BBG: Chapter 36

As we sailed toward Caer Jannath on Cadfael Island, it became clear immediately that the Umberlants had been abandoned by any Pirates or Zhentarim Allies that had previously been helping them. Furthermore, it seemed like they only had a few credible threats to our forces remaining in the Town. Mostly, we were facing off against Impressed Citizens from Cadfael Island who'd been given the relatively few Zhentarim Combat Drugs that had managed to make it into Umberlant hands to stiffen their spines, or who were otherwise intimidated via harsher Umberlant Overseers and Officers into standing and fighting.

Darkbreaker Morwen and any remaining High Officers of the Umberlant Force would be in Castle Jannath, leaving largely any remaining middle management and Grunts to hold the Town of Caer Jannath and keep a leash on their impressed Citizenry. This became apparent almost immediately, as the only thing stopping us from approaching the Harbor of Caer Jannath was a single, small, Naval Cutter, the Keelboat, Coasthawk, whose crew had been impressed by the Umberlants, Captained by an Older Man in Shadowed Buoyant Leather Armor of Swimming Plus One with a Leather Skullcap of Seabreathing and a Zalantar Club Plus One, along with a Scourge of Pain Plus One in his off hand that he used to motivate the impressed Crew. That Captain was aided by a First Mate in an Adamantine Chain Shirt Plus One who carried a Dagger Plus One that seemed specially tapered to a point to better punch through armor.

Almost immediately, the Coasthawk sailed out to attempt to futilely stop our advance, only for Shavariel to draw Drakedeath and put a pair of arrows across the way and into the first mate's Arm and leg, sending him toppling over the side into the Harbor to attempt to swim to safety with two wounded limbs. As the Enemy First Mate bobbed up and down in the surf like a kind of top, using all his strength just to tread water, Janessa fired off a Spell of Magic Missile at the Captain, who was cursing out his wavering crew and striking about with his scourge to attempt to force the sixteen-man crew of the Keelboat back to their positions. Five darts of mystic force slammed into the Captain, bowling him over and knocking him to the deck, which sent the impressed crew scrambling over the sides to swim to the dock while they had the chance.

"Get back here ye damned yellow rats! Umberlee take your hides!" Snarled out the Captain as he stood up, only for me to pull the Secret Crassbow, sight down on him, and fire two Magical Bolts at him. The first struck him in the thigh, but the second struck him in the neck. As he toppled over the stern of the Coasthawk, choking on his own blood, the Hammerdown sailed right past the now dead-in-the-water Coasthawk and into the Harbor of Caer Jannath, followed closely by the rest of the Flotilla.

"All right, make ready to land!" I commanded, my loaned crew having been refreshed by survivors from the Bloody Spear who no longer had a berth of their own, thanks to that Longship being sunk in the Sea Battle of the Jannath's Tears Archipelago.

A chorus of affirmations rang out from the Warriors of my Loaned Crew. My own Companions and I would lead the charge, the Warriors of my Loaned Crew following right behind us, to be followed by the rest of the Flotilla. The plan was that we would be the spear plunging into the breast of the town, seeking the heart, which in this case was Castle Jannath. Once we had opened the way, the rest of the Flotilla would pour through the breach and engage the enemy forces, allowing us to storm the castle more or less unchallenged. It was a short, simple plan, largely just amounting to forcing a breakthrough and exploiting it. That was good, though, especially with folks like Captain Half-Tusk and Cap'n Bernardo and their crews who weren't the most experienced with big battles on land. You wanted to keep the plan simple and sweet there so that folks like that could follow it.

"This is it, the culmination of everything we've been working and fighting toward. Are you ready?" I questioned, looking over at my Companions.

"Always." Nodded Shavariel.

"Yeah, let's kick them where it hurts!" Exclaimed Janessa.

"I am with you, Captain." Agreed Selima.

"What about you lot? Are you ready to Earn Your Places in Tempus' Halls?" I called out to my Loaned Crew. Another Chorus of shouts followed from the Northmen of my Loaned Crew, along with the clanging of weapons on steel and the stomping of boots from those working to bring us alongside the dock.

