As the frigid wind of the Dale sweeps over Targos, the fight goes on. Driven by insatiable bloodlust, the orcs and their allies pour through the gap in the palisade wall. Members of the militia, bereft of their commander, begin to buckle under the weight of arrow, axe, and spear.
But the heroes stand strong.
Ug, mighty goliath that he is, stands toe-to-toe against three ogres. Slabs of muscle and meat about nine feet tall each, they slam huge clubs of iron down upon the barbarian (after resistance Ug takes 18 damage), but he takes the blows and responds tenfold, his maul felling monster after monster.
Alalla duels an orc chieftain, her flaming sword seeming cold compared to the determination raging in her heart. Her mind is fractured, but her will is adamantine. The chief throws his head back and emits a roaring command that spurs on his warriors (the warcry grants advantage to all his allies within 30 feet of him - which is a LOT of them). He scores a hit on Alalla with his axe (Al takes 18 damage, but the chief fails his fear save), but then his sneer quickly turns to a wary frown as Alalla's blade cuts him deeply. His voice rumbles out in Orcish. "Daughter of Gruumsh! You claim to follow a better way, but you defeated Ghotrag only with the help of sorceries. To what superiority do you lay claim now? How many of our own blood have you slain?" The orcs surge forward, and Alalla finds herself on the brink of being overwhelmed as a handful of her fellow soldiers fall around her (Al takes another 42 damage, and some militia perish).
Zenithral's own will proves to be no weaker than Alalla's as he shrugs off the debilitating spell. With all of his focus, he plants an arrow into the side of one of the giant bats. As it vanishes in purple smoke, it's rider takes a long fall to the blood-streaked ice below and lands with a sickening crunch.
A hail of black-fletched crossbow bolts falls upon Zenithral and Vincent, returning the punishment these two archers have inflicted upon the horde so far (Zen takes 48, Vince takes 34, and Fluphy takes 12). Vincent snatches one bolt from the air and hurls it at another foe (I already reduced Vince's damage, so don't worry about that, just make the attack on your turn), then defies all reason and expectation as he hurls himself from the tower and lands deftly upon one of the bats just in front of its orc rider. In the brief scuffle that follows, Vincent is left bleeding from a foul knife in his gut as the assassin clutches at his own crushed throat. With no rider to guide it, and put off-balance by Vincent's fall, the bat clips the archery tower and suddenly becomes a tangled mess of limbs as it plummets to the frozen ground below. The bat's body breaks Vincent's fall, allowing him to avoid the brunt of the impact, but with the wounds he has sustained he finds he has little strength to rise (Vince takes another 57 damage and is unconscious I think).
Ras channels the power of the world itself, causing the ground to rumble and churn as if boiling. When the small gnome's spell is finished, the entire rank of goblin archers are no more than dark stains upon broken earth. A handful of fierce orcs descends on the little druid, and Ras realizes he may be in trouble himself (Ras takes 25 damage).
Beneath the command pavilion, Ulbrec snaps the arrow free from his side. He pulls Elytharra to her fee and cups a hand to her face. She touches his hand softly, then casts a spell of invisibility and fades safely from view. Ulbrec turns and surveys the battlefield for a moment, and then begins barking orders. "Stand strong, men! They fight for blood, but we fight for our families and our homes. Stand strong!" His voice carries over the battlefield, strengthening the militia's resolve. Responding to his orders, what reserves are left join the fray (20 more militia join in, but that's the last of the reinforcements).
Still more monsters rush into the parade grounds. Though they are slowed by torn ground and bodies, it seems there is no end to this horde.
The next wave is grotesque, and the defenders can smell them over the stink of blood and death. Looking upon these sickened orcs, the party is reminded of a certain orc cook they once met, beaten and twisted by orc magic to fester with poisons and diseases. Behind them comes a handful of orc priests wearing pale gloves of human skin.
A boulder tossed from beyond the walls crashes down just next to Ras, clipping the druid and sending him spinning (Ras takes another 31 damage).
Rolls
Ogres vs Ug (3 attacks, adv) - (2d20+6, 2d20+6, 2d20+6)
2d20+6 : (62) + 6 = 14
2d20+6 : (207) + 6 = 33
2d20+6 : (34) + 6 = 13
Dmg to Ug - (4d6+28)
(2132) + 28 = 36
Chief vs Al (adv) - (1d20+7, 1d20+7)
1d20+7 : (2) + 7 = 9
1d20+7 : (19) + 7 = 26
Dmg to Al - (2d12+4)
(311) + 4 = 18
Dmg to Al - (5d12+15)
(19854) + 15 = 42
Dmg to Ras - (3d12+9)
(565) + 9 = 25
Dmg to Zen - (5d8+15)
(21726) + 15 = 33
Dmg to Vince - (4d8+12)
(6367) + 12 = 34
Assassins vs Zen (4 attacks) - (4d20+6)
(1117210) + 6 = 46
Dmg to Zen - (3d6+4)
(452) + 4 = 15
Assassins vs Vince (4 attacks) - (4d20+6)
(15111916) + 6 = 67
Dmg to Vince - (9d6+12)
(565356555) + 12 = 57
Bats vs Zen (2 attacks) - (1d20+4, 1d20+4)
1d20+4 : (11) + 4 = 15
1d20+4 : (7) + 4 = 11
Dmg to Fluphy - (2d6+4)
(26) + 4 = 12
Militia dmg to orcs - (6d6+6)
(365324) + 6 = 29
Dmg to militia - (4d12+12)
(12126) + 12 = 33
Mystery roll - (1d10)
(3) = 3
Giant boulder vs Ras - (1d20+9)
(12) + 9 = 21
Dmg to Ras - (4d10+6)
(7198) + 6 = 31
Orc chief wisdom save - (1d20)
(13) = 13
Bat charisma save - (1d20-2)
(8) - 2 = 6
Assassin con save - (1d20+3)
(7) + 3 = 10
