragonman. The four fire rays speared into the dragonman lighting him up like a torch.

The two remaining hobgoblins saw that the battle was lost and chose to flee rather than fight to the death. The one nearest Bryanna scooped her up and attempted to run away with her. If he thought that carrying her unconscious form was going to protect him from retaliation he was sadly mistaken. Enraged, I drove my force missiles deep into his back and he flopped to the ground with my wife’s unconscious body. I sprinted over and healed Bryanna before she could lapse into a coma.

Somehow we had again managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Most of us had survived but Byranna is grief stricken over the loss of her beloved familiar, Shard the faithful. The four of us, as badly used as we are, continue the journey to the road block. I pray to Aureon and Boldrie and all of the Sovereign Host that Pazenga returns before we face another goblin raiding party.