1351 Campaign - Act 3: The Army Eternal

[DM Golem]

The day comes for the ancient Netherese General to appear before Kheldriver and receive the answer to his demands for the surrender of the gnomes of Baldur's Gate and those of its citizens guilty of the crime of aiding the gnomish explorer who defiled the crypt in the Troll Hills. Adventurers assemble in Kheldriver, including the knights whom had first spoken with the General after the false vision he sent. Many accept the task of delivering a message of defiance to the General.

The appointed time comes, and a portal opens in the wilderness outside Kheldriver.

Hundreds of armoured soldiers file out of it, taking up a position around the magical breach in reality. A small portion of the General's reputed army, but still a significant force.

The adventurers, bravery in their hearts, go to stand before the portal, aware that magic blocks their ability to teleport. Two emissaries stand to the front: one, Shaytessa, a scholar fluent in the language of the Netherese; the other a gnome named Raz.

The negotiations do not go well. By some magical artifice, the General teleports half the skeleton warriors around him to Baldur's Gate, before departing through the portal.

His minions attack, in an effort to slay the adventurers, or delay their return to Baldur's Gate. But with magic and blade, despite heavy losses the adventurers cut their way free, destroying most of the undead and leaving only a handful of the undead legionaries to slink off into the wilderness.

In Baldur's Gate, however, without warning, the undead soldiery appears out of thin air, and many of the murderous skeletons turn their weapons on anything alive - humans, demi-humans and even dogs and cats. Others break into homes and shops, and still more try and hide themselves within the sewers.

At first, the active patrols of the Flaming Fist are surprised and overwhelmed, and blood runs in the streets. But adventurers, after a short delay, teleport back from Kheldriver and lend their aid against the marauding undead, and the tide turns.

A Dawnknight, Eldarian Al'maire takes command in the East Gate. Safe areas are created for citizens while the undead are hunted down. Families are reunited amidst the chaos. The dead and wounded are taken to temples for aid, where possible. Adventurers move house to house, clearing out undead warriors from where they have hidden themselves. And a sweep of the sewers is conducted with the aid of the elven ranger Celduil, cleaning out the upper levels and much of the sewer bowels before the General's soldiers can get too far.

Its said that the Dukes themselves fought in the Palace District, limiting the damage there. In the docks, many citizens ran to the protection of the off duty Flaming Fist in the mercenary company's headquarters, although the tight alleys saw a number of deaths, they also offered many hiding places. The sprawling east gate saw the heaviest fighting, with fires starting in at least one of the city's inns and there being much work for the adventurers to do.

When the fighting dimmed down it became apparent that several hundred citizens had died in the initial attacks, and many more were injured, but the interevention of the adventurers had managed to prevent a much worse outcome. All the undead on the surface appear to have been destroyed. If any are still present in the city, they reside deep in the sewer's bowels.

Duke Eltan gave a speech to boost morale, and Duke Belt thanked the adventurers for their aid. A Silver Rose Knight in the crowd, Lady Elvina, demanded to know how future attacks would be stopped. The fact that the answer to this was delivered privately may mean only one thing.

They don't know.

[Touri]

Another grey and rainy day in the 'Chronicles of Baldur's Gate'

The allies meet at Kheldrivver.....Look at the gnome's middle finger.

Duke Eltan speaks to the crowd

[DM Golem]

(((If I missed anything off the mega summary above please PM me and I'll add it!)))

[DM Golem]

In the wake of the undead attack, tales about of individual heroism, lucky escapes, or daring rescues by the adventurers who rallied to the cause. Many also talk of the personal bravery of all the Dukes and the resolution of the city to stand resolutely in the face of threats to its innocent citizens.

Yet the sudden and seemingly unstoppable nature of the attack has left many in the city shocked and uncertain. Despite the the rhetoric and the celebration of saviour heroes, even after the dead are buried and the damage repaired there still remains an undercurrent of something far more intangible.

Fear

[mrieder79]

The Dwarven Deception

Gordul Frostbeard, Dirdire, Raz Mataz, and Durin Ironfaar were eating in the great hall when Maxwell called them to council. They were to meet with the sinister General of the undead armies to reply to his demands. Raz Mataz was called away on a matter of Gnome importance leaving the three dwarves to make their way through the troll claw hills eastward to an ancient fortress where scouts reported a portal had opened.

