Gameplay - The Dragon That Opposed an Empress

Hasan sprays the area with crossbow bolts, one of which pings off the chainmail of the wounded orc, but none of which draw blood.

Ruby is up.

Ruby's staff collides with the hobgoblin's midsection when Mavis bravely retreats from the combat. This inadvertently causes Ruby's next attack to miss. "Wait, what-" She kicks the guard in their midsection. "about the-" Ruby follows up with a harsh stomp their foot, reflexively causing the hobgoblin's head to involuntarily lower which she elbows. "Dragon?!"

Burn monsters

The gate guards burst into sparkly bursts, and one drops.

Ruby hammers down one orc, and whacks the fourth.

The dragon starts to lumber toward the keep. His neck rises forward then swipe down, his jaws opening. Titanic flames burn forth, reducing the guards stepping out from inside to ash. The flames burst out of windows, even in the second and third floor.

Damage Roster
Gate Guard 1: dead
Gate Guard 2: -15 hp

Mid Guard 1: dead
Mid Guard 2: dead
Mid Guard 3: dead
Mid Guard 4: -8 hp

"LITTLE ONES, INSIDE. GET THE EMPRESS FOR ME!" he roars.

Above, in the sky, two thunderous explosions emerge, and two more brass dragons appear in the sky. Their own roars shake the bedrock of the city as they wheel planning their assault.

The remaining orcs flee.

Hehsh's hands channel arcane fury. Blue arcs fly along his scales. These pathetic wretches will face oblivion at his hands!!!!!!

Oh. Oh, nope. The dragon already killed them all. A lot.

He opens his mouth to say something, and then thinks better of it.

He runs toward the fortress gates.

Are we little ones?

He sees Hehsh running towards the keep.

I guess we are little ones.

He runs for the keep.

Let's go Empress hunting! He yells as he runs.

Mavis continues her climb. She'd guessed where this was going when she'd seen the dragon stare up here. She peeks in through windows as she ascends, keeping a look out for high value targets.

From the top of the wall, Mavis could run around to the keep, where Garth and Hehsh are headed, Ruby drenched in orc blood following. Hasan follows behind Mavis along the top of the wall.

One of the dragons lands on the top of the keep, and angles her head down, enflaming the top floor. Several hobgoblins jump out of windows, burning and falling to their deaths. The third dragon strafes the street outside the gate, flames rising high over the walls of the courtyard. Alarm bells begin to sound, and the panicking screams of the citizens grows louder.

Inside the keep, Garth and Hehsh dash inside. Ash and smoke fill the air, burnt corpses litter the stairs and main floor, where nothing has survived. Up the stairs straight ahead, you meet up with Mavis and Hasan climbing in a narrow window on the landing. The four of you look around the second floor, and see little. Small flames have consumed the tapestries, and no one remains alive.

On the third floor, you see the empress pulling herself out from under a pile of bodies. She smashes a potion vial she has just consumed, and faces you.



Initiative please.

Mavis creeps up the stairs, sees the Empress pulling herself out from under a pile of bodies. She smashes a potion vial she has just consumed, and looks out at the windows, ducking low as if fearing another dragon assault, like the one that consumed her bodyguards and most of the furnishings of the room.

Long ago the deep dwarves adopted a subset of the drow silent handsign for use in the underdark. Unfortunately, nobody else in the party is familiar with drow sign, and after making incomprehensible signs to the others, Mavis creeps into the shadows and skirts the room.

Controlling her breathing, and wishing she could control the odour of rotten produce sticking to her, she moves closer... closer...

She draws her daggers and leaps from the shadows.

Mavis sneaks in and just before the Empress senses her, drives daggers into her back.


Now the rest of you can roll initiative.

Mavis can act immediately, since she beats the hobgoblin leader's initiative. She is now aware of you.

Initiative Order
17 Mavis
16 Empress (AC 18; wounds: 29)
08 Hasan
?? Others

Re: init if needed