Session 109 - A plan is Enacted

General Summary

In the morning, while Ansor was speaking with the party, they noticed the Andorian Inquisition fleeing the castle in an armored carriage, heading out of the city toward their encampment. After much discussion—a lot of discussion—the party decided to strike at the Kadians with Ansor’s help and check whether William Keatison was being transported in the carriage.
  Roger Lavgod, Remus, and Henry of House Doril rode upon Ansor, while Avaras mounted Greg. All of them were under invisibility. Meanwhile, Simba scouted the Kadian camp and pinpointed exactly where everything was located.
  Roger launched the attack, striking down the female monk responsible for raising alarms and guarding the tent filled with supplies and treasure. She died so quickly she had no time to react. Henry dropped onto a guard inside the same tent, dispatching him as well. At the same time, Avaras unleashed a fireball in a surprise strike on the clerics’ tent, while Remus cast Silence to ensure any survivors could not cast spells.
  Ansor then froze time itself, ravaging the camp for several rounds before the flow of time resumed. When reality snapped back, the camp lay in ruins—burning, shattered, and crackling with arcs of lightning in several places.
  At that moment, Friedrich appeared, riding Max Atlas from the direction of the city. On the way, Max had stumbled into several traps, though none had managed to harm him. Roger used the moment to loot the nun he had slain and quickly discovered that the treasure tent was trapped with a magical mine, designed to explode if not disarmed properly. From the burning tent struck by Avaras’s fireball, a warrior wielding two swords emerged and teleported toward Roger and Henry. Ansor roared at the party to kill him before he could escape.
  Avaras dove into the fight, flying on Greg and blasting the warrior with rays of force. Then Henry performed the move of the century: he struck the magical mine, detonating it upon himself, Roger, the two-bladed warrior, and even Avaras. By some miracle—and with the help of various abilities—none of the party were harmed. The tent, however, and all the equipment within, was obliterated. Poor Avaras was once again left without gear, not even a single bag of holding to his name. (Poor, poor Avaras.)
  Friedrich prepared to join the battle—but did nothing. (Avaras breathed a sigh of relief that at least Friedrich wasn’t betraying them.) Meanwhile, the surviving foot soldiers and junior mages tried to flee toward the horses, but Remus cut down many of them with a cloud of poisonous gas.
  Max then spotted another warrior emerging from the burning clerics’ tent. The man sprinted toward the armored carriage—the very one suspected to hold William. Max charged forward, tore the door from the carriage, and hurled it into the warrior, killing him instantly. But when he pulled the captive from the carriage, it was not William at all, but the injured bartender who had once served the party.
  Roger finished what Avaras had begun, slaying the two-bladed warrior. Avaras scavenged his corpse for what little gear he could reclaim. It was agreed that Ansor would deal with the remaining Kadians, while the party returned to the castle to begin their assault and rescue mission. Henry summoned a number of horses, which the party mounted—except Avaras and Roger, who remained on Gregory. Before they left, Ansor cast Mind Blank upon them, removing the detection spells they had been under and shielding them from mental domination.
  Upon reaching the city, they encountered the local militia. Ansor, rejoining the group, asked Remus if she should deal with them; he answered yes. With a single devastating attack, Ansor annihilated the small army standing before them. Gregory threw Avaras and Roger from his back midair and then flew toward the castle on his own. Meanwhile, Henry’s summoned horses resisted their riders, and all around them the townsfolk poured into the streets—each one clearly under vampiric magical control. Among them, the party saw Jim, seemingly enthralled… yet he winked at them in secret. With the help of Ansur, they realized the vampires had begun a dark ritual to summon mezzofiends within the city. The party urged Ansor to carry them to the castle. Their plan: to climb into a Bag of Holding, let Roger carry it, and then enter through a castle window—avoiding the need to fight every enthralled civilian in the streets.
  Just as they prepared to mount Ansor, an illusion of the lord Felkenhertz appeared, once again offering the party a deal and a chance to talk. But everyone knew he was stalling for time to complete his ritual. They demanded he release William one final time. When he refused, they climbed onto Ansor’s back, and she dispelled the illusion. Avaras cast Invisibility sphere around them, and unseen, the party flew with Ansor straight toward the vampires’ fortress.