"Are you sure? Death and Glory await us, and I cannot have men who will not fight along for the trip! I ask again, are you ready?" I asked, further hyping the crowd with Bardic Oratory. More shouts, louder this time, were my answer.

"Then by all means! Let us do deeds that Sagas are written of and Songs are sung about! When this is all over, every Man who survives will have an ale on me to quench their thirst!" I called out, inspiring Courage in the Men, as Bardic Performances could be oratory as well as musical.

As the cheering, shouting, and clanging of weapons reached a fever pitch, the Hammerdown came up alongside the Dock. A ragged mob of impressed and drugged-up enemies formed at the edge of the Dock, around thirty men in total, backed by a group of ten far better equipped, Umberlant Warriors. They would attempt to stop us from forming a beachhead in Caer Jannath, and it was our task to blow through them like a wrecking ball. It was a task we would take to with gusto as I launched myself over the side of the Hammerdown, landing on the wooden dock and drawing both Aremeg's Wisdom and Discordant Note. Shavariel was at my side, along with Janessa and Selima. Then we charged.

Meanwhile, our Loaned Crew disembarked behind us and began to tie down the lines to moor the Hammerdown. They were opposed in this by a group of fifteen Raving Lunatics, a ragtag militia in a mix of leather armor, padded cloth, and scavenged bits of chain and plate armor, wielding cutlasses and repurposed dockworkers' tools. These Men were hopped up on Zhentarim Combat Drugs, backed by five Umberlant Warriors in Magical Plus One Breastplates, Rings of Protection Plus one, Amulets of Natural Armor Plus One, and wielding a Plus One Weapon of some description, along with having uniform chainmail coifs and teal cloaks. This force had emerged from the Harborwarden's Hall to try and take our loaned crew by surprise. As they fought off the enemy, we would be on our own against the forces at the end of the dock.

The Front Ranks of what I was charitably calling the Enemy Formation mustered at the end of the dock howled at us as we charged, the troops gnashing their teeth, as they were also hopped up on Zhentarim Combat Drugs, eager to get to grips with our force, even despite the ragtag nature of their gear and training. Most had leathers, a padded jack, or even piecemeal armor with just some pauldrons, gauntlets, and vambraces to complement the padded jack. Many had spears, though they were primarily the sort that had been improvised using reforged farm tools like scythes or spades that had been crudely reforged on the cheap into spears. They also primarily only had a splash of blue cloth somewhere to denote their loyalties and prevent friendly fire in the heat of battle. A sash, wristband, or even a piece of teal cloth tied around the bicep in an improvised armband.

The Umberlant Overseers themselves were a lot better-equipped and disciplined. Their Breastplates were clearly Magical Plus One Breastplates, and they each had Rings of Protection Plus one, Amulets of Natural Armor Plus One, and a Plus One Weapon of some description, along with their uniform chainmail coifs and teal cloaks. However, they were few in number, and if there were more than one-hundred-twenty of them remaining in all of Cadfael Island, I would eat my boots. Most of those, I was betting, would be in Castle Jannath, or the Upper Town, protecting Darkbreaker Morwen and the other remaining High Officers of the Umberlant Forces.

As we closed with the front ranks of the enemy formation, I lashed out with Discordant Note, the rapier screaming into and through the chest of a roaring Militiaman who was wearing Padded Cloth Armor and a pair of piecemeal pauldrons and a pothelm. He coughed up blood, but swung for my neck with the haft of his spear, the Alindluth in his system killing his ability to feel pain and allowing him to continue fighting with a clearly mortal wound. I was forced to duck, the haft sailing over my head by a mere inch as the shock of the attack and the Silkroot and Kammarth the Poor Bastard was hopped up on enhanced his reflexes twice over. As I came back up, Discordant Note thrust up through his chin and into his brain, killing him.

