Fanaxia: Bulbeck's Naval-Gazing

 It is our seventeenth day in Fanaxia. We have successfully repelled the forces that were set to wipe out Lydelle, at the cost of most of their skilled local defenders and a number of buildings. Elderman Garrus arrives the following day, to find that most of the local military force is gone. Hugo has been a big help. 

We rejoin our groups at the Striking Asp in Styre. Zilf the Elder Druid is keeping the castle contained, but stuff is spilling out of the swamp and he fears that it’s going to get worse. Lady Merrowin might be able to quell the swamp, but she’s currently protecting the queen. 

So… we return to the castle at Vrist; word has arrived from Lydelle, and we’re welcomed warmly. The Elvish Bard is there, and the queen (Eleanor Duraine). Lady Merrowin the Druid is concerned about the attacks from the swamp. We gather with the queen’s privy council, and Geddy lays out the various offers and prices that our potential allies have asked for. Lord Crowe only requires that we pledge to help protect his forces; the queen is pleased by this. Bulbeck, on the other hand, requires us to remove Lord Crowe, grant him the northern island. And give him full control of trade on the northern ocean. We aren’t doing that. 

(Reminder: if we were to bring Kroni’s body back, his soul would immediately return to his body. This would finally free Sacha.)

Geddy then moves on to the would-be king Montford and the proposal of marriage. The advisors immediately erupt, with a great deal of spluttering and harrumphing. The counts really don’t like this plan; they’d lose status in a united north. The queen seems to be mostly in shock at this unexpected idea. After a few minutes, the queen asks: “And if I refuse, will you still fight with us?” 

Geddy: “We’re basically here to remove the assholes. We’re still going to help with Wallington.”

Queen: “That doesn’t leave me much reason to accept.” 

Geddy: “The choice is yours, but we will need allies.” He then lays out the position of West Styre and the Archons, which is even less welcome. 

The queen is willing to marry on the condition that we pledge not to establish a king of the entire island in the south -- she wants the north to be independent. Geddy tries to inspire her to be the leader we need. “West Styre may be in need of help soon, I see. Perhaps they will be more amenable in a few days. Let us… allow him some time to become more desperate.”

The queen retires to her rooms, and Fabian draws up the marriage contract (rather against his better judgement, but sometimes being a courtier means doing what you’re told). 

Montfort agrees and joins forces with us. Bulbeck announces for Richlieu, and his people in the Fanax armada have sailed north to help him deal with Crowe. West Styre suffers more damage; so do the lizard folk. 

So, on Day Eighteen, young lord Crowe calls for help and lady Merrowin announces her plan to move south and help West Styre. 

We split up again: Martini, Azrael, and Ruin will try to take out Lord Wallington and basically cut the head off the werewolf rebellion. Tavros and Alexej will pilot the Apparatus of Kwalish, and Leira, Geddy, and Marshall will try to get onto Bulbeck’s boat and take him out. 

Azrael sends Crowe a message: “Look to the flames of Bulbeck’s boat. Then you will know that we keep our word.”  

Tavros and Alexej move in with the crab, wiping out three pinnaces. Meanwhile, Marshall, Leira, and Geddy teleport onto Bulbeck’s ship. Lord Bulbeck is at the wheel. The sailors immediately clear the deck; they’ve been prepared for this. There are four iron golems and five wizards on the boat, clearly Cardinal Richlieu’s contribution. This is… not the ideal force to assault such things, but it’s two major spellcasters plus a bard. 

Geddy opens with a song of courage, and Bulbeck whips out his shortbow and takes a shot at Geddy… but misses, badly. One of the wizards touches Bulbeck and teleports the two of them away to another boat. The wizards unload multiple Cones of Cold at our heroes, damaging them badly; two of them try Feeblemind on Leira, and one of them gets through. Leira is effectively out of action. 

Marshall activates the Wings of Flying and casts Heal on Leira, restoring a lot of her health and removing the Feeblemind. He then moves laterally off the side of the boat. Leira grabs Geddy and teleports over to the crow’s nest on the boat that the wizard took Bulbeck to. 

This one has Greater Stone Golems. Bulbeck: “Ah, come to join me?” 

Leira: “No, not particularly. But thanks for asking.”

Geddy hits one of the golems with Greater Dispel Magic, effectively putting it to sleep. Bulbeck: “You fucker! Those were gifts!” He fires more arrows, to no good effect. 

The wizard teleports him again. 

Marshall casts Dimensional Anchor onto Bulbeck, then flies over to Geddy. Leira tries to use Lightning Bolt on the next boat, but there’s a Lesser Globe of Invulnerability around that boat. Geddy throws out a Shatter, damaging the Stone Golem… but not significantly. There are also some deafened and stunned sailors below deck. Marshall casts Heal on Geddy. Leira teleports them over to the crow’s nest on the next boat. 

Geddy uses another Shatter to deafen and stun the wizard and Bulbeck, and also damage them somewhat. The two swashbucklers on the foredeck yank aside a tarp and dive off the boat; two beholders drift up from underneath it and join the battle. This is about the moment that Leira realizes that the entire boat is surrounded by a Dimensional Anchor: there's no way to teleport back out with breaking that effect first. There’s another tarp at the back of the boat, but apparently the Shatter has stunned them as well. 

Looking down, Marshall notices a note that’s been nailed to the mast. He casts Anti-Magic Field. Leira casts Sunburst, blinding the beholders. They lurch, blinking, but it’s too late; they are also injured. “Behold this, motherfuckers!”

Geddy: “So we’re doing this, huh?” He pulls out his crossbow and starts shooting at beholders. His first shot misses badly, his second hits, and the third misses. 

Bulbeck recovers from being stunned: “You fools! Pull the other magic tarp!” He shoots three more arrows at Geddy, and finally hits with one of them. 

Two more sailors yank the magical tarp away, and two more beholders float up as the sailors leap off the boat. The blinded beholders start trying to target the crow’s nest, but the anti-magic field protects our heroes. They finally fall back on using Telekinesis, and manage to hit Leira with a barrel. 

The wizard casts Lesser Globe of Invulnerability. Marshall drops Firestorm on top of him, Bulbeck, and the other two beholders. The guys who jumped off the boat? They were the smart one. The sorcerer is annihilated. Bulbeck ducks and avoids the damage: “You’re going to have to do better than that!” 

Leira drops a Sunburst on the front of the boat. Geddy continues shooting at beholders with his crossbow, hitting twice. Bulbeck swings off the aft deck and through the door, then closes it behind him. One of the beholders Disintegrates the mast, and then they throw barrels at the group; Marshall goes down. 

Leira summons Mordenkainen’s Sword, and has it attack Beholders. It finishes off a wounded beholder. 

Geddy leaps off the side of the boat, summoning the Ebony Fly before he hits the water. 

Leira takes more damage from thrown barrels, and is now badly damaged. She rolls off the boat and then tosses a Freezing Sphere onto the two beholders on the aft deck. They die. 

Geddy rises back up on the Ebony Fly, and casts Modify Memory to make the remaining beholder forget that it heard Leira jump in the water, and instead remember Leira running into the cabin where Bulbeck actually went.

Bulbeck is still in that cabin, thinking that he’s out of the line of fire, when the Beholder starts blasting into the rear cabin. He avoids most of it, but he’s hit with Finger of Death and also Petrified. Leira finishes the beholder with a freezing sphere.