Session 29 - Ambush

Date: Oct 21st, 2025

Summary

The party executed their carefully planned ambush on the scepter handoff between the Queensmen gang called the Scarlet Shadows and the Silver Order. Oiroa had used clairvoyance to identify the Silver Order party beforehand, and the stage was set when a Griffin rider flew in, followed by the appearance of the Scarlet Shadows led by Ruby Goliath, Juggernaut the Orc Warchief, the Master Thief, and a Veteran. Tark, while invisible himself, spotted another invisible person positioned nearby on the ridge. The ambush began when Tark attempted to shoot the arcane knight with his crossbow but missed badly. However, he successfully shoved the invisible mage off the cliff edge, causing her to scream and tumble down while taking fall damage, though she maintained her invisibility spell through sheer concentration. Syndle prepared himself with bowstring magic before the chaos truly erupted, while the party maintained their hidden positions. Yazzy cast a confusion spell on the Griffin, causing the magnificent beast to lose its ability to distinguish friend from foe. The Griffin failed to resist the enchantment and began attacking randomly, turning its claws against the very arcane knight it was supposed to protect. The arcane knight managed to dodge the rending attacks and quickly cast mirror image, creating three illusory duplicates for protection. Meanwhile, the Silver Order knights drew their weapons and shouted at the Queensmen but held back from attacking. The tension broke when Juggernaut lost control and let out a thunderous battle cry that echoed across the battlefield. His rage gave his allies advantage as he hurled a spear at a Silver Order knight, though it sailed wide of its mark. Undeterred, he charged forward with his great axe and struck a devastating blow. Cade the rogue capitalized on the chaos, shooting his crossbow with deadly precision and sneak attack damage, killing the knight instantly. Lint followed up with his heavy crossbow, dealing significant damage before drawing his great sword for melee combat. Ruby unleashed a massive fireball that devastated the battlefield, forcing everyone to dive for cover. The magical explosion caught Syndle and Xakarium in its radius, though both managed to avoid the worst of the blast. The arcane knight wasn't so fortunate, taking the full brunt of the flames, while the Griffin and its rider also suffered burns. Multiple Silver Order knights were caught in the inferno, their armor glowing red-hot from the magical fire. Yazzy took on the appearance of a fallen Silver Order knight and positioned herself for a backstab attack, while also inspiring Tark with bardic magic. Oiroa cast a silence spell with a twenty-foot radius centered on the road, trapping the invisible mage in a zone where she could neither hear nor cast spells with verbal components. The magical silence created a tactical advantage that would prove crucial in the battle's outcome. Ned emerged from his concealment and unleashed his own devastating fireball, targeting multiple enemies with precision. The magical explosion left most of the combatants bloodied and struggling, with the battlefield becoming heavily scarred by the repeated magical assaults. The ground itself became blackened and glassed from the intense magical energies being unleashed. The arcane knight retaliated with a lightning bolt that ripped through three Queensmen in a brilliant line of electrical energy. Ruby, Juggernaut, and a veteran all managed to dodge the worst of the attack, though they still suffered significant damage from the crackling energy. The magical exchange demonstrated the deadly power both sides possessed. Syndle's wild magic triggered a teleportation ability, allowing him to appear above the arcane knight and deliver a devastating boot attack that knocked her prone. He followed up with reckless battle axe strikes, dealing massive damage though the knight somehow survived the brutal assault. The arcane knight desperately cast another fireball, catching Marcel and Katya in the blast as she fought for her life. In a heroic final stand, Flint scored a critical hit before dying, taking down an enemy with his last breath and showing the determination of the Queensmen fighters. Yazzy cast a shatter spell that eliminated the Griffin rider with thunder damage, while Juggernaut managed to survive the sonic assault. The invisible mage attempted to flee up the hill but was caught by Yazzy's hold person spell, becoming paralyzed and vulnerable. Xakarium delivered a carefully aimed lightning bolt that struck the cliff wall, using metamagic to protect Marcel while devastating the remaining enemies. The arcane knight finally fell to the electrical assault, and even the mighty Juggernaut couldn't survive the concentrated magical barrage. Tark pursued the held mage and eliminated her with his rapier, ensuring no witnesses could escape. The party systematically eliminated the remaining thief through coordinated attacks, with Syndle delivering critical hits and Xakarium finishing him with magic missiles. Just as they thought the battle was over, Ned spotted another Griffin approaching from the south and warned the party of the incoming threat. They had limited time before this new arrival would discover the carnage. When the Griffin and its rider arrived to investigate, the party successfully hid while the newcomer surveyed the extensive magical devastation. The rider was cautious about landing on the blackened, glassed ground and instead circled before landing away from the blast zone. After checking on the dead Griffin and searching for the scepter and gold, the rider discovered both were missing. The party launched their final assault on the investigating Griffin rider. Tark struck with a devastating sneak attack while Yazzy cast hold person, paralyzing the rider. Disguised as a Queensmen guard, Yazzy backstabbed the helpless rider, killing him instantly. Syndle then attacked the remaining Griffin with his boots and battle axe, reducing the creature to near death before delivering the killing blow. With all witnesses eliminated, the party faced the aftermath of their brutal ambush. They discussed the need to dispose of key bodies to prevent resurrection magic from revealing their involvement. The decision was made to take three specific corpses in their bag of holding: the arcane mage, Cade the rogue, and the Queensmen mage, as these were the most likely to provide useful information if brought back to life. Marcel successfully retrieved the Scepter of Saint Vitruvio from Ruby's body, securing their primary objective. Yazzy, while disguised, found fifteen thousand gold pieces on the Griffin rider, completing their secondary goal. The party decided against returning directly to town, instead planning to use Styx Ferry as an alternative crossing point to avoid suspicion. They departed the scene of carnage with their objectives complete, leaving behind a battlefield so devastated by magical combat that it would puzzle investigators for years to come.

