M.A.G.U.S. - War on lizards

After last year's sessions fizzled out in a maelstrom of real-life stuff intervening, we managed to get back together after 3 months. Everyone was keen on playing, so we got right into... debating our course of action. Again. With Shamil complaining about his low health. Again. And me having to convince everyone. Again. But at last, the group got its act together and we swung into action.

Not so fast! First we went to the village to rest and recuperate.

The rescued baron is a real self-important prick, but Shamil managed not to assassinate him while talking to the man. I took care of other business: informing the town mayor, asking for food and shelter (granted immediately), bribing the sailors to catch a seagull for me (which I bonded as a familiar later on), and starting Cahir's repentance with taking a bath in the sea and having the paladin stand guard with his back turned. My relationship building with Eulalia pretty much ended... Nobody else was keen on socializing, Athosian taking some time only to steal a rock. Yes.

So we went to sleep and everybody else got to rest, except Cahir. But his god was silent. Very, very silent.

The next day we gate'd back to lizardman territory to get some fresh springwater for my potions. Nothing happened, but the GM made us roll perception every minute, just to keep us on our toes. Then I went to the ship to start brewing, and everybody else went back to rest.

2 days later I had a comfortable amount of potions ready, so we struck out through a gate back to lizardman territory, and we walked into the fort again, bearing gifts of fried fish.

A couple of prepared spells made the lizards argue and fight among themselves. Their boss shouted down his lessers, until I made one of them go berzerk and attack. I thought this a perfect moment to attack, but the party hesitated and stood by... until they overpowered their 'traitor' and bound him up. I had enough of waiting, and started combat with a flame eruption. Chaos ensued.

Biznard went into battle rage... just after invoking his elemental powers, so he lost the initiative and got knocked out. At least one of the lizardmen slipped on the pool of ice.

We invoked our own elementals. I peppered the enemy with flame eruptions, only to find out that they are wearing plate armor and I'm doing nothing. Great. Shamil and Cahir held their ground, while Athosian slipped a potion into Biznard.

Cahir and Biznard knocked out two lizards, but their boss was up and running. The kills were spectacular though: Biznard squashed a head in with two hammers at once; Cahir cut off a head, ramming his shield into the stump; Athosian went for a bull's (lizard's?) eye.

We overpowered the rest, and the chase was on. Shamil invoked elemental powers to fly over the palisade and hit the ground running. Athosian jumped up directly into a guard tower (all those point investments into acrobatics paid off) to shoot. The rest of us - including the still-berzerk charmed lizard - followed on foot, firing as we went. All for nothing.

At least there is one drawback of heavy armor: you can't run as fast. We caught up to the fleeing lizard - even I, as I cast a fly spell.

The fighting was brutal. We received hints that he was on his last leg, but boy did he put up a glorious last stand. Shamil reached him and got knocked out. Same with Biznard. As the two lizards were busy whacking each other, I revived our assassin, then downed a mana potion and erupted into flames right behind our foe. He knocked me into the ravine twice, but I kept climbing back for more. Finally, the rest of our slow-moving team caught up, and we managed to kill our last foe.

At this point we hastily wrapped up the session. We were left with food for thought, though. These 6 lizards took everything we got - how can we destroy a settlement of 150 in 5 days?