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Gorin gathers the gnolls and the ogres, and reads through the prayer book with as much excitement as the dusty old tome could gather.

"Alright comrades, Dol Dorn is with us! But you know who's really going to save you? Those weapons you're carrying, and that delightful savagery that dwells in your blood! That savagery that weaker folk tell you hold back! Because it might lead to dirt getting on their fancy clothing. What gods damn shame!

But tonight, you're going to let it all out.

The drow like stealth. They think they're coming in unannounced: slithering in like a snake into tent. They think they're just going slip it in and fuck us before we know what's happened.

But they're not. We know they're coming, we're ready, and when we fuck them, it's not going to be quiet!

Let's go fuck some fucking drow!"

(Diplomacy: 1d20+7= 21)

(redux: gnolls worship the Dark Six; so it'd be The Fury instead of Dol Dorn; Ahz would have known this)

Standing besides Gorin, the gnoll overseer translates the shifter's speech into gnoll after every line with much gusto. According to him, many of their Common understanding was 'barely passing'. He seemed pretty hype about it too, and Gorin reckons that - contrary to the gnoll's profession - he might actually make a decent public speaker if he actually got the time to practice more.

(overseer uses Aid Another)

Gorin's words (and certainly his expletives) seem to catch the gnoll union's attention and approval as he went along. The delivery received many nodding heads in turn, and at its end many of them raised their weapons in a badly accented shouts of "fuck yeah!"

The ogres, however, scratched their heads. This many man-words was clearly too complicated for them. Nevertheless, seeing everyone else at it, they joined the throngs in raising their weapons and shouting nonsense.


-----


The laborers-turned-garrison await quietly in the mining fort, until around the time of hitting midnight. It had been quiet until then. The air had cooled to a slight chill, and the skies above were clear with a bright moon outside...

Then suddenly, a burst of evil magic strikes the keep. The entire keep, southern courtyard, western courtyard, the south/west towers and walls... about 2/3rd of the fort was instantly engulfed. The air seemed to shimmer as the entire area seemed to have displaced by the horrorscape of hell itself. A stream of lava flowed off the keep's crenellations, into a courtyard full of mangled rocks and skulls and bones. Craggy stone spires erupted from the walls and into the air, and the entire atmosphere began to smell of brimstone and sulfur...

( Will Save vs Fear from everybody in party )

Ahz, Goodberry, and Gorin recognizes the spell as a Vision of Hell spell, although the knowledge doesn't make the illusion feel any less real. Furthermore, this area this spell covered must be around 100ft in radius.

The gnolls in the area looked mostly look distraught at the strangeness their workplace has become, though none were freaking out or acting erratically. The overseer is already on his way to the southern tower's ballista.

( NOT in combat order yet, though feel free to make an Initiative check )

(Will Save: 1d20+9 = 24)
(Initiative: 1d20+3 = 14)

Ahz had been reading through his latest draft of his thesis ("On the Giants and Their Lasting Influence Over Eberron and the Multiverse") and scribbling half-joking theories in the margins of it about how the Drow could be further linked to the giants. Shaking his head, he drive the instinct of fear from his mind and puts the draft away into his bag. Closing his eyes, he conjures up a mind eye and starts moving it out towards the southern wall to scout around.

(Will vs Fear 1d20+8= 22)

(initiative: 1d20+5= 13)

Goodberry Will vs Fear: 1d20+8 = 27
Goodberry Init 1d20+2=22

Goodberry spends 2 actions putting up the Delay Poison (5 hr duration) if he hadn't already. Other than that, he stands next to Ahz if he can keep everyone in range, ready to send out healing.

Adoett readies his shield, and refreshes his sword and armor buffs, also manifesting Expansion to now be Large.

Adoett vs Fear: 1d20+4 = 22
Adoett Init: 1d20+1 = 2 There it is.

( still need Leah's rolls, but Ahz can have an update in the meantime )

As Ahz's Mind Eye flies out towards the south, the rest of you hear a tremor from afar. It was as if someone with really heavy footsteps was stomping towards the Keep. The lookouts on the walls huddle at the edge of their crenelations, barely peeking out to see what the noise was coming from. Then, when the Mind Eye sensor was about 100ft from the walls, it spotted the culprit.

Two hill giants were on the road. Each carried two rocks on their shoulders as they steadily advanced towards the fort. Behind them walked what seemed to be a drow spellcaster, wearing their robes and no armor at all. Considering that most drow in this region either prefers nothing to do with giants or outright didn't get along, Ahz has a strong feeling these giants were under some sort of charm or compulsion spell.

(targets 180ft away from south gate)

Rolling initiative!!! 1d20 + 4 = 12
Will: 1d20 + 6 (+ 2 vs Mind-affecting?) = ... 7. (+2?). [ ... Yay? I don't even... ]

Leah felt something twist inside her. She didn't really understand why. She should be excited, but this was decidedly not it. Was it the time in the cities? Had it made her weak? Leah didn't know, she didn't like it, but that didn't change anything about it: She was terrified.

Ahz plans to fire the springal when the giants and spellcaster are within 200' of the siege engine. Before that he casts Heightened Awareness.

(Advantage: takeHighest(2d20 [10,2])+3 (BAB) + 7 (Knowledge [Engineering]) - 4 (non-proficient) - 6 (no LoS if applicable) - 2 (range) + 2 competence (Heightened Awareness) + 2 (Sudden Insight) = 12
(Springal Damage: 3d8+1 = 18)
(Will Save: 1d20+7 = 15)

Leah feels herself trembling as the hellish landscape, its sight and smell, everything seems to pervades her soul (Shaken for as long as you remain in the illusion...)

Ahz sends a volley of arrows soaring out of the springal and into the moonlit skies. His sensor surveyed the target (now 70ft from the south tower) and he noticed his targeting was off... by 5ft. One of the hill giants groaned as he took a handful of arrows, and the drow caster screamed curses as she took two as well. The drow soon stopped 100ft away from the walls, and simply pointed the giants towards the gate.

The two giants continued their march upwards, soon coming within 60ft of the south tower. Each of them dropped one of their giant boulders on the ground while readying the other to throw. The gnoll overseer soon yelled "GIANTS! BOULDERS INCOMING AT MAIN GATE!" He then aimed the southern ballista and shot...

( any actions? )

( Ahz: make another will save )

(Will Save: 1d20+7 = 25)

Listening to her instincts, Leah immediately creates a shield from psionic energy.

(1PP): +4 AC (shield, also vs incorporeal). Duration: 5 minutes


Effects:
Shaken (–2 on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks)
Force Screen (AC +4, 50 rounds)

Adoett, undeterred, moves up to just inside the main gate and readies his tower shield to protect himself and those behind him. Somewhere around AO 55. Reminder, after manifesting Expansion he is now Large.

Goodberry alerts the north tower we are under attack in the south, prepare for a flank attempt. He also calls to the west tower to watch for an attack from the west.

Ahz continues to survey the scene through his mind eye, suddenly blurting out over the comms: "The giants are an illusion, and so is the spellcaster!"

"THE GIANTS AREN'T REAL!! THE ATTACK IS COMING FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE!! STAY SHARP!!" Gorin roared at the top of his lungs.

He also took the opportunity to cast Bull's Strength on himself.