Episode 20 - Galekin Estates Where Gary Fell: A Nameless Hero

Where we last left off, the battered Galekin Estates stood defiant against the drow assaults, but barely! We last saw our heroes besieged, the very air thick with the stench of smoke and necromancy. A raging fire elemental had been vanquished, a hard-fought victory bought with steadfast strength and determination. The reprieve was temporary as from the encroaching twilight, a monstrous, undead hill giant, its eyes burning with necrotic energy, lumbered forward, following a ghastly horde of reanimated drow warriors.

After a desperate struggle against the remnants of the drow’s monstrous spider mounts, the heroes turned their focus to the true threat - the undead and their dark elven casters. A furious barrage of spells and arrows rained down on the drow casters, disrupting their plans. Arrow after arrow, spell after spell, until the drow retreated, leaving the shambling undead behind.

With the drow driven back, the remaining heroes focused all their might on the rotting giants and warriors before them. A symphony of steel and magic erupted across the battlefield. The undead, though relentless, were no match for the combined power of the heroes.

But victory came at a price. Amidst the cheers and exhaustion, a quiet sorrow settled over the survivors. One of the rescued villagers, a soul not even from Rybalka, had fallen, fighting bravely alongside those he barely knew. All the cookies watched as his short sword, raised in desperate defiance, thrusting a futile blow upon the decaying chest of a zombie. The undead creature, beyond pain or reason, ignored the wound and slew him in a gruesome feast. He became a nameless casualty and a life given to strangers. No one knew his name for sure, a detail lost amidst the trek from Adrik’s Folly.  Someone whispered that it might have been…Gary.  

The heroes gazed upon the besieged Galekin Estates. The aftermath of the fire elemental was undeniable. A massive section of the dwelling’s front had crumbled, leaving a gaping, vulnerable wound in the defenses, mirroring the weariness and damage inflicted upon the heroes themselves. The siege was far from over, and soon, the encroaching darkness would gather for another night!