Altheya - Episode 26: The Battle for Ashen Rest (2024)

The Battle for Ashen Rest is the 26th episode of the Altheya: The Dragon Empire Campaign. It was broadcast live on both the highrollersdnd Twitch and YouTube channels on the 16th of June 2024 at 5PM BST.

A summoning ritual must be stopped as the aptly named Demon Slayers charge through an army of Demons in the Battle for Ashen Rest!

Summary[]

Announcements[]

• Mark welcomes everyone and introduces the players. Katie is still not feeling well, so is away for this episode.
• Merch – reminder that merch is available as print on demand, so will not be going away. There are also Geeky Clean bath bombs and minis from Only-Games.
• Reminder that there is now a website at www.highrollersdnd.com
• HR Live will be at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End of London on 17^th September.
• If you don’t have money to support the show financially, encourage others to watch, listen to the podcast, watch the YT shorts.
• (This episode was pre-recorded because Mark was at LARP.)

Recap[]

Our heroes were investigating old tunnels beneath Ashen Rest in search for the rogue Illuminator of the Lamp Lighters’ Guild, Morris Goldsight. Battling against some mercenaries, the party learned that Morris had been alerted to their search and had set off for the town walls and the Superior Everlights built into the watchtowers there. Heading back to Brightshadow Cathedral in order to meet with their allies, the party emerged only to witness the Everlights of the town turning on and channelling a sickly yellow-green Demonic light which then encapsulated the town in a dome of smoke and light.

With Ser Griold, Dwarven Knight of the Realm, as an ally, the party made their way across the town choosing paths to take and how quickly to move. They were able to seek help from the mysterious Elven mage, Blackwing, who helped them recover their strength in far less time than was necessary. They aided citizens and Sister Benedicta in the Grumpy Hog Tavern before they decided to go straight to the watchtower where they believed Morris was located, hoping to find a weakness in the Everlights and perhaps stop the Demonic plot of the Lamp Lighters’ Guild.

They arrive in the streets before the town wall and are faced with an imposing battle ahead.

Part One[]

In between the party and their destination is a horde of vicious demons ready to take them down in the Battle for Ashen Rest!

The party has arrived at the town walls and now stands in a small square or plaza with buildings on all sides of them. There are broken and crumbled pieces of stone wall, broken pillars, and a collapsed building at various places around the plaza. Someone has overturned a wagon and used it, barrels and crates to make a barricade that guards and civilians have crowded around. The party can see movement and hear the shouts and screams of civilians from within two of the buildings around the plaza. In front of them, they can see a set of stairs leading up to a guard barracks that is connected to the town wall itself – this leads up to the wall where they can also access the tower. Many of the buildings around them are on fire, including the barracks building which is engulfed in an inferno. The party is about 80-90 feet from the stairs leading to the barracks building.

Pouring out of two of the Everlights are bestial Demons, humanoid in shape, but made of sickly yellow smoke with bright, burning red eyes. Behind some broken walls are Demonic foot soldiers wearing scraps of foul metal, leather, and sinew as armour. They have distorted and elongated Humanoid features including mouths that are too large, broken horns and claws, and tails. One of them is dressed in fine clothes and fine armour, and is a more handsome-looking figure, although they are not sure whether it is a male or female.

There are two flying swarms of small, burning bestial creatures looking like an amalgamation of imps and bats– they chitter to themselves as they travel and give off trails of white smoke in their wake. In addition, there is a larger winged Demon flying around the tower that has bandoliers that have odd looking spheres and alchemical flasks strapped to them. Finally, on the wall, scanning the battlefield is a Demonic figure that is 9-10 feet tall with four arms – two huge ones and two small ones – and its face is almost Draconic except that it is twisted and warped with too many horns and two mouths in its face, one above the other. It is clad in a mix of clothing and armour and has a Demonic sniper rifle in its two larger hands – it made of Demonic metal with a crystalline scope and the mouth of the weapon is shaped like a roaring Demon’s face, trailing Demonic fire from it. Its two smaller hands hold an axe and a Demonic pistol.

As the party arrives, they can see a squad of the Duke’s Guard and civilians huddling and taking cover behind the wagon, crates and barrels, trying to avoid blasts of fire and crossbow bolts coming from the Demonic foot soldiers. There is a loud boom as a blast comes from the large Demon on the wall – a guard, Harry, who had taken inadequate cover is sent flying and wiped out as the evil-looking Demonic weapon is discharged.

The Demon captain notices the party arriving and tells them (using both mouths) that his good friend, Balazgor, is throwing a lovely engagement for them and asks who will be next to taste Neros’ wrath, bringing the firearm back up to his shoulder. The notice at this point that there is a third, toothy mouth in the Demon’s stomach that is silent with eyes in his chest – the belly face appears to be wearing a helmet, and that is the extent of the body armour that this creature wears.

