Cheshire's Assault on Seglock took place in Dalsk 825 PR as Horatio stole precious and rare resources from the University archives, including all of his own grad-school work which had been confiscated and banned, thanks to its research on forbidden magics.
Background
Horatio Cheshire was a wild-minded alchemist and experimenter who had been operating in secret in northern Isonhound after securing the patronage of a mysterious benefactor (who was himself working for an even more mysterious benefactor). After Horatio Cheshire was captured and imprisoned at Gammelgard,
Meanwhile, the central city of Seglock had just finished preparing a Gala of Protection, a festival celebrating the heroes of the Greedy Green who had made a decision to headquarter themselves in the city, and as a result keep the city protected from any outside draconic forces thanks to their usage of the Crystal Moonwell of Eros.
The festival was meant to be a thank-you to the heroes, but would also draw the ire and attention of Cheshire, who used the city's distraction as a way to penetrate the usually well-guarded city walls and infiltrate with a three-front direct attack on the city.
The Festival
*Welcome to the Gala of Protection! This is the least our city can do to thank the heroes of Isonhound who have flocked to Seglock and protected not just the refugees who have fled here, but ALL of the Seglock population from the ever growing threat of Dragons on the outside. Please join some of our locals, nobles, students, and service members here in the streets. We've set up a number of stalls, booths, tables, and drinks for all to celebrate and enjoy this night.*
Drinks Offered
- - Rum Cider, 5 CP
- - Vulcan Fury Red Wine, 5 CP
- - Brandy 8 CP
- - Honey Mead 4 CP
- - Dragon's Blood (Potion of Speak with Animals) 100 GP
- - Imported Saki 30 GP
- - Utter Moron 1 CP and `/roll 1d12` to avoid instantly passing out on a 1.
- Potion of Greater Healing 150 GP
- Potion of Fire Breath 240 GP
Other Activities
- **Dunking booth**. Use `/roll 1d8` and see if you score an 8! Free to play up to 3 times.
- **Cooking Contest**. Entry fee 10 GP, Describe the meal you make. Use `/roll 1d20`+Wisdom Modifier to create a taste value for your meal. The best tasting meals win prizes after all 3 Seglock games have been played.
- The Winner of the Contest of Nockdus
- Other participants included Balgeiros, Linden Rue, Reylendor, Grandmush, and Percy Giffard
- **Arm Wrestling** Requires two participants. Wager money against another player and use `/roll 1d20`+Athletics to see who gets to take it all.
- **Raffle Tickets** Costs 50 GP., Use `/roll 1d100` and get 5000 GP on a 100. Can only be entered once.
- **Roll higher than Stan**, Try your luck against Stan the Money Man. Tag Stan and then see if you roll higher than him. DM Dave decides if you get a reward, a punishment, or nothing at all. *Roll at your own risk.*
The Attack
After getting forces into the city, Horatio directed them towards Seglock University, splitting the forces up across the Three Gates of Seglock U
Left Gate
Inside the gates of Seglock University, this group was positioned closest to the building that Cheshire's Hydra was infiltrating. They had an up-close view of the unfolding chaos and immediately had to dodge a prismatic breath spray, which put the team in terrible shape, with two members going down from the initial assault.
Now severely weakened, the team faced a new horror as Cheshire's Dragonflesh Abomination burst from a nearby building damaged by the siege, beginning a relentless chase through the city. The heroes scrambled to avoid its acid spit and the various obstacles that marked a city in peril. After a few tense minutes, they finally managed to shake off their pursuer, and while they had managed to deal it some damage, its regenerative abilities prevented them from making as much progress as they would have liked.
Taking a moment to recover and heal from the "Tiamat" assault and damages sustained in the chase, they then observed the Cheshire Goblins moving toward a Firearm warehouse. Given a choice between pursuing the goblins or returning to confront the Abomination, they voted 4-3 to finish off the creature.
They found the Abomination locked in battle with city forces and took advantage of a surprise round to weaken it further. After two rounds of intense combat, they managed to slay the creature, with one player taking its acid glands as a trophy. The encounter sparked much discussion regarding the Moonwell, its potential functionality, whether that had indeed been Tiamat, and whether the Abomination could be considered a dragon.
Center Gate
The team at the center gate confronted a group of Cheshire Goblins who quickly gained the upper hand, taking down Dave before closing in for a kill. In a dramatic twist, Professor Nguyen (pronounced N'win) appeared from a building and tested a hypothesis, eliminating the goblins in a single strike with a mysterious substance. He also introduced his bodyguard, an Autom, a machine from Sneerwell that operates under the direction of a Bluestone holder.
Recognizing the substance's effectiveness, Nguyen guided the team to his office and lab across campus, where he provided them with more of the mysterious liquid, revealing it to be Drakkoth Blood. As they progressed toward the back wall, they faced further battles, including Glaive Guardians, a Master of Chains, Orcs, and more goblins, discovering along the way that Drakkoth Blood also worked on the Glaive Guardians (effect on Master of Chains pending).
Reaching the explosion-damaged back wall, they called upon druidic powers to block the breach, conjuring thorns, spikes, and various natural barriers. Grandmush completed the defense with a call of lightning, collapsing the structure into a fortified barricade that successfully halted further incursions.
Right Gate
After entering through the right gate, the team encountered a chaotic scene as students and faculty fled from the university dorms. Rushing inside, they found a professor struggling to protect three students in a small cafe area. The first encounter took place here, with the team battling four goblins and an orc. Tragically, one student was killed by a goblin attempting to steal the professor’s notes, though the other two managed to escape. The professor, badly injured, survived and received some healing from Zen.
