GURPS Fantasy Warriors Session 39: The Siege of the Imperial College

Characters:

Granmarg The Striking Vanguard, The Boulderstruck, Member of the Earthling Triumvirate
Pomegranite The Treefallen, The Spymaster

Mielikki The Field Marshal, Member of the Earthling Triumvirate

Thicket The Grandmaster Terramorpher, Member of the Earthling Triumvirate

 

Preparations

For their assault on the College, the army would split in three, with the large vanguard elements flanking the city while the main thrust pushed through the north wall.  Mielikki made a point of running into Pomegranite to inquire about what he had learned from the elves, and the spymaster told him the elven names of the rest of the gods as well as that demons were a creation of Carmenta.  As he had discussed with Granmarg, he left out the fact that the earthlings had been created as a slave race by the dwarves.

 

As they drew near the College's high walls of white stone, Curzo pointed out a particular tower beyond, topped with a polished brass dome, which had been the life's work of High Magster of the Sun Jasper Sunmeadow.  It was a weapon, and would fire scorching beams of sun magic at them until it was disabled.  Empress Edelina might have been able to make use of it, but she was on the west flank. When they were establishing their camp outside of the range of the College's defenses, Pomegranite's chosen scouts reported sightings of a transparent floating elf whose form shifted between the colours of the rainbow.  The commanders assembled and after some discussion it was accepted that, regardless of who (or what) this was, they were acting as an ally to the usurper Baelynna who would share her fate.

 

In secret, the members of the inner circle met, and Uthemar reckoned that this was Medaius, or in elven, Mindartis Doltoran, god of Magic and the Void.  This made things more dangerous; if they failed to kill either him or Baelynna on the field, it meant that their plan to corner her would now likely result in them having to fight two gods simultaneously.  Though they didn't know exactly how strong gods were supposed to be, they did know that they could be slain.

 

Also of note, Duke Bachofen was spotted among the enemy ranks, perhaps unsurprising given he had been working on the portal spell at the College under Eva.  With command so concentrated among a massive consolidated army, a variety of advisors from the different provinces (Cliffside, in the earthlings' case) were given junior posts and told to act under their own initiative.  Mielikki did his best to liason between the various magic users of the provincial armies, making use of the doctrines he had written up several years past.

 

Thicket got to work concocting a stratagem they could use in the upcoming battle, while Pomegranite met with what few Magisters of the Path of Blood they had to inform them of the technique to cure Baelynna's compulsion.  Hopefully, they could use it offensively as well: if they were able to remove her influence from an enemy officer, even temporarily, they would be able to disrupt the movement of hundreds.  Ulrich, meanwhile, reported that he'd cast a spell that would summon phantom soldiers which they could use to distract the enemy and trick them out of position.

 

Scouts reported that the armies of the College were being joined by hastily-assembled peasantry, who marched in eerily perfect unison.  A final council determined that while they should attempt to take Jasper, Eva, and any other members of the College prisoner, both Baelynna and Mindartis were to be shown no quarter.  On the eve before battle the drinking songs and tales of heroism from the battalions of the League buoyed the spirits of the provincial armies and steeled their commanders' resolve.

 

The Assault Begins 

The next morning, the troops took to the field.  The College's forces were held largely in reserve to respond to the flanks if necessary, with Jasper Sunmeadow left alone to man his battle tower.  Not wanting to give him a chance to fire it, Granmarg gave the signal, horns blew, and his army crashed forward.  He shattered the mighty walls with a single blow, and then his army was at the base of the tower.  They battled their way up and soon came upon Jasper himself.  The High Magister yelled at them to cease attacking his life's work at once, but Granmarg silenced him before he could finish his sentence, and four blows to the chest sent the halfling crumpling to the stone.

 

The lenses and mirrors atop the tower were destroyed, and the signal was given for the rest of the armies to advance.  They were careful to keep their formations without commanders in reserve, so that Baelynna couldn't gain dominion over their minds.  The the right flank advanced cautiously so as to avoid magical bombardment from Mindartis.  Each of the earthling commanders found openings in the walls for their advance into the city.  Mielikki tore down a section with the headsman's axe, while Pomegranite used a secret passage he'd known about from his time as an adept of the College to get the army through.  Thicket just used his troops to seize the gate.

 

Granmarg retreated back out of range of Baelynna's formation of magisters, while Mielikki charged up the right flank.  They swept a light garrison aside and then continued into Mindartis' troops, where they found the god floating beneath an orb of magical energy 50 feet wide. 

 

 

Notes:

Lots of checking rules because the last battle we had was over 4 months ago. 

Opinions on fighting two gods are divided: on the one hand, it'll be twice the gods to fight.  On the other, two dead gods with one stone!  To quote Granmarg's player: "Infinite suicide missions, each more suicidal than the last".

 

This battle has the option for the PCs to swap out for the other commanders in their entourage, though they'll take a penalty to strategy the turn they do so.  Of course, their PCs only get XP if they're personally involved in battles/duels.

 

Pomegranite's player asked if they could get a bonus if they didn't swap out their characters at any point in the battle, and I said yes.  There were some jokes about getting a special cosmetic item.  Despite his rhetoric of going earthling only even if it cost them the game, he ended up being the first one to swap.

 

Gods have special rules.  Baelynna can use the "Bribe" special action (take control of an adjacent army with no commander) for free every turn, while Mindartis' Barrages are always "Super Barrages" (range 2, damage 2).

 

Granmarg hit four consecutive move and attacks on a 9 or less against Jasper, who then promptly failed his death check.  He was slaughtered.