The Tarak D&D Campaign - The Battle of Wadi Al Naffatiyeh, Part 2

Welcome to the next post in a series where I describe the adventures during a 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I ran a little while ago.

In the last instalment, the characters were part of the army facing an oncoming undead horde. They were in a unit being held in reserve, and were briefed to carry out a secret special mission once the battle was underway.

Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio

The Undead Attack !

The enemy appeared as a huge host of undead, with mariannu (chariots drawn by skeletal horses and with mummies for crew) and undead sphinxes leading the way. As they grew closer, it could be seen they were in perfect formation - this was no random tide of zombies ! Blocks of a thousand undead, each led by lesser and greater avatars (in D&D terms, devils re-skinned and customised to look like Egyptian gods), while the mariannu held uncannily straight lines.

They advanced without a single war-cry, order or even groan, and the only sounds were the jingle of chariot harness, the beat of many wings, and the earth-shaking drumbeat of thousands of desiccated feet hitting the ground in absolute unison.

Even before the front lines clashed, flights of undead manticores were overhead firing their tail-spikes as harassing fire. Several of their number were seen by the party being downed with lightning bolts and flying swarms summoned by the army’s wizards, others turned and driven off by clerics.

Just to keep the players involved and aware of the danger, I made sure Sir Walter’s company was hit by them – half a dozen strafed the company, and each party member was on the receiving end of one shot; +4 to hit, D8+2 piercing damage plus DC12 poison, with range increments of 100/200. The Manticores were AC13, 68 HP. It was designed to feel intense, but was really just the start.

When the main body hit the first line of the army, it was carnage. Jaktan & Sarassid battle mages used fireballs & lightning bolts liberally from scrolls and wands, and clerics were using their undead turning abilities as fast as they could, while the troops fired volleys of Holy Water and missiles. Sarassid mages also summoned djinni and elementals, and Jaktan ones summoned other creatures to assist.

The First Line Breaks

The army's first line put up a stout and desperate resistance, but was clear they wouldn't hold for long.

A suicidal charge by the Knights of Odin bought time for the remnants of the first rank to retire. As they pulled back behind the reserves to reform and get attention from healers, the party could see they looked visibly shaken and shell-shocked.

Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio

The undead host then advanced on the second wave, which was made up of Jaktans and other northerners, rather than the Sarassids of the first line. The army’s mages and heavy weapons focused on taking down the avatars and sphinxes, which slowed the advance down, and it was clear the second line troops were better prepared for the onslaught.

The reserves were hit by overspill fire from the mariannu. In this case, I used three arrows per player to represent this, at +5 to hit (with disadvantage), and D8+2 damage per hit. I'd determined in advance that Sir Walter’s company would lose the same number of men as party members that get hit.

By this time, even the second rank were buckling under the relentless pressure of the undead. King Gortig was starting to feed reserve units in to plug the gaps, and a few individual undead were starting to break through.

That was the moment Sir William had been waiting for. He waved the party off to complete their mission.

Next time... into the tunnels under the desert.

Previous posts in this series;
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 1
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 2
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Setting Part 3
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Player Creation and Briefing
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Arrival At Tuadun
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Mayor Gerd's Problems
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Saving Shepherd Mirag
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Mother White and Sister Raben
The Tarak D&D Campaign - The First Venture Into the Heimial Forest
The Tarak D&D Campaign - An Unpleasant Encounter
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Back to the Woods, and an Important Discovery
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Back Into The Bad Woods
The Tarak D&D Campaign - The Hags' Lair
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Tuadun Attacked !
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Finishing off the Brigands
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Trading and Partying In Filrath
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Enthor of the Woods
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Choices
The Tarak D&D Campaign - A Choice Is Made
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Into The Burial Mound
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Recruited !
The Tarak D&D Campaign - To War !
The Tarak D&D Campaign - Forced March
The Tarak D&D Campaign - The Battle of Wadi Al Naffatiyeh, Part 1