[Horde] Chapter Five: Session Thirteen
Appearing Characters: Arthak Saurfang, Dargrul, Ebonhorn, Jale Rivermane, Lantresor, Lasan Skyhorn, Levia Blackflight, Mayla Highmountain, Navarrogg, Nyxxa Murkthorn, Rak'Symma, Rexxar, Sol'chi, Thisalee Crow, Thura Saurfang, Torok Bloodtotem, Ulan Highmountain, Ularogg Cragshaper, Zar'Kaa, Zekhan
November 12th
Rexxar jumped up on Nisha.
Levia took flight after him to do the same. Lantresor darted up the side of the mountain and started to vault himself from different platforms. Thisalee, Thura, and Zekhan likewise followed suit. Several of the chieftains were trying to flee the area, including the elderly chieftain of the Rivermane tribe, Jale Rivermane. Near her was a dark-furred tauren named Torok Bloodtotem, who had a massive totem he was using to strike into some of the drogbar. Lasan Skyhorn was also working to fend off combatants alongside his eagle, Aviash.
There was a look of sheer shock and loss as the tauren Nyxxa had identified as a dragon looked over the tragedy, and he clenched his fist, some pebbles shaking at his feet. He looked legitimately upset at what had occurred as Nyxxa raced by and slashed her glaives across a nearby drogbar warrior. The warrior grunted in paint.
Nyxxa spun around and slashed with another flurry of strikes. The drogbar start to shout out words of warning about the reinforcements, and the snails also start to bark out orders to each other–at least that’s what Nyxxa heard, with her ability to speak with animals.
Zar’Kaa ran for one of the amber crystal elementals that were aiding the drogbar as the drogbar Nyxxa attacked attempted, but failed, to retaliate. Another drogbar swung his mace at Ebonhorn, but the dark-furred tauren caught the mace and started to step forward. The metal of the mace started to creak and crush as he superheated it.
Suddenly some drogbar hurled some bolas at Arthak and they wrapped around his legs as he was running. However, Arthak kept his balance and continued to stampede through.
One of the drogbar swept in at Zar’Kaa and managed to clip him as he leapt out of the way. A nearby geomancer started to chant and pound his feet on the ground. An earthen head erupted from the ground and attempted to grab Zar’Kaa’s feet. The troll was able to evade the grab just in time to parry a strike from the geomancer.
Mayla Highmountain grabbed a spear from the ground that Rak’Symma was able to recognize as the spear that Mayla’s father had wielded.
She drove the spear into the amber crystal elemental and then swung the weapon around into drogbar that had tried to attack Ebonhorn. She looked over at Nyxxa.
She gave Nyxxa an opening to slip under a drogbar’s guard and stab him in the side.
A drogbar tried to strike into Zar’Kaa again. Zar’Kaa was able to block the strike for a moment, but the nearby geomancer enhanced the strike to push through Zar’Kaa’s defenses and put him on his back foot. One of the war snails went for Nyxxa and started to back into her with the spiked formations on the shell while she was cornered, while one of the drogbar took the opportunity to swing at her with his mace.
Another geomancer summoned one of the earthen hands, which managed to ensnare Nyxxa’s legs and lock her in place.
Sol used [Dimension Door] to teleport himself and Arthak straight to Dargrul. As they materialized, Arthak turned into his giant’s might form. He reached out and grabbed for Dargrul, who evades.
Arthak saw an opening and managed to wrap his arm around the drogbar king and then grabbed the massive hammer in Dargrul’s hand. As Arthak started to pull at the hammer, he felt an immense amount of magic surging through the hammer. Dargrul struggled back, and the earth began to rumble beneath them as they both got blasted with a blowback of arcane energy.
Arthak pulled at the hammer again, but Dargrul shoved Arthak off him and bodychecked Arthak to the side.
Arthak reached out and once again grabbed the hammer. The earth was shaking from the wrestling match, and once more the arcane blowback washed over both of them.
Arthak ignored him and continued to fight. The entire room had started to quake and rumble. Arthak almost felt something begging him to stop, as if the hammer itself was afraid of what might happen if the struggle continued.
Ularog started to chant and pound his feet and then summoned an earthen rune as he conjured up shamanic magics. Dargrul managed to yank the hammer towards him.
Ularog released the magic, and there was a ripple of crystalline energy around himself and Dargrul, that then shatters as they start to disappear to safety. However, Arthak swung at him, and right before they disappeared, he saw his blade cleave through Ularog’s face and up through his eye.
Rak’Symma released a bloodcurdling shriek as she used [Roar] and then hurled a [Jolt] of crackling energy at a drogbar as she raced for the chieftain that was impaled on the pillar of crystal. Ebonhorn seemed to be started out of his rage at he saw the familiar harpy.
