No bullshit. I’m not even kidding. Zero is dead. Five episodes, and Zero is dead. This is uncanny.
I think I might be cursed.
Let’s start at the beginning. Obviously, the assault on Gruddhaug didn’t go so well. The next stage was fine. As we came up the ramp towards the entrance to the main hall, there was a line of hobgoblins and a giant standing guard in front of the boulder blocking the doorway. Our knight allies once again led the charge, and with our collective effort we cut through them pretty easily. The last couple of hobgoblins fled back past the boulder just before Harshnag reached it to heave it out of the way.
Immediately within the entrance was a smaller hall sectioned off to the front and to the side with heavy curtains. We pushed on straight forward, and after Harshnag tore the curtain down, we entered the main hall proper.
It didn’t look so bad at first. There were about four or five giants, a handful of hobgoblin archers, a pair of ogres, and the hobgoblin spellcaster with another funny-looking dude with him. And, of course, Chief Guh. With our full complement of knights and the badasses of our party, despite the fighting we had already done, I, personally, felt quite confident.
So confident I turned into a mammoth, considering that, having been bitten by a lycanthrope, it was probably the only time I would ever be able to cast Polymorph on myself. We all charged forward, cutting through the first couple of giants as Chief Guh and the other ranged enemies whittled away at us. I was particularly easy to hit, and brought out of mammoth form after just a couple of rounds (but not before finishing off two wounded giants and stomping them into mush). As soon as I was back to normal, I flew high into the air.
As we started to get toward the middle of the room, things started to turn. A bugbear leading four wargs came charging out of a room to the north to attack one group of four knights and Hector, while another eight bugbears climbed out of two grates in the floor, four of them going after Harshnag and Kaly, the other four going after the remaining knights. Kaly and Leo were still back a bit in the room, blasting away as is their wont.
Then things started to get worse. The knights began dropping, one by one. Harshnag, too, was dropped by repeated boulder throws from Guh just managing to batter through his impressively high armour class. Kaly came in to heal him up, and while we all were very cognisant that we needed to retreat, she, Harshnag, and I were all dropped before we could start moving. Hector had already started running for the door, while Leo had never left the doorway, and was on edge, ready to run.
He healed me up with the last Healing Word from the ring, only because I was the only one that wouldn’t immediately be brought back down before my turn, and then he ran. He managed to cast Fly on himself, and flew off like the wind. Hector kept going too, but being severely exhausted, he didn’t get far before he was taken down.
By this point, there was only myself and one of the knights left alive and conscious in the hall, along with a horde of enemies. With Mirror Image and several Shield spells, I managed to survive a couple of rounds, during which time the knight was overwhelmed and taken down. I tried to help my unconscious friends, since for backstory reasons I would never leave anyone behind, and eventually my magical tricks ran out.
I was still flying when I was shot down, so hitting the floor took me down to my first failed death saving throw. As the last conscious one to fall, we expediently went through any remaining death saving throws any of us had to make. Harshnag, Kaly and Hector all stabilised, but with a 4, a 10, and then a 9, I did not.
Thus, Zero died.
It was strangely fitting, considering I had to finish the session early, and I died about fifteen minutes before I had to go anyway. The others kept playing. To give the brief recap as I’ve learned it, Hector and Kaly were taken prisoner, but nearly drowned in an escape. They were found by Leo, who had gone and collected My Speaker and every other ally we had the option to hire in the first place and were on their way back to Gruddhaug. They are preparing to attack, once the remainder of those allies they’ve hired finally show up within the next couple of days.
As for me, I have a week to create yet another new character, before I presumably join the group for that second assault. Not that it requires too much effort, I think, since I’m now convinced that someone has indeed put a curse on me and whatever character I create will die after five episodes. At least I haven’t started running out of ideas, yet. Looks like I’ll probably be needing quite a few more.