The Battle of Talbyrne

by TalesofAstreia

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The Battle of Talbyrne





























In this (hopefully) epic end-of-act finale, the PCs face a brutal, unexpected invasion of their home city of Talbyrne by the Moon Elves, who have returned to the planet from their sanctum on the fae moon for the first time in 2,000 years.

The Moon Elves' devastating attack on Talbyrne — and numerous other cities around the continent of Kelea — has been in preparation for centuries. Their leader, Caladwyn, has been steadily storing magical energies in a device for over a hundred years, which he unleashes in the form of constant meteor bombardment (think a lesser meteor swarm) as well as opening gates that allow his forces to transit from the moon to the planet — and back again.

During this encounter, the PCs must defend their city and its people against a number of threats:

  • Constant bombardment from the skies
  • Highly trained Moon Elf soldiers, each proficient in magic that has long since fallen out of favor on the planet
  • Eventually, the Moon Elves will send through the sole living dragon as their final trump card, destroying the Ether Tower and flying off; this ends the assault

The Moon Elves' goal is to distract defenders and disorient them while also threatening further attacks; their real goal on the continent is elsewhere.





























The PCs will have to travel West Talbyrne (the Eastern side being both less heavily attacked and more heavily guarded by the military thanks to the Arsenal district military base), choosing which districts to prioritize protecting.

While their presence will undoubtedly be helpful, and the rest of the city's defenders will fight valiantly, casualties — civilian or otherwise — are inevitable. Many of the PCs' favorite NPCs are at risk of falling during the fierce battle. The party can decide to prioritize defense of certain districts, but ultimately, they cannot protect everyone.

For this encounter, West Talbyrne is divided into five zones, each encompassing the following districts:

  • 1: North: Night Hill, Sungarden, Cherry Tower, North Hills, Tower District
  • 2: West: Ashenmile, Scrapyard, Factorium, The Flank, West Arsenal
  • 3: South: Twilight Point, Westport, Old Docks, The Mouth, Ironbridge, Old Town, Central Market
  • 4: Central: Six Hills, Skydocks, Downtown, Workman's Lanes, University
  • 5: East: Pearl Court, Char Harbour, Citadel, Cathedral

City Under Siege

Each encounter represents roughly an hour of grueling combat across the city. The attackers do not seem to have any coherent objective – in truth, they’re just here to cause havoc and distract the Yhorian military from their real goal, which is planting the seeds around the continent to grow the various decoy Trees of Light.

Where the Fighting Rages

At the start of an encounter, roll 1d6. This determines which zone in western Talbyrne has the most active conflict over the next hour.

(The rolls are 1=North, 2=South, 3=East, 4=West, 5=Central, 6=No zone is heavier than the other).

NPC Death Check

Assign each of your five players one of the five zones. (If one can't make it, DM rolls for that player). After every encounter, have everyone roll a d8 representing their zones, called an NPC death check. If the players helped defend that district this encounter, subtract 2 from the roll. If that zone is the center of the fighting (see above), add 2 to the roll instead. If the result is a 6 or higher, roll a d20 on the NPC death table for that zone.

Complications

A city-wide battle is a chaotic affair. Before every encounter, the DM rolls on the complications table. While many of these effects are harmful to the city and its inhabitants, some might result in unexpected aid or benefits the PCs can use.

Dilemmas

Whenever the players move to a new zone, they may be faced with a situation leading to a painful choice. After their first encounter in a new zone, they are faced with a dilemma (see the next page). Depending on their choice, certain zones may be better off, but there are always tradeoffs to be made.

Conclusion

The Battle of Talbyrne will likely be one of the darkest sessions of the campaign. The goal is to give the players personal stakes with the Moon Elf antagonistic faction, which they've lacked up until now, while also driving home that the world is dangerous, and the guardrails are off as we head into the final couple of acts of the campaign.

Encounter Table

Roll for every encounter. Moon Elf Wardens are ~CR 3, Mystics are ~CR 4, Spiritbinders are ~CR 5, and Pyromancers are ~CR 6. There will be 6-8 total, depending on time.

