Session 11 The Six of Steel—Part 1
Having won all five challenges, The Six of Steel enter the final with ten flags versus the Feywild Ones’ five. Tabitha, Elaina, Cade, Cylaros and Buddleja approach to meet their opponents face to face. Outraged by his sheer luck, Tabitha shares playful banter with Gomruss while Cylaros expresses his admiration of Blythe’s skills as an archer. Firien returns to the party, burger in hand, and introduces themselves. While Cade fascinates himself with Arti’s story, Guy spots two of the referees looking in his direction and promptly decides to visit the latrine, making Firien his substitute. Vigor rings the bell and announces the beginning of the preparatory stage of the final. The two teams huddle up either side of the playing field to discuss tactics. Bantonio, one boot on the barricade, delivers an inspirational speech.
“My friends, we are going to win this… and we are going to have fun doing it. Stay hard!”
Bantonio inspires the Six of Steel.
The party each gain 7 temporary hit points.
The teams prepare their flags and on the sound of the bell the final begins! Elaina is the first to act, loosing an arrow at Firien before disappearing behind a barricade. A splatter of red paint dirties Firien’s armour but they seem unfazed. When Gomruss loudly announces himself, Cylaros looses a devastating three-arrow volley, splattering the dragonborn with red paint! Arti unfurls their wings and takes a running jump! Springing off a boulder, the warforged is able to glide over the difficult terrain and land right in front of Buddleja. She, Arti and Cade each carry flags. Terrified by Arti’s sudden appearance, Buddleja summons a duplicate of herself, also with a flag. The identical fairies part just as Arti’s Glaive hits the barricade between them. Identifying the threat, Tabitha attempts to shrink Arti but the warforged tears through her magical veil with ease. Cade’s greataxe attack is deflected by Arti’s strong armour.
Blythe scans the field for red flags and meets Cylaros’ gaze, marking him as her quarry. Bantonio climbs down to the centre field and begins to dig as if burying his flag. Fortunately, he is able to notice Elaina creeping up on him. Her sneak attack is foiled when he slashes her arm, divesting her of one of her two daggers. The two enter a scuffle, unable to strike one another. Bantonio rips his shirt in the process, flustering the otherwise elegant elf. Firien jumps down to the centre field and points between Cade and Buddleja. An ear-splitting sound engulfs them both and Buddleja’s duplicate disappears! The shatter spell dislodges Cade’s flag. It flutters into the air allowing Gomruss to propel it with his graviturgy! Cade fails to snatch his flag out of the air before it sails swiftly into the purple brazier! 1-0.
“An unprecedented move from Gomruss! A well-timed catapult spell has earned the Six of Steel their first point!”
“That were diabolical!”
Vigor provides commentary.
As Buddleja flees towards the centre field, Arti throws their glaive, piercing the fairy’s flag and pinning it to a boulder. Arti doesn’t notice Tabitha’s mage hand appear behind them. It plucks the flag from Arti’s chest and flees to deposit it into the red brazier, making the score 1-1! Meanwhile, Buddleja re-adorns her flag. She spots Bantonio posing in front of Elaina. Sensing an opportunity, the fairy flutters out from behind the boulder and swoons, charming the shirtless romantic. Elaina recomposes herself and attempts to question Bantonio, but quickly realises he doesn’t have a flag, nor does he know where the others are. Buddleja palms her forehead in exasperation.
“A handsome man like you should be on our team!”
“Anything for you, my dear.”
“Where are your flags?”
“I don’t know. I could ask my companions?”
Buddleja and Elaina realise they charmed the wrong person.
Distracted, Buddleja doesn’t spot the aura of purple around her flag. She tumbles backward as Gomruss catapults his second flag into the purple brazier! 2-1. Cade spots a flag between two boulders—hidden by Arti—and makes a break for it. Cylaros attempts to cover him, only to loose an arrow into the barricade before him. Taking advantage of the drow’s error, Firien bludgeons Cylaros with their flail, splattering him with purple paint. Cylaros snatches Firien’s flag and attempts to flee, but the dragonborn wraps the chain of their flail around Cylaros’ ankle! The flag flutters from Cylaros’ grasp as he falls and is picked up by Tabitha’s mage hand. The hand deftly tosses the flag to Tabitha and she throws it into the red brazier. 2-2.
“It’s a Truesong touchdown! Looks like the mages are running this show!”
Vigor provides commentary.
As Cade plucks Arti’s first flag from between the boulders, the warforged stealthily conceals another in the ground before the barricades. Bantonio watches the dwarf sprint back towards the red brazier, but does nothing to stop him. Instead, he calls for Arti’s help in locating the other purple flags. Fortunately, the charm does not last long as Buddleja takes a potshot at Arti. The guiding bolt misses and hits Bantonio instead, bringing him to his senses! Buddleja squishes her cheeks in a fit of irritation. Cylaros stands to engage Firien, but takes an arrow to the face as Blythe looses from afar with deadly accuracy. Cylaros falls to the floor once more, splattered with purple paint, just as Cade drops Arti’s flag into the red brazier. 2-3.
“The Feywild Ones take the lead as we move into the second half of the final! But the reigning champs have a mountain to climb with a man down and seven more flags to go!”
Vigor provides commentary.