Overview
After setting Bonebreaker Dorokor and her team of Orcs loose within spitting distance of The Hate Incarnate and their newly consecrated temple of Lathander on Baron’s Isle in Highbridge, the team paused momentarily to see the outcome before retiring to The Reluctant Pig for drinks and a room for the night. It had been less than two weeks since their return from the Feywild and events had spiralled rapidly into chaos. The party had captured Castle Rend from the Orcs, defended it against Brother Pelliton and his flunkies with the help of Atha and a squad of Wood Elves from the mythical city of Erenlune, and then snuck eighteen orcs into Highbridge to kill off the Hate Incarnate forces left behind in the city by Brother Pelliton.
Now, in possession of a castle being administered by Kelmen and Pinna and with no other immediate threats, the party settles down with a few flagons of ale (on the house, thanks Selma!) and contemplates their next course of action.
Possible Actions
The Hate Incarnate has been dealt a serious blow but not eradicated, Prophet Ezekiern still dwells in some location north of the Green River, deep in the Black Forest.
Mistress Valenna of the Lyceum Arcanum has expressed her desire to direct the missions of the party, including her previous request to search out Loomis Erstand, the only man to ever return through the Fey Mirror.
Atha, upon leaving Castle Rend, had given Corliss a small marble as an invitation to visit him in the city of Erenlune.
The Ancient Dominion of the Unending Lands has sealed off Darkstone and the remainder of their lands while ancient priests released from the Temple of Eternal Embers plot in the city of Harketh.
The Polonians have only retreated downstream along the Green River and still hold the port city of Greenmouth. They undoubtedly have plans which could include another assault on the now unoccupied city of Highbridge.
Individual members of the party might be motivated to pursue their own personal backstories.
…and hey, that A Guide to Etiquette for Ancient Ceremonies book sure had some interesting stuff in it!
And…
The DM would very much like to have a heads up this time before the party dives headlong into an unexpected direction. 
Setup
The previous session ended with the party being victorious in their efforts to stave off the attacks of Brother Pelliton and his The Hate Incarnate flunkies. However, a debt had been accrued. The party had agreed to sneak 18 orcs, Bonebreaker Dorokor and his crew of warriors from the Ancient Dominion of the Unending Lands into the city of Highbridge in order for them to kill off the Hate Incarnate clerics for whatever undisclosed reasons they’ve got.
Over the course of the evening before they head out, Kelmen Longbottom, Pinna, and Joc give the advice they have on potentially sneaking the orcs into the city: Fireside Chat - Plans and Help.
Planning
The party eventually comes up with a plan. Rhagal and Ser Shadow will sneak into Highbridge to see if there is anything amiss while Corliss, Hurodash, and Yornan lead the orcs to a small copse of trees downriver of Highbridge that is known to contain some boats and barges that might help them across the river. Tony Hawk will circle overhead and perform reconnaissance.
Eventually they all meet back at the boats and find that it is a small campsite with a handful of smugglers with allegiance to The Knot. Feigned drunkenness hilariousness ensues, only to be ended in a fairly gruesome manner when Ser Shadow forces the mesmerized leader of the smugglers to flee into woods and them intimidates the others. One follows his leader into the darkness while the other two climb into a rowboat to escape. Yornan casts Whirlpool and sinks the boat, drowning both of them.
Half the orcs join Ser Shadow on one barge and the remainder join Rhagal on the other. Hurodash and Yornan take the oars of the rowboat while Corliss plays coxswain. Their plan is to make their way directly across the river, row in under the guarded towers and manned ballistas, and beach the barges directly beneath the castle walls on Baron’s Isle.
This turns out to be not a good plan.
A Control Water spell and a few mending cantrips cast by Yornan propel the craft safety across the river, but as they come within range of the ballistas, they find themselves under fire. Rhagal makes a magical, 900-foot shot in the darkness that knocks a defender from the walls, but otherwise the party is lucky to successfully cross the river, landing on the muddy banks a few hundred yards downriver of Highbridge. They quickly skulk through the darkness towards a hidden smuggling tunnel and prepare to make their way beneath the walls.
Beneath the Walls
After traversing a few hundred yards, Hurodash recognizes his location in the tunnels and instantly gains his bearings. After a few failed attempts, the party settles on trying to work their way up through the desert Temple of Tiamat that they had once breached.
Just outside the underground entrance to the temple, they encounter a handful of Giant Spiders and their hungry babies. A few cool moves later - including a Heat Metal spell that cooked Yornan and the baby spiders under his armor - the threat had been neutralized.
The party led the orcs up through the looted remnants of the temple and out onto the street in the middle of the Baron’s Grounds. The orcs - seeing the castle hosting the Hate Incarnate lit up by torches just a hundred yards away - charged across the footbridge and through the gates. A raucous battle ensued, with flames and smoke as well as crashing sounds and horrible smells bursting from the windows. Finally, after about ten minutes, everything went quiet. A few moments later, Dorokor and two other orcs - each bleeding from multiple wounds - burst from the castle, crossed the bridge, and fled into the darkness of the Docks region.
Aftermath
The party headed to The Farthing Yards to spend the night in The Reluctant Pig and determine their next plan of action.
Setup
In the aftermath of the victory of the Battle of Castle Rend, the party has incurred a serious obligation. They have promised Bonebreaker Dorokor that they will sneak her and a dozen and a half of her orcish fighters into the walled city of Highbridge in order to kill off Hate Incarnate initiates located in the castle on Baron’s Isle.
The Isle is accessed by a narrow footbridge (previously blown up but since rebuilt) that stretches from the portion of the Docks in Highbridge that previously housed the Polonian military to a small island about 40 feet offshore upon which the castle sits. By the way, the Orcs don’t swim.
Help
Three of the Highbridgers that are currently sitting around the campfire after the battle offer up some ideas that might help the party to lead approximately 20 seven foot tall orcs across the river, through the walls of Highbridge, and then across the footbridge that leads to Baron’s Isle.
In addition, they are happy to remind the party of information about the Docks such as the information right here: The Docks . (that page has information from before the Hate Incarnate takeover of the city, but hopefully it helps)
Joc
Joc offers up that he knows of a smugglers cove about two miles downriver of Highbridge and on the Castle Rend side of the river. The cove typically houses a few leaky grain barges and a rowboats.
Joc also has access to a few wagons that were used in a scam where members of The Knot pretended to run a traveling menagerie a few years ago.
Penna
Penna suggests that the party use the Highbridge constables and militia that tragically died defending the castle as a cover. The most commonly used Highbridge graveyard is located about two miles outside the city. The party could hide or disguise the orcs and roll everyone right over the High Bridge that crosses the Green River?
In addition, the graveyard is a fairly quiet site. The only thing of note is a brewery that is adjacent. It is named The Eternal Rest Brewing Company. Brewing beer is a business that keeps the tenders of the graveyard busy, and the crypts and vaults associated with the graveyard prove to be good, dark, and temperature controlled locations for fermenting.
Kelmen
Kelmen knows of a tunnel about 1000 feet outside the city walls that leads under the walls and into the tunnels beneath the Docks area of Highbridge. The tunnels come out in all sorts of locations, but he’s not that sure what’s down there or how to navigate them.
Kelmen also - through the Knot - has contacts amongst the dockworkers and thinks that he could potentially get control of the cranes that lift grain containers into the large silo in the Docks area. He can also get access to just about any building in the Docks area.
Kelmen offers up access to any other of his contacts. His only concern is involving his Aunt - Selma Longbottom - for fear that she won’t understand or approve of smuggling Orcs into the city.
Setup
The previous session ended with the party calling a truce with the Orcish Unit from the Ancient Dominion of the Unending Lands. In exchange for being given Pinna and Castle Rend , the party has offered to help sneak Bonebreaker Dorokor and her cadre of orcs into