Introduction

No absences again this week. I'm now looking at finishing around Christmas to let somebody else do something. Things progressed again this week with the arrival of the vanguard of Rodian's army and the decision to try and summon the Phoenix.

Tor 12 Terong Foo'Pil: Elysium

Allagahn and Alfred find themselves slapped/tipped out of their chairs/bed by one of Deirdre tentacles. Realising something must be amis they head for the Gatehouse to the Keep. Fred joins them some minutes later although he's looking the worst for wear. Cordelia fails to show.

Allagahn dithers over what to do, eventually deciding to put all the microlites into the air as far from the approaching enemy as possible. Realising that the cavelry may just reach the edge of the ravine ahead of the approaching army, he orders out the APC's with the intention of them offering any assistance they can with their main guns and if necessary retrieving the mounted troops at the expense of the horses.

Attempting to offer what assistance he can Alfred prepares a spell to summon a strom so that he can direct lightening strikes onto the enemy army. The spell takes time, as does the resultant storm to build.

Meanwhile, Allagahn has decided that he needs a closer view of what's about to unfold and heads out across the ravine. Charity's troops reach the edge of the ravine and start the descent. Realising she needs to buy them some time she dismounts along with 30 troopers, and lay down several volleys of gaus rifle fire. It appears to have little impact on the approaching army although it does slow them for several minutes.

Realising she's now in danger of being cut off she and her men retreat in the direction of their horses. Allagahn has arrived on the scene and begins to harry the advanced guard giving Charity and her men sufficient time to regain their mounts.

Meanwhile the enemy have launched a counter attack using 50 airbourne demons. They swoop in over the swithcbback enganging Charity's, who are now about half way down. They strike in the middle of the column. Allagahn is forced to retreat or be swamped.

The attack is initially devastating and Charity finds she is now cut off. Her men begin to organise themselves to deal with the demons who are now fighting in close quarters. Several break off to attack Charity directly and Allagahn whos returned and is taking potshots at the demons on the ground.

Charity is forced into combat and finding her skill at arms insufficint uses psychic combat to kill her two assailants. Allagahn body rams a group of demons disrupting there organised structure. The demons decide they have caused sufficient dammage and start to pull out.

Of the 50 that attacked 28 are dead, 4 can't fly, and 8 others have serious wounds. Charity's men dispatch those that cannot fly as they tally their own casulties, 90 are dead and 22 have serious injuries, 6 having life threatening wounds. They manage to save 4 of them.

They gather what equipment they can and retreat to the bottom of the ravine where the APCs are now in a position to lend assistance. The wind has started to pick up, the sky is black, the temperature has dropped and it now starts to rain.

When Allagahn and Charity reach the Keep gatehouse when Fred and Alfred watch events, there is still no sign of Cordelia, although she does arrive half an hour later.

They start discussing what to do about the army. Allagahn is worried that they have insufficient troops to hold against them. Charity's generals and Fred are of a different opinion and appear to have matters in hand.

Allagahn decides he wants to do something about the enemy's ariel superiority and using the cover of the storm heads for where they are making camp on the other side of the ravine.

To avoid getting struck by lightening Alfred dismisses the storm when hes half way across. As the storm starts to abates Allagahn descends to where he can study the camp layout. He finds he can't work out where the aribourne troops are encamped, but quickly identifies the command pavilions. He decides to bomb those insteady. He invokes the pattern against magic and descends.

He reaches tbe 150ft above ground mark and is preparing to release the two napalm bombs he carries, when the world turns grey freezing him for perhaps 3 seconds. When it resolves to normal hes hit with a multitude of spells which cause the napalm to detonate. The blast flings him out over the ravine edge and he manages to control his suits fading flight function to glide to the ground. Its a long walk back to the Fortress.

After much discussion the party decide to try and resurrect the Phoenix. Cordelia trumps Deirdre and after a long wait she answers, and then sends tentacles to bring them upto the tower. Allagahn is missing and Cordelia hands Charity her trump of him so that she can retrieve him. He is definately the worse for wear.

Alfred prepares a silence spell and Charity strips off her armour for him to wear. She transforms into the form of one of the larger Rodian demons visible on the Keep roof.

They discuss how they're going to get the time they need to activate and emerge from the trump gate without triggering a genreal alarm. A olan is formed to use Pattern Tendrils to Psychically control and kill the guards. The six visible aguards are divided amongst Cordelia, Charity, and Allagahn. Charity gets the larger and one of the smaller Rodian demons, Allagahn gets the smallest of the demons on the roof and one of the larger black ones. Cordelia gets the other Rodian demon and the other large black demon. Alfred observes.

Cordelia's pattern aura forms first followed by Charity's then Allagahn's. Charity finds it tough going but eventually manages to gain control of the Rodian demon. By the time she does so the smallest demon, who has kept Allagahn from gaining control has smelled a rat and is heading for the door. Charity touches the smaller Rodian demon allocated to Cordelia and is met by Cordelia asking what took her so long.

With the situation deteriorating, Charity attacks one of the larger demons, but finds its physically better at combat- its also smart enough to avoid eye contact. Cordelia has menwhile killed the Rodian demon, jumped to the body of the other large black demon, and closed on the remaining Rodian. Sacrificing the body Charity manages to jump to the other Black demon, but she is tiring fast. The little demon has reached the door. She jumps on it, but find she bounces when she tries to gain control. The little rodian demon now appears and joins the frey. Charity decides to save her strength and withdraws her psyche killing the demon she was controlling. 30 secnds later Cordelia wakes from her trance. She is looking tired and just wants a cup of coffee.

Six demons lie dead on the roof. Needing to rest Cordelia opens the trump gate for the others and they pile thorough. She follows them with a mug of coffee in hand. The Keep is their's for the taking or is it.....