> [!infobox|wikipedia] > # Recording > [](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qroGrWDwQQ) > # Basic Information > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Session # | 42 | > Play Date | 2025-11-22 | > Players | Deathmouse<br>JC<br>Kiwi<br>Lacer<br>Vael | > Party Level | 8 | > # Session Details > Attribute | Details | > ---|---| > Date | [[Campaigns/The Bloody Nails/Calendar/Year - 2507/03 - Water, 3rd.png\|6th Water, 3rd - 2507]] | > Location | [[Val Noren]] > Characters | [[King Marius Noren]]<br>[[Barak Stormrider]] | ## Summary The liberation of [[Val Noren]] has begun. In a high-stakes operation to break the stalemate between Loyalist and Imperial forces, the party executed a surgical strike on the city's river gates. Utilising a combination of silence spells, shape-shifting, and lethal stealth, the group infiltrated the gatehouses, eliminating the guards before a single alarm could be raised. With the portcullis raised and the control towers secured, the [[The Mawbreakers]] arrived under the cover of a massive magical fog bank summoned by [[Kai]], constructing a pontoon bridge to allow the main army to flank the enemy. As the fog lifted and the Loyalist army crossed the river, the session culminated in a brutal clash upon the bridge. [[King Marius Noren]] led the charge, meeting the Imperial commanders in a bloody standoff. While the battle raged, the party bolstered the vanguard with healing magic and rained destruction down upon the elite [[Hand of The Empire|Hands of the Empire]] . Realising their defeat was imminent and refusing capture, the remaining Imperial elites took their own lives, shattering the morale of the occupying forces. Marius declared victory, reclaiming Val Noren as the "Shield of the North," while the party celebrated a hard-won triumph that shifted the balance of the war. ## Details ### Preparations and Planning * [[Dondar]] spent the morning investigating the magical note found on the assassin. A high Arcana check revealed it is not a hidden message, but a communication device requiring a specific reagent to activate. * [[Kai]] inquired about the local deities to potentially bless the army; he learned that [[Torgar Earthshaker|Torgar]] (god of the earth and mountains) is the primary deity in [[Val Noren]]. * [[Barak Stormrider|Barak]] arrived at the garrison disguised in Imperial armor, revealing his plan to lead the [[The Mawbreakers]] through the city to the docks to commandeer boats for the pontoon bridge. * The party finalized their plan: infiltrate the gatehouses, silence the guards, and open the river gate to allow the pontoon construction. ### Securing the West Tower * The party approached the gatehouse through back alleys. [[Kai]] cast *Silence* on the door area, and [[Ryo]] cast *Silence* on the bridge to prevent audio alarms. * [[Berberis]] (using *Thorn Whip*) and [[Eryndor]] breached the guard room. Eryndor utilised [[The Emberblade]] and his daggers to lethally dispatch the guards in the initial room. * Ryo utilised *Sharpshooter* to snipe a fleeing guard through multiple doorways, pinning him to the wall. * Once the ground floor was clear, the party moved up the tower. Kai used *Shape Water* to create a frosted ice pane over the window facing the opposite tower, obscuring their movements from the enemy across the river. * The group debated splitting up to take the second tower simultaneously. ### Crossing the River and the East Tower * [[Berberis]] (Wild Shaped into a giant Wolf Spider) and [[Eryndor]] (using a magic amulet) scuttled across the river on the underside of the bridge to remain unseen. * [[Kai]] transformed into a mouse and was flown across the river by his familiar. * [[Ryo]] and [[Dondar]] remained in the West Tower to provide ranged support. * Berberis and Eryndor ambushed the guards in the East Tower winch room. Eryndor assassinated the commander instantly. * Kai used *Toll of the Dead*, while Dondar and Ryo coordinated attacks from across the river to eliminate the guards on the roof and upper levels. * The operation was completed without raising a general alarm. ### The Pontoon Bridge * The party winched the massive portcullis open, allowing [[Barak Stormrider|Barak]] and the disguised [[The Mawbreakers]] to row their commandeered skiffs into position. * [[Kai]] cast a 4th-level *Fog Cloud*, covering a massive area of the river to hide the construction efforts from the main Imperial force. * Using *Water Walk* and their combined strength, the Mawbreakers and the party successfully lashed the boats together, creating a stable pontoon bridge. * A runner was sent to signal [[King Marius Noren|Marius Noren]], and thousands of Loyalist soldiers began to cross the river under the cover of the fog. ### The Battle for Val Noren * As the fog cleared and the bridge was revealed, [[King Marius Noren|Marius Noren]] stepped forward to confront the Imperial commander. * The Imperial commander rejected surrender, wounding Marius and ordering an attack. The Loyalist horns blew, and a chaotic melee erupted. * [[Kai]] utilized his Starry Form (Dragon) and *Aura of Vitality* to sustain the Loyalist vanguard, preventing significant casualties on the front line. * [[Ryo]] and [[Dondar]] targeted the enemy leadership. They spotted five [[Hand of The Empire|Hands of the Empire]] - elite soldiers with red cloaks - fighting back-to-back in a circle of dead bodies. * Dondar cast *Fireball* above the Hands to damage them without hitting allies, while Ryo rained *Hail of Thorns* arrows upon them. * Realising they were surrounded and defeated, the surviving Hands of the Empire committed suicide simultaneously rather than be taken prisoner. * Witnessing the death of their elites, the remaining Imperial soldiers surrendered. ### Aftermath * [[King Marius Noren|Marius Noren]] addressed the troops, declaring that [[Val Noren]] is no longer an Imperial city but the "Shield of the North." * [[Kai]] healed Marius's shoulder wound. * [[Ayana Wynne]] suggested using the prisoners for repair labor before deciding their ultimate fate. * The party regrouped at the garrison for celebrations. [[Lirien]] tended to [[Barak Stormrider|Barak's]] wounds. * Kai cast *Locate Object* to search the city for another Moonstone but detected nothing. * The party ended the night resting, now regarded as heroes of the realm. ## Art ### Val Noren River Gate ![[Val Noren River Gate.png]]