Scenes

The Ambush Begins

The party initiates their planned ambush on the scepter handoff between the Queensmen and Silver Order.

Chaos Erupts

Combat begins with Yazzy casting a confusion spell on the Griffin, causing it to attack randomly.

The Griffin's Confusion

The griffin, affected by Yazzy's confusion spell, begins attacking its own allies randomly.

Juggernaut's Battle Cry

The orc warchief Juggernaut loses control and begins attacking the Silver Order knights.

Ruby's Fireball Devastation

The giant Ruby Goliath unleashes a massive fireball that catches multiple combatants.

Yazzy's Deception

Yazzy takes the form of a fallen knight and prepares to strike from behind.

Oiroa's Silence Spell

Oiroa casts a silence spell to neutralize the enemy spellcaster.

Ned's Fireball Assault

Ned unleashes devastating fireballs that decimate both enemy groups.

Lightning Bolt Devastation

The Arcane Knight retaliates with a lightning bolt that strikes three Queensmen.

Syndle's Teleporting Assault

Syndle teleports into combat and delivers devastating attacks on the Arcane Knight.

Arcane Knight's Desperate Fireball

The wounded Arcane Knight casts a fireball targeting the Queensmen forces.

Flint's Heroic Last Stand

Flint makes a final heroic attack before dying.

Yazzy's Shatter Spell

Yazzy casts a shatter spell to eliminate remaining enemies.

The Fleeing Mage

The invisible mage attempts to escape but is pursued and eliminated.

Xakarium's Lightning Finale

Xakarium delivers the final lightning bolt to eliminate remaining enemies.

Griffin Approach Warning

Ned spots an approaching Griffin from the south and alerts the party.

Final Thief Elimination

The party coordinates to eliminate the last remaining thief.

Griffin Rider Arrival

A new Griffin and rider arrive to investigate the carnage.

Final Griffin Rider Confrontation

The party eliminates the investigating Griffin rider and his mount.

Aftermath and Body Disposal

The party discusses what to do with the numerous corpses and evidence.

Treasure Recovery and Escape Planning

The party secures their objectives and plans their escape route.

Npcs

Ruby Goliath

Leader of the Scarlet Shadows gang who appeared at the scepter handoff. A giant who commands the Queensmen forces in this encounter and casts devastating fireball spells. She was killed during the battle and found to be carrying the Scepter of Saint Vitruvio.

