EP12: Hold the Line!

Lord Titus becomes what Angel describes as a vortex of murder — action surge, arpo bladder defenses, his grandfather's spirit seemingly smiling down through the carnage.

Hold the Line. The Utini assault upon Juramentum begins — the Battle of the Broken Tower, the campaign's first great military confrontation. Angel describes the most ambitious set piece Darkeport has ever attempted, with terrain and miniatures that no player had seen before production. Catryn opens with a journal of dread: 'There's a darkness within these walls as of late, and I'm unsettled at these thoughts. But writing them down makes it more palatable.' Granny Yulia Touchgem positions herself atop the incomplete watchtower and calls upon the Magna Mater. Lightning answers for a mile in every direction. The Utini burn. The defenders rally. And Yulia pays with everything she has. Lord Titus becomes what Angel describes as a vortex of murder — action surge, arpo bladder defenses, his grandfather's spirit seemingly smiling down through the carnage. Merick fights with nimble Kithgi ferocity, transitioning between bow and gladius whilst calling upon Roff for aid. Marcus channels golden healing light in a blinding cascade — and beforehand, Marcus the player reveals the human preparation: 'We don't have a lot of money with the Pulex people. We never really had a lot.' The pig farmer's humility against the scale of war is the episode's quiet heartbreak. Nilishli communes with the Dread Mother and touches the Utini hive mind, perceiving that they are organized, centralized. She surprises even herself in battle — turning around with a ferocity that shocks her own consciousness.