Session 7: The Short Siege of Jorik's Rest

The party had just rushed through the front doors of Jorik's Rest, urgently discussing what they had seen with Ren Jorik: a nearby encampment and Serg being taken in under duress. The atmosphere inside the tavern was tense, filled with an air of impending doom.   NPCs Present in the Main Room:  

• Ren Jorik and his adopted daughter Elara.
• Arsen the Younger and Arsen the Elder (the village blacksmith and his son).
• Eiran Ilya, a Circle contact and new initiate.
• Tashi the Skald, not a member of the Circle but a long-time friend of most in this group.
• Lena the herbalist/seamstress, who was there as Zenscha went to her first and made sure she came along.

  The cook and Vargen the Barkeep were also on the premises, although Vargen had up to this point remained oblivious to the smuggling happening beneath his nose.   Ren, a natural leader with considerable military experience, processed the information with grave concern. The presence of the Regiment this far into the forest was not normal in itself, and their possession of Serg indicated they were not merely passing through. Ren explained to the group that Serg had served under him and was instrumental in saving Elara during a raid. Ren pointed out that the Witch-Hunters knew exactly how to manipulate Serg by threatening his daughter, which only deepened his worry. His daughter was the only thing Ren believed Serg loved more than him.   About 45 minutes later, as evening shadows began to fall over Krezko, the palpable tension inside Jorik’s Rest was suddenly interrupted by Serg’s abrupt entrance. Serg stumbled through the front doors, interrupting the ongoing strategic conversation among the party and Ren Jorik. He appeared disheveled and distressed, with many bruises and marks of abuse, but he was able to walk. His eyes were wide open, unblinking, and staring blankly ahead.   The party and Ren exchanged confused, concerned glances, trying to understand Serg’s condition. Initially, they thought he was injured or in shock, but it soon became evident that something far more sinister was at play. Serg’s eyes went dead, with a simmering white light in their depths. His voice changed dramatically, adopting the deep, resonant tone of Inquisitor Ilarik. He announced in a bone-chilling voice:  

"I am Inquisitor Ilarik. I and my brothers have been charged by the Godking to purge this land of heretics. We know what you are. We have judged you, and found you wanting. Your puny village is surrounded. Surrender the alleged witches and rebels harbored within to questioning, or watch as everything burns. You have until nightfall."

  Ilarik’s message, spoken through Serg’s mouth, sent a wave of fear through the room.   Each player reacted to this development. Some attempted to speak to Serg, trying to break through his mental domination. Others turned to Ren and the others to quickly discuss their options.   Orian reached out with his Feyn-touched powers, trying to drive Ilarik out or even psychically attack him from afar.   However, the mind he encountered there was like a vice. The nightmares reflected back on him, and he became deeply paranoid, seeing Serg’s body suddenly writhing and then bursting with insects.   Several of Orian's companions had to restrain him from killing Serg. Thankfully, the madness from the magical rebound subsided fairly quickly.   However, despite their efforts, they failed to free Serg. Ilarik’s grip remained too strong, and the scene ended with Serg failing to resist being commanded to unsheath his knife and slit his own throat.   This act deeply troubled Ren, both in losing his friend and understanding the gravity of Ilarik’s reach and power.   Tonibore went upstairs to get a better vantage point, where the full scope of their predicament became visible. The Regiment had formed a tight semi-ring around the hill, and preparations for a fire were unmistakably underway. The clanking of armored Regiment soldiers could be heard as they methodically surrounded the hill. Their slaves carted in the mobile palisades and set them up to become the base of a mass pyre.   Villagers were forced to gather and pile firewood in the square, creating a grim scene of the impending mass burning that would soon take place if they did nothing.   Then Tonibore saw them carting in cannon. Cannon! There was no way they could stand against that, he decided in that instant. This village was lost.   Meanwhile, downstairs... Ren, devastated by Serg’s death and the imminent threat to his village, initially advocated for a last stand. Normally soft-spoken, at least in the time they knew him, he passionately addressed the patrons and rebels within Jorik’s Rest:  

"We've been cornered, kin and friends alike! But cornered beasts bite hardest. I don’t know many of you well, yet. But I can see there’s a storm in you. If we must fall this night, let us fall like the thunder that frightens the night itself.”

