Company+of+the+Phoenix+Session+10

** Session 10** **7-22-2016**  **Battle vs the Orcs at Eveningstar, and the First Appearance of Black Eyes!** 

Rhain, Nalen, and Anuul rode with the Company of the Phoenix. The group had decided to return to Eveningstar to visit the crevice in the mountainside where they had found the undead... after a couple of days travel, they could see the main gate of the city had been barricaded. The west side of the city was on fire! People were rushing inside to the west side of the city to meet with the horde of orcs pouring over the city wall! A massive undead army of skeletal humans had crossed the bridge over the river and was beating against the eastern wall!

Charlemagne narrowed his eyebrows at such a horrific sight, "Undead AND orcs? They don't normally work together..." Alaric nodded from atop his horse, "It's true. Perhaps the orcs are being duped as they often are... and the necromancer leading the undead hopes to use their dead bodies to further fuel his army. We must save the town!" The brown-haired warrior nodded in agreement, "So create some sort of diversion to lead one side away?" The green eyed sorcerer shook his head, "I say we ride down, break through the orc lines, and help to defend the wall." Tiri raised an eyebrow, "That sounds a little like suicide... but if it's against the orcs... I'm in." She ran her slender fingers through the dark mane of her horse reassuringly. Charlemagne frowned looking at the immense number of orcs to break through below, "I don't think I like this plan..." "Nonsense! Those are Cormyrians down there! We're nobles! It's our duty to protect them!" Alaric raised his dragon scepter to the sky for emphasis as he spoke with great pride. Nalen raised his plated fist into the air cheering beside the mage in agreement, "We'll charge through this thing like a brick through a window!" "I'm not real sure of this plan... but if the gold haired guy says it's going to be okay, then it's going to be okay," Anuul nodded, and took the reigns of her horse, "He seems pretty confident." Alix sighed, "Confidence is never a solution." "If this is to be our ending... then it shall be SUCH an ending," Alaric raised a tabard with the symbol of the Company of the Phoenix on it and pointed down the hill as the sun began sink in the sky.

Charlemagne led them down with Nalen on his heels. Tiri and then Alaric behind them. Anuul and then Alix followed after with Rhain watching their flank at the back. The 7 of them rode fantastically down the hill, heading toward the back of the west side where they could see the gate blown open with a scattering of both orc and human corpses. The horde of orcs were everywhere pouring into the city.

Charlemagne pulled his sword and it wreathed with fire as he blew the horn of the Rallyhorns, charging them through! Nalen called down the blessings of Kelemvor as Tiri called for the aid of Corellion. Alaric held their banner high as he wove spells of protection. Anuul pulled her silver dagger as she streaked with speed behind them. Alix pulled his bow and Rhain released her blade as they followed them in.

The group slammed into the flank of the surprised orcs who reeled around to their attack, stalling their advance to the gates. Alaric rode up toward the front, raising his hands out in front of him to send out a sweeping wave of fire to burn 3 of them, turning one to ash! Alix sent 2 arrows whiffing through the crowd as Anuul took a slice to her leg from one of the orcs. Several orcs swung at Charlemagne and Nalen, but the two managed to dodge out of the way... only for another to gash deeply into Tiri behind them! Charlemagne took the head off of one orc with his flaming blade, following through to gash deeply into the one next it! "Nice work!" Tiri gasped out, clutching her abdomen where her bluish blood stained her robes, "Take that one next..." She moved behind the warrior to put a hand on him, bestowing him with great strength.

Alaric flowed out more fire, turning 2 more into ash and burning another! Arrows came in from 2 orcs to pierce into Alix, penetrating his armor to sink into his chest! Rhain managed to dodge 2 orcs and parry a third strike as she fought with style! A big orc charged up to gash his sword across Charlemagne thigh as another struck Alaric in the shoulder!

