Uktar 1st - 5th - Helping the Githzerai help you

After a few days of resting and re-equiping the heroes were summoned by an out-of-breath guard with the report of a flying warship that was headed for the city. As the hustled to the West Gate, the group could hear the warship landing roughly outside of the city limits.

Bastion recognized it as a vessel of githyanki construction and everyone could see the lone individual onboard, just underneath a make shift white flag. The guard captain that accompanied the heroes (Jerra Dauralis) was overwhelmed by the situation and deferred to the Lords of Rock Hammer.

The battered ship looks like it was in a war as the githzerai Tokk’it begins to speak, telling the heroes that his people are under attack by the hands of the githyanki, and he asked for the heroes of Overlook to aid him. It took a bit of convincing that you were the heroes who slew General Zithiruun, and Tokk’it asked for more troops. Jerra Dauralis shook her head, saying that the Council would never send troops just after the recent attacks in Overlook.

President Umberto quickly answered the call and soon the heroes were on board and flying back to the githzerai fortress of Akma’ad. Tokk’it took a little bit of time explain a few more details:

• Akma’ad is 140 miles southwest of Overlook
  
  
• Akma’ad currently houses close to 100 githzeria trained to fight
  
  
• He is unsure how many githyanki are attacking, he saw three war galleons and at least three lancers so he guesses 200-300 troops
  
  
• Tokk’it slew the captain of this ship (The Conqueror) and flew it here, hoping to recruit the heroes to help his people.
  
  
• The ship was chased by githyanki lancers mounted on dragons, but the ship is faster, thus he was able to outpace them here.

Grognak stayed with Tokk’it to learn more:

Quote :

“This githyanki attack could not have come at a worse time. Most of the githzerai at Akma’ad right now are visitors. Our abbot it hosting a meeting of extremely important religious and political leaders. Kath’ik from the Monastery of Nine Stones, Most Exalted Odos from the House of Reprisal, Wellik the Elder from the Tower of Dancing Flame…all leaders that my people look up to. I think they are deciding who will lead us in the upcoming war, and how involved we will be in aiding your world."

Tokk’it went on to say that while he doesn’t have a lot of influence in the monastery at Akma’ad but he hopes his actions today might have a positive impact on his status. He also mentioned his affection of a githzerai female named Gallia, who he hopes is still alive despite the fact that she dissolved their relationship several months ago.

While Bastion and Lozigee stood watch on the main deck, the rest of the group searched the ship. They found the body of the dead githyanki captain and in his cabin they found a desk with a locked drawer. The lock proved too difficult for the heroes that slew Sarshan and General Zithiruun, so instead they bashed the hell out of it until it shattered. In the rubble of wood they found the captain’s orders:

Quote :

Dav’ot,

We expect the attack to go smoothly and quickly. Our informer is inside Akma’ad already, and has agreed to assist Brann’ot in the assassination of the foul githzerai leaders. Once you receive the signal from my flagship that the defenses are neutralized, land the Conqueror at a safe distance from the fortress and disembark all of your troops along with the Tyranny.

By the grace of High Emporer Zetch’r’r, Lord of the Astral Sea,

Captain Iquel
The Sacrifice

Moments later the shout came down from the crow’s nest, “Dragons on the way!”


This battled turned out to be tougher than the one with Sarshan, and the githyanki lancer and dragons were able to drop a couple of the heroes but only for a few seconds. They flyby attacks, reach attacks, and breath weapons, made it difficult to attack (just ask the barbarian) but eventually all four of the attackers were dropped.

As the Conqueror approached Akma’ad they could get a good look at the battlefield:


A – The remaining red dragon, ridden by a githyanki champion, approaches to see who crews the ship.

B & C – Githyanki ground troops attacking the sider entrances. The DM said these two battles were really generic and boring, so a change was made. If they Falling Rock trap was activated, these attackers would be wiped out, even though they are under the overhang.

D – The Sacrifice sees the return of the Conqueror and the red dragon and githtyanki champion attacking. They are loading up with troops and flying up to attack the heroes.

