Episode 48: Siege of Tempest Tide Report
General Summary
The officers of the Blackjack devised a plan to infiltrate Tempest Tide with stealth and secrecy. They acquired information from Aginnad that an ancient white wyrm named Coldmaw stays near the citadel, ready to defend it. The crew strategized for the Blackjack to turn invisible and drop them off overhead, enabling them to descend invisibly thanks to Nia's magic. Before flying down into the highest tower of Tempest Tide, the crew received a "Pass without Trace."
In the tower, they discovered their old faerie dragon friend, THC the Puff, in a birdcage. Grateful for their arrival, THC praised Moonbreeze for finding him. Nia, with a casual response, allowed Lance to warp him out of the cage to avoid the traps THC warned them about. THC, who had been spying on the citadel, shared information. Officers were on the upper floor, nothing in the floor just below, and soldiers occupied the two relaxing levels. The officers possessed flares to call the ancient white, and there were four more flares at each of the ballista.
The crew headed to the officer room and entered. The open door drew the attention of the guards, but quick hypnotic patterns disabled most of the enemy officers. El took a broom to disable one of the resisters, and Lance held another. Spark grabbed the tail of a dracopriest to prevent him from sending off a flare, and Nia dominated the mind of one of the abishai. A hidden draconian awaited the Nyxekspawn, but El petrified him with the Glaive of Wonder, earning Ashaya's favor once more, before eliminating the draconian. Nia and Lance helped subdue the dracopriest. With the unsubdued threats taken care of, the crew quickly snagged and doused all the flares to prevent a message from being sent. The subdued enemies were placed around El, turning it into a sort of enemy wake-and-whack-a-mole. It was a slaughter. They then interrogated the last dominated officer, learning that the south side of the building had some weird monsters and the only flares left were on the ballista. Nia sent him to retrieve those flares for "inspection."
The crew proceeded to clear the other floors. Spark took a peek in the south wing for the disruptive monsters and found an ooze and a metal muncher, dealing with them effectively. Nia then transformed into the Nyxekspawn, wielding her ice wand, and walked around the bottom. Soldiers grew suspicious, especially when an abishai acted suspiciously in the "give me your flares bro" routine. The soldiers established guards and took up their stations as a flare went up. Nia, as the Nyxekspawn, tried to dissuade suspicion, but it was failing. The clerics put up wards over the stairs and the opening of the central pit that would harm beings Tiamat does not approve. The crew found themselves trapped, protected only by a thin web of Nia's lies. A new strategy was needed as the center of Tempest Tide was about to turn into a messy brawl.
