*This session used an experimental mass combat system rooted in standard 3.5 D&D combat rules.*
Essel, Malarous 18th, 838 ID
The PCs head back inside Flabbergast Manor and Mistlethroe shifts the wandering wizardly college to one of its Floivin Keep anchors. Within, it turns out that the Keep is on fire due to some internal acts of arson, and the foreign invaders and humanoids are just about to press their own attack on the capital of the province. Commander Doolan orders all seasoned, able bodied men who have dealt with these threats to choose a second, and then take command of a combat unit. Luz is given use of the githyanki mercenaries, and his second is Skrel. Mudgol gathers what students of the Arkana Arkiva remain in the Keep, and his second is Apprentice Letoe. Darkahn is given a group of elven refugees, and his second is Jon 'Blow', the half-elf. Slab gathers up a band of shady individuals, and his former Stride-mate Anenome to serve as his second. Langston commands a unit of archers with Pvt. Teckler 'The Tickler' as his second, and Ryit Silverhand is given a group of peasants and farmers willing to fight, with Odd Jon Stuckle chivalrously offering to be her second.
Meanwhile, Doorjamb and the Fourth Eidolorn arrive through the Westermarch pass after the massive avalanche that was set off by the Score's explosives (purchased in Waddlewinch). About 66% of the Fourth forces remain, and Pvt. Puj is made Doorjamb's second. Commander Vhelok controls the cavalry, Lt. Bergothe 'the Boar' the Fourth infantry, and Lt. Harmon Shast the Tarair conscripts. In addition, there are several smaller units including Lt. Chorus' archers, Prepostero's Wizards' Elite (with Ultremis of Traeger as his second), Captain Vrast and his Traeger conscripts (Pvt. Cresk as his second) and a group of Eleste acolytes under the guidance of Prelate Akstra of Tarair. The Fourth Eidolorn moves south to engage the Ettenhead forces at Livenoak, while from further north, Captain Hoary (Blake Bauerkroft his second) and the recently rescued Maj. Scott Morrow move their units south from Ettenhead.
The other PCs must decide whether to enter the fray from the heavily besieged keep, flanked by large masses of undead; or return with Mistlethroe to the East shore of the Udders Well, where they will be in position to battle against the Skull Collar reavers which have come out in force. Langston and Luz decide to remain at the Keep with Commander Doolan's infantry, Major Vanquo's cavalry, Belgin Hosspotch and his halfling slingers, and smaller units managed by Captains Reckon and Kennel, and Conniff of the Cathedral of Blades. Mudgol, Slab, Darkhan and Ryit decide to take on the Skull Collars. The war commences, with our heroes pressed heavily in battle! After only a few hours, Mudgol, Slab and Darkhan have had their units almost entirely obliterated by the soldiers of Ironballs, Greklik and two companies of Skull Collar worg riders...
Meanwhile, Luz wades into hordes of undead east of Floivin Keep while buggering off a raid of Blooded Lash hippogriff riders who are harassing the city from above. Langston and Major Vanquo engage a unit of massive, hulking corpses under the command of the ghost knight the PCs have previously encountered. At one point, the ghost possessed Major Vanquo, who confusingly commands his cavalry to attack Langston, but the archer survives. In the West of the Keep, Captain Reckon and Commander Doolan do their best to stand against a horde of skeletal infantry and zombies, while an ebony-skinned giant looks on. Captain Hoary and Maj. Scott Morrow are waylaid by a unit of Pinewater kobold maulers.
Hours pass, and the first decisive blow of the battle is dealt when Captain Vrast and his Traeger conscripts slaughter the Ettin B'voon and his ogres at Livenoak. Kordek the hill giant is then pressed by the Fourth Eidolorn and inevitably destroyed by lethal magic from Prepostero. The Pinewater kobolds are destroyed by Captain Hoary's unit, and they press on to meet the Fourth at Livenoak. Meanwhile, most of the PCs are scattered about the Crown Pasture, fighting or fleeing from the Skull Collars. Mistlethroe, under heavy pressure, commands the Flabbergast Manor to once again disappear, much to the dismay of Mudgol, Slab and Darkahn who are all heavily wounded by this point. Darkahn retreats into the Udders Well, swimming for his life with Jon 'Blow', while Slab leads the worg riders off through the fields in a game of cat and mouse!
The Hydra Division is brought into play under Lt. Wogg (Gusta the ogre chef his second), and they engage Lt. Harmon Shast and his conscripts on their march south. With the PCs' small units scattered to the winds, the Skull Collars organize to face the Fourth Eidolorn and Captain Hoary. Doorjamb meets some random, ill fortune on the march while Mudgol uncovers 100 gold coins from some random stash! Lt. Wogg's hydra's deal massive amounts of damage to the Fourth Eidolorn conscripts before the rest of the march can arrive. Ryit and Mudgol move into position to assist their Tarair and Traeger saviors, and a great battle begins! Ryit's forces seem to oddly increase as more commoners leap to her cause at the behest of some good, dwarf cookin!
And at Floivin Keep, Belgin Hosspotch finally enters the fray, as his near useless slingers offer some ranged cover for the ground forces. But Langston and Luz remain hard pressed against incredible odds. Reckon, Vanquo and Doolan are all taking serious damage to their units. As the Fourth Eidolorn and Skull Collars commence their hostilities, Captain Hoary orders Doorjamb and his second to run a sweep of the villages of Littlewolf, Cedarway and the entrance to the Ettenhead itself...
PCs: Darkahn, Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ryit, Slab
NPCs
B'voon (ettin male): B'voon was an ettin chief serving as one of Ettenhead's chips in the War for Floivin Province. With a legion of ogres and the hill giant Kordek's legion, he was able to capture Livenoak with little resistance, as most of the inhabitants had fled. However, once the Fourth Eidolorn arrived to help liberate the province from the combined humanoid/Vhorinyr threat, B'voon and his unit were quickly slain by a ruthless charge from the Traeger conscripts under Captain Vrast. Within an hour, B'voon's entire unit was slaughtered!
Greklik (bugbear male): A bugbear warlord who serves below Chief Chizel in the Skull Collars. He fights with his peoples' traditional morningstar and has at least a dozen trophies around his neck to showcase his experience.
Kordek (hill giant male): A hill giant brute who served as one of the Ettenhead forward chiefs in the War for Floivin Province. Kordek was serving as a mobile infantry for B'voon's stationed forces at Livenoak. After B'voon was shockingly slain by Captain Vrast and his Traeger conscripts, much of the Fourth Eidolorn forces unified to take down Kordek and his ogres.
Lt. Chorus (human female): A weathered, thirty something soldier with two matched brown braids tied into loops down the back of her head, and several scars surrounding her brown eyes. Lt. Chorus is a seasoned archer who commands a troop of ranged combatants under Commander Vhelok of the Fourth Eidolorn.
Skrel (githyanki male): A gaunt, middle aged githyanki tactician who serves as Luz' second during the War for Floivin Province.
Oh yeah, and...
