After the sacking of Tren's Keep Tower, the Zhentarim force departed the keep walls and made camp in the market square, out of site of the keep. They left some guards behind who arranged chunks of debris as cover. A few hours after that, around noon, trees started falling in the nearby forest. Umberto had Sa'ar fire shots at the guards, and after Brianna's Hermean Potential spell, he ended up killing one and causing the Guards to retreat to complete cover behind the debris. Brianna healed Nala (Alvars Hot Mom).
Umberto said, "You know why the Zhents can get such troops and mages and clerics? They pay very well. If any of you are looking for loot though, don't waste your time on the individual soldiers, in the their camp will be a well guarded chest with the payroll. That's what I'd steal."
Brianna went and looked for the 'powerful' prisoner in the jail, but he was gone.
Coming back she asked Umberto, "Umberto, you probably have the most experience in situations like this. What do you recommend we do?"
"Friends," Umberto replied, "in a short while we will have guests with battering rams and ladders at our doorstep. We must make a decision. But first we should review all that we found in case there is something useful. And we should split it evenly incase one of us falls in the next hours. There will be little hope for an escape if we must carry an injured person. "
A while later, Umberto said, "So, weve had hours to loot this place, dump out your sacks and rugs and lets tally what we've found."
There was a Chain of Returning, 3 potions of cure moderate wounds, 3 level 5 spellbooks. Brianna immediately began studying the spellbooks.
It's late afternoon, and a violent storm began to approach from the southwest.
Umberto had moved every piece of furniture he could lift, which was pretty much everything, to black the tower door. He left a path to the basement. He then went up to the third floor and repaired the damaged wall. After that he took water from the well and watered down all of the wooden items. Finally, he asked Warwick to cast an illusion of Morn's standard on the flagpole, reminding Warwick to watch out for fireballs.
Umberto, where a normal man would have been past exhaustion from this amount of preparation and labor, was still ready to fight. He looked at Alvar and said, "Chisai! If there is a battle today, it will be remembered for enerations. Will you be one of those who held the tower vs impossible odds?? Or will you be one who slipped away in the darkness?"
"Have you ever known me to run from a flight of impossible odds?" Alvar replied sternly. "We will either prevail and survive, living to fight another day, or live forever in the pages of history."
Godly added, "I fully intend to read those pages of history, tonight will not be Peck Godfrey's last night."
"Brianna," Umberto asked her, "can you get a message to your parents? If so, ask them to send word to Randal Morn. The Morn banner flies over Dagger Keep." Brianna, not hearing from either parent yet since the Dragon Attack, so she planned, after she got some rest, to use Minor Dream to do so.
"Godley,those Zhentarim soldiers are busy now. They have too much gold. Can you go relieve them of their paychest? Also, Brianna might have something for you to drop into their cookpot. Warwick, play us some music to ease the work and so that the townsfolk know we hold the keep. Sa'ar, keep those Zhentarim Soldiers away from the keep. An arrow to the chest should be sufficient. Godley might need a distraction if he is to leave undetected. Maybe."
On the seventh hour, with the storm still getting closer, a large crackling sound, like someone destroying statue with a single blow, can be heard from outside. Umberto rushed to see what it was, and noticed a large splatter of stones scattered around the courtyard. He guessed it was fired from a large mangonel.
Another mass of rocks flew through the air, landing closer to the base of the tower than before.
Godley said upon his return, "I am willing to sneak ouside the walls, or what is left of them at least, if we think I would be of more benefit out there. Granted I don't know how much I can carry back myself if I'm looting. The attack is just getting started. Would it not be better to turn to the trap dooe and sneak out the way we came in?"
Umberto went back to the group, "Who wants to slaughter some Zhents?"
"You want some backup Umberto?" Godley replied. "I can follow in your shadow, unseen."
"I'd love to have my favorite shadow of death at my side. Where you pass, people drop dead."
"If you lose sight of me Umberto, do not worry. I am never more than a rapier away."
Brianna said, "I could cast Minor Dream to talk to my parents. 20 words or less. I'd have to rest to regain spells though."
Realizing resting would be impossible now, not just because of the increasing commotion caused by the mangonels, but then fire arrows flew through the air, searching for their flammable targets. "We could always rest downstairs. Plus, we could escape through the river."
Umberto went back down to the townsfolk. "I need your permission before I go and do battle with these Zhentarim. Do you, the free people of Dagger Falls want me to bring vengeance upon them? Do you have evidence of their oppression that you would like to bring forth and let me know? Do you accept responsibility for their deaths at my hand? For you are the Judge and Jury in this matter, and I am merely an instrument of Justice."
To be cont during next session.
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