Alix sent out another 2 arrows, hitting one of the orc archers in the back. Charlemagne cut another orc in half at the waist and then beheaded another with his elven fiery blade! Tiri pulsed out a soothing bluish energy to heal her companions around her as the paladin beside her took down another of the orcs.

From the distance... nearer to the gates of the city, an echo call of a Rallyhorn could be heard blowing. Charlemagne answered with another call from his own horn. Alaric practically melted another couple of orcs, one of them was left rolling on the ground with it's flesh dripping off of it's face. Rhain turned to Alaric, pointing toward the city as her medals whipped out with her clothing, "Go on without me!" She parried another strike, running the orc through as another pierced into her back, splashing her blood into the crowd around her! "We're not leaving her behind," Tiri shook her head, refusing to lose any of their companions.

3 orc archers released their arrows, one of them piercing deeply into Nalen! Anuul dodged out of the way of another orc, working her fancy feet. A large armored orc stepped out from one of the family homes surrounded by orcs with weapons dripping in blood. He gestured at the group of heroes while nodding to his companions, "Gather them. We'll need them." Tiri glanced toward them and back to Alaric and Charlemagne just to her left, "We have more trouble to our right!" Alix aimed his bow carefully, dropping one of their archers with a solid double hit to the back!

Charlemagne swung his flaming sword, cleaving heavily through one orc and slicing into another! Tiri pulsed out a soft blue hum, healing her companions around her. Alaric sent out another blazing heat from his hands to clear another 2 orcs from the path into the city as Rhain took down one of the orcs around her and followed him in.

Anuul took another hard hit, splashing her blood against the house she was standing by. One of the archer goblins shot his bow toward Alaric, the arrow impaling the mage's side! "Ride!" the golden haired sorcerer called out between bloody coughs as he pointed toward the city, urging his companions forward. Nalen followed him through the cleared path, weaving out a protection from evil as he moved. Alix countered the archer with his own arrow, taking him down and moving with his companions swiftly for the city. Everyone rode quickly to meet with a group of Eveningstar guards being led by Karlissa Rallyhorn who waved them in.

"Cousin!" Charlemagne greeted her warmly, "It appears you have a bit of an infestation problem." "Indeed!" she nodded, "Just before evening fell, the undead came down from the mountain to attack us and the orcs nearby used the distraction as an opportunity to attack from the other side. We don't believe them to be connected in any way." "With you here I'm surprised to see they're still alive... I figured you'd be feasting on their bones," he complimented her with a grin. She smiled and nodded, "They've kept us quite busy. We can't offer you much of a meal at the moment as you can see the look of things. We still have several to dispatch, but we can offer you a room to rest." The muscular brown-haired warrior nodded, "We didn't come to eat... we're here to help out." "Excellent! I was hoping I could count on you," she nodded, her long dark hair trailing in the wind with the scarlet silk that came from beneath her armor.

Alaric gestured back through the hole in the wall with one hand, his other clutching his bloodied side where an arrow protruded, "We are just ahead of some sort of orcish leader. He has a black dripping blade." "Yes... Black Eyes of Bagmen," she nodded gravely. "That is the strangest nickname I've heard in my entire existing life," Alix shook his head. "You are young," Karlissa nodded to him. "We laid waste to as many as we could," Alaric assured her. "I seen!" she nodded, "It was a valiant effort. We thought you were going to blow through them at first, but then we seen that you slowed down to take on their numbers." Charlemagne and Alaric both nodded, agreeing that it was all a part of the plan.

Several guards formed up around them, a small group heading back out through the wall to hold back the orcs. Alaric rode up next to Tiri who carefully removed the arrow and laid a healing wand against his wounds. Someone rode quickly up to Karlissa, whispering something to her. She nodded back to the group, "You've arrived just in time... Follow me!" Charlemagne led the group behind her as the blue-haired priestess healed several of her companions with her healing wand. Karlissa had squires escort the horses to the stables and led the group deeper into the city.

