Hold the Breach!

After riding through town witnessing dwarves and men fighting fires and monsters the Wild Bunch arrives at a gap blown in the wall between the Blister and Tradetown. The Freeriders and Misfits are hard pressed to hold the breach against the horrible monsters flooding in.

Rolen charges forward as Lauranna and Katniss start pumping arrows and spells into the largest foes. Adran runs up and creates the illusion of the wall reassembling itself. Varis, smoking in the sunlight, sprints for a bush and plunges in.

In the midst of the fighting an enormous undead dragon mounted by a tall figure robed in black swoops in and lands amidst the chaos. Several guardsmen are lost as it spews wretched filth over them and the Freeriders wheel off to engage it. Varis and the others focus their attacks enough on one of the modified Ettin's and after he disables enough of its gear, he manages to disable the pumps supplying him with troll blood. As the spitter troll manages to pierce Adran's illusory wall and rush to his fallen giant's aid he is ensnared along with the others in a powerful magical sleep spell. Arriving along the top of the wall are a number of archers accompanied by assistants with lit torches. Rolen cheers as he sees his plan coming to fruition.

Unable to batter through or otherwise circumvent Adran's magical wall, the assembled horde starts scrambling up the rubble to climb the wall and engage the archers. In response, Katniss began raining death through the gap through which she could see just fine as Varis too decided to divert. Thankfully some of the trolls were having trouble shaking off Adran's sleep spell.
The Freeriders execute their plan against the undead dragon to horrifyingly little effect and are nearly wiped out by its ensuing retaliation. It then lurches into the air, winging ever closer to the heart of Overlook as the battle continues behind it.

Soon fighting is split between the gap, the top of the wall, and on the other side of it as the tumult attracts more flying creatures including a gargoyle and manticore. In the distance some of the enemy flyers are visibly pulled from the sky by gigantic earthen hands shaped by High Ancestor Durkik using the Incunabulum Primeval. One manticore that joins the fray snaps off a volley of spikes at the grouped elves below only to have return fire nearly kill it and certainly ground it as it smashes into a nearby roof.

With flaming arrows raining down the wall, the trolls begin to fall especially as their spitting troll extinguisher remains ensnared by Adran's magical slumber. Varis hops down off the wall and directly into the assembled fracas in the gap while the Misfits do their best to hold the top of the wall against any that would climb up. Adran, Lauranna, and Katniss all combine fire upon the manticore and bring it low. Rolen continues to trade mighty blows with the remaining war troll until suddenly it finds itself surrounded and crushed. Finally the still sleeping abominations and spitter troll are dispatched by Varis and Rolen in bloody fashion. The Misfits and Freeriders (having regrouped and recovered somewhat) are left to hold the gap in the wall as an enraged minotaur hurls himself at the assembled humanoids. Rolen recognizes the bouncer from the Pig and Bucket, Koth, and laughs as he sends orcs and goblins flying.

So the Wild Bunch mounts back up behind chariots to be ferried deeper into the heart of chaos, occasionally catching sight of the huge dragon as it strafes archers in towers with its putrid filth. At one point it clips a tower in a turn and sends huge chunks of rubble crashing down into the streets below. The party rides around fires and fights through throngs of enemy forces choking the streets, occasionally having to double back as avenues are rendered impassable by fallen debris and other destruction. A huge explosion is heard off to the southwest followed by a great plume of smoke rising to the skies. Soon after the magical voice of Great Elder Morgoff Stonefirst can be heard in each of the elves' minds. He reports that Elder Mountainhome's position has been destroyed and overrun and the Wild Bunch is needed to extract and rescue her. The party informs their charioteers who wheel around and speed towards the rising smoke plumes.

