Chapter 8: Rise of the GaioCorps

Opening

  The gang gives Jezza a proper Seregan burial ceremony, with everyone mourning together, yet still in their own ways. They decide to make camp for the night, rather than go back to Nizbon’s immediately. They Long Rest and heal all wounds, rejuvenated physically, but raw emotionally. They arrive back at Nizbon’s Hill, explaining to him what happened. Dr. Nizbon expressed his condolences and his apologies for not being there, as his machines malfunctioned when trying to follow them. He offers his home as shelter for as long as they need, and starts working on the traps/hill defenses.   For the next few days, Nyrus stealthily stands guard throughout the hillside perimeter, grieving in his own way. Viko trains, letting his anger out on lifeless dummies in a nearby clearing. Haku & Hana mourn together, upset at the loss of their companion and having wished their honeymoon didn’t end this way. They contemplate whether it has to be the end; if they leave Hythenos now, they still have a chance at moving away from all of this. But if Jezza died for this cause, would it be right to do that? To abandon Kiara on a quest that’s clearly gotten more dangerous?   Kiara retreats into the woods again, after ensuring that Hana & Haku didn’t need anything from her and that they let her know immediately if there is. She meditates in the trees, feeling her friends emotions; Viko’s anger, Haku’s guilt, Hana’s sadness, & Nyrus’s disengagement. She brings these emotions with her into her meditations, clouding visions of their grief with her own. She also ponders her act of murder, and whether killing anyone or anything that isn’t undead or actively endangering innocent lives can be accepted. While in these raw, emotional visions & questions, she starts getting visions of the nearby village, soothing her slightly when feeling positivity from the simple lumber town. However, when reaching out farther, she sees visions of troop movements less than a few hours away from the village. Based on what Garen has done so far, Kiara quickly concludes what this means: retaliation with the village as collateral damage. Kiara rushes back to tell her friends, but finds that like herself, they are still separate & mourning. She casts Mind Link on the forest itself and calls out to her friends, giving a telepathic speech as she runs into the woods towards the village.   ”Friends, please hear my call. I am so sorry for what I have brought upon you for this quest, the loss you have experienced for my hubris. And for that, I respect whatever decision you make from my plea. An entire platoon of Grettanian soldiers is on their way to the nearby lumber village, presumably to lure us out with the threat of their slaughter if we don’t show ourselves. As such, this is the point of no return on this quest. I am going to the village to make my stand, for its the least I can do in the sake of my actions. If you choose to do the same, they will have seen your face; there will be no turning back. If you choose to go your separate way, I understand completely and hope to cross paths again, whether in this life or the next. Either way, it has been an honor to fight by your sides, and may the Gaioforce give you strength in these times.” The others hear the call, including Dr. Nizbon.  

The Village of Haverthar

  After expert navigation, Kiara arrives at the village before any attack is made. She walks amongst the people in the hour before, feeling their stories, emotions, and life ambitions as she does. She connects with these people with more strength than she had in the woods, prepared to defend them to the last breath as any good Warian should. Soon enough, she senses masses of life moving on the village. She counts 35 life forms, taking a deep yet sharp breath of anxiety. She urges the people to go indoors and arm themselves if they can, for the soldiers that come aren’t here to protect them. They oblige and do so in a rush, leaving Kiara out on the Main Street as the soldiers march up. At point is the clear field leader; a Grettanian Knight with distinctions on his armor. He speaks with condescending arrogance.   “So, you must be what all the fuss has been about in these parts. Doesn’t look like that much of a problem to me though, does she soldiers?!” The men and women in rank behind him call at attention “Sir, yes sir!”. Four of these soldiers stand in the 5 ft behind their field leader, two of them appearing to be knights while the other two seem to be mages. The remaining 30 soldiers stand 5 ft behind this line, and begin to fan out after saluting their commanding officer. Kiara stands at attention, though showing some visible fear. However, she clears her throat and gives her demands.   “I implore all of you to see the moral truth of what you are doing here. You have been sent to an innocent village, one under your implied protection as soldiers of Grettania, to lure a few dissidents out into the open. If I am guessing correctly, you were authorized to use lethal force against these innocent people for the sole purpose of leverage to Garen’s corrupt gain. If you value life and people as much as I do, you will see the unlawful and cruel nature of these orders and stand down. But if you do not, and you choose to commit atrocities for the personal gain of one man, then you are no better than undead. And by the authority of the Warian Collective, I have orders to destroy you on sight (her eyes glow an ethereal white when she says this). She fails on her Persuasion, but nat20’s her Intimidation check and causes the trees and other flora to shake. All the soldiers, even the knights, mages & the field leader, show visible anxiousness at the display of power. However, they collect themselves, and the field leader gives his orders.   “Well, you heard the Warian. Destroy on sight!” He yells as he draws his sword and points it towards Kiara. At this moment, an explosive arrow and a ball of fire erupt from the trees on Kiara’s left, and a fissure erupts from the right. A blast of energy follows the fissure.  

