The Lays of the Thirteen Claws League - Session 91

    From our most recent session, last Thursday (2021/03/25). This is another sort-of-IC retrospective by Bert, the party's thief locksmith-turned-bard. Bert himself pulled a sicky, so that his player could try out a new character, Anubesia of Ultioch, for the fight with the lich. I give +1 character point (XP) for those players who submit a summary for me to post here on the blog. 

    The Lays of the Thirteen Claws League

Canto 8:

Part 3: 

Well, now I know what the hopeful answer

was: that my good friends were starting to win

    – as I remain in bed soaking fever,

my dream sees the battle tide begin

to turn: amid the martial noise and din

the fight starts to look like a game of chess:

Yvor’s strike at the lich only found thin

air: illusion or blinked? I can just guess

what kind of magic guarded the undead lichess.

On our flank, Davin, feeling that, perhaps,

he would soon fall channelled a mighty spell

to fake an illusory roof collapse

to fool the ghouls and to hide us as well.

How long would the spell hold?  Well, who could tell?

In this dance of magic, the lich struck back,

she re-appeared to stab Yvor pell mell

but he stood his ground against this attack

plotting for a chance to land his own mighty thwack.

Davin had bought time for monk Warian

to drink healing potions – he’d been near death –

and now he was fixed to could carry on

restoring his friends and give them more breath

to keep on battling as the hundredth 

foe fell – it had been a closely run thing

without Warian to keep up their strength

their mission would end and come to nothing:

and I would have to cut short the song that I sing!

Their battle lines having become so weak

old Jenkins found himself deep in the fight -

the press of skeletons would try to seek

out where the party’s defences were light -

but he fought quite well and struck back alright.

Miao flew to ensure he was defended.

Then the Lich sought to take away their sight

as the mist she’d parted re-descended

another phase in the campaign had now ended.

Yvor, Hemmu and Miao fought on, each mowed

down minions blow by blow.  Adam too killed

Anubesia too stabbed and winnowed

clearing her flank of skeletons through skilled

thrusts: but not all of the foes were stilled

a chorus of ghouls continued to gob

acid to sear armour: Yvor wasn’t thrilled

by this (he was badly hurt by this mob)

and resolved to finish them down to the last yob.

Gryffyn was direly hurt: he’d born the brunt

of the clash of arms but still he had held 

on, and now Miao Miao joined her love at the front

adding to the pile of enemies felled.

The knight realised that this position spelled

victory: the vile lichess had failed to dupe

them into disarray and so he yelled

a stentorian command to his troupe,

telling all of them that it was time to “Re-group!”

Emberwood yelled too: “The Lichess is here!”

she’d come round and had dispelled the cave-in.

Unseen by his friends, he faced her sans fear:

wounded and out of mana, he’d win

against her – it’s well known that our Davin

does not lack in valour nor confidence -

a wizard’s duel was now set to begin

both using their magickal influence

in a warlike contest of their awesome puissance.