S6E12 EIR- Restoring Ghal Maraz

PCs: Agnes (Duane), Mor (Bill), Gary (Matt), Venegral (Tony), Katja (Geoff), Ymath (Brian)

Battle of the Barges: The enemy barge (flying a ‘Red Crown’ flag) sailed at them. Mutants lined its deck and manned its forward cannons which erupted, shredding the hull of their LostnFound barge. Mor and Katja aimed for the foe cannoneers as Gary lit the fuze on the LostnFound cannon, answering with rigging hits to the foe. Meanwhile, Venegral sensed the Winds-of-Dhar rising from the river and recognized the aura of an invisible “Gideon”. Agnes sensed other threats as in aquatic beastmen climbing the hull of the barge. Ships closing, cannon balls flying, arrows and bolts and magical blasts and fireballs filled the air.

Josef fought the ship-wheel trying to avoid ramming the approaching barge as the heroes fought off the bestial threats. The only cannoneer, Gary manned the other cannon before resorting to his pistols (no time to reload the cannons). Fortune the enemy cannons took longer to reload from inexperienced beastmen as the original cannoneers lay dead. Which gave the heroes time to confront Gideon and the aquatic foe. 

While Venegral countered some of Gideon’s spells, a magical tear appeared on deck from which emerged two large 15ft tall beasts: a Gor and a spidery Drider. While many aquatic foe lost their grip and fell to the river current per Agnes’ Blessings of Consciousness, enough climbed aboard.

Thankfully Gideon blinked out of existence, leaving the heroes to engage in hand2hand combat, with the threat of poisoning from the Drider. Each hero was outnumbered. Worse, the priestess and wizard were confronted by the Drider! The tide seemed to turn when the Gor fell… not for long. With a glowing blade already impaled in its chest, the Gor rose (regeneration) to resume its fight. It withstood a fireball (not so for the aquatic beastmen covered in licking flames). Even the deck was on fire. Hero armor fell as fast as the foe [sacrificed to avoid critical hits]. 

And once more the Gor fell. This time, Gary pulled the blade from its chest. Gary felt the magical energy course through the weapon (Pure Fire Blessed Blade) and wielded it with hope. As seen when the barge prow turned left to avoid the enemy which slipped past on their right. Ranged weapons silent to conserve ammo. Calm for Agnes and Venegral to heal the wounded.

Altdorf: They soon reached the city only to find a long line of ship traffic backed up. The sight of the green Morslieb moon hung over the city causing panic. More signs of the sky rending to allow Chaos to descend upon the land. No chance to dock and seek armorers for repairs/replacements, the heroes could only disembark along the shore to mount their horses and ride. “HASTE! We must reach the Ulric Temple Fires to restore Ghal Maraz!” The road north of Altdorf was lined with the limp bodies of people hanging from tree branches: the followers of Ulric putting the Sigmarites in their place. Measured stops to rest the horses before they rode onward in haste.

Middenheim: They were maybe a day out of the city when they saw the cloud of dust to the east. “An army on the move. They’ll reach the city within 2 days! Haste to enter the gates before the siege.” And once again, they came upon a thick line of refugees trying to enter the city. Rampart guards held them back, “We don’t have the grain to feed you.” Of course, the peasants grumbled when Agnes’ Orphans were allowed to enter. “Make way for the Heroes of Middenheim and the Graf’s Champion!” The peasants threw stones and clumps of shit, “Upper-class bullshit is what this is!”

The guards welcomed more warriors and scoffed at the threat of the approaching army, “They will break upon our walls. No one has breached since…” Agnes was in a hurry to get to the temple where they entered upon mentioning “We know the pope. Pass on our arrival to the Graf so we might gain audience.” Turned out, Prince Henryk was at the temple with his father’s Rat-Slayer sword on his back. They reported the closing army and their need to bathe Ghal Maraz in the fires of the temple. Venegral asked, “Once restored, we must rush to the aid of Altdorf where Morslieb hovers to rip the empire apart. Is your airship available?” Henryk ignored the request as he explained, “Be quick about the hammer! The dwarves are about to blow the tunnels per increased skaven activities.” But the sounds of screaming and fighting foretold skaven already boiled from their underground lairs. “Defend the temple doors! Allow Agnes time to quench the hammer in the fire.”

Ulric Temple: While Henryk and his bodyguard defended the main doors, Agnes’ Orphans guarded the lone door to the inner fire chamber where Agnes entered. And as expected, Skaven soon appeared at the windows. But not just any skaven: Ratlers wielding miniguns! [Fast Shot] Gary and Mor eliminated one target but other miniguns spewed warpstone bullets against the heroes. Katja took a hit to the arm [had to make an Endurance save else mutation threat], while another minigun [000] exploded in the skaven’s face. 

