After Action Report
Events of 27 February 1016
Skirmish on the Iron Road
The morning was clear and crisp, and perhaps on the warmer side
of weather for this time of year. A group of heroes and adventurers met at the
request of Lord Goldmist with the intention of entering the Faerie Wildes and
attacking the Risen Kingdom and their iron road. After a quick briefing, we
were led by Goldmist’s servant Featherless into
the woods; there we constructed a small bridge between the mortal Realms and
the plane of Faerie so that those of our number who were not able to sidestep
between the two planes at will could cross.
Upon crossing into Faerie, we were immediately directed by
Featherless to meet a group of treeants and attempt to gather from them seeds
which we could empower with an artifact possessed by Sir Tara. We initially tried communicating with them in
a peaceful manner but they seemed unwilling to talk back. After a period of
time, fighting broke out between our party and the treeants, at which point we
were forced to resort to taking the seeds by force. At some point we determined
that we needed to “cross-pollinate” the treeants to make stronger seeds… this
involved killing a treeant, taking its seed, and putting it in the corpse of
another treeant. As we continued the process, the treeants became more powerful
and harder to kill. Eventually the seeds became sufficiently powerful so we
left the grove with a handful.
Featherless guided us to Sir Tao’s Lucky Noodle Emporium (a
small encampment that served noodles, questing snacks, and hot drinks). There
we met with Agent 37 and a contingent of adventurers from the north lead by Sir
Sean O’Quinnlin. It was here that Sir Tara led the ritual to empower the
treeant seeds. Those who held the empowered seeds while participating in the
ritual became infused with the power of the treeants (more on this later). We
continued to idle in the camp, unsure of our next moves. Finally, Featherless
addressed us and offered to lead us in the direction of the iron road. We
gathered our gear and moved out.
This is when things started to fall apart.
As we left the Lucky Noodle Emporium, I spied a group of void
creatures on the other side of a hill. I assumed that they were traveling on
the iron road and I called out to the party to share this information.
Featherless seemed to be leading us on a path that ran parallel to the iron
road, but we had a perfect opportunity to make a charge through the woods and
ambush the enemy from their flank. Unfortunately, most of the party insisted on
following Featherless, so as a result, the strategic opportunity was lost, and
worse yet… the enemy was alerted to our presence.
I was not equipped to engage a dozen enemies on my own and I
could not rally enough of my companions to the charge, so I followed along
behind Featherless. He took us to the head of the iron road and effectively
left us there because he could not get much closer. We were again out of sight
of the enemy, so I tried to salvage the deteriorating strategic situation by
directing a few fighters to double back and attack the flank while the main
party advanced up the road. Once again, disorder prevailed and we meandered
headlong into the enemy.
For the next few hours, we attempted to skirmish with the enemy
on their road. We lacked both the cohesion and magical support to mount a
proper fight. The opposite was true for the Risen Kingdom. Lead by Emissary
Starblade, their soldiers were quick, coordinated, and deadly. And while they
were restricted to the iron road, our party seemed content to fight on the
terms of the enemy despite the fact that there were several of our number who
were repulsed by the cold iron. Some of our number were also unfamiliar with
the intentions of the Risen Kingdoms and tried to negotiate with Emissary
Starblade. He, of course, was happy to meet with these people and feed them
lies about “cultural exchanges” and “profitable trade goods.” The only
“cultural exchange” they wish to perform is the intrusion of their culture on
ours and the only trade goods they have to offer are their swords into our
chests. They have declared war on Faerie and intend to declare war on the
Realms. The time for negotiation has come and gone.
We were eventually pushed back down the iron road, only to find
that the enemy had continued to construct it behind our back while we were
distracted. At the head of the road, the way forked. One branch lead up a hill
to a portal to Hell which the enemy had opened by sacrificing the souls of
Faeries (including Lord Goldmist and Sir Tara). Around this time I tried--and
failed--to infiltrate the ranks of the enemy by imitating one of the void
monsters. I quickly blew my cover because I forgot that void monsters are
incapable of common speech. I narrowly escaped capture and returned to the Hell
portal, which was now under our control. Those who had been scalped by the
enemy were restored. Then we received word (I am unsure of the source) that the
other branch of the road lead to a portal to the mortal Realms and that a large
enemy host was on its way down the road, making its way to the portal. After
some coordination, we too set out.
On the way to the second portal, Sir Tara fell back and
conducted the second half of the empowerment ritual. Everyone who had taken in
the power of the treeant seeds vanished and reappeared throughout the
surrounding woodland as powerful tree-like beings. This did not help us very
much, however, because the party had become strung out on the road. Those in
the front who first engaged the enemy were overwhelmed and as the rest of the
group caught up, they too met the same fate. Fearing total annihilation, I set
down a circle of protection and beseeched my goddess Vesta for guidance. When I
emerged from the circle, I was mentally refreshed and prepared to face the dire
situation. Most of the party was dead, some were scalped (Sir Tara...again). A
few had survived the fighting. The enemy had cleared out and passed through the
portal, their work here now complete. A minor rear guard remained, and they
were kept at bay while the scattered corpses were collected into a group
healing circle. The enemy eventually scattered, for once choosing to not engage
us.
As we regrouped, I was contacted by a ranger from the Chimeron
Militia; he told me that he and a few other rangers had figured out the
approximate location of the mortal side of the new portal. With this information,
I sent him to Chimeron City with orders for a contingent of the first corps to
march on the location and lay siege to the portal. On the Fae side, Magus Tam
Lin and others cast magic on the road that would hopefully serve to impede the
advance of the enemy army. After that, seeing that there were no other actions
that we could take against the Risen Kingdom at the time, we made our way back
to the gate through which we entered and returned to the mortal Realms. While
the day did not go well, it was not a total loss. I am told that some of the people
empowered by the seed ritual were able to tear up a significant portion of the
iron road between the fork and a portal to the void plane.
Conclusions:
The Risen Kingdom is a far more organized and clever enemy than
any other threat faced by the Realms in my memory. I believe that we have been
severely underestimating them and I fear that they might even be overestimating
us. This cannot stand. While they only appear to be an immediate threat to the
plane of Faerie, we have extensive, reliable information that says they are
planning to invade the Realms. They are a threat, and they are very, very
dangerous. We must make ready for a war, and we must do so now.
---
Captain Orion Mars, Chimeron Militia
Squire to the Knight Protectors of Faerie
Sworn Member of the Azure Guard
---
Additional notes:
Squire Phee is a thing to behold when she is angry. Never piss
her off.