On my left and right sides, I saw that both Shavariel and Selima were having similar difficulties with the drugged-up Enemies, with Shavariel taking a swing from what looked like a cudgel with a set of nails stuck in it to the arm and Selima getting cut in the thigh by a repurposed butcher's knife. They likewise managed to cut down their foes on a second pass, but every wound inflicted added up over time. Janessa was having an easier time of things, however, downing three Drugged-Up Umberlant Militiamen with a single casting of Burning Hands and wounding two more. That figured, that magic would be more effective here since these guys couldn't feel pain. As I put my shield up in the way of a shortspear that had been crudely hammered out of a shovel, I called out.

"These Poor Bastards are drugged up to feel no pain and have their reflexes boosted! I seriously doubt they'll even be healthy enough to live more than a few more years, even if they survive the battle!" I shouted, riposting in a manner that carved the throat out of my attacker.

"So what do you want us to do, just kill them?" Questioned Shavariel as she plunged her trident through the armpit of a howling Militiaman with a spear made out of a reforged wheat scythe.

"I hate to say it, but it would be the merciful thing to do." Nodded Selima as she put her shield in the way of a Laughing Militiaman in Leather Armor with a pair of Scavenged Pauldrons who was swinging a Carpenter's Mattock at her, deflecting the blow to the side.

"Really? You call that merciful?" Queried Janessa, firing off a Quintet of Magic Missiles that killed the two Militiamen who were wounded and aflame from her Burning Hands Spell, and wounding a third.

"I do." Nodded Selima, swinging her mace into the skull of a Militiaman in a scavenged leather skullcap with a spear reforged out of a garden hoe.

"It is, really. Have you ever seen what an overdose can do to a person?" I asked, cutting down a Militiaman in Leather Armor with a pair of scavenged mail gloves, brandishing a Forester's Axe at me.

As I did so, however, Discordant Note briefly lodged in his chest, allowing a Militiaman in a Padded Jack reinforced with leather patches to stab me in the arm with a Sharpened, reforged, Carpenter's Awl, the needle-like blade sinking into the meat of my left bicep. I hissed in pain, retrieving Discordant Note and slashing out, cleaving the top of the Offender's skull off.

"Janessa, a bit more magic would be helpful." Insisted Shavariel as she saw that, parrying an incoming Spear made out of a repurposed Pitchfork before crushing the Offender's throat with a riposte from the butt of her trident.

"Fine! Stand back!" Intoned Janessa.

Janessa began to cast, focusing a spell through a pinch of dust and a drop of water. As her incantation reached a crescendo, she reached out to the sky over the enemy formation, and suddenly larger chunks of magical hail began to fall on the remaining Militiamen, the Ice Storm Spell crashing down onto the enemy with a vengeance. Where once eighteen Umberlant Militiamen, drugged out of their minds on smuggled Zhentarim Combat Drugs, had stood frothing at the mouth and lashing out at us, only two remained after the Ice Storm struck, the remainder being slain by jagged shards of falling magical ice. Those two were clearly on their last legs and swiftly cut down by Shavariel and myself. As they fell, the ten Proper Umberlant Warriors stepped forward, blades out and ready to attack, when a shout came from behind us. Our Loaned Crew had finally finished putting down the twenty enemies that had come from the Harborwarden Hall, fifteen of them moving to back us up while the rest bandaged wounds and helped finish tying down the Hammerdown.

Between our Loaned Crew and my companions, we made short work of the ten Umberlant Warriors. I took down two with Discordant Note, while Shavariel took two with her Harpoon, and Selima and Janessa took three down collectively with slingstones and mace. The remainder were swarmed by the Warriors of our Loaned Crew and hacked to pieces. The way into Caer Jannath was now clear. To get there, we had lost five members of our Loaned Crew, but with twenty-five remaining, I was more than confident of our chances in the rest of the battle.

As the rest of the Flotilla began to disembark, I formed my forces up and began to sing a song to help inspire courage, plucking out a tune on my Fochlucan Bandore as I did so.

