The Battle for Yudenfros

The Battle for Yudenfros was the climax of the Band of Four’s efforts to reclaim Yudenfros from the dragon Cruor, who had captured it in early April that year. The adventurers, who had left the city weak and vulnerable, were now returning with a huge army behind them. They had a much better chance of winning this fight than they did before, but it was not enough to defeat a dragon with force alone. They were going to need skill, strategy and lots of luck to even get out half alive.

Background
Before it was razed to the ground by Cruor in April 1485, Yudenfros was a powerful city-state on the West Coast and part of the Four U’s. However, it had a bloody history of dragon-worshiping cultists and, even though it seemed mostly cleansed, there were still traces of draconic evil lurking (literally) underneath the gloss of the city.

As the green egg that was to be Cruor sensed the mind of Crawbald Axeworthy XVII’s mind getting weaker, it knew that it was the right time to strike. It gradually took control over his mind and used him to manipulate the city by making use of censorship, imprisoning intellectuals and speakers-out, and draping a permanent, thick mist over the city. The citizens of Yudenfros just thought the king was going senile.

In April, on a particularly foggy day, the transformation of the king was complete, and Cruor chose that day to hatch. The hatching caused a major earthquake which collapsed the central castle and many of the buildings around it. Cruor then tightened control over the minds of the people and ordered them telepathically to throw anything of value into the central Ravine caused by the quake.

The Band of Four only managed to escape by climbing the burning wall around the city and stealing a boat. They had to fully concentrate on this, for thinking of anything other than what you intended immediately to do opened one’s mind up to the wrath of the dragon’s, as had discovered Xanaphia Aloro.

Plan
The generals of the battle had not very much experience at war, and had thus not devised a detailed plan. Their plan amounted to surrounding the city, which seemed to them like a good idea at the time, because Cruor, being a dragon, could kill the whole army in one fiery breath if they were grouped up as one. However, they soon discovered that the only way into the city was through that thick vines that climbed over the tall stone walls.

Battle
It was a misty, quiet day, and the thick fog covered any sight or sound of the dragon. The only way into the city was via the thick vines that coiled around the walls, and preliminary scout forces sent over those vines mysteriously disappeared.

Keeker ordered of the knights under his control to hit the vines with a claidheamohmor. A portion of the vines reached out and caught the blade before it coud even touch the wood. It started to twist itself around the cold metal and climbed unnaturally quickly up the haft and onto the cavalier’s arm, piercing it with the vines’ thorns. The knight panicked and hacked at the vines with his handaxe, badly injuring his arm. This was the first casualty of the battle, which was not a good sign for the fight to come. Later on in the battle, these creatures turned out to be humanoid manifestations of twisted twig spirits. They emerged from the vines all over the city

Cruor, not at all worried about the battle and taking her time, suddenly burst aout of the massive pile of valuable items several minutes later. This caused debris to come exploding out of the pile and into the sky. One soldier was killed by a mahogany and velvet chair falling on her head.

Duckhand and his dragon Sylvie took to the skies and locked into batel in midair over what was formerly the East gate of the city. Duckhand, perched on his dragon, caused a nasty burn on Cruor’s side using a fireball.

Coriolis lifted his most valuable artefact, the Sword of Answerers, over his head and taunted the dragon, surrounded by 60 of his footmen. The dragon flew up and scared most of the footsoldiers who ran away. The braver ones, however, stayed by Coriolis’ side. Coriolis was badly injured with 3rd degree burns all over the left side of his body.

A group of bandits under Keeker’s command entered homes inn the town and discovered the state of the brainwashed humans of Yudenfros. They were standing perfectly still in a straight line through the main room of each house, frozen in space, immovable and immobilised. Attempts to move them were unsuccesful.

Duckhand, seemingly randomly during the battle, briefly changed his name to Sunny.