Juggernaut

An orc warchief working with the Scarlet Shadows gang. Part of the Queensmen faction at the scepter exchange. He fails his wisdom check and enters a battle rage, letting out a battle cry that gives his allies advantage on attack rolls. He attacks with thrown spears and a great axe, dealing significant damage before being killed by Xakarium's lightning bolt.

Arcane Knight

A spellcaster member of the Silver Order party who was targeted by Tark's crossbow attacks during the ambush. She casts Mirror Image for protection and Lightning Bolt against enemies, showing significant magical power. She takes massive damage from multiple sources including Ruby's fireball and Syndle's attacks before being killed by lightning bolt.

Invisible Mage

A female spellcaster who was invisible and positioned on the cliff ridge. Was pushed off the cliff by Tark, causing her to scream and take fall damage while maintaining her invisibility spell. Later caught in Oiroa's silence spell, she attempted to flee but was held by magic and killed by Tark's rapier attack.

Griffin

A flying mount that became confused due to Yazzy's spell, losing the ability to distinguish between friends and enemies. Failed its intelligence saving throw and attacked randomly, including its own allies. The creature has powerful claw and beak attacks and was eventually killed during the battle.

Griffin Rider

A mounted combatant who arrived at the handoff location riding a Griffin. Part of one of the factions involved in the scepter exchange. Takes damage from Ruby's fireball and struggles to control the confused mount. Later, a second Griffin Rider arrives to investigate the carnage, carrying 15,000 gold, but is killed by the party.

Master Thief

A member of the Scarlet Shadows gang who appeared with Ruby Goliath and Juggernaut at the scepter handoff.

Veteran

An experienced fighter who appeared with the Scarlet Shadows gang at the scepter exchange meeting. Takes damage from the Arcane Knight's lightning bolt but survives the initial assault.

Cade

A Queensmen rogue who capitalizes on Juggernaut's attacks by shooting crossbow bolts with sneak attack damage, successfully killing a Silver Order knight with a devastating 26-point attack. He attempts to flee during the battle but is ultimately killed, with his body taken by the party to prevent resurrection.

Lint

A Queensmen fighter who shoots a heavy crossbow for significant damage, then draws his great sword to engage in melee combat with the Silver Order forces.

Marcel

A knight ally of the party who understands the plan and waits for the right moment to join the battle. He is protected by Xakarium's careful spell casting during the lightning bolt attack and successfully retrieves the Scepter of Saint Vitruvio from Ruby's body, securing one of the primary mission objectives.

Katya

A knight ally of the party who waits alongside Marcel, ready to attack when they see the party members openly engage in combat. She participates in the ambush plan and joins the combat when the party reveals themselves.

Flint

A Queensmen warrior who made a heroic final stand, scoring a critical hit and dealing 28 damage to kill an enemy before dying himself, showing the determination of the Queensmen fighters.

Thief

A surviving enemy rogue who attempted to flee the battlefield toward the silence spell area. Possessed uncanny dodge ability to halve damage from attacks. Was systematically hunted down and eliminated by the party to prevent any witnesses from escaping.

Locations

Cliff Ridge Ambush Site

A elevated position overlooking the scepter handoff location where the party set up their ambush. Features bushes for concealment, trees for cover, and a cliff edge where the invisible mage was pushed off. The area becomes heavily damaged by multiple fireballs and lightning bolts, with the ground becoming blackened and glassed from magical devastation.

Styx Ferry

An alternative river crossing point that the party learned about and decided to use for their escape route instead of returning directly to town. Located somewhere along the river route, it serves as a safer passage away from the ambush site.

Silence Spell Area

A magically silenced zone created by Oiroa's spell where the fleeing thief attempted to escape. The 20-foot radius area prevents spellcasting with verbal components and creates a tactical advantage for the party by neutralizing enemy spellcasters.

Battlefield

The main combat area showing extensive magical damage with blackened, glassed ground from multiple fireballs and lightning bolts. The terrain was so devastated that the approaching Griffin rider was hesitant to land directly on it, instead circling cautiously before landing away from the blast zone.

Spells

Clairvoyance

Cast by Oiroa to identify and scout the Silver Order party before the ambush began, allowing the party to gather intelligence on their targets and plan their attack accordingly.

