So we're still fighting a bunch of cultists on the docks of their frozen headquarters at the edge of world. There are around a dozen of them, but we never see all of them at once. Why, you ask? These guys have installed a series of doors all along one wall. Sure, this baffling architectural choice may seem like it would only work in a choreographed musical theatre number, but we soon come to realize that it also kinda works for guerilla tactics too? On each of of their turns they run out to cause havoc and then promptly retreat backstage.
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| We were so close to Lichcago. |
The Cultists:
These dudes were SO ANNOYING. Not only did they use those strength-draining swords whenever they could, they would try to knock you over with a Charge attack before doing it! They tried to control our casters with multiple bouts of Silence and a bunch of Counterspells. We hope their silly little masks freeze to their dumb faces.
Null:
This chick actually used some semblance of strategy for once? She activated the turbo version of Ghost Walk and spent most of her turns popping through through the wall, stabbing baddies, and then retreating back to the other side, making sure to end her turn out of melee range of those dang swords. She does get pushed down with a Charge attack after a highly inconvenient Devouring Darkness brings her into range, but hey nobody's perfect. Getting knocked on one's ass ain't so bad if your new ghost armour gives you a cool teleport to pop back up, right?
Lotty:
Our steadfast tank gets fucking walloped during this battle and barely breaks a sweat. The cultists keep going back to a combo of Charge and STR-draining sword attacks, but this queen's strength can't be below 19 and she ALWAYS gets back up. They've got no solution for her! She also summons a clay construct to cause a ruckus with the cultists behind the wall. And when poor Berrik nearly succumbs to his circumstances, she saves him from certain death with a Greater Restoration. What can't she do?
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| Any member of the Ashen Company at any given time. |
Berrik:
Berrik got his licks in, sure. After navigating some areas of Silence, he managed to launch a few AoE attacks (like Vitriolic Sphere) through opening doors as the cultists entered the space. But then the baddies took notice of how inconvenient dealing with enemy casters was and started targeting him and Flynn. Berrik got the shit kicked out of him after a couple of rounds, leaving him prone and with a strength score of 1. Our boy was turtled and didn't have the strength to stand or even roll over. After Lotty managed to get a Greater Restoration to him, he climbed to his feet and cast Greater Invisibility on himself, definitely not wanting to go through that again. As the battle continues, he realizes being invisible is actually a super great tactic and wonders why hasn't he been doing this more often? He can't be Counterspelled! He's hard to target! No one can see his massive blood loss!
Flynn:
Flynn is a gamer. He's the first to come up with the idea of sending a spell through to the cultists on the other side of the wall and it's his Lightning Ball that first finds purchase there. This earns him the attention of the cultists, who first try to control him with Silence. But our dude can fly and outmaneuver this, and soon the cultists start Counterspelling him instead. This is super effective. It seems he can't get any spell to go off. They even Counterspell his Eldritch Blasts! Which on paper seems fine because they're wasting spell slots to counter a cantrip but Flynn is SEETHING. He hates to be foiled. He manages to get the last laugh in the end though, with a pretty cool move that triggers Null's Mage Slayer reaction as the final cultist tries to Counterspell Flynn's EB. Like I said, dude's a gamer.
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| Michelle is very funny and clever. |
When the final cultist falls, the Ashen Company gathers for a quick breather and some gravely needed Greater Restorations. We won! We used SO MANY resources, sure, but we won! This surely won't have any bearing on the coming battle against Sally, right?
...Right?