Slab is confronted by the gargoyle tea attendant 'Earl', who promptly attacks him for breaching the Reargarden uninvited. The dwarf takes quite a few claws to the body, but decides against retaliating, instead relying on his companions to scale the wall and pacify the gargoyle. Finally, after several attempts, Mistlethroe gets up to the wall and orders Earl to bring tea for the PCs. They decide upon a course of action, and after failing to bust the lock to the Headmaster's Office, they decide to assault the Arkiva Assembly from the front doors, with Langston, Odd Jon and Luz taking up a flanking position at another door into the hall.
The githyanki mercenaries and two members of the Score are ready and waiting for the party, and a deadly battle ensues. Due to the Astral Plane's strange features, spells are able to be hurled at a faster rate than normal. It quickly becomes a fight of spell-flinging madness, with Mudgol and Mistlethroe engaging the red wizard Melek Tha and the efreet Flaming Fack, while the rest of the PCs fight off the hardened githyanki mercs wielding two-handed swords. At one point, Mudgol is pinned by an Evard's black tentacles and cloudkill simultaneously, and just barely survives. Darkahn's new badger companion is pelted to death by hailstones from the red wizards ice storm early in the battle. Several of Mudgol's magics sent towards the Assembly dais seem to fizzle out around an unseen barrier.
The tide of the battle turns when Mistlethroe uses phantasmal killer to miraculously slay the githyanki commando, and the red wizard and efreet have both fled through magic. The Manor has been regained, and the remaining githyanki survivors lower their weapons and propose a trade with the PCs: information for their lives. Mistlethroe agrees to terms, but insists that the PCs maintain a close watch upon them; then it's decided that the Manor will pay a fee for their protection once returning to Floivin Keep. The PCs take all the spoils of the fallen githyanki, including a pile of magical protection rings, magical medium breastplates and some masterwork composite bows. Mistlethroe manages to shift the Manor twice, the second time landing at the school's original construction site on the bank of Udders Well. Emerging from the Manor, the PCs see that, to the south, the Keep is on fire...
PCs: Darkahn, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ryit, Slab
NPCs
Commander Kthan (githyanki male): A heavily armored and disciplined soldier who was in charge of the githyanki used to take Flabberghast Manor in the employ of the Score. He wielded a two-handed, silver sword in battle but was defeated by Mistlethroe who used a phantasmal killer to frighten the Commander to death.
Earl (gargoyle male): A petite, spiky gargoyle attendant enthralled at Flabberghast Manor who tends the Reargarden area, serving students tea and entertaining them when needed.
Flaming 'Fack' (efreeti male): Previously reported to be a dwarf in the ranks of the Arkana Arkiva, Fack was actually an efreeti in disguise, one of the more exotic members of The Score. He was defeated in the re-taking of Flabberghast Manor, but managed to escape in gaseous form out to the Astral. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Melek Tha (human male): a bald and heavily tattooed ex-patriate of Toul Tabor, Melek Tha is a prominent member of The Score who has confronted the PCs on a number of occasions using his violent magic and ram-headed, burning staff. Melek helped the Blooded Lash tribe breach the settlement of the Hud Horrn, and then also partook in the theft of Flabberghast Manor, in which he learned how to isolate the magical college in the Astral Plane and activate several of its defenses. Tha escaped once the battle went downhill, plane shifting back to (presumably) the material plane.
Commander Kthan (githyanki male): A heavily armored and disciplined soldier who was in charge of the githyanki used to take Flabberghast Manor in the employ of the Score. He wielded a two-handed, silver sword in battle but was defeated by Mistlethroe who used a phantasmal killer to frighten the Commander to death.
Earl (gargoyle male): A petite, spiky gargoyle attendant enthralled at Flabberghast Manor who tends the Reargarden area, serving students tea and entertaining them when needed.
Flaming 'Fack' (efreeti male): Previously reported to be a dwarf in the ranks of the Arkana Arkiva, Fack was actually an efreeti in disguise, one of the more exotic members of The Score. He was defeated in the re-taking of Flabberghast Manor, but managed to escape in gaseous form out to the Astral. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Melek Tha (human male): a bald and heavily tattooed ex-patriate of Toul Tabor, Melek Tha is a prominent member of The Score who has confronted the PCs on a number of occasions using his violent magic and ram-headed, burning staff. Melek helped the Blooded Lash tribe breach the settlement of the Hud Horrn, and then also partook in the theft of Flabberghast Manor, in which he learned how to isolate the magical college in the Astral Plane and activate several of its defenses. Tha escaped once the battle went downhill, plane shifting back to (presumably) the material plane.
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