The Battle for Orlumbor

Scepter in hand, Acklan Ro sent his troops charging in to battle.

Falka and Dala'gse were there to meet them with a volley from the archers on the walls. Ironica slipped out unnoticed onto the field of battle through a side gate. Safad and Rya rallied the clergy of Deep Sashelas to them. Slothrop ran to convince a group of sailors to burn the TRP ships where they'd landed. 

But chaos erupted inside the walls. A contingent of TRP humanoids had been hidden amongst the citizens and turned on the savagely, sowing panic and confusion. Rya and Dala'gse turned to deal with them while Safad sought healing for his SCSP poisoned condition. Falka showed the archers what it meant to be a longbowoman. Slothrop set off for the port with his silver-tongue'd and sellbound sailors. 

And the TRP drew closer to the walls. Dala'gse met up with Kent Ax and made for a defense of the town's central gate. Ironica drew level with the enemy, hidden in the tall grass, waiting for her moment. Safad joined Rya in dealing with the embedded enemies who had wreaked havoc but were now identified and falling under the better-directed militia mob. 

The enemy was at the gate: bugbears, heavily armed goblinoid shock troops, possessed with a bestial ferocity that frightened the townspeople. Falka smeared blood on her face and laughed. She looked at her new comrades and yelled, "you know what's scarier than a bugbear?" Those near her looked at her despairingly. 

"I am!" 

Falka's elven body contorted and rippled, growing in size to become a hybrid wolf. She smiled her feral grin and howled. "And I'm with you." The townspeople took heart and drew closer around the werewolf, Kent Ax, and Dala'gse, ready for anything that might come through that gate. 

The second it was breached Dala'gse uttered a prayer to Silvanus, thanked Umberlee and let loose a tidal wave to devastating effect. It formed a wedge that pushed back the onslaught. Kent Ax and Falka led the charge after it, cleaving away any straglers in their path as they bee-lined for Acklan Ro and his fell scepter. 

Rya and Safad grouped up with the clergy and organized mass healing for the wounded as well as offensive spells directed at the less protected flanks. But the enemy had spellcasters of their own and worked them to great effect, fireballing holes in the wall at even intervals fanning out from the main gate. TRP troops swarmed through. 

Meanwhile, Ironica thought to create chaos and summoned an illusion of a mind flayer, floating above the gate. It had the desired effect, but on both sides, with some townspeople fleeing. She slinked closer to the TRP archers where Acklan was loosing volley after volley of deadly arrows. 

Slothrop had boarded a ship with his crew and set sail for the northeastern tip of the island, the likely landing site of the enemy. Slothrop, unsupervised, on a ship, with a crew persuaded he had their best interests at heart. So long...

The Orlumborians charged into the field engaging with the TRP as Dala'gse, Kent, and Falka sought to lead them to Acklan. TRP harried the town inside, overpowering them. It was a race against time as the superior TRP killed two for every one of them that fell. Recognizing this, the party focused all its efforts on Acklan. They fought their way to him and his archers. 

But as they attacked him, those closest to him threw their bodies in the way, effectively serving as meat shields for their charismatic leader. They needed to somehow isolate him. 

Dala'gse cast another tidal wave, clearing the field of the enemy. Falka pounced. Dala'gse charged. An arrow took down Kent Ax and Acklan seemed to gain in strength as he hooted victoriously. He raised his scepter and the TRP soldiers grew in strength.

As the dwarf and werewolf engaged with the be-sceptered leader, Ironica slipped through the enemy troops, as only a halfling trickster-rogue-monk can. She watched as Dala'gse and Falka traded blows with the vicious Acklan, timing his movements and preparing her attack. 

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Ironica leapt forward onto the back of Acklan Ro and drove her dagger through his throat. He let out a gasp and his scepter seemed to collapse in his arms. Acklan Ro slumped to the ground, dead. 

In an instant, the TRP was thrown into disarray. They seemed to have "woken up" suddenly and looked around confused at what they were doing attacking the citizens of Orlumbor. This frightened them and they fled. 

The battle was over. Orlumber had won, but at a grave cost, losing nearly one quarter of its population. The party helped organize and attend to the wounded, gather up vagrant TRP prisoners, and regroup in town.

Slothrop sailed away.