Upon reaching the summit of the fortress the three dwarves encountered the General, an immense, imposing figure of palpable power.

"Greetings Stout Kin. I come with an offer of peace and prosperity. I require weapons, and slaves, and am willing to pay handsomely for them."

The general motioned with his skeletal hand and two undead corporals brought forth a sack overflowing with gemstones.

"Take these gifts as a token of my goodwill," said the General. "There is more for you if you agree to my conditions."

"And what might those be?" asked Gordul Icebeard.

"I am amassing a great army and an army requires weapons and slaves. I know of your talent for smithing and am aware that you have slaves deep in your mines."

"Bah," spat Durin. "We've got no slaves. Whadderye talking bout?"

The spectre of a smile flashed across the undead face. "I believe you call them... gnomes."

"They're no slaves," said Dirdire. "They be our kin, and they work alongside us in the mines."

"Aye," said Durin, "And we're nae gonna be sellin em to ye!"

"Durin," whispered Gordul, "Shut yer trap. We got a plan. Just follow me lead." He turned to the General. "Aye General. Yer offer be fair and true. We'll get yer slaves. Then we kin discuss the weapons."

The general fixed the three dwarves with a piercing gaze that seemed to last for hours. At last he spoke. "Very well. Bring the slaves to me."

The trio of dwarves returned to the city where a priest of Gond waited with a platoon of mechanical exploding gnomes. The priest armed the gnomes to be activated with a secret word, Nol--the dwarven word for tongue, then sent them off to follow the expedition. Among the mechanical gnomes was an actual gnome, Araaga Ninetoes, who followed to strengthen the deception. Lotrik, Maxwell's bodyguard joined as well, guarding the flank of the gnome convoy through the treacherous wastelands of the Troll Claw Hills.

The company sheathed their weapons as they approached the fortress and Durin took the lead. As they mounted the stairs, something seemed amiss. The undead armies had moved to a lower part of the fortress with the General remaining at the top.

"He's not buyin' it," whispered Dirdire.

"Gotta keep goin now, lad. Nothin' for it," replied Gordul as he urged the mechanical gnomes up the steep stairs.

"Halt!" called the General as the dwarves reached the foot of the stairs. "I would have my soldiers inspect the gnomes before they approach me."

"Eh? Inspect? What fer?" asked Durin.

"Slave... tricks."

"BAh. These be the finest slaves in the land. Not a hair out of place." He rapped on the nearest gnome and a metallic clang sounded resounded in the couryard. "Heh... they even got helmets..."

The General's eyes narrowed and seeing their opportunity escaping, the dwarves began herding the gnomes up the stairs.

"Hold dwarves!" called the General, pointing a skeletal hand threateningly.

"NOL! Run lads!" yelled Durin!

The company scattered, all except Araaga Ninetoes. She remained in the company of the gnomes. Seeing a real gnome among the decoys fooled the undead and they closed in. Even the General stepped closer. A mechanical ticking sounded from within the chests of the gnomes and the General cocked his head to the side. Before he could step back, however, the gnomes exploded as one.

Undead were thrown high into the air, scattering across the ancient stone of the fortress. Bones snapped, spears shattered, and shields broke. The General himself was thrown backward and crackles of blue energy surged around him as, one by one, the massive explosion breached his protective wards. The General shuddered, clearly wounded, but retained the power to call upon his guards.

Undead poured through the portal as the remaining dwarves charged. The General spoke a word of magic and Durin Ironfaar and Dirdire were seized by a supernatural fear. Dierdere was cornered but Durin fled the field of battle, shamefully seeking shelter while his kin were overwhelmed by the horde of undead.

Lotrik and the dwarves fought valiantly but the undead were tireless. They drug the living down into the dirt and drove the life from their bodies. When the task was finished, the General pulled himself through the portal and called his undead with him.