  • 1: 2 Wardens, 1 Mystic
  • 2: 2 Mystics, 1 Pyromancer
  • 3: 3 Wardens
  • 4: 1 Spiritbinder, 2 Wardens
  • 5: 1 Pyromancer, 1 Warden, 1 Spiritbinder
  • 6: 2 Mystics, 1 Spiritbinder
  • 7: 1 Pyromancer, 2 Wardens
  • 8: 4 Wardens
  • 9: 1 Spiritbinder, 1 Pyromancer
  • 10: 1 Pyromancer, 1 Mystic, 2 Wardens

Complications Table

If the result is an "aid arrives" complication that the players have already gotten, the DM chooses another "aid arrives" event at his discretion.

  • 1-2: Moon Elf reinforcements arrive; the next encounter in that zone has an extra enemy.
  • 3-4: Aid arrives! The Chaos Riders fly by on their Etherboards, proclaiming that this is their city and battering the attackers. Two Moon Elves start the encounter at half hit points.
  • 5-6: Panicked civilians are flooding the streets; add +1 to the next NPC death check roll in this zone.
  • 7-8: Aid arrives! Shene the illusionist conjures a mighty dragon that threatens the Moon Elves. They must all save (DC 18 Wisdom) or start the encounter frightened. “Don’t say I never did anything for you <3”
  • 9-10: The party is slowed by magical glyph traps. Roll again on the NPC death check.
  • 11-12: Aid arrives! A group of Yhorian soldiers manages a heroic stand. Subtract -1 from the next NPC death check roll in this zone.
  • 12-13: A meteor falls, dealing catastrophic damage. The party must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 7d6 fire and 7d6 bludgeoning damage. Add +1 to the next NPC death check roll in this zone.
  • 14-15: Disagreements among defenders threaten to come to a head. Player persuasion or intimidation (DC 14) is required to restore order. On a failure, add +1 to the next NPC death check roll in this zone.
  • 16-18: The Moon Elves get advantage on their next initiative roll as they ambush the party.
  • 19-20: Aid arrives! Eldrin teleports Azrah’s parents and Gwen in. All NPC death rolls in this zone get -2, and Gwen with her new prosthetic is a powerful ally for the remainder of the night. However, Azrah must find a safe place to put her parents, whose lives are now at risk. Eldrin is unwilling to harm his fellow Moon Elves, but will defend himself if attacked.

Dilemmas

The players will encounter each of these dilemmas after their first encounter in a new zone. If they leave a zone and come back to it, they do not face the dilemma again (except for East Zone). Some of these dilemmas will have them facing the death of some beloved NPCs.

North Zone

A group of refugees is fleeing south to the Cathedral. However, Moon Elf saboteurs seem to be heading towards the Ether Tower.

  • Choice A: The Tower - The Moon Elves are killed before getting to sabotage the tower, however, there is a guaranteed North Zone NPC death table roll.
  • Choice B: The Refugees - There is no NPC death check, but the sabotage to the tower momentarily turns off all Ethertech in the city for about thirty seconds. Add +1 to the next NPC death check in all zones.

West Zone

The party hears the sound of combat down two opposing streets. Down one, they can see a detachment of Golden Bay Watch constables, including Sora Windchaser, pinned down, firing at the elves but at risk of being overrun; down another they hear the sounds of fighting and of powerful blows – pitfighting champ Corrin is protecting her siblings and other inhabitants of Ashenmile.

  • Choice A: Help the Constables - Constable Sora’s life is saved and the constables immediately take down one enemy in the next encounter, but Corrin is mortally wounded (she can be saved, but only if the party proceeds there immediately; have her start rolling death saves). Roll on the West Zone NPC death table as one of the people Corrin was protecting is killed.
  • Choice B: Help Corrin - Corrin participates in the next fight as an ally and her siblings and the others are saved, but Constable Sora and her squad are slaughtered. All future NPC death checks in West Zone have a +1 adjustment.

South Zone

The party hears that a group of Moon Elves is attacking a convoy of refugees while another is raiding an arms and supply warehouse.

  • Choice A: Defend the Refugees - The refugees are saved. However, the supplies that defenders in Central were counting on are destroyed, and all Central Zone death checks have a +1 adjustment.
  • Choice B: Secure the Supplies - Troops in Central are better equipped for future fights, with a -1 adjustment to any Central Zone NPC death checks, but civilians die in South (automatic roll on the NPC death table)

Central Zone

The party hears that a squad of Yhorian troops is trying to get an experimental third-generation Praetor Frame active at West Arsenal, but also that a makeshift field hospital at one of the libraries in University is at risk.