"Axes flash, broadsword swing. Shining armour's piercing ring. Horses run with a polished shield. Fight those bastards 'til they yield. Midnight mare and blood red roan. Fight to keep this land your own. Summon the horn, and call the cry. How many of them can we make die?" I began singing, the March of Cambreadth putting steel into the spines of everyone.

As we charged forward into the town of Caer Jannath, I continued to sing, and between my performance enhancing the Warriors of our Loaned Crew, Janessa's Spells, Selima's Healing, and Shavariel's Martial Skills, we managed to utterly blow through the group of thirty mixed Umberlant Militia and Umberlant Warriors, cutting them down on our way into Caer Jannath without taking a single casualty. Another two groups of ten Umberlant Warriors and twenty Umberlant Militia charged us from the sides, coming down a pair of sidestreets, only for Jarl Ullrsson and Commodore Islandwarden to lead forces from the now Disembarked Flotilla to intercept them.

"Go to the Castle! We'll handle the small fry!" Called out Commodore Islandwarden.

"Aye! Stick to the Plan!" Insisted Jarl Ullrsson.

I saluted both commanders and turned to my companions and the Warriors of our Loaned Crew, now that we had a more or less clear shot toward Castle Jannath up on the cliffs overlooking the Sea of Swords.

"You heard them! Onward to Castle Jannath and Glory!" I ordered. A shout echoed back from the Warriors of our Loaned Crew, clearly with me.

I didn't even have to ask if my Companions were with me. Janessa, Shavariel, and Selima were a hundred percent in from the start. With that knowledge, I put my Bandore up, redrew Discordant Note and Aremeg's Wisdom, and led the charge down the main street of Caer Jannath. As we charged, moving into the Upper Town where the Nobles lived, we were opposed by another group of enemy forces, this time about forty Umberlant Warriors with Magical Gear. Janessa, however, had us covered, casting another Ice Storm Spell, slaying half of them, and weakening the rest. As we charged into their ranks, we cut our way through the weakened enemy forces. We lost two more Warriors of our Loaned Crew in the process, but we made it into the upper town.

Now, only Castle Jannath remained in our way. The Gates were shut, of course, but that was nothing we couldn't handle. Janessa began casting, and at the crescendo of her spell, she stretched her arm out, and a large, palm-sized translucent orb of mystic force flung forth from her hand. It slammed into the Iron-Bound Duskwood Gates of Castle Jannath. The Orb of Force Spell struck the Gates with a shudder and a crack of splintering wood, but the gates held. She began to cast again, and another Orb of Force Struck the Gates, causing them to shudder, though once more, they held. A third casting of Orb of Force occurred, and this time, Janessa managed to smash the gates fully open, Iron-Banded Duskwood hanging off the hinge mechanism in large, five-inch-thick slabs. As we charged inside, we were immediately met with another ten Umberlant Warriors, though this time, they were led by a Quartet of more potent combatants. Four Paladins of Umberlee stood amongst them to bar our way. They wore Nimble, Buoyant, Mithril Full Plate of Swimming Plus Three, and bore Bastard Swords of Shock and Thundering Plus Three, wearing Amulets of Natural Armor Plus Three, Cloaks of Resistance Plus Three, and Rings of Protection Plus Three.

"You will not take Darkbreaker Morwen." Intoned the Lead Paladin.

"We will be your doom." Insisted another Paladin.

"Come and face us if you dare!" Added the Third.

"Do you truly believe you can defeat the Queen of the Waves' Faithful?" Questioned the Fourth.

"It's worked well for us so far. I see no reason to doubt that now." I nodded.

"Enough of this, have at you!" Snarled the Lead Paladin.

Then the enemy charged, and we were once again fighting for our lives and for victory, caught up in the clash of steel and faith once more. . .