The winged cats that were in the area last time, huddled in the estates area. Tiri nodded to them, speaking in celestial as she moved past them, "You should hide... if the orcs make it this far, they will not care about catching you... they'll slaughter you all." They seemed to pay her no mind as they remained huddled around the estates.

Karlissa nodded to the companions, "There is a small group on the other side of this wall. There are orc casters among the group, though we don't know how much power they've already spent... it could be very dangerous." "We just charged an army of orcs... let's live more dangerously," Alaric nodded. Karlissa smiled at the mage, and nodded over to Charlemagne, "I like this one." Tiri prayed over each of them as they climbed up the dangling rope ladder to get to the top of the wall, blessing them each with a little divine guidance.

Once at the top they could see 4 orc shamans chanting with magic rods around a scorched arcane symbol in the earth. A purplish miasma hung in the air above it. A stretched tent sheltered a few other orcs. Archer goblins formed an outside half-circle around them. Alix took down one of the orc shamans and the camp came alive with orc shoutings! Alaric released magic missiles into another of the shamans just before Charlemagne and Karlissa leapt off of the wall, charging toward the circle of shamans! Charlemagne cleaved deeply with his fiery elven blade into one of the shamans and Karlissa tore her blade through one of the bigger orc leaders! Tiri followed them down, bestowing another divine guidance over Alix as she moved. Alaric peered down after her and Rhain followed her down, pulling her curved blade in preparation.

Alix grazed an orc with one of his arrows and Charlemagne gashed his blade through one of the bigger orcs, taking him down! Karlissa finished hers off beside him, but then took an arrow in her shoulder from one of the archers! Alaric sent another bout of magic missiles into one of the shamans. Rhain clashed her sword with another of the orcs, neither of them causing any damage. Tiri dashed across the grounds to slash her longsword across the back of the shaman facing Charlemagne. Alix released another double arrows, but the archer was difficult to see out on the dark edges. Anuul stood beside him with a little better luck, managing to impale an arrow into another archer.

Charlemagne just missed the shaman as Alaric joined them to pierce his spear into another as it was trying in vain to spit out some horrible dark spell. Karlissa turned to finish off the last shaman beside her cousin. Rhain moved in on one of the goblin archers as they shot their arrows, one of them impaling Alaric. Tiri pulsed out another wave of healing over her companions that were close to her. Nalen moved down the wall, putting a bless over Anuul and Alix. Alix fired his bow to take down one of the goblin archers.

Alaric moved across the grounds carrying his spear toward one of the goblins as Rhain took out the one in front of her. Arrows came in to impale into Charlemagne, but missed Alix and Karlissa. The two warriors charged across the field to meet up with an archer goblin as Tiri slashed her longsword into another. Alix sent arrows sailing into the dark as Alaric stabbed his spear into the ground and grew his dragon claws on his hands, raking one across one of the goblins! The mage's eyes appeared vertically slitted like a dragon's. Charlemagne missed the tiny goblin as it dodged out of the way and Karlissa moved to another.

Arrows came from the air, two piercing into the female Rallyhorn cousin. Alix sent back his own arrows to take down one of the goblins. Charlemagne slaughtered the goblin before him, cutting him in half! More arrows came flying in from the goblins, piercing deeply into Alix! Nalen healed some of the slayer's wounds as Tiri finished off the goblin before her.

Two goblins remaining, Alix sent 2 more arrows blindly into the dark. Alaric moved up next to Tiri who looked him over with concern at the fresh bloodstains on his robes. Rhain slashed into one of the remaining goblins as the other missed Charlemagne. Karlissa aided Rhain finishing off one goblin as Charlemagne countered the other, taking it down.

Tiri pulsed out another wave of healing over her companions as they moved back to the wall. They had managed to put a stop to the buffing shaman group that was spelling up the rest of the orc army... and it appeared that the guards were having a much easier time pushing them back. A rumor came that Black Eyes had left the area. Tiri healed up her and her companions wounds before they fell asleep in one of the inns.

The following morning they would have to deal with the undead still pounding on the other wall.