Post by David on Jun 14, 2005 13:57:45 GMT -5
The heroes awoke to a Muluk suffering from Horsemouth. Luckily, none of the party came down with the disease, but they watched as the city first fell apart only to have the clerics band together with a cure. After sunset, Kamar arrived and was going to grant Sabuto his boon, but instead the heroes met with the Caliph's daughter and Sorceress-General of the Army of Muluk, Hadra bint Aswiyah. She brought the heroes to the palace and asked for their aid in repelling an invasion of "giant, intelligent locus."
In the morning of the 15th, Harbinder opened a wormhole 60 miles south of the city in the insects' path. Harbinder managed to keep the gate open for two minutes, allowing 100 elite cavalry and nearly 200 infantry through, as well as the heroes, Hadra and her bodyguards. The forces set up a defensive camp to repel the horde of bug-men making their way up the al-Zalim river to the City of Kings.
Around 2:00pm, the scouts caught sight of a huge host of the monsters, each about 11' long with four arms and many weapons. Clearly tool-using and therefore intelligent, this mindless horde swept up the river canyon devouring everything in their path. Once the force of 130 or so bug-men were less than a half-mile away, they abandoned their feeding and dashed headlong into battle!
At first, the heroes had little trouble patching the breaches in Muluk's lines. Their mission was to act as skirmishers and support any weaknesses in the infantry. After soundly dealing with two such incursions and a rogue monster, the heroes moved forward to support the main thrust of the cavalry. Meanwhile, the humans of Muluk were slowing being cut to pieces...
Engaging eight of the locust-creatures, the heroes only barely survived. While their claws and an crystalline throwing-wedges didn't deliver crippling wounds, the paralytic venom of the monsters' bite proved a crucial weakness for the heroes. Only Ling and Herrod remained on their feat throughout the entire combat and only barely. Had it not been for their new ally, in fact, the heroes would have more than likely been bug food. Nearly dead, the party limped aside, just in time to see the last of the cavalry and infantry both fall. There was no sign of the princess, save the flash and smoldering smoke of a fireball.
The shadows grow long in the sky as the bugmen feast. The heroes are out of spells and strength. The military leaders and gone; food for the invading horde. To their credit, the party slew 17 of the monsters and seriously wounded 3 more. But as the sun hangs low in the sky, nearly 50 of the creatures feed on the grizzly detritus...
In the morning of the 15th, Harbinder opened a wormhole 60 miles south of the city in the insects' path. Harbinder managed to keep the gate open for two minutes, allowing 100 elite cavalry and nearly 200 infantry through, as well as the heroes, Hadra and her bodyguards. The forces set up a defensive camp to repel the horde of bug-men making their way up the al-Zalim river to the City of Kings.
Around 2:00pm, the scouts caught sight of a huge host of the monsters, each about 11' long with four arms and many weapons. Clearly tool-using and therefore intelligent, this mindless horde swept up the river canyon devouring everything in their path. Once the force of 130 or so bug-men were less than a half-mile away, they abandoned their feeding and dashed headlong into battle!
At first, the heroes had little trouble patching the breaches in Muluk's lines. Their mission was to act as skirmishers and support any weaknesses in the infantry. After soundly dealing with two such incursions and a rogue monster, the heroes moved forward to support the main thrust of the cavalry. Meanwhile, the humans of Muluk were slowing being cut to pieces...
Engaging eight of the locust-creatures, the heroes only barely survived. While their claws and an crystalline throwing-wedges didn't deliver crippling wounds, the paralytic venom of the monsters' bite proved a crucial weakness for the heroes. Only Ling and Herrod remained on their feat throughout the entire combat and only barely. Had it not been for their new ally, in fact, the heroes would have more than likely been bug food. Nearly dead, the party limped aside, just in time to see the last of the cavalry and infantry both fall. There was no sign of the princess, save the flash and smoldering smoke of a fireball.
The shadows grow long in the sky as the bugmen feast. The heroes are out of spells and strength. The military leaders and gone; food for the invading horde. To their credit, the party slew 17 of the monsters and seriously wounded 3 more. But as the sun hangs low in the sky, nearly 50 of the creatures feed on the grizzly detritus...