The Story So Far

Outline to Fill Out

1. Characters "The Wild Bunch of the Witchwood"
   
   1. Lauranna (Moonwolf)
      
      1. Priestess
         
      2. Sibling of Rolen
         
      3. Harbinger
         
      4. Nighteyes
         
   2. Rolen (Moonwolf)
      
      1. Warrior
         
      2. Sibling of Lauranna
         
      3. Harbinger
         
      4. Not quite right in the head
         
   3. Adran (Moonwolf)
      
      1. Illusionist
         
      2. Scholar
         
      3. Genuinely invested in protecting the siblings from their own natures
         
      4. Not the manliest elf that ever lived
         
   4. Thane (Bloodhawk)
      
      1. Daggermaster
         
      2. Private contractor
         
      3. Plays it close to the vest
         
      4. Long term business relationship with Caliandra of Stagrunner tribe
         
      5. Network of associates posing as church of Ioun
         
   5. Guardian Spirits
      
      1. Katniss
         
         1. Lauranna's guardian
            
         2. Icy archer
            
         3. Cold enmity for Varis
            
         4. Duty-bound
            
      2. Varis
         
         1. Devoured Rolen's guardian and replaced her
            
         2. Demon vampire
            
         3. Encourages and exacerbates Rolen's selfish and psychopathic leanings
            
         4. Cavalier towards protecting the siblings, more interested in the carnage he can revel in while unleashed
            
   6. Former Characters
      
      1. Lyrissa (Moonwolf)
         
         1. Warlock with a touch of devil in her
            
         2. Shunned by tribe, abused by the siblings
            
         3. Left the Wild Bunch after Rivenroar to seek a way to permanently seal the portal to Shadowfell found there
            
         4. Formed a diverse adventuring company called the Misfits
            
            1. Genasi Swordmage
               
            2. Warforged Artificer
               
            3. Dragonborn Barbarian
               
      2. Feyden (Pantherclaw)
         
         1. Westdeep Ranger
            
         2. Loner
            
         3. Agreed to guide the party across the Vale to Overlook
            
         4. Accompanied them through Bordrin's Watch, Umbraforge, and the Karak Lode but left soon after
            
   7. Combat NPCs
      
      1. Kalad
         
      2. Reniss
         
      3. Brynn
         
      4. Amyria
         
2. Prologue (8/2010)
   
   1. Siblings discover goblin raiding party traveling through Witchwood
      
   2. Slaughter them, track them back to their lair
      
   3. Return with Lyrissa to finish off the goblin tribe in their caves
      
      1. Find them well provisioned and signs that they had a goal
         
3. Rivenroar (11/2010)
   
   1. Sent to Brindol to see if human lands are experiencing similar goblin attacks
      
      1. Adran volunteers to accompany
         
   2. Brindol attacked by Sinruth's Red Hand
      
   3. Elves engaged by Eoffram Troyas of Brindol Council to track Sinruth's Hand back to their lair
      
      1. Several hostages taken in previous raids require rescue if still alive
         
      2. Several relics from the defeat of the previous Red Hand of Doom stolen require rescue if found
         
   4. Sinruth's Red Hand laired in crypts of Rivenroar
      
   5. Sinruth's Hand sloppily organized and very mismatched but oddly well provisioned
      
      1. Portal to the Shadowfell grants a view of Umbraforge
         
      2. All artifacts and surviving hostages rescued
         
         1. Elves treat hostages not as victims but as their own hostile hostages to be kidnapped back to Brindol
            
         2. Erratic behavior and attitude of the party begins to be known
            
   6. Sinruth a large hobgoblin raised on tales of how his ancestors united and nearly took the Vale
      
      1. Died just like his ancestors at the hands of adventurers
         
   7. Crates of weapons of fine make identified with a Black Arrow insignia
      
   8. Letter encouraging Sinruth's delusions of grandeur
      
   9. Successful return to town met with celebrations and reunions
      
      1. Relics of the Red Hand restored to the Hall of Great Valor under Sertanian's care
         
      2. Two other adventuring companies in town, one congratulating and one condescending
         
         1. Farstriders
            
         2. Freeriders
            
4. Bordrin's Watch (1/2011)
   
   1. Word comes to Brindol that the dwarves of Overlook who protect the western pass need all available aid
      
   2. The Wild Bunch returns to the Witchwood and reports what they have found
      
      1. Lerissa leaves the party to return to Rivenroar and find a way to close the portal to the Shadowfell there
         
   3. With the goblin threat seemingly funded and organized by an outside force, and orcs now in the rise to the west, the party is sent to Overlook
      
      1. Feyden is contacted to help guide Adran and the siblings through the Westdeep to Overlook
         
      2. On the way to Overlook orcs are encountered having ransacked an Elsir Consortium caravan
         
         1. Orcs should not have been able to bypass Bordrin's Watch, the keep that holds the pass into the Elsir Vale
            
         2. Retrieved a strongbox bearing the mark of the Elsir Consortium from the slain orcs
            
   4. In Overlook the party meets with Bram Ironfell and returns the strongbox in return for reward and supplies
      
   5. The Wild Bunch arrives at the Pig and Bucket and mingles with other mercenaries, bounty hunters, and adventuring companies to be escorted to High Hall
      
