Battle of The Frozen Village

Prelude
In search of the remaining key to the door in the Mausoleum of Elders, the Citizens of High Fire followed Fharon to a Frozen Village to see if it held the information they were looking for. They would eventually discover the town and find the second key; only to be ambushed by the Herald’s dolls. While the battle was won, the key was lost.

Deployment
Rumors spread through town that information was to be found at a Frozen Village to the East of the city of High Fire. Citizens and city officials alike gathered outside the Arena, then followed Fharon to the location. Before the battle, the people of hire-fire explored the ruined town and the tower there, making their way up into the tower where they found the key, protected by some sort of magic. It took multiple citizens to break through the protective bubble to retrieve the key, and then the battle began.

Battle
The Herald summoned large groups of dolls that approached the city from four sides. Then, he disappeared from the battlefield. The citizens split up into groups to deal with the enemies. Two went to focus on the dolls coming in from the gates and over the hills, managing to defeat all the enemies that came at them.

The third major group went to the southern gate to fight the foes coming in from that angle, far removed from the rest of the battle. This group, consisting of Jian, Zariah, Sameel, Yuki, Lieve, and Mitra, fought valiantly, though the armoured dolls proved to be a much more even match and lead to half the party being injured and almost killed. Through valiant efforts, they succeeded.

Fharon, Nan, and Rhavok fled from the scene with the key, trying to get it to the safety of the city. Within the village, the dolls were eventually defeated with minor injuries sustained by those present.

Aftermath
The key was lost by the three who tried to escape; stolen by the Herald. Nan and Rhavok pledged loyalty to the Herald, Nan in fear of his life and Rhavok for the promise of information and power. Fharon was severely injured but was brought back by the other two and able to recover from his wounds.

Everyone eventually returned to the city and the injured were patched up but the moods were less festive in learning the key was lost. Nan and Rhavok’s betrayal wouldn’t be discovered for another few weeks.

Legacy
With the loss of the key, the battle felt more like a victory for the Herald, even with the citizens defeating his dolls. The Herald is seemingly another step closer to achieving his goals after this battle; which led to the city closing most of its gates in an effort to try and keep its citizens safe. Overall, this battle was one of little success.