  Then he looked at his daughter’s face and reconsidered, adding, "But. There may be another way."   Just then, Tonibore came down to report the hopelessness of their position. The others seemed to agree that their position would not be long defensible. Yet what other option did they have?   Ren pulled the group aside and revealed a potential escape route through a tunnel that ran half a mile north, leading to a narrow river just deep enough for a small skiff. During this conversation, he quickly resigned himself to the fact that the Rest would not be saved. Perhaps even Krezko itself would be lost this night. But he would save his daughter and the others who now were under his charge.   By this time, as dusk transitioned to a dark night, the dire circumstances at Jorik's Rest reached their critical apex. Outside on the hillside, the villagers were preparing some sort of pyre. The Regiment was likely prepared to fire cannons on the Rest. The sounds of armored soldiers and frightened villagers filled the night.   They figured Ilarik must be out there somewhere, watching and waiting.   The PCs were confronted with a pivotal decision, as they saw it:  

• Fight: Rallying the villagers to use Jorik’s Rest as a fortress could lead to a heroic battle. They'd need to capitalize on every tactical advantage, leveraging the tavern's layout and the combat experience of the villagers. And given the presence of cannons, this was likely to still not go well. A last stand. And for what? They decided against this option.
• Negotiate for Safety: Ilarik would only accept the surrender of all individuals inside Jorik’s Rest, requiring them to come into custody and be taken to Sevgorod as captives.
• Escape through the Secret Tunnel: Opting for the secret tunnel provided a potential escape route but not without its perils. The half-mile tunnel led to a narrow stream where skiffs, used previously for smuggling, awaited. This route demanded stealth and quick action under the cover of smoke and chaos for any chance of survival.

  In the heat of the moment, they tried to quickly survey their odds from the forces that seemed to be available to each side.    

Forces Overview

  Against Them:  

• 24-30 Regiment soldiers equipped with muskets and spears.
• At least 4 cannons. (Tonibore saw 4 from his vantage point. But he did not recognize that they were loaded with ‘dragon-fire’ -- alchemically infused boom-powder)
• 4 watchmen with flintlocks, muskets and swords.
• Inquisitor Ilarik, ruthlessly overseeing the siege from afar (?).

  On Their Side:  

• 10-15 untrained villagers in the Rest and surrounding buildings on the hill, whose resolve might be their greatest asset.
• 5 veteran villagers, including Vargen the barkeep and the cook.
• 4 horses that could be utilized for a rapid breakout or to create diversions.
• The PCs and significant NPCs within Jorik’s Rest.

  As the PCs made their decision, the horrors outside had already reached their apex. The villagers, mentally dominated as if in a collective nightmare, tied one another to the pyres and set them alight. The air filled with smoke and shrieking and the smell of roasting flesh.   The characters' decision was made more fraught by the sound of their screams. They chose to follow Ren's suggestion and flee through the underground tunnel, planning a fiery distraction. Zenscha and Tonibore had some of the rebels inside the Rest get gunpowder from the supplies after Ren mentioned it. They rummaged around, looking for containers. Dismissing several other ideas, Zenscha used glass bottles to quickly make small grenades.   Then everything burst into action... Like a slow-mow action sequence:  

• Orian, now quite intoxicated on dreamshroud and also empowered by it, channeled a Dionysian orgy into the minds of the Regiment soldiers.
• Tonibore, using nightreaver snuff to activate Celerity, ran outside with supernatural speed. He saw the Regiment soldiers standing casually, watching the villagers on their pyres, and noticed a black wagon and horse at the back of the line. Assuming Ilarik was inside, he moved so quickly and stealthily that he was not noticed as he took up a position underneath the carriage.
• Orian continued his Dreamshroud-enhanced Nightmare Discipline mental assault, causing chaos among the soldiers, who started killing each other in their blood-crazed frenzy.
• Tonibore discovered the wagon contained a Nightreaver. This was not in their plan.
• Thinking quickly, he unlatched the top. The Nightreaver shot out immediately, nearly as fast as him, but he managed to dodge its attack and ran back into Jorik’s Rest, tossing the grenades behind him as he went, expending his Celerity.

The sound of screaming and searing flesh faded behind him.