Combat: The GaioCorps vs. Grettanian Army Platoon (Field Leader, 2 WarMages, 2 Knights, & 30 Troopers, 14,600 XP)

Initiative

• Viko: 8
• Kiara: 6
• Nyrus: 12
• Haku: 15
• Hana: 19
• Dr. Nizbon: 15
• Grettanian Army Platoon: 15

Surprise Round

• Haku: Casts GeoRift (3rd level) on the rightmost troop line (6 troopers). One escapes the fall, but the rest fall in and take 5 damage each (25 total). Haku then closes the rift, dealing 19 bludgeoning to each of them (95 total), killing 4 of them in a squelch sandwich. Turns to the mage with a malicious grin, then runs 40 ft over towards Kiara.
• Dr. Nizbon: Tosses a Grenado at the 2nd rightmost troop line. They all fail their save and take 25 force damage each (150 total). This kills 5 more troops in a squelchy center. Dr. Nizbon flies in wearing his Firefly Wingsuit, flying 10 ft from Haku.
• Nyrus: Casts Shock Enhancement & fires an explosive arrow at the 2nd leftmost troop line, dealing 11 piercing /22 sneak attack to the initial soldier (33 total), then 12 lightning/17 thunder to the remaining 5 in the 30 ft AoE (145 total). This kills the initial guy and four of the others, severely wounding the man in front.
• Viko: Cast Fireball (3rd level) on the leftmost troop line. Two of them partially dodge the blast while the rest eat it. The dodgers take 14 fire damage each (28 total), while the failures take 28 each (112 total). This kills five more troops, leaving the front man alive and burned.

Round 1

 

• Hana: Casts Aquaflesh, then casts Hydro Rush (2nd level) on the last troop line, dealing 25 cold damage to each one (150 total). This kills 5 more, leaving only the back man alive. She smirks at the field leader, intending to do something horrible to him.
• Grettanian Army Platoon (6 troopers left): The field leader orders all forces to engage. He then swings twice at Hana with a Shock Enhanced sword, but her watery body dodges every blow. The two troopers farthest back fire crossbow bolts at Nyrus & Nizbon; one hits Nizbon for 5 piercing, while the latter misses the stealthy Nyrus. The knight in front of Viko charges with two Shock Enhanced swings, dealing 20 slashing/6 lightning to Viko (26 total). The other knight moves 15 ft forward and casts Chromatic Orb (1st level), but crit fails and hits his fellow knight for 7 lightning. The two troopers behind them fire crossbow shots, one at Viko for 6 piercing, and a crit fail towards Kiara that hits the field leader for 4 piercing. On the right, one guy crawls out of the hole and fires his crossbow at Haku (misses). The mage closest to Haku casts Lightning Bolt (3rd level), dealing 14 lightning to Haku who had narrowly dodged. The other soldier fires a crossbow at Nizbon, but misses. The other mage casts Aerokinesis (3rd level) on Dr. Nizbon, catching him in the air and crushing for 31 force damage. The mage holds concentration, keeping the tech wizard captive for now.
• Haku: Casts Geostrength (1st level), then Rock Throw (1st level) on the mage for 21 bludgeoning damage. The mage breaks concentration from this hit, releasing Nizbon.
• Dr. Nizbon: Thanks Haku, then returns the favor by pulling out his Turbine Blaster and firing at the mage who attacked Haku, dealing 7 radiant damage. Flies back 30 ft
• Nyrus: Fires a Shock Enhanced sharphead arrow at the farther knight, dealing 7 piercing/14 lightning/28 sneak attack (49 total). Moves stealthily in the trees
• Viko: Swings at the knight in front of him three times after casting Anti Aura, dealing 36 slashing/14 fire (50 total). Prepares to end him.
• Kiara: Casts Entangle (1st level) between the field leader and a trooper. They both get caught by the vines and are restrained. After doing so, she smiles tenderly at Hana with gratitude.