And that’s when the main double-doors caved in under the weight of 2 rat-Ogres that quickly dispatched the lone guard, leaving Prince Henryk to face the threat alone. [crit] The prince was able to castrate one Ogre that crumpled to its knees in pain. Unfortunately, the Ogre got in his own swing, gutting the prince who stumbled backwards with his hands trying to hold in his intestines.

Venegral cast fireballs at Henryk’s attackers while Katja charged a lone Skaven trying to climb thru a window. Mistake! More skaven appeared, to outnumber the Bounty Hunter! And that's when everyone saw the skaven Grey Seer at the main door! Fortune the wizard able to counter the Seer’s spell. The skaven poured in from all windows. Mor targeted the Seer while Katja disengaged to regroup with the heroes in their defensive stand. They could only hope and pray (some to Ulric, others to their own gods) Agnes was restoring the mighty Sigmar hammer. “Hurry up in there!”

As if the shadow of Morslieb stretched to Middenheim, Chaos was thriving. [GM’s 0# and criticals versus our 80s, 90s, 000 pathic rolls.] Mor found a chance to drink a healing potion in the throes of battle while Gary winced at his own (fumble) deflected blade pommel to his nut-sack. Another piece of his armor fell as the Ogre (that had closed ranks) pummeled the cavalier. And on cue: Venegral cast his stairs to rise above the threat to cast fireballs down amongst the masses. He could only protect a few of his allies; meaning Gary the left-out ally exposed to the fireball. But Gary stood unscorched: the magical blade removed from the gut of the Gor days ago proved to be bathed in fire-protection!

All saw Gary with his hands raised in defiant posture, till they realized he was quivering from an electrical jolt. The Grey Seer had cast ‘warp lightning’ that was accentuated by Gary’s metal armor. [A normal death attack of 48 damage, circumvented by ‘Fate’.] But Gary’s allies had their own hands full as they were outnumbered by skaven. Katja caused her foe to bleed while Mor broke the arm of one of his assailants. Another skaven burned to death.

And that’s when the door to the Ulric fire chamber opened and Agnes emerged, wielding a fully restored Ghal Maraz! What should have been a rallying point proved otherwise. Agnes swung and missed her target, Mor (fumble) lost grip on his bow, and the nutted Ogre that had been down all this time, rose! At least Venegral countered the Grey Seer’s spells. Maybe the skaven disbelieved the story of Ghal Maraz for they attacked with vengeance. Agnes was hit in both arms and a leg. Gary fought off his skaven attackers but was cut (bleed + 2 Corruption) by the Ogre. And Agnes swung and missed.

But Gary found focus to quickly kill the Ogre that allowed him to apply a ‘quick clot’ salve to his bleeding wound. Mor sunk an arrow into the Grey Seer, injuring it JUST enough that Venegral’s blast finished off the chaos sorcerer and the Ogre-handler standing nearby. Without its handler, the lone Ogre turned its attention to the dead skaven bodies to feast on before wandering away. As the battle scene subsided, Agnes rushed to Henryk’s side to heal the prince. In fact, healing all around as most of the heroes were teetering near death [Mor at 2HP].

As they stepped outside, they witnessed the ongoing battle within the city walls. But they also heard reports the army had reached the city and the siege had begun. They accompanied prince Henryk to his father (the Graf). They then found General Schutzmann and awaited orders where to best aid defense of the city. Schutzmann assured them, “Middenheim has never fallen and won’t…” His words cut short by a horrific “BOOM” and screams from the east gate. From the Graf’s palace ramparts, they could see the HellCannons set upon an adjacent ridge outside the city!!

[Part daemon, part war machine, the Hellcannon is a massive construct of metal and growls and shakes with daemonic sentience. Chaos dwarfs shovel bodies of their enemies into their machine’s furnace where flesh runs like wax as the daemonic engine’s hearth feasts on body and bone. Soon, only the souls of its victims are left to become crackling blasts of raw energy that soar unerring toward their target, liquifying anything they touch and rendering survivors insane with fear! The soul-hungry machine SO daemonic, the Chaos dwarfs must chain it to the ground else it lurch on its own toward available flesh… to include its dwarf operators.]

NEXT SESSION: https://rigglewwh.blogspot.com/2023/06/s6e13-eir-grave-matters-indeed.html