Gruff takes a deep breath, creating his Armour of Oak and Thorn before pointing his staff at the eastern side of the plaza – an illusory Seren flies out and a Moonbeam hits the Everlight and all of the Demons clustered under it – the Demons are all destroyed and the Everlight takes some damage. Some of the smoke burns away, being disintegrated into motes of light and dust, however, it is still lit and it begins to swell again with energy. Griold shoots at the same Everlight, hitting it with a crossbow bolt before he and Gruff move to take cover behind the wagon. Commander Neros brings up his weapon, what looks like an armless crossbow to the party, and a burning rune appears in the area in front of Rowan, marking him. Ophelia raises Voracity in the air, Raging, and yelling that it is time to make some Demons bleed – she leaps into the nearest group, noting the noxious smell of the smoke from which they are made. She kills one with her sword and another with her whip and is hit with a flame as they die. The magical raven flies over and attacks the Everlight, flying away to find cover afterwards.

Xantheus moves to the cart and throws a twinned Chaos Bolt at the Demons to the armoured and shielded Demons to the west. While the first bolt hits the rubble in front of them, the second shoots out as a lightning bolt and hits one of the foot soldiers – its blood hisses and boils and the creature screams. The Demonic bombardier flies across the plaza towards the Duke’s Guards and hurls flame from one of its hands while it begins to pull out flasks with the other – the guards duck out of the path of the flame and are uninjured. The Demon foot soldiers move out and, seeing Gruff, Griold, and Xantheus crowded behind a crate, pulls out a flask and throws it at them – the flask hits and shatters, covering Gruff and Xantheus in a thick oily ichor (‘Foul Ichor”). Multiple Demons attack, and one of the guards is killed – the good-looking Demon is calling our orders to the others, telling them to kill the guards, then to concentrate on Ophelia, believing her to be the most dangerous of the party.

The well-dressed Demon, seeing that Gruff and Xantheus and the cart have been hit by the ichor, flies over and shoots a flame from his finger – Gruff, Xantheus, and the cart are ignited. Gruff is shaken and his Moonbeam disappears. Rowan casts Silent Image, creating the illusion of a 15-foot stone, shaped like the statue that he had bought from Gabrilla Tintoes in Burnell (but with his face on it), between him and Neros, blocking Neros’ line of sight to him. Neros becomes angry, not expecting Rowan to use magic – Rowan moves towards the civilians, keeping the rock in between him and Neros. Rowan tries to convince the civilians and one of the guards, a sergeant, to help them get to the stairs to the wall – the civilians are terrified, but the sergeant is happy to assist.

The two swarms fly down to Ophelia and Ser Griold, burning both of them and clawing and biting at Ophelia. The townsfolk manage to hold themselves together and rally their spirits as they endure the terrifying presence of the Demons. The Everlight nearby produces smoke that forms into four new creatures.

Gruff whistles and summons Seren to him – she flies over to him and where she flies, water falls, extinguishing the flames on Xantheus, Gruff, and the wagon, as well as washing the Foul Ichor away. Gruff then casts Shillelagh before moving to one of the nearby buildings, hearing people panicking inside – they are losing themselves to fear. Gruff calls to the citizens to reassure them, calming them down successfully.

Ser Griold shoots at the Everlight, hitting it but barely doing any damage due to the protective smoke around it. Neros, thinking that the illusory rock is real, lowers his weapon and the rune fades from Rowan. He repositions and aims instead at Gruff, conjuring a rune in front of the Wildheart from Tremorrew. Ophelia disengages and spider climbs up the wall of a nearby building, hunkering down on the roof. The raven again stacks the Everlight, trying to pull it apart with its beak. The minions, now that they cannot attack Ophelia, swarm around to attack Gruff, Griold, and Xantheus – they miss, but the stench of the smoke chokes those around them. Xantheus breathes in some of the smoke and ichor from the previous fire, steps back, and uses his Dragon Breath to hit the swarm, some of the minions, Ser Griold, and the Everlight – two minions, the swarm, and the Everlight are destroyed. He then turns and uses a Firebolt to destroy a minion near Gruff.

The bombardier flies over Rowan and drops a canister on the ground – it creates a massive area of thick, green, cloying and obscuring smoke. Xantheus is hit with a crossbow bolt while the sergeant avoids two shots. The Cambion points to Xantheus and Commands him to approach – Xantheus feels the urge to move towards the Demon but something deep in his mind declines, realising that the Demon is a lesser creature than he. The creature is angered when it fails.

Rowan, standing in the green smoke, is poisoned, then moves out of the smoke, moving the illusory stone to become part of the wall in front of Gruff, obscuring Necros’ view. He shouts to the guards that they should move the civilians out and away from the area before using Bardic Inspiration on Gruff. The swarm chases Ophelia, burning and biting her. The large group of civilians and guards begin to break, and one of the guards, Leonard, dies – they prepare to turn and run. The remaining Everlight spawns more minion Demons.