Round 2

 

• Hana: Smiles back at Kiara as she reconstitutes to solid form, then pours one Poison of Fleshmelt onto the restrained field leader, who takes 10 acid but resists the transformation. Mildly impressed, she grabs his throat and casts Shocking Grasp, dealing 19 lightning damage (29 total).
• Grettanian Army Platoon: The field leader & trooper try to get up, but they fail. The knight engaged with Viko swings twice more after casting Sun Strike (1st level), dealing 9 slashing/11 radiant (20 total). Viko resists the radiant infection. The other knight searches for Nyrus with advantage and doesn’t find him, so he blindly fires a Firebolt with disadvantage and hits the rogue for 4 damage (2 thanks to uncanny dodge). This does alert the trooper to his location, who fires a crossbow but misses. Meanwhile, the farthest back troopers fire crossbows at Kiara & Nizbon, with Kiara’s assailant scoring a crit and Nizbon getting hit. Kiara uses a Warian Dodge and takes 4 piercing, while Nizbon takes 10 piercing. The other two troopers converge on Haku and attack, dealing 17 slashing. Haku’s mage casts Enhanced Strike (1st level) and deals 15 slashing with her dagger (32 total to Haku). The other mage focuses on Kiara & Nizbon, casting Twinfire (4th level) on them both. Kiara succeeds and Nizbon fails on the save, taking 12 & 24 fire damage, respectively.
• Haku: Casts Earth Tremor (2nd level) on his area, with the mage dodging and the troops failing. The troops take 10 forces damage each (20 total), while the mage takes 5. This kills the trooper weakened from the GeoRift, knocking him down for good.
• Dr. Nizbon: Tosses his Targeting Leech at the mage who burned him, hitting. With advantage on his Turbine Blaster, he fires with Sharpshooter. He crits, dealing 35 radiant damage and incinerating the mage. With the impressive kill, he calls the Targeting Leech back to his hand, which will require recharge to use again.
• Nyrus: Annoyed at being hit, he fires both his grapple blades at the farther knight & the trooper, dealing 13 piercing to the knight & 14 piercing to the trooper. This kills the knight, and Nyrus uses his body & the trooper to anchor a launching point with his blades. He launches a kick at the trooper, but he blocks it with his shield.
• Viko: Chops his knight in half for 16 damage, tosses his sword at the restrained field leader for 15 damage, draws his war bident and tosses it at the leader for 16 more damage (31 total). He calls both back to his hands, casts Gaiodrenaline as part of an Action Surge, then generate another action. With this, he makes three more attacks; tosses the war bident back at the field leader, but misses this time. Tosses his sword at him with both hands, dealing 15 slashing/10 fire/2 thrown (27 total) and cleaving the field leader in two. Pleased, he calls the sword back and tosses it at the restrained trooper, dealing 7 slashing/13 fire/2 thrown damage (22 total) and removing his head. He leaves his sword & bident on the ground, as he no longer needs them.
• Kiara: Drops concentration since her captives are dead. Casts Brain Wave (2nd level) on the 3 troops & mage on the right. She tries to transfer a “SURRENDER OR MY FRIENDS WILL KILL YOU” message, but she fails on the execution and only deals 8 psychic damage to each of them (24 total to troopers, 8 to mage). This kills the trooper weakened by Hana’s Hydro Rush.