XXXX

Morwen Ferch Cadfael, Darkbreaker of Umberlee, Daughter of Lord Cadfael the Eighth, and Rightful Lady of Cadfael Island, stood scowling in the Throne Room of the Great Hall of Castle Jannath. Her coup wasn't supposed to end like this. Damn Juliana, she'd been so sure that they would be able to defeat any attempt at a counterattack in time to actually find the Shrine of Chauntea that was hidden somewhere on the Island and enact the ritual to reconsecrate it in the name of the Queen of the Depths! Then, Umberlee was supposed to take an Avatar in the Mortal Realm and reward them all for their dedication! The locals hadn't been supposed to actually be on the brink of Victory! Here they were, though.

"My Lady, we must withdraw. This Gambit has clearly failed, the Enemy is in the Courtyard, and my Men, strong though they might be, are not strong enough to keep them at bay indefinitely." Intoned Zashir Al-Hada.

Zashir was a Paladin of Umberlee, a powerful one, on par with Morwen in terms of combat capability, even though Morwen edged him out in Spellcasting. Neither she nor Zashir was the Equal of Juliana Montcalm, of course, though they could at least be counted on to defeat that Pet Sorcerer she kept on hand and fight to a draw with her Elven Duelist in some of the cases they had to fight. Regardless, Zashir came from a Noble Family, second cousins to the Pasha of Almraiven in Calimshan. He was a high-ranking member of the Paladins of the House of the Crescent Wave in Almraiven, a prestigious position. He had come so far to participate in this plan entirely based on the fact that it could allow Umberlee an Avatar on Faerun, which would be quite an accomplishment among the devout. Of course, with a history like that, Morwen hadn't expected him to be so craven.

"You want us to flee, Zashir? Like whipped dogs?" Queried Morwen with a scowl.

"Is it not better to live to serve the Queen of the Depths another day? Does she have a use for servants who willingly commit suicide? I do not believe so, do you?" Asked Zashir.

"No. You may flee if you want, but I will not abandon my rightful lands because of some heretics who think to undo our gains." Scoffed Morwen.

"Very well, My Lady. Then we shall see this through to the end." Nodded Zashir.

Just then, the door to the great hall opened, and in walked Norwick Nightwater, the Captain of the Umberlant Warriors remaining on Cadfael Island. Earlier this morning, he had gone out to withdraw the small band of the Faithful that had been overseeing the efforts to excavate the Chauntean Shrine in the Clogwyn Uplands in the interior of the Island. They had found nothing there, and with the attack coming in, it was more important that those Twenty Faithful Warriors be here. Norwick himself was a Halfling from Port Llast's small Umberlant Temple, known as Saltspray Tower. He had, like Zashir, come when he had heard of the great undertaking that was their Plan.

"How fares the defense?" Questioned Morwen.

"Not well. Zashir's Men have lost the Outer Ward. I have the rest of my men in the Castle trying to hold the Inner Ward, but that's not going to hold for long. When they get to the Keep, I have my best ten men in reserve to hold the Entry Hall, but that isn't going to do much either." Informed Norwick.

"And the forces in the Town?" Queried Zashir.

"Are mostly those Militiamen we drugged into compliance or unreliable conscripts held in place by fear. In either case, neither is likely to hold out for more than a few hours. We really were relying on the Skaug Corsairs and Zhentarim to bolster our defenses if we had to suffer a counterattack." Explained Norwick.

"I knew we shouldn't have so blatantly trusted either party. It was a mistake to put so much emphasis on allies who only fight for coin." Scoffed Zashir.

"Why? It certainly is working for our enemies. Why wouldn't it have worked for us as well?" Asked Norwick.

"It doesn't matter in either case. Recall your remaining ten men from the Entry Hall and have them come make their stand with us in the throne room. Together, we may even take some of the enemy with us." Ordered Morwen.

"As you say, My Lady." Agreed Norwick.

And with that, Norwick moved to carry out Morwen's Orders. Soon enough, she, Norwick, Zashir, and Norwick's ten best men were stood in the Throne Room, waiting for the enemy to finally arrive to do battle. They would not have to wait very long, as Robar the Red and his Companions arrived within ten minutes of Norwick's Men showing up. Finally, Morwen thought, one way or another, this ends here.