      1. The Green Hand
         
      2. Gilgathorn Foulcrow
         
      3. The Company of Wolves
         
      4. The Freeriders
         
      5. The Laughing Shadows
         
      6. The Slayers
         
      7. The Farstriders
         
      8. The Twilight Brigade
         
   6. Elder Cadrick of the Overlook council addresses the assembled defenders of the Vale in Caer Overlook
      
      1. There is much posturing and boasting among the assembled warriors
         
      2. The Farstriders have the most dangerous assignment to clear out the tunnels that bypass Bordrin's Watch
         
      3. The Monastery of the Sundered Chain also needs to be defended but no one volunteers
         
         1. The Slayers are assigned
            
      4. All others are to follow High Ancestor Durkik Forgeheart to Bordin's Watch to help hold the walls
         
   7. Supplies are assembled, wagon trains formed, and an armored column moves out from Overlook
      
      1. On the way, runners bring word to command and Durkik summons the Wild Bunch to him
         
      2. Needing someone fleet of foot, he sends the elves to the monastery to reinforce the Slayers as word comes in the monastery's defenders have fallen to orcs
         
   8. The party races overland to the monastery and finds it sacked, with its defenders stewing in cook pots
      
      1. Orcs are slain as more signs of combat are followed into tunnels that run beneath the monastery
         
   9. Deep underground the party finds the tunnels collapsed and ablaze
      
      1. An half-ogre warboss tortures a sole surviving dwarf that triggered the failsafe collapse
         
      2. The party defeats the orcs and saves Kalad who has had his beard torn out of his face and all his comrades slain but was still able to do his duty
         
         1. Kalad holds tightly to duty to shield him from emotion and insists that there are other tunnels under the mountains that he must immediately see to
            
         2. Party agrees to follow Kalad to the Vents which will grant access to this other exit point of the tunnels
            
   10. Party travels overland to the Vents and climbs into them
       
       1. Navigate cave system towards a central Nexus where tunnel systems converge
          
       2. Orcs have dark allies from the Shadowfell, Shadar-kai and Dark Creepers
          
          1. One dark creeper carries an odd cube of unknown shadowy material inscribed with runes
             
       3. Orcs continue to flood into the tunnels with the party slaying as many as they can on the way to the nexus
          
          1. Encounter trolls and find the various corpses of the Farstriders along the way
             
             1. Jenn's body holds a Sending Stone with a desperate Reniss at the other end
                
       4. At the center of the nexus is a huge pipeworks routing superheated water
          
          1. Party fights endless waves of orcs, a Shadar-kai witch, and an orc warchief climbing the pipes and scaffolding to race to the top
             
          2. Party boots warchief off the top as they use the controls to flood the entire nexus with the superheated water
             
          3. Escape through hatch and tunnel above they seal behind them leaving orcs to drown and burn
             
   11. Rejoin other forces at Bordrin's Watch to hold the line
       
       1. Report other teams lost but missions accomplished
          
       2. 3 day siege fought off with waves of orcs, giants, and assassins defeated
          
          1. Freeriders and Wild Bunch repeatedly earn glory and seem somewhat in competition for the spotlight
             
          2. Fighting dicey at one point when the wall is breached and Durkik falls but party rallies to him and holds the breach
             
             1. Lauranna able to heal Durkik and save him
                
          3. Wild Bunch executes a commando raid to sabotage enemy artillery
             
          4. Wild Bunch key to maintaining allied morale and endurance by the third day of fighting
             
             1. Orc forces still organized and have not fallen to disarray
                
             2. Scouts report that enemy commander located
                
             3. Wild Bunch wins bid for second commando raid
                
                1. Infiltrate behind enemy lines and ambush enemy command tent in the night
                   
                2. Enemy commander is the burned, scarred, and bloated corpse of the warchief they already defeated
                   
                3. Destroy him again, destroy his body, successfully escape into the night
                   
       3. Enemy forces fall again against the walls of Bordrin's Watch and do not rally
          
          1. They retreat and fall to infighting
             
   12. Dwarven soldiers make heroes and celebrities out of the Wild Bunch
       
       1. Some retellings of their exploits before and during the siege are accurate
          
       2. Many retellings are drunkenly exaggerated
          
   13. Festivals and celebrations in Overlook even as various Ministries work to ascertain how the orcs located the secret tunnels that bypass Bordrin's Watch
       