Round 3

• Hana: Casts Aqua Whip (2nd level) on the mage and crits, dealing 35 damage and killing him by cold strangulation. Then tosses the body at Haku’s opponent to end the spell, who dodges the hit.
• Grettanian Army Platoon: After seeing their entire platoon wiped out in seconds, the troops have low morale and miss all their hits. Sensing their failure, they know what fate awaits them now.
• Haku: Pulls out his trunk weapon and forms a Greataxe, slicing his foe for 12 slashing.
• Dr. Nizbon: Recharges his Targeting Leech, tosses it at the far trooper, then fires his Turbine Blaster with Sharpshooter for 19 radiant damage. This kills him.
• Nyrus: Plants both grapple blades into his opponents head, dealing 20 piercing. To finish him off, he drives his grappled head down into his knee for 18 bludgeoning, killing the trooper with blunt force and twisting his head backwards.
• Viko: Sees that Haku’s man is still alive, Viko charges a Firebolt and blasts the trooper, dealing 16 fire damage and killing the last man standing.

The Brief Reprieve

  After the fight, the gang takes a short rest for an hour within the town hall, using hit dice to restore their health; Kiara uses 6, Viko uses 6, Nyrus uses 1, Haku uses 5, and Dr. Nizbon uses all 15 of his. After an hour, Kiara senses life forms approaching the village, alerting her friends. They take up positions outside, and with direction from Kiara, they lay eyes on the threat: two Storm Wyverns & a Grettanian Storm Dragon, each of which bears a mount.  

Combat: The GaioCorp vs. Grettanian Dragonsquad (4,600 XP for wyverns, 5,000 XP for dragon, 2,300 XP for mage on dragon, 11,900 XP total)

   

Initiative

   

• Viko: 7
• Kiara: 15
• Nyrus: 8
• Haku: 11
• Hana: 12
• Dr. Nizbon: 11
• Grettanian Dragonsquad: 18 (4,600 XP for wyverns, 5,000 XP for dragon, 2,300 XP for mage on dragon, 11,900 XP total)

     

Round 1

 

• Grettanian Dragonsquad: The dragon fires its Lightning Breath in a line that would strafe Viko, Hana & Haku. The boys dodge it and only take 23 lightning damage each, while Hana eats it for 47 lightning damage. Simultaneously, the mage casts Twinfire (4th level) at Nyrus & Kiara. Both dodge the blast and use their respective abilities (Nyrus’ Evasion & Kiara’s Warian Dodge) to take no damage. One wyvern attacks Dr. Nizbon, dealing 10 piercing with its bite and 12 piercing/33 lightning with its stinger (55 total). The other wyvern swoops down towards Viko and misses his bite, but crits him with the stinger. Deals 14 piercing/22 lightning damage (36 total).
• Kiara: Casts Mass Cure Wounds (5th level) on her friends, giving them 22 HP each. Runs to find some cover and plan her next attack.
• Hana: Casts Maelstrom (6th level) on the dragon & the wyverns. The wyverns passed, but the dragon failed and is sucked into the vortex. 39 damage to dragon & mage, 19 damage to wyverns. Runs to cover, but stays concentrated on the spell.
• Haku: Casts Ground Spike (3rd level) at the dragon, dealing 25 piercing damage. Leaps to the rooftops, out of line with the group
• Dr. Nizbon: Tosses his Targeting Leech at the wyvern that attacked him, then fires his Turbine Blaster with Sharpshooter for 25 radiant. Flies 50 ft away, same level in the sky but away from the maelstrom.
• Nyrus: Fires his grapple blades at the wyvern that attacked Viko, dealing 14 piercing with the first one and grappling it, but crit failing the second. He tries to close the distance with disadvantage, still managing a solid kick for 15 bludgeoning (29 total). With a successful Acrobatics maneuver, he mounts the wyvern, grapple hook still in flesh
• Viko: Seeing Nyrus occupied with his initial target, Viko turns his attention to the maelstrom. Gears start turning in his head and he decides to practice the spell Nyrus taught him. He uses his Rouzhai power to emit minuscule antimatter particles into the air around him, causing rapid detonations of energy due to the antimatter-matter collisions with the air particles. Viko maintains control of this release, concentrates it into powerful torrents of electricity pulsating around his body, then finally pushes it through his fist towards the struggling dragon. This releases a vibrant red bolt of lightning at the dragon (3rd level), who fails his disadvantaged Dex save and takes 37 lightning damage. The mage takes this damage and is fried, his body getting tossed around the maelstrom. The lightning seems more corrosive than normal, causing serious pain to the dragon when Viko later realized it shoudn’t have. It also added extra energy to the maelstrom. Fortunately, Hana maintains concentration, but Viko innately replaces Anti Aura with Corrosive Essence (Rouzhai cantrip).