Durin came to his senses several minutes after the battle and returned to see a gristly scene. Bones of the living and undead mingled in a heap. There was no sign of Aragaa, but he was able to recover the bodies of the others. A small detachment of undead remained and Durin quickly put them down then slowly hauled his comrades back to Kraak Helzak.


He gave a summary of the action in a report to Maxwell as well as the information that, while the blast did not kill the general, it did injure him and would likely buy some time. Araaga's sacrifice was also reported and a memorial planned for her burial.

[DM Golem]

With no answer given by a dwarf at Kheldrivver, the General makes an appearance in the Trollclaws, some distance away from Kraak Helzak. His intention? Parlay with the dwarves, now that Baldur's Gate had refused to see sense, and purchase from them their slaves - or more correctly their gnomish citizens. He occupied the tiers of an ogre fastness, locking up the ogres within their keep while his troops held the ramparts and waited to receive the dwarves.

Sure enough, dwarf scouts reported the General's portal opening and a trio of ambassadors were sent out. They spoke with the General peacefully, taking a trio of gems as down payment on the gnomes.

But the dwarves were lying. It was not gnomes they delivered, but the wonders of Gond; disguised mechanical gnomes packed with alchemists fire, fashioned by the Gondar with their mightiest rituals.

Only one gnome stood amongst the constructs, Argaa Ninetoes, willingly placing herself in the lead as bait, to lull the undead into a false sense of security with her obviously living form.

Argaa's presence, and the silver tongue of one of the dwarves persuaded the general to take a closer look...

The trigger word was uttered, the dwarves and their earth genasi comrade ran and Argaa, in a last moment of defiance, threw her own firebomb...!

Bits of bone and shards of armour fell like rain, as many of the general's soldiers were blasted apart by the explosion.

The General himself was hurled back, his wards ravaged by the blast, his armour cracked and broken. The warcrys of dwarves and the fury of an earth genasi broke the air as the four remaining ambassadors charged forward. They could not get to the General, his bodyguards shielding him. Even though many of the bodyguards were smashed aside the General's smoking and cracked form staggered away, fleeing into the portal.

Silence fell over the fortress. One of the dwarves was still standing, having been ensorcelled during the fight, and put down the undead stragglers with news for his kin.

The General was not destroyed, but the dwarves had given him a bloody nose he would remember. And it would take him time to wipe that bloody nose clean.

Thanks to the sacrifice of Argaa Ninetoes.

[Theodore01]

[DM Golem]

The long heralded march of the Eternal Army...has not happened. The picket line of undead scouts is stationary, and in fact has thickened, the army adopting a defensive posture.

Something has halted the promised action.

There are two exceptions, report the Hellriders.

A body of soldiers, having disappeared into the Trollbark Forest, has emerged as expected, and is currently moving across the High Moor, apparently searching ancient sites.

Another body of soldiers, three hundred strong, now marches on the line of advance; a small portion of the General's forces. The working Hypothesis is that the General intends to secure his line of march in the direction of the plains before Kheldrivver.

[DM Golem]

Scouting reports come in relating that the undead soldiers that were exploring the High Moor are much denuded in numbers. The host encountered elves and a Helmite force at a ruin, chasing them off, before entering.

Many fewer skeletons emerged from the depths, barely fifty, although most of the more elite sword-bearing troopers seem to have survived. They now make a march back towards the Troll Hills.

What might have destroyed a hundred skeleton soldiers down in the dark is unknown to most.

(((if anyone wants to interact with these stragglers, PM me)))

[DM Golem]

The Hellriders report that Undead Soldiers have seized a vital pass in the Troll Hills without opposition. They report that a second pass lies undefended too, and the undead are marching on that. Once they have that, it will only be a matter of time before they reach the northern Fields of the Dead, and Kheldrivver. From there they can strike at Baldur's Gate or Kraak Helzak as they choose.

[DM Dialectic]

There have been numerous speakings recently of teleporting skeletal platoons popping up anywhere north of Baldur's Gate and south of Kheldrivver from Ulgoth's Beard to the north Chiontar river bank east of Baldur's Gate. Whether true rumors or not and whether they were be the last such alleged occurrences remains to be seen.