Clearing the cafe, the party pressed into student housing, where they discovered no surviving students. Attempting a stealthy shot at an orc, Patches missed, inadvertently alerting the enemies. The party advanced down a long hallway, only to encounter orcs searching rooms, who promptly sprung a trap and launched an ambush, firing from the cover of nearby rooms.
Amid the battle, Omen heard movement coming from the cafe area. She investigated and spotted a large, golem-like creature accompanied by a cowering professor. Initially believing it was protecting the professor, they soon learned otherwise when the creature attacked Patches, incapacitating him. Pinned down from both directions, the situation appeared dire, though Va’dath’s impressive streak of two natural 20s, followed by a third soon after, significantly weakened the golem.
The creature managed to smash through the floor in an attack on Va’dath, causing him to dangle over the edge while Linden, who had been riding on his shoulders, fell into the basement below. Omen dealt the finishing blow to the golem as the two rejoined the fight, while Delphi completed a kill on behalf of Silent. In the aftermath, Va’dath detained the professor associated with the golem, questioning him in a zone of truth. The professor’s evasive responses led Va’dath to bind him, and they brought both the professor and his research equipment to the guild base.
Aftermath
- The day after the attack, the party meets with Mayor Ameeka Townsend, who discusses the ongoing threat with "The Baron." Upon the party’s arrival, Ameeka shifts focus to them, discussing the known damage, suspected motives, and the university's potential involvement in the attack. The party persuades Ameeka to disclose her private contact within the university: a Geodaury Magus named Vaeril Yinceran. She privately informs Buho, stressing confidentiality.
- Before heading to the university, the party visits Captain Visio at a field hospital. Dr. Lebrock directs them to Visio, who is weary but still working in the new graveyard. Though wary of the university, Visio agrees to grant the party access to professor Hargraves' research by giving them a token for Lt. Steve Torso at the prison.
- Using Visio's token, the party gains access to Hargraves' documents. Through Nockdus’ illusion magic, they copy the research. Half the party interrogates Hargraves, pretending to support him. Although Hargraves is skeptical, he offers some information, agreeing to tell them more if freed, though the party can't immediately offer this.
- Traveling to the university grounds, the party presents a letter from the mayor for access. A young man questions their purpose, and the party splits, with some going to meet Magus Yinceran and others visiting the college shop. In a private meeting, the party shares information with Yinceran, who confirms Hargraves was working with Cheshire. Despite some suspicious figures, she has no evidence of other involvement. The party and Yinceran agree to exchange future intelligence, solidifying an alliance.
Perspectives
Trina
Somehow the locals thought that it was a good idea to have a festival. Had they not heard of what happened last time there was a festival? Dragons attacked the town. Well, this time all hell broke loose. Trina was sipping her free drink when explosions shook the town. Grandmush, the sorcerer and a few others run towards the source of trouble. The university was on fire, which made her assume that it could not have been anything worse than a failed experiment. The heroes had set up the moonwell here, so they were safe. But no, Tiamat(?) themselves broke out from within a building wrecking additional havoc to everything. Trina would have loved to get her hands into his evil essence… if she did not die first. Those Cheshire goblins were everywhere, threatening everyone’s lives. They were as tough as she remembered them and unfortunately Buho was not there to rain poop on them. However, a mad university professor had been making a drakkoth blood poison that could kill those bastards. It was a long and tiring fight against the attacking horde. Trina had never had to use all of her resources before, nor had she felt so tired and battered.
Durian
The people of Seglock had been gifted with an artifact known as the Moonwell, capable of encompassing the city in a magical dome that Dragons could not penetrate. The city threw a festival to celebrate their newfound protection, which I attended. I arrived at the festivities to mingle with other adventurers, as I had heard whispers of another team returning from a job with an item of great personal importance to me: the Selune Splinter. It had been months since a Dragon had raided it from the Court of Quartz, leaving my clan without any means of protection from the outside world. I never expected to see the item again but, to my astonishment, the rumors were true! After some wandering around, I spotted the familiar Selune Splinter in the possession of another adventurer at the festival. To my horror, however, the adventurer was using the item as a mere barstool. Before I had a chance to confront them and explain the item's importance, however, the festival was interrupted by the familiar sounds of chaos in the distance. A horde of strange, mutated-looking monsters had begun assaulting the city. I flew towards the noise emitting from the center gate of Seglock University, helping to fight off the attacking monsters along the way. Upon reaching the gate, I discovered that it had been overtaken by a horde of Cheshire Goblins. I helped to fight them for a while until Professor Nguyen, a staff member of the school, appeared with his Autom bodyguard and began shooting the Cheshire Goblins with a liquid which melted them in one hit. Me and a group of adventurers followed Professor Nguyen deeper into campus, hoping to obtain more of this miracle liquid. As we darted through a courtyard towards one of the campus buildings, however, Horatio Cheshire flew overhead riding what looked like an aspect of Tiamat, raining us with acid. Thankfully, we were able to patch each other up and help everyone into the building. When we questioned the professor about the liquid he had used to melt the Cheshire Goblins, he explained that it was Drakkoth blood and that we would be able to obtain more from his laboratory. We helped Professor Nguyen fight off the monsters through several halls and classrooms until finally reaching his laboratory, where he was able to supply us all with vials of Drakkoth blood. We used the blood to help push back Horatio Cheshire's siege on the city and take down whatever was left of his forces.