Round 2

 

• Grettanian Dragonsquad: Recharges his breath weapon thanks to the painful lightning blast from Viko, then unleashes it throughout the maelstrom. Hana keeps hold, but lightning bursts from the swirls of the vortex, hitting Viko, Haku, & Nyrus. Haku & Nyrus dodge the lightning, with both taking no damage due to Nyrus’ Evasion & Haku’s nat20. Viko, however, takes the full 25 lightning damage. The wyverns attack their prey. Dr. Nizbon’s goes for a claw & sting combo, dealing 13 slashing but missing the stinger due to a quick air dodge from Nizbon. Nyrus’ wyvern shakes him off, then goes for the stinger. Skewers Nyrus for 9 piercing/10 lightning (19 total).
• Kiara: Takes a deep breath, feeling the plants in her friendly forest breathe in the sunlight. She mimics them, and calls the solar energy of the afternoon sun into her hands. Once adequately charged, she unleashes her Sunbeam (6th level) on the dragon, who fails the Constitution save and takes 20 radiant damage. Hana maintains her concentration, but is clearly slipping.
• Hana: With the last of her grip on the spell, Hana casts what would have been Cone of Cold on the dragon. However, her hydrokinetic connection with the water transferred the intent of her spell into her Garonis powers, replacing Cone of Cold and learning Flash Freeze (5th level, Garonis, Blauri & Daidrin spell). She freezes the whole maelstrom in its place, then brings the whole thing crashing down on top of the trapped dragon. This deals 42 bludgeoning damage and kills the ferocious beast. Hana falls to her knees, drained from the effort.
• Haku: Jumps down from the roof and casts Geostrength (1st level), then Rock Throw (1st level) on Dr. Nizbon’s wyvern, dealing 30 bludgeoning.
• Dr. Nizbon: Tosses his Grenado at the wyvern, but it resists and escapes its pull. Nervous, Nizbon flies 50 ft away, lower to the ground.
• Nyrus: Leaps from the wyvern, tosses two Shurikens from one hand (one reg, one explosive), dealing 10 piercing/12 thunder (22 total). Airborne, he fires a grapple shot, hitting the wyvern for 8 piercing. However, it nat20s its Strength save and yanks the blade out, tossing it and Nyrus towards the ground.
• Viko: Casts Infernal Buzzsaw (4th level) and swipes at both wyverns. Both fail, taking 47 fire damage and being cleaved & cauterized into pieces.

 

No Rest for the Corps

Hana casts Organic Mending (2nd level) on Viko & Dr. Nizbon, giving them 15 HP each. Not long after, Kiara senses 8 large life forms charging towards the village. The group braces themselves and sees 8 armored ogres running their direction.  

Combat: The GaioCorps vs. Grettanian War Ogres (8, 4,800 XP)

   

Initiative

   

• Viko: 18
• Kiara: 14
• Nyrus: 23
• Haku: 15
• Hana: 18
• Dr. Nizbon: 23
• Grettanian War Ogres: 6

Round 1

     

• Nyrus: Shock Enhancement, then Grapple Blades for 7 piercing/15 lightning (22 total). Brings himself in with a kick for 15 bludgeoning.
• Dr. Nizbon: Recharges his Gale Grenade and tosses it at an ogre, getting him and one other in the AoE. One resists the pull, but the other is sucked in and takes 23 force damage.
• Viko: Activates his Gaiodrenaline, then charges at an ogre. He deals 7 bludgeoning/10 fire with a shield toss (17 total), jumps off the shield middair (successful Acrobatics) and lands with a two-handed Morningstar strike for 15 piercing. Swings back for 15 piercing/7 fire (37 total)
• Hana: Casts Aquaflesh (cantrip, should change to 1st level) & Hydro Rush (4th level) on the untouched ogres, who all fail the Dex save. They each take 36 cold damage and are knocked into each other, leaving 4 of the 5 prone.
• Haku: Casts GeoRift (3rd level) on the ogres Hana attacked. They all fall in and are crushed for 31 bludgeoning damage, killing all of them.
• Kiara: Looks at how easily the ogres were torn apart, then casts Brain Wave (3rd level) on the surviving ogres, imploring them to surrender or die at the hands of her friends. This deals 10 psychic damage instead of the full 20, but the message is received. However, the mental strain kills Viko’s ogre, to his slight disappointment.
• Grettanian War Ogres: Trained for war, both ogres ignore Kiara’s plea. Nyrus’ ogre hits him for 17 bludgeoning, but Nizbon’s misses the nimble gnome.

