7th of Therendor - A bridge too far.

While this has been happening, a Class V: Automated Infiltration System (V.A.I.S.) has been hiding in the merchants wagon. This was all part of the plan to get Vais close to the bridge so that when trouble occured he would be ready to help. Vais is a Boromar operative and known by Norm and Sylviel. With Dusty petrified and the gnolls firing at a tower roof, Vais sees his opportunity and fires two bolts into the medusa, catching him totally by surprise. Vais is Spud's new character, replacing Dusty "Start killing the hostages", yells the medusa, and you see movement followed by a sharp scream behind an arrow slit in the tower to the south of you. Dresk cannot abide this and runs to the door of the tower. It takes him a couple of goes, but he manages to smash it in. Upstairs in the tower he finds 4 goblins and 10 bound hostages (2 dead by the time he gets there). He easily slaughters the goblins and begins untying the prisoners - a bunch of innocent townfolk. While this is happening a massive battle is happening on the bridge, beginning with an exchange of fire between our heroes and the well deciplined and trained gnolls. The medusa ducks for cover but is peppered with fire from Norm and Sylviel who has also made her way up to the top of a tower. Realising that he is in trouble, the medusa shouts "Fight to the death!", and then suddenly can no longer be seen. He has disappeared. The gnolls are slowly whittled down till they are finally defeated, while the goblins from the far tower flee, and run from the city. As the last of the gnolls are defeated, you hear cheering from the city behind you. Looking back you see people in the windows and balconies of the towers clapping and yelling with joy and the defeat of these Daask miscreants. You see a contingent of guards head out from the nearest tower and Commander Vilroy is leading them. She congratulates you on a battle well done and gets the troops to man the towers once more. Ashana rushes to the dead hostages and is able to revive them, bringing them back from Dolurrh. One of them is an important personage in house Jorrasco and when he realises what has happened he offers to get Dusty restored to flesh free of charge. You all take Dusty to the main house Jorrasco enclave and then return to Weeder's Tavern. By this time the news of your exploits has arrived ahead of you and the halflings in the bar applaud as you enter. You go down to the saferoom and find Delgo, Acting Mayor Ilyra Boromar, and the boss of Clan Boromar, Saidan Boromar. They all congratulate you for a job well done but have a very serious demeanor. "Let me explain", says Ilyra, "these are bad times, bad times indeed. While you have done well to win this battle, we have been losing many more. Daask is throwing all it's effort into destroying Boromar. We have lost all of our properties on the lower levels and they have started guerilla attacks on premises near the towertops. We don't have a lot of strength left". "Look guys", continues Saiden, "it's kill or be killed now. We don't have long before it's all over. We gotta take the fight to them. We've been looking for the ways to get in to the Daask base and when we know we can throw everything we have at them". "I know how to get in", says Dresk, "I used to work with those guys". "That changes everything", says Ilyra. You spend some time with Dresk describing what he knows of the entrances and protections. He doesn't know a lot as he was only a mook, but it gives some good intelligence". "Right youse guys", says Saiden, "You look real beat up. I'm going to put the call out. Go home and take a rest, and meet us in 12 hours in the main house Orien enclave. You climb up the ladder back to the bar, Norm leading the way as he wants a drink. However as he gets close to the top he notices that there is no sound - he can no longer hear anything. He opens the trapdoor and sees an illusion of a floor hiding the trapdoor from view. He climbs up through that and into the kitchen where he sees the cook lying dead on the floor in a puddle of blood. He goes to tell you all to hold back, but finds that he makes no sound. You look out into the main bar where you can see a narrow view of more dead bodies. Suddenly a gnoll passes by the door. As he passes he glances around and notices you. He frantically and silently gestures to someone else and then draws a weapon. Roll initiative.