Confusion

Cast by Yazzy on the Griffin, causing it to lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe and randomly attack creatures around it. The Griffin failed its intelligence saving throw and this spell was crucial in turning the Griffin against its own allies, creating chaos in the enemy ranks.

Bowstring Magic

Cast by Syndle on himself before combat began, lasting 10 minutes and providing an extra D3 damage to his attacks. This preparation spell enhanced his combat effectiveness throughout the encounter.

Greater Invisibility

Maintained by the invisible mage even after taking fall damage from being pushed off the cliff, allowing her to remain unseen until she lost concentration from subsequent damage.

Mirror Image

Cast by the Arcane Knight in response to being attacked by the confused griffin. Creates three illusory duplicates to provide protection from further attacks, though these were later destroyed by area effect spells during the intense magical combat.

Fireball

A devastating area-of-effect spell cast multiple times during the encounter. Ruby Goliath cast one with DC 14 dexterity save dealing 30 damage to those who fail and 15 to those who succeed. Ned also cast fireballs that devastated both enemy groups. The Arcane Knight cast one targeting the Queensmen. These spells were key to the party's overwhelming victory.

Silence

Cast by Oiroa with a 20-foot radius centered on the battlefield. Creates an area where no sound can be made and spells with verbal components cannot be cast, effectively neutralizing enemy spellcasters caught in the affected area.

Lightning Bolt

Cast by the arcane knight in a line through three Queensmen dealing 31 damage, and later by Xakarium. Xakarium's lightning bolt struck the cliff wall at 5 feet high, dealing 31 damage to multiple enemies while carefully avoiding party members using careful spell metamagic to protect Marcel.

Hold Person

Cast by Yazzy on the fleeing invisible mage and later on the griffin rider, paralyzing them and allowing other party members to easily finish them off with advantage on attacks.

Toll the Dead

Cast by Yazzy as a follow-up attack on the held mage, dealing necrotic damage through a wisdom saving throw and contributing to her elimination.

Shatter

Cast by Yazzy with a 10-foot radius, requiring constitution saves from affected enemies and dealing thunder damage to those who failed. This spell helped clear the battlefield of remaining threats.

Magic Missile

An unerring force damage spell cast by Xakarium against the fleeing thief, dealing 11 points of damage. This spell helped ensure the elimination of the last witness to the party's ambush operation.

Teleport

A magical transportation ability used by Syndle multiple times during combat through wild magic surges to quickly reposition for attacks. This spell allowed rapid movement across the battlefield to engage enemies and deliver devastating boot attacks and weapon strikes.

Items

Scepter of Saint Vitruvio

The primary objective of the quest, a powerful holy relic that was successfully recovered by Marcel from Ruby Goliath's body. This ancient scepter belonged to the revered paladin Saint Vitruvio and was the centerpiece of the ambush operation between the Silver Order and Scarlet Shadows.

15,000 Gold

A substantial treasure hoard carried by the Griffin Rider, representing the monetary component of the handoff deal. Yazzy successfully recovered this fortune while disguised as one of the fallen Queensmen guards, securing the secondary objective of their mission.

Bag of Holding

A magical storage item used by the party to store three bodies (the arcane mage, Cade the rogue, and the Queensmen mage) to prevent their resurrection and potential testimony about the ambush.

Ruby's Boots

Magical boots worn by Ruby that allow her to teleport and deliver devastating kick attacks. She used them to teleport above the arcane knight and deliver a boot attack that knocked her prone during combat.

Crossbow

Weapon used by Tark during the ambush, though he missed his initial shots at the arcane knight. He later tossed it down the cliff to make it appear that it fell with the invisible mage he pushed.

Great Axe

Weapon wielded by Juggernaut during his battle rage, used to deal significant damage to Silver Order knights after throwing his spear.

Heavy Crossbow

Weapon used by Lint to deal 16 piercing damage to enemies before drawing his great sword for melee combat.

Great Sword

Melee weapon drawn by Lint after using his heavy crossbow, used for close combat engagement.

Rapier

Weapon used by Tark to deliver the killing blow to the held invisible mage, demonstrating the effectiveness of the party's coordinated attacks.