Round 2

 

• Nyrus: Casts Speed Boost (cantrip, should be a spell) and triples movement speed. He attacks his ogre with 3 martial arts strikes due to enhanced movement, dealing 26 bludgeoning damage and pulverizing the ogre to death.
• Dr. Nizbon: Fails to recharge his Targeting Leech, but doesn’t need it. Instead, he charges up his Turbine Blaster for 9 radiant damage.
• Viko: Knowing what needs to be done, Viko casts Antivision (2nd level) for the first time, dealing 41 fire damage and obliterating the ogre’s skull.

 

Aftermath

The gang takes another Short Rest, with Kiara watching over in her trance. Viko uses 4 hit dice, Nyrus uses 5, Haku uses 1, Hana uses 3, and Dr. Nizbon is healed by Kiara’s Cure Wounds (2nd level) & Hana’s Organic Mending (2nd level), giving 15 & 17 HP to him. After a successful Short Rest, the group determines that they are safe from further attack, and Kiara apologizes for putting their people in the crossfire. The village elder thanks them profusively for saving them from those Grettanian bullies, stating “They may be soldiers, but as far as I’m concerned, you all are more heroic than any of them. Please, allow us to honor you with a feast for dinner, and warm beds for as long as you need!” Exhausted from their three back-to-back fights, the gang enthusiastically accepts the offer. They spend their night celebrating at the local tavern. During all of this, Kiara now realizes what the mission needs to be; its not about simply stopping Garen, its about visibly standing up to him and his empire in front of as many Grettanian citizens as they can, showing them that it’s possible. She shares this idea with her friends, but still respects their wishes to back out of the mission. The group looks glancingly around each other, then responds in turn.   ”If we don’t keep going, Jezza would’ve died for nothing.” Haku says. “On Serega, life is more than just sacred, its cyclical. Life and natural death are a part of the cycle, and while Jezza’s death was untimely, it was ultimately in the natural state of things.”   “But the innocent people and creatures being slaughtered or experimented on here is not part of the cycle.” Hana adds. “Therefore, we can’t let it stand, and we would be honored to spend our honeymoon freeing Grettania from these dark forces.”   Viko chimes in “Garen made this personal, there’s no escape for him now. I’m in until I crush his skull beneath my power, and the more monsters he throws in my way, the better!”. With that, he crushes and slams his drink.   ”Hey, they’ve seen my tech now and I’ve wanted to take down the government for decades. Might as well start now!” Dr. Nizbon adds.   Nyrus, quiet until now, finally speaks up. “I don’t talk about this ever, but when I was young, my village was destroyed by a traveling warlord. Someone with the same ambitions and disregard for innocent life as Garen. Seeing what he ordered to be done to Danarim brought that all back, and no matter how hard I try to ignore the similarities, I can’t. I’m in, until I can ensure he doesn’t become the nightmare to others as mine have to me.” The group is stunned, as this may be the most consecutive words they’ve ever heard Nyrus speak. Finally, Kiara breaks the silence with a huge grin on her face.   ”Then it’s settled. We are officially a rebel fighting force!” Kiara cheers.   “Don’t we all have to be Grettanian natives to be rebels? Nyrus and I have that covered, but the rest of you are terrorists.” Viko jokes.   ”You do make a good point, we aren’t even all from Hythenos. In fact, we hail from strong & unique magic sources from all over the world. And in theory, we fight for those around the world that are disadvantaged from doing so. We are… the GaioCorps!” Kiara exclaims triumphantly. While the rest chuckle at the cheesiness, they can’t help but enjoy the nice ring to it.