It would be among the last thoughts she would have before clashing with the enemy for one decisive battle. . .

XXXX

We had made it, fighting our way through the Paladins and Warriors in the Lower Ward, wading through more Umberlant Warriors in the Upper Ward, and finally entering the Keep of Castle Jannath, though in doing so, Selima, Shavariel, and I had been wounded two more times, Janessa had been wounded once, and we had lost six more Warriors of our Loaned Crew for a total of eleven dead Warriors. The remaining nineteen were all wounded to varying extents, though all were wounded badly enough to require healing. Before we prepared to enter the Keep, Selima healed our wounds and theirs, expending many of her healing spells in the process.

Those weren't the only expenditures of spells either, as Janessa had to expend her remaining Fourth Circle Spells to blast through the portcullises separating the Lower Ward from the Upper Ward and also expended half of her Fifth Level Spells to help clear the way to Keep with a Lightning Arc Spell as well as blast open the door to the Keep with three castings of Ball Lightning. She still had plenty of third, second, and first-level spells, however. We were ready to storm the Castle in a literal sense when one of the initial Warriors of our Loaned Crew, a Northman named Bjarni Ashlad, shook his head.

"No, My Thane. You go on ahead. We will stay here to guard your rear. After all, it would be the height of folly to assume that no stragglers will attempt to attack our rear. Not with the combat elsewhere still in the Lower Town." He intoned.

"My thanks. We will head inside and end this. Stand fast, Bjarni. That goes for all of you!" I ordered.

"We know of no other way, My Thane." Agreed Bjarni.

And with that, my Companions and I entered the Keep of Castle Jannath. Shavariel and Selima at my side, and Janessa bringing up the rear. Ironically, and somewhat anticlimactically, there were no enemy forces in the Entry Hall, giving us a clean path to the Throne Room. I thought it was strange at the time, but the reason why revealed itself as we hit the throne room. Ten more Umberlant Warriors, led by a Paladin wielding a Plus Three Trident of Thundering and Icy Burst and clad in Mithril Fullplate Armor that I couldn't identify, along with a Halfling Man with red hair clad in a Plus Three Mithril Chain Shirt of Swimming and wielding a Plus Three Anarchic Longsword of Shocking Burst and their ultimate leader, Lady Morwen, wearing Plus Three Nimble Breastplate of Swimming and wielding a Plus Three Icy Trident of Shocking Burst. All of them had the standard suite of Rings of Protection, Amulets of Natural Armor, and Cloaks of Resistance Plus Three.

"Damn you! You couldn't just sail away, could you? You had to ruin our plans!" Snarled Lady Morwen.

"What plans? The Summoning of an Avatar of Umberlee?" Questioned Selima.

"Yeah, or was it the backstabbing and murder of your father?" Queried Janessa.

"Neither would have been something any of us were particularly inclined to walk away from." I pointed out.

"Especially given how much you have pursued us." Added Shavariel.

"You know nothing. Typical heathens." Scoffed the Paladin.

"Do we really need to argue with unbelievers?" Asked the Halfling.

"Norwick is right, Zashir. There's nothing more that needs to be said here." Insisted Morwen.

"We're ready to fight if you are." I offered.

"Very well, one big confrontation to end it all. Have at you, faithless wretches!" Scowled Lady Morwen.

And with that, the Enemy charged, the final battle for Cadfael Island began in earnest, and there was no more time for words or arguments, only action. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. Robar and company cut their way through Caer Jannath to Castle Jannath to face off against the last of the Umberlant Leaders in the Jannath's Tears Archipelago. They had to expend a bunch of magical resources to do it, but they did it. Now they have one final climactic battle to end the campaign, and with it, this prologue section of the Fic.

The next chapter will be that fight, then I'll have a bit of an epilogue chapter for the Prologue as well as some more images, before we finally get into the BG One Section of the fic and you get to see exactly how Robar is going to fit in with the lower power level of that Game.

Stay tuned. . .