As soon as the underking had disappeared, the elementals started to go a bit nuts. One flailed at Mayla, charged through one of the remaining drogbar, and then went straight for Zar’Kaa. Magic scintillated around it, and a beam of blue and orange energy exploded from its jaws and punched straight through Zar’Kaa, a geomancer, Arthak, and Sol.
A drogbar used [Hunter’s Mark] on Nyxxa and then hurled a sizeable rock in her direction with his sling, which clipped her shoulder.
Ebonhorn hefted his totem and slammed it into a drogbar, which sent the creature spilling to the ground.
He began to summon shamanic energy and lava started to drop from the ceiling and across the entire area, but it seemed to miss any of those that were defending the tauren. He nodded at Rak’Symma and then turned his attention to Mayla.
Another drogbar geomancer started to use [Erupting Earth], but Sol used [Counterspell]. The geomancer looked around in confusion, as he had never been counterspelled before, but then he pointed at Sol, locking on to the fact that it had been him that did something.
Another elemental released its beam over Nyxxa, a drogbar, and a snail, and Nyxxa was able to duck behind the drogbar for cover. The snails were barking orders to each other in confusion, as they noted the earth seemed to be angry. However, suddenly, the chanting of the geomancers stopped, and two massive worms, Spawn of Naraxes, exploded from the ground.
Zar’Kaa used the enchantment on his armor to cast [Blur] on himself as he clinked his weapons together and spoke the words. He then swung his weapons into the nearest geomancer, and brought the drogbar low.
Sol looked over at Nyxxa and used [Chain Lightning] on the drogbar and elemental that had surrounded her. The lightning, which swapped between violent red and purple-pink, jumped across the drogbar, and several crumbled to the ground. The geomancer that had been restraining Nyxxa lost his concentration, and the earthen hand crumbled.
Mayla swung the spear twice, and spiritual eagles swept from the pass of her strikes and slammed into the snail handler.
Ebonhorn started to head towards the worms that had erupted from the ground. He hefted his totem and slammed into the elemental that was in his way, and the elemental exploded. A worm lurched at Zar’Kaa and dove into the ground. Zar’Kaa just narrowly avoided getting swallowed by the worm, and it seemed to be causing localized tremors as it moved.
Some of the snails backed into Nyxxa and managed to nick her.
Arthak started to head towards one of the worms and stumbled as the ground trembled beneath him. He swung his blade at the creature, but narrowly missed as his blade glanced off some heavily armored plating. Ebonhorn managed to finish off the elemental as the fire of his totem caused it to explode. He turned his focus to the nearest spawn of Naraxes and used [Combustion] as he lifted a glob of lava with shamanic energy and hurled it at the worm.
Nyxxa shouted at the snails that the earth was angry because they were attacking a civilian area, and then ran past them and focused on the elemental. She managed to shove the elemental back, and then repeatedly made it explode across the drogbar as she sliced it with the flames on her glaives.
It seemed the drogbar and snails had started to retreat, but Nyxxa looked at the snails.
There was a momentary exchange between the snails as they debated on what to do. The lead snail called them out for insubordination and fled, but the two others turned to aid the warband, as it was the right thing to do.
Rak’Symma arrived at Ulan’s side and withdrew diamonds as she frantically chanted the magic for [Revivify]. Feather-shaped motes began to swirl around the tauren’s body. However, she felt the magic hit a wall as it flowed through him. She tried to press harder, and she finally broke through, but then there was nothing there.
It was like a bridge that was blown out. Something seemed to be wrong, and she knew it wasn’t her magic. The diamonds didn’t vanish, as the spell didn’t fail, but it couldn’t find a purchase for reasons that Rak’Symma didn’t know at a glance. She released an ear-piercing screech of despair.
One of the spawn of Naraxes went to bite Arthak, but he stuck his blade in the jaws and prevented it from chomping down. He shifted the worm over to the side.
Rak’Symma takes off into the air and lightning crackled across the ground as it caught the fallen, torched banner of the Highmountain clan and erupted into an [Incendiary Cloud] of flaming smoke over both the massive worms.
Sol used an order [Metamorphosis] and flew into one of the worm’s faces to try and draw their attention. Arthak hacked into the worm repeatedly and managed to drive his blade through the worm’s head and pin it to the ground as chains of fire erupted around it, successfully killing the creature. Arthak then moved over to the second worm and hacked into it.
Nyxxa was able to finish off the last elemental and then ran to strike into the remaining worm. Zar’Kaa ispatched up Arthak a bit, then drove his spear into the worm, just in time for Ebonhorn to jump onto the worm and get enough of a hold on it to hold it securely in the fiery inferno. The worm began to writhe and bite at Ebonhorn, but it couldn’t swallow him. At that moment, a fiery beak of flame clamped down on the worm and seared it in an explosion of fire.