[DM Golem]

In the wake of the recent teleport attacks, the Hellriders report that the inactivity of the General's army is at an end. It has begun to march, company after company, block after block of troops, down a well planned line of march through the Troll Hills towards Kheldrivver. An army the size of the General's moves slowly, though, and the progress seems to be methodical.

That said, there are two passes that lie between the army and its presumed target. The first pass is already in the hands of the undead, but its a small force only in place for now. A second small force marches on the second pass.

Time is running out to sieze the second pass and seal it; and to recapture the first pass.

A worrying development is that the Hellriders report that a large body of undead troops is being left behind, where the General's army was camped. The Hellriders are unable to get near due to undead picket lines so they know little of what these undead do. It may be that they represent the forces of some sub-commanders or allied or subordinate lich; it may be that they are the source of the teleport attacks.

[DM Golem]

Far to the south, in a small town called Beregost, the bells ring in worship.

Meanwhile, clouds gather over the Troll Hills, a storm lashing their peaks as the undead army marches onwards towards the narrow pass its advance forces recently seized.

A fortified camp is left in the western Troll Hills, defended, from which terror raids of skeleton warriors are sent by arcane teleportation magic.

But the bulk of the great host, disciplined phalangites and lesser skeletons, swarms like ants across the rocky slopes, its march slow, but inexorable, neither sleet nor mud holding them back. Its blades set to fall on Kheldrivver, then Kraak Helzak, and then Baldur's Gate.

But then, arcing across the Fields of the Dead and into the stormclouds, a bird of pure light is seen plunging into the depths. Those who see it report a feeling of rising hope in their hearts.

The storm clouds roll back, a golden orange light banishing the rain, and settling over the hills like honey.

A great wall of radiant flame rises up around the edge of the glow; the undead host surrounded and trapped within a great dome of light. Unable to attack, and unable to be attacked, for as long as this miracle lasts.

The few hundred soldiers sent to seize the passes, instead of being the vangued of a mighty host, have been turned into isolated stragglers, waiting to be destroyed.

The camp left in the western Troll Hills, close to the crypt from which this army issued forth, remains outside the glow as well. There is a large body of undead there, able to still launch their teleport attacks.

But the march of the General's horde has been halted; so long as this miracle lasts.

[DM Golem]

Reports are spread south of a victory won against the undead army in the Troll Hills. With the bulk of it held in stasis by some great miracle, the advance force sent to seize the passes in the Troll Hills was vulnerable. Durin Ironfaar led resolute warriors from Kraak Helzak, along with allies from the Order of the Silver Rose, En Darasha Everae and the Elder Circle, to sieze back the two passes. The intention was then that sappers from Kraak Helzak would blow the passes.

The fighting was fierce, but the dwarven led coalition moved swifty, with efficient use of spells and force of arms keeping up its momentum before the undead could mount a proper defence. Only at the mouth of the second pass did the allies face concentrated resistance, fighting undead casters and a mighty armoured skeleton which was larger than the rest, and seemingly in command. It was a bloody battle but the undead were vanquished.

The engineers, escorted by Flaming Fist soldiers, set their charges, and both passes were sealed. Should the magical stasis that the undead were placed in clear, they will find their advance much slowed.

[DM Dialectic]

Undead Stirrings in the South

An eccentric gnome going by the name of Clonifop Dippledop, possibly related to the famed treasure hunter of the same last name, is said to walk around Baldur's Gate's and Northern Amn's most popular adventurer taverns seeking aid for his lady in Amn. He says allegedly that a large volume of undead, under the leadership of a lich officer serving the infamous undead Netherese "General" that threatens war in the north, have been seen teleporting just outside of the gnome's master's area of property about the Cloud Peaks region of Amn. His lady master's property he tells those that would listen is in the shadow of the Amnian peak named in 1350 "Auril's Crown". Auril's Crown remains one of the highest and most remote peaks in the Cloud Peaks range since the 1350 expedition to climb it and name it, which Clonifop vaguely says he was somehow involved with.



Clonifop claims to seek adventurers to aid his master to rid these undead from threatening his master's lands further. He claims his master believes that these undead search for something of significant tactical use and power on his master's lands.

((Open event scheduled for 17:00 GMT on Sunday, October 4.))