The group had made all sorts of preparations, from alchemist’s fire torpedoes to stockpiles of scrolls and training of catapult-launched phanaton glide-bombers. The lookouts on the cliffs sent word of four ships approaching and the water-clock was set in motion. They’d timed the trip many times from various directions and the wizard swiftly estimated the time of arrival of the fleet. Templeton and Tin-a-Tin went under the waves to ready the torpedoes which were weighted to the bottom. Ten residents who could ride well were mounted on waveriding Phantom Steeds, from scrolls scribed by the party wizard in the previous month. Sheler and Bohairic went to the docks and stood on the central pier, where Bo shifted his form to that of an Olman bodyguard and kept his rod of still spell handy. No-one would target the wizard in the first attack if he could help it!
Phanaton lookouts spotted the ships about to round the cliffs and buffs were cast. Suddenly the phanatons were embroiled in a vicious fight with gargoyles and were unable to begin their bombing runs.
As the four ships appeared, each surrounded by tens or more jollyboats, Sheler struck. The water around the ships began to churn and drop as a whirlpool began to form. Expecting a druid, the Kraken Society counterspelled rapidly, and the assault boats sped towards the shore at astonishing speed. A second Control Water was too much, and the front two caravels foundered almost instantly. Dropping twenty feet and spinning uncontrollably, they were unable to target their ballistae on the town. Worse still, their wildly careening masts were spoiling the view for the other two vessels.
Underwater Templeton grinned and motioned to the first of the many torpedoes. Working swiftly with Tin, they soon had it pointing upwards and straining to broach the surface. They guided its path as long as they could without getting too close to the churning whirlpool and released it. It burst out of the waves, sprayed alchemists fire over the rudder and stern and ignited the lot. Smoke and flames further hampered the view of the ships further out, and the pirate types on the water-elemental propelled speedboats thanked their dark Gods they’d got away quickly.
The underwater demolition squad never had time to celebrate, as a two-headed plesiosaur appeared out of invisibility and bit down hard on each of them. They backpedalled swiftly and reeled under the mind blast of the suddenly visible mind flayer that floated behind them. Surrounded and outclassed, with the beach under attack, they swam rapidly to the surface and flew towards Farshore.
That’s about when a column of shadowstuff swirled up in the bay and the flagship of the fleet materialized from the Plane of Shadows.
Bohairic called a storm of small fireballs down on the approaching small boats, killing ten of the twelve pirates instantly. The boats beached and the remaining two sprang out and ran to engage him. Further up the beach on both sides, more boats landed and moved to engage the defenders. From the gates came word of dinosaur skeletons full of zombies (Wooden Horse of Troy style) and that the Olman were keeping them at bay with the help of the Jade Ravens. Hope, watching from the pub roof, couldn’t quite choose which way to run and waited. When the heads of four flesh golems emerged from the waves he finally sprang into action himself.
On board the flagship, the Brine Harlot, a Yuan-ti appeared on deck with his Halfblood guards and let loose with a fireball at the pier, right where Sheler and Bohairic had dispatched the other two pirates. The ten lancers on Phantom Steeds headed off across the waves to engage the pirates and Hope arrived to engage all four golems just as Bohairic slowed them with some lightning.
Sheler flew towards the flagship and blasted the Yuan-ti with a Miasma. It blew through its Spell Resistance and left it speechless and choking. On the beach, Hope cheered as the first golem collapsed in pieces.
En plaatjes! Lekker veel plaatjes!
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