New Pantheon 8: Attack on the Armada

After extensive discussion, our heroes decide to take a small sailboat and meet the fleet before it hits Gallowhall. Using the cover of night, they approach the armada, a fleet of 19 warships including their flagship 'The Alchemist.' Layric uses still image to place an illusory rock over the ship, and Swaggles uses alter winds to keep the ship in place. As the Armada gets closer it spreads out a bit, allowing the rock to pass through it. At this point, Invisibility is cast on each of the characters and the boat. The armada glides through them, then Aislyn pilots the ship while Swaggles uses Alter Winds to power it. Silently, our heroes align with the flagship and keep a distance of 5 feet from it.

Layric hops onto the side of the ship, using his god-gifted climbing abilities to scale the massive iron sides of the warship. Nobody notices when he ties two ropes to the side of the ship. Our heroes tie these ropes to their little sailboat, then climb aboard. Miraculously, nobody falls in the drink. However, Semprona and Jeptha make a good deal of noise climbing aboard, and the sailboat starts banging on the side of the ship.

Sailors flock around the area, and a mate goes to warn the captain (with Layric in invisible pursuit, followed by Rache, Jeptha and Aislyn). Swaggles flies to the crow's nest and takes out the watchman there. Then Semprona decides enough is enough, and starts killing people. Swaggles starts shooting people, but almost immediately crit fumbles and decides to start cleaning his bow for three rounds.

The alarm is raised. Semprona is surrounded by 20 sailors, but, due to amazing Scythe rolls, self healing, and channel negative energy, fends off the horde. Layric, Jeptha, Aislyn, and Rache, meanwhile, stay indoors and wait for some guards to come out of a room. They wait. And wait. Layric enlarges Rache as a laugh.

As Semprona kicks ass and takes names, Layric decides to take the initiative and lock pick the door. A stunning roll sees the door swing open, and Aislyn lets off a Snowball, instantly freezing all inside. Our heroes look at each other and shrug.

Our heroes hear a voice over what seems to be some magical loudspeaker: "This is Admiral Fitzgibbons. The Alchemist has been compromised. Sink the Flagship." He then utters a string of letters and numbers, which can only be some sort of confirmation code.

Swaggles decides to gather information. He flies to the second crow's nest and starts intimidating the guy there into giving up Fitzgibbon's location by pecking at his liver a la Prometheus. The guy stabs Swaggles right through the gut, pinning him to crow's nest. Swaggles watches as the other guy leaps out and climbs down the crow's next.

Our heroes spend a few turns killing scores of sailors (including Jeptha mowing enemies down as they come up the steps), before a bear leaps out the the admirals quarters. Aislyn dazes it by screaming "Let it Go" at the top of her lungs, and when that fails after three turns, Jeptha trips the fuck out of it. RIP bear.

The crew members are dead, but there is no time to celebrate. Siege weapon shots go wide, and Rache grabs the wheel, intending to ram another ship in the fleet. Aislyn attempts to get to Swaggles by climbing up the mast so she can cast a helpful spell, but falls from 40 feet. Jeptha finds a small crawlspace that Fitzgibbons must have passed through, and starts crawling through it.

Then the arrows come. Layric casts darkness to conceal the allies on deck.

The first volley downs Aislyn and very nearly perma-kills Semprona, who is bleeding out fast. How to heal somebody who needs negative energy? Layric knows! He vanishes and runs across the deck to the anti-paladin, before he gets there, the flagship collides with another warship. A mighty gash is cut in the unhappy ship, while the Alchemist is somewhat unharmed. Rache falls from the shock, but Layric keeps his footing, then makes his way to his injured companions and casts bear's endurance to bolster Semprona's constitution. The extra hit points bring the dying god of darkness back to positive.

Crow-Man-Air-God-Guy rips himself from the rapier, suffering a massive wound. He then flies down to Aislyn and tags her back up with a cure critical wounds.

While this is happening upstairs Jeptha valiantly crawls through a tunnel much to small for him. The tunnel opens up to a porthole about 10 feet from the ocean. Groaning, Jeptha courageously inches his way backwards.

A crew from the rammed ship jumps aboard and the archers stand back up. "We need to get inside!" Shouts everybody, enduring another hail of arrow (this one without a scratch). "See ya!" shouts Swaggles, god of air, who takes to the skies. "See ya!" shouts Aislyn, god of water, who takes a running leap off of the ship.

Semprona and Layric make their way inside, where they both begin loading cannons. At this point, a massive rock (or catapult piece, who can say), smashes through the top of the ship and cracks the hull. Water begins seeping in.

Rache returns to the captains quarters where he sees Jeptha backing out of a crawlspace. "What did I miss?"

"Well" Rache, "If we wait here long enough, we just might level up!"

And then they did.

It is now March 4th, 15 AC. Our heroes played this level at level 8, Ascension Level 3.

New Pantheon 9: Death of the Fleet and a God