E & F – Control towers for the rock slide trap. Githyanki soldiers have taken this over thus preventing the githzerai from engaging it.


The group thought about it for a bit and decided to take on the dragon and lancer first, so as not to get pinned down by them if they landed. This battle was rough! I think a total of six characters got dropped, Umberto, Grognak, Lozigee, and Kregnok three times. Eventually the heroes wore them down and defeated their attackers, leaving the rock slide and the quickly approaching Sacrifice to deal with.

The president elected to take on the Sacrifice first before landing on the overhang to engage the rock slide.

This battle was preceded by the Sacrifice ramming the Conqueror, dealing out significant damage. Moments later, the other githyanki ship pulled up along side the heroes ship, attached cables and the fight was on.

This was easily won by the heroes (with the one exception being Kregnok getting dropped again), but initiatives were on the heroes side and they quickly dealt with the githyanki attackers. After the fight, the heroes found a strange piece of stained-glass on the pocket of the githyanki captain. Seeing that the Sacrifice was in better shape, Umberto had the Conqueror (on its last legs) crashed into the side entrance below where a great deal of githyanki attackers were,

From here the heroes landed the Sacrifice on the top ledge to spring the defensive trap. They made short work of the two towers and sprung the trap on the unsuspecting githyanki below.

Akma’ad was saved and the heroes got a chance to meet Odos, the blind githzerai spiritual leader. Here the heroes learned that Kath’ik and Wellik, two of the other githzerai leaders were assassinated as well and dozens of others. Odos felt obligated to attend a conference in Sayre, and asked who the heroes were.

After Umberto explained, the group got a chance to learn a little bit of the githzerai’s situation:

• Odos is concerned greatly about his people and their future. He worries that Sayre is only a temporary solution, and doesn’t know if there’s anyone he or the githzerai can trust other than themselves. Odos is a good and just leader, and his taciturn nature is a reflection of the hardships his race has endured, exacerbated by the recent attacks.
  
  
• The githyanki attacked without warning, and they sent strike teams to the personal chambers of all the githzerai leaders, as if they knew exactly who to attack and where they were staying. He’s convinced someone fed them information on the layout of Akma’ad, as well as the names of the leaders present. He was spared only because he stepped outside for a walk and heard the team of assassins in his room on his way back. He surprised the squad of three and defeated them single-handedly.
  
  
• Attacks of this sort have been happening to githzerai enclaves and monasteries all over the mortal realm. Most have fled to a refuge in Sayre, a nearby city. Odos wants to take his people there now.
  
  
• One of the githyanki assassins in his room had a small device that could be held in her hand. She was speaking into this object when he surprised the assassins in his room. It was green and looked reflective. If the characters have already revealed Gallia as a spy, Odos can identify the device she carries as identical to the one used by the githyanki who tried to assassinate him
  
  
• Odos and the other githzerai had planned this meeting at Akma’ad to discuss whether or not to accept an invitation in Sayre to meet with a newly formed coalition of leaders from other regions of the world concerned with the extent of the githyanki invasion. Each comes from a homeland ravaged by the githyanki, and they’re all looking for aid and support from their regions. Odos is bitter that the “humans” (he has a tendency to call all non-githzerai and non-githyanki “humans”) sound divided over political issues when there’s so much at stake. He was against going to the meeting, but now feels that going to Sayre is the only choice for his people.

While this was happening, Tokk’it brought his girlfriend, Gallia, and Bastion noticed that she seemed really interested about the stain-glass item that Odos saw used as a communication device. Umberto presented the evidence that the githyanki did have a person on the inside, and the fact that Gallia had done the drawings of the key githzerai in the Akma’ad. With a bit of truth, bluff, and showmanship, Umberto wielding Merthuvial, pointed out the traitor as Gallia. At first the heroes were able to prevent Odos from having her executed. But after it was learned, again through Merthuvial, that Gallia couldn’t be saved, she was executed.

The heroes decided to go with the 50+ surviving githzerai to the city of Sayre.