       1. Wild Bunch attends several dinners and events and meet various city personalities
          
5. Umbraforge (8/2011)
   
   1. Party ambushed by Lost Ones led personally by Szagyn
      
      1. Lost Ones are the organized crime of Overlook
         
      2. Szagyn wrested control of them using his sorcerous abilities
         
      3. Rolen took one of Szagyn's hands in this fight before he could retreat
         
      4. Interrogation of captured survivor reveals they were paid to kill Wild Bunch and/or steal black cube looted from dark creeper
         
   2. Wild Bunch hits the streets to find out more
      
      1. More hints that this relates back to shadow creatures that aided orcs
         
      2. Possible that it is the same group that was supplying the goblins
         
      3. Word is that their target his hunted by both sides
         
         1. Apparently not only for botching his operation but for taking it on at all as it was expressly denied
            
      4. Run into Reniss Amaretto
         
         1. Half-elf sister of Jenn of the Farstriders (deceased)
            
         2. Believes that Modra was the source of the intel that allowed the orcs to use the dwarven tunnels under the Stonehome mountains
            
         3. Blames Modra for her sister's death and wants revenge
            
         4. Has been staking out the Happy Beggar
            
   3. Wild Bunch enters the Happy Beggar, an almshouse and soup kitchen in a poorer section of Tradetown
      
      1. Run by retired paladins of Erathis
         
      2. Party meets with a disguised Sarshan who tries to throw them off Modra's trail before hobbling off himself to finish his damage control
         
      3. Party locates hidden tunnel underneath poorhouse that leads to store room and portals
         
         1. Black cube activates larger portal which goes to another plane
            
   4. Portal leads to mountain in Shadowfell outside of Umbraforge
      
      1. Umbraforge is mercenary town with forges and foundry that straddles dark-infused lava flow
         
         1. Ruled by Sarshan, leader of Black Arrow company of mercenaries
            
         2. Town is swollen with armies of humanoids of all kinds in tent city that has sprung up all around it
            
            1. Armies are training and drilling then being dispatched and deployed rapidly as yet more recruits are brought in
               
         3. Trade bazaar, weapons market, walled off guarded section with slave auction, constant din of forges and belching of black smoke from huge foundry
            
         4. Area rendered somewhat unstable by forced harnessing of shadow flow, mini-quakes common
            
      2. Party mistaken for another band of mercenaries and mingles throughout town acting fearsome
         
      3. Stumble into a shouting match with some ogres that turns into a very one-sided brutal slaughter affording Wild Bunch a wide berth
         
      4. Observe hooded figure mounted on huge zombie dragon purchasing troll slaves at auction and sending them off to be modified in foundry
         
      5. Track Modra to foundry where he is caught sabotaging mutagen tanks
         
         1. Modra trying to detonate foundry and implicate Wild Bunch to get them killed for his revenge and distract Sarshan from Modra
            
         2. Wild Bunch's arrival makes framing part easy as they cause more damage to foundry than Modra can but as they kill Modra the major goal of his plan fails
            
            1. Reniss cast into the shadow flow of lava during the fight and hair set alight while face is burned and scarred
               
            2. All manner of cross breeds, mutated monsters, and creatures implanted with devices or parts of other creatures grafted on observed
               
            3. Party wreaks havoc until broken pipes and backed up shadow flow builds enough pressure that the whole foundry seems unstable
               
   5. Discover secret tunnel from foundry to Umbraforge tower
      
      1. Rest up in old dusty shrine to Zehir
         
      2. Emerge from tunnel in ritual library of tower and ambush shadar-kai there
         
      3. Proceed into tower to find Cachlain emissary arguing with shadar-kai about delays in his war creature orders
         
         1. Orders behind Zithiruun, damage to foundry needs to be repaired before more creatures can be engineered
            
      4. Wild Bunch proceeds through tower burning and looting and killing everything they come across including some Wicked Fang pack gnolls
         
   6. Sarshan arrives back at his tower via portal from Overlook to find Wild Bunch in his home wrecking shop
      
      1. Wild Bunch brags about killing Modra (leaves out part about sabotaging foundry)
         
      2. Sarshan offers Wild Bunch commissions in Black Arrow mercenary company
         
         1. Throughout conversation more and more of Sarshan's guards keep arriving
            
         2. Sarshan also accompanied by huge flesh golem dressed in very nice suit
            
      3. Negotiations interrupted by cataclysmic explosion
         
         1. Foundry destruction had resulted in backed up shadow flow building pressure until the entire structure exploded
            
         2. Mercenary tent town and assembled armies thrown into utter chaos
            
      4. Sarshan orders troops to corral armies and lock up Wild Bunch while he goes to try and salvage the foundry
         
         1. Capturing Wild Bunch doesn't go so well when entire tower begins to fall as a result of foundry explosion, increased area instability, and massive ground quake.
            