  • Choice A: The Praetor Frame - All death checks around the city are made at -1 as the powerful Praetor Frame takes to the skies (until the dragon destroys it at the end). However, there is a guaranteed Central Zone NPC death table roll.
  • Choice B: The Hospital - The people are saved, but the Praetor Frame is destroyed and the soldiers killed. No benefit is had.

East Zone #1

If the players return to the Citadel during the combat, they encounter a heated argument between newly crowned Empress Lyra and Commander Myra Voss, who has taken command of the city's defenses without a friendly four-star officer present.

Lyra insists that as Empress, she cannot cower and she should go and boost her troops’ morale. Voss calls this a vanity expression of courage – she is the Empress, they cannot lose her. The soldiers are there to fight and die to keep her safe.

  • Choice A: Lyra - Lyra is cheered by the party’s trust in her, and her presence boosts morale of the troops. Whenever the party fights in a zone until the end of the battle, there is a further -1 adjustment to any NPC death check in that zone. However, Lyra is now a targetable NPC using the Noble stat block, at risk of injury or death, and must be protected.
  • Choice B: Commander Voss - Lyra’s relationship with the party may be damaged, and there is no benefit to death rolls, but she remains safe.

East Zone #2

If the players return to East Zone but do not go to the Citadel, they instead face the potential death of one of their biggest allies. In Pearl Court, Severius looks like he’s at risk of being overwhelmed as he makes a gallant stand. However, the party can also see Moon Elf mages lifting boats from the river and hurling them at random into the waterside districts.

  • Choice A: The Boats - The people are saved, however, Severius is grievously wounded and starts making death saving throws.
  • Choice B: Severius - Severius is saved, but add +1 to the next East Zone NPC death check.

NPC Death Tables

If the death check after an encounter is a result of 6 or higher for a zone, roll on these tables. The DM has to have courage and not pull punches, even if the result is a favored NPC.

(If you're checking this out to help me, you can probably ignore this page; it won't mean anything to you.)

North

  • 1: Maki
  • 2-3: Reggie Hayward
  • 4-5: Mythworl Runehammer
  • 6-7: Matriarch of the Dead Lucia
  • 8-9: Gravefather Sabas
  • 10-11: Grexes
  • 12-13: Niles Dapperly
  • 14-15: Eve Rosewood
  • 16-17: Arthur Elmcourt
  • 18-19: Bread Lady
  • 20: No deaths

West

  • 1: Pekka
  • 2-3: Corrin
  • 4: Darrin or Serrin
  • 5: Marrin
  • 6-7: Sylvain the Unlucky
  • 8-9: Lucia
  • 10-11: Sofia
  • 12-15: Constable Sora
  • 16-17: Ichorath Colvaarn
  • 18-19: Velde Graham
  • 20: No Deaths

South

  • 1-2: Arran
  • 3-4: Alvin Lessus
  • 5-6: Lain Fenwick
  • 7-9: Sharley Vass
  • 10-12: Vladislav the Barber
  • 13-15: Nolan Rook
  • 16-17: Dominique Cimon
  • 18-19: Carna Thalhund
  • 20: No Deaths

Central

  • 1-2: Clifton Drake
  • 3-4: Essis Abacia
  • 5-6: Gaelin Nightsong
  • 7-8: Ken Robelle
  • 9-10: Ohga
  • 11-12: Alisha Haigh
  • 13-14: Sunny the Cat
  • 14-15: Theodore Bryfina
  • 16-17: Sam Foxtooth
  • 18-19: Amzu
  • 20: No Deaths

East

  • 1: Empress Lyra (survives but badly injured, she can only die if the party takes her out (see Dilemmas)
  • 2: Severius Justanna
  • 3: Myra Voss
  • 4-5: Dawnlight Sumia
  • 6-7: Augustus Justanna
  • 8-9: Titia Justanna
  • 10-11: Marcus Justanna
  • 12-13: Sextia Justanna
  • 14-15: Miranda Goldpenny
  • 16: Maximilian Vissas
  • 17: Isadora Vissas
  • 18-19: Spike
  • 20: No Deaths

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