AD&D Session 103 - The Siege of Daestok
29th of Horisal – 2nd of Misuthar, 835 PD
While Whisper and Zefran recuperated at the Herathis Mines, Bibi used the unexpected delay to rally the local dwarves against the vampiric corruption spreading through the region. Much as she had among the human and Tabaxi refugees, she appealed to those affected by the undead wildlife and Daestok’s decline, winning a measure of support for an eventual assault against the power responsible.
3rd of Misuthar, 835 PD
Once the infected party members had recovered sufficiently, the group returned to Whisper’s village. There they shared everything learned at the dwarven temple, teaching the local clerics and healers the materials, preparations and ritual procedures required to purge the vampiric affliction.
Over the following days, the treatment was performed on as many victims as their resources allowed. The cure offered the forest settlements their first real defence against the infection and strengthened their willingness to confront its source.
14th of Misuthar, 835 PD
With the afflicted treated and their allies prepared, the party gathered the volunteers rallied from the surrounding settlements and marched for the dwarven stronghold. There, the makeshift army was joined by dwarven soldiers and equipped with the weapons and armour that had been ordered for the uprising.
The combined force then began its march towards Daestok.
16th of Misuthar, 835 PD
The freedom army reached Daestok and began preparing its siege against the vampire controlling the town. The streets remained as deserted as during the party’s previous visit, and the few guards still present had neither the numbers nor the means to stop the armed force entering the city.
Following the plan, the majority of the rebels advanced upon the Truscan estate, intending to fight their way into the manor and draw its defenders towards the main assault. The party instead made for the nearby graveyard and entered through the secret tunnel they had discovered months earlier during their first investigation of the Truscans.
Unknown to them, they were not alone. Since her brief and awkward meeting with the party outside Rexxentrum several weeks earlier, Serene had continued to follow them without revealing herself. She had shadowed their journey to Daestok, entered the town behind them and now followed them through the graveyard tunnel under magical invisibility. None of the party had realised that she was still nearby, much less that she had accompanied them into the Truscan estate.
The passage brought them once again into the estate’s underground chambers. Their first room contained rows of partially buried coffins. Remembering the vampire spawn encountered there during their original infiltration, the party took no chances. Under the cover of magical Silence, they nailed the coffins shut before anything inside could awaken or alert the manor.
Beyond lay a makeshift laboratory connected to the mansion’s cellar. Two alchemists were frantically gathering equipment and supplies, apparently attempting to escape before the advancing rebels reached them. Bibi caught them off guard by directly demanding the location of Lord Truscan.
At that moment, Serene appeared seemingly from thin air beside the party, revealing her presence to them for the first time since their encounter outside Rexxentrum. Taking advantage of the alchemists’ shock and confusion, she cast Detect Thoughts. Though neither captive willingly answered Bibi’s question, their surface thoughts revealed where the vampire lord could be found and how the party could reach him.
The party had little opportunity to question Serene about where she had come from or how long she had been following them. Once the necessary information had been taken, both Bibi and Serene immediately turned their magic upon the alchemists while Whisper charged forward, beginning the party’s first battle inside the Truscan estate as the siege raged above.