Ebonhorn walked out, unscathed by the flames, and assured Mayla he was alright before turning to Symma.
She regards Ebonhorn with some amount of thinly veiled fear, and Ebonhorn picked up on that, but he smiled.
The group goes to disperse, and Arthak approaches the large crystal. He activated one of his runes and carved an open wound into his palm before he laid his hand on the stone, trying to connect with it. He felt something indescribable. The crystal was alive. He could almost feel a pulse with it.
Arthak pushed deeper into the connection. And then he wasn’t in his body anymore. He could feel the fear and uncertainty of Thunder Totem, and for a moment his senses had broadened.
As the rest of the group dispersed around Thunder Totem, they noticed the tremors started to subside. An errant piece of wood crumbled and knocked a tauren aside, and they fell, but then the earth molded beneath them, and the amber crystal bled from the mountain to catch them before they fell.
Sol asked Mayla what the drogbar word was for “retreat”, and then conjured a [Major Image] to make it look like the Underking was sounding a retreat. They watched as many of the drogbar seemed to be fully tricked and started to echo the retreat.
Nyxxa disguised her wings as feathered and took off to try and appeal to the drogbar that weren’t entirely allied with the Underking, pleading with them to stand with the tauren. There was a wave of conversation
He used [Earthbind] and tried to drag Nyxxa down. But suddenly the drogbar was smashed with earth energy that sent him spiraling off the edge as another drogbar took over and joined in Nyxxa’s appeal. This one seemed to be a female named Navarrogg.
Rak’Symma focused on fulfilling a support roll, entering something of a fugue state as she went around and tried to to heal those that were injured.
Zar’Kaa focused on fighting and tried to hunt down some of the geomancers, but unfortunately was not as successful as he would have liked.
Meanwhile, Arthak was trying to hum a lullaby to the presence he felt. He spoke an old Frost Wolf lullaby in giant.
Zar’Kaa continued to work to get over the defenses of the drogbar, and he was able to save lives, but he was unable to get to the heart of the drogbar defenses directly. Meanwhile, Sol was using his magic to teleport people out of danger.
With time, the situation started to slow itself, and Thunder Totem remained standing. Lives were lost, but a lot less were lost because of the warband’s timely intervention. They eventually reconvened in the Hall of Chieftains, where Arthak was.
Ulan’s body had been recovered and covered with a hide. Mayla was on her knees near her father’s body.
Mayla nodded.
She then looked over to Rak’Symma.
Mayla got to her hooves.
The harpy looked at the shroud.
Zar’Kaa raised his hands.
There was a series of whispers amongst those gathered.
Nyxxa turned and saw the drogbar she had spoken to before. Torok called for her to be seized, but the drogbar said she came in peace, and Nyxxa confirmed she had helped.
Symma slowly looks at the troll.
Rak’Symma chuckled very dryly and humorlessly under her breath.
She looked at the other chieftains.
There was a discussion amongst the chieftains, and it seemed to be favorable.
He looked at Symma.
There is a hesitant nod after Symma looked back to the warband.
Torok told Mayla that he hoped that she could prove herself, and to visit him at the home of the Bloodtotem once she got the blessing of the spirits. Focus then turned to preparing for the funerary service for Ulan, and the group telepathically discussed when they should reveal they were demons.
It was agreed they would do so once everyone had time to breathe.
They saw Mayla and Ebonhorn speaking with each other quietly, and Nyxxa admitted, over the link, that she wanted to speak with Ebonhorn about the fact he was a black dragon.
Zar’Kaa’s eyebrows raise, and Nyxxa admitted that Ebonhorn seemed legit compared the prior black dragon they had encountered. At that moment, Ebonhorn approached Rak’Symma, and he smiled down at her as he checked up on her and assured her that held no animosity for her being away for so long.
She gestured to the warband.
He then looked at Arthak with a small.
Sol asked if it was okay to gather crystals from the elementals, and Ebonhorn said he only suggest caution, as they were unlike anything he had seen before.
He looked at Arthak.
Zar’Kaa raised an eyebrow at Arthak as well.
Ebonhorn offered them accommodations, and Nyxxa expressed that she wanted to speak with him in private if he had a moment. He asked what it was about, and Nyxxa mentioned it was about something she could see.
Nyxxa looked Ebonhorn directly in the eyes, and he looked fearful for a moment.
Nyxxa said there was also something they wanted to be forthcoming about, and Ebonhorn agreed that he could lead them to a place that was safe to talk.