The party hears footsteps coming from the direction they came – Daisy and Benedicta turn the corner at speed. Daisy looks scared but determined, and Benedicta is frothing at the mouth and screaming about Demons, rabid with zealot rage. Daisy sees the bombardier in the air and hits it with two radiant blades.

Part Two[]

The epic Battle for Ashen Rest continues as the team charge forward through the demon army!

Part 2 Full Description

YouTube Timestamps[]

Characters[]

PCs[]

• Daisy Thistleheart
• Gruffudd of Tremorrew
• Ophelia D'larosa
• Rowan
• Xantheus Auregan

New NPCs[]

• Demonic Commander Neros
• Leonard (guard)
• Lenny (guard) (or is this the same person as Leonard??)
• Harry (guard)

Returning NPCs[]

• Returning NPC 1
• Returning NPC 2

Mentioned NPCs[]

• Balazgor
• Mentioned NPC 2

Featured Locations[]

• Ashen Rest
  • Western wall
  • Sublocation 2
• Location 2

Trivia[]

• Tom suggested that since they were moving towards a fautly tower that the episode name should be “Faulty Towers”. Mark did not agree.
• Mark suggested at the start of the episode that defeating the enemies at the base of the tower should probably not be the party’s objective. He pointed out that there are many enemies with ways that he could bring in more – some enemies are weak, others are strong. Their objective is to take the tower and stop Morris. Mark pointed out to viewers and listeners that this is not meant to be a fair fight but that the players trust him, and he trusts them. He advised that they could use Fate Dice to use the civilians in fun ways (maybe someone is a healer who can heal them, or maybe a guard could push in front of them and block an attack). He also confirmed that with this fight, there are powerful enemies that can steal Fate Dice, so that the party should not try to hoard them.
• Crucible of Fate dice rolls: Kim (6), Rhi (5), Tom (4), Trott (4), Mark (2).
• Lore drop: Demons and Devils: Demons and Devils are numerous in Altheya, and they have discovered felite and hellblood (that acts like explosives), creating Demonic firearms. This is how they fight against the Celestials, Elves, and Elementals. Altheya has only just started to develop firearm technology (in Caldra specifically), but these are more like flintlock pistols and muskets, but they are rare and experimental. Demonic weapons are innately magical, powered by Demonic materials.
• As Mark was rolling a million initiatives, the players discussed whether or not they really cared that much about Ashen Rest. Trott pointed out that the dome was keeping them in. Mark advised them that if they wanted to avoid scary battles, that they should not play D&D – they are meant to be heroes.
• Initiative: Gruff/Griold (21), Ophelia/Raven (17), Xantheus (15), Rowan (4)
• Mark determined how long it took the party to get to the wall. With the decisions that they made (the speed with which they moved, the fact that they went to the Grumpy Hog, etc.), they used up 8 ‘time points’. Mark started with 20 points, made a check for Morris to determine how far along he was in repairing the device – 4 time points – leaving 8 time points. This means that it will take Morris at least 8 time points (or turns) before he can, in theory, fix the device. He still needs to roll to check to see if the device is fixed.
• Demon minions: smoke that they are made of is foul smelling – Toxic Presence – Gives a -1 penalty to saving throws and attack rolls for every minion within 5 feet.
• Bombardier –
  • Foul Ichor is slippery and sticky, and it reduces movement by 10 feet. Makes the target vulnerable to fire (double damage) – it removes resistance to fire. It does not go away once ignited and the target is on fire – the target takes d6 damage at the start of their turn. It takes an action for a character to extinguish the flames.
  • Bombing Run – dash and drop special bomb. The bomb creates a 20-foot-cube of cloying green smoke that obscures the area and is difficult terrain. Causes poison damage at the start of a character’s turn
• The well-dressed Demon is part Cambion.
• The NPCs make a wisdom saving throw at the start of their turn. If they fail, they gain a corruption point, and as they slowly gain corruption, they become possessed and start to turn. The PCs (if they roll high) can give morale to the NPCs which gives them a bonus to their saving throw.
• Everlights: The DM can use a Fate Die to replace up to 4 minion Demons on the map. Any PC that starts within 30 feet of a light has hope drained from them – the DM can take up to 2 Fate Dice from the PC side.
• Griold does not get disadvantage from having an enemy nearby – he has an equivalent of the sharpshooter feat and is a skilled enough shooter that he can nudge enemies away and get off a quick shot.
• Rowan is poison resistant because he is a Dale Giant.
• Trott controls the NPC, Benedicta, while Mark runs Daisy.

Quotes[]

• Quote 1

• Quote 2

References[]