         2. Adran reverse-engineers safeguards on Sarshan's portal to allow party to escape back to mountainside in Shadowfell near Happy Beggar portal
            
         3. Watch from mountainside as Umbraforge tears itself apart, flee back to Overlook before angry armies and Sarshan can find them
            
   7. Unable to seal portal, work with Overlook to collapse tunnels and cave containing portal to Shadowfell
      
      1. Consider reaching out to Lerissa to see if she has made any progress closing Rivenroar portal to Shadowfell
         
      2. Store room area contains portal to Elsir Consortium warehouse that has been cleared out
         
      3. With tunnels and store room collapsed and portals buried, warehouse left in care of Overlook guard
         
      4. Investigation launched into Elsir Consortium holdings
         
         1. Bram and other partners insist that Black Arrow company dealings were innocent and no connections to orc or goblin attacks were understood
            
         2. Swear that no further dealings will be made with Sarshan and all seized assets to be auctioned with proceeds going to families of soldiers that fell defending Bordrin's Watch
            
   8. Overlook Council rewards Wild Bunch for discovering and saving Overlook from portal to Shadowfell underneath it and destroying Umbraforge
      
      1. Caliandra of the Stagrunner tribe sends Thane to find out what Lauranna and Adran have been up to and make sure they remember the tribes
         
         1. Privately tells Thane of the Harbinger omens and prophecy
            
   9. Huge gala thrown in party's honor
      
      1. Bram Ironfell boasts of knowing Wild Bunch even before their heroism at Bordrin's Watch
         
         1. Loudly proclaims he is granting them stately Whitehall Manor in Elftown
            
         2. Quietly asks them to consider a business venture with him
            
      2. High Ancestor Durkik Forgeheart attended
         
         1. Still recovering from wounds taken at Bordrin's Watch, was saved by Lauranna there
            
         2. Working party as a political function, speaking to Overlook Council of Elders
            
      3. Freeriders and Gilgathorn Foulcrow attended
         
         1. Thorn and Thane prickly with each other, professional rivals who goad each other behind a veil of civility
            
         2. Ragnum Dourstone of the Freeriders gets into heated argument with High Ancestor Durkik over the course of the church of Moradin
            
            1. Ragnum feels he is doing much more good adventuring with the Freeriders
               
            2. Durkik wants him back in Overlook lending the prestige of his power to the church
               
            3. Ragnum pissed Durkik favors posturing and prestige over practical results
               
      4. Reniss attended
         
         1. Still healing from burns
            
         2. Having delivered the killing blow to Modra herself has found her revenge somewhat empty
            
         3. Especially dislikes everyone assuming she is part of the Wild Bunch as she just wants peace and quiet now and not their circus
            
      5. Councilor Eoffram Troyas of Brindol attended
         
         1. Caught up with party on events since Rivenroar
            
         2. Updated them on events in Brindol
            
      6. Fariex of the Elsir Consortium and Quelenna of Dornaithos attended
         
         1. Fariex is quick witted and an enchanting story teller but surrounded by a cloud of hangers-on because he is absurdly wealthy
            
         2. Quelenna is a shrewd businesswoman and is attempting to influence Fariex without being sycophantic
            
      7. Archdean Gromaldi attended
         
         1. Specialist in xenobiology at Sayre University
            
         2. Had a thousand questions for the Wild Bunch on the types of creatures they'd seen, their ecology, the Shadowfell, and more
            
            1. Adran ended up cornered by her and was left to fend for himself against her onslaught for most of the evening
               
      8. Council of Elders attended
         
         1. Cadrick and Itrika most cordial
            
         2. Great Elder Morgoff mostly just tired
            
6. Karak Lode (11/2012)
   
   1. Bram Ironfell of the Elsir Consortium invites the Wild Bunch to dinner at Polliver's
      
      1. Ramifications of what they discovered about Sarshan in the Shadowfell discussed
         
      2. Further insurance and war chest for defense of Overlook seems wise
         
      3. Just so happens to have found clues as to where ancient dwarven mine can be found
         
         1. In actuality had already told Sarshan of this mine in his secret dealings with him
            
         2. Bram hasn't seen any return on this investment and artfully burns letters from Sarshan leaving just enough hints to lead party to the mine
            
      4. Party agrees to find mine and ascertain it's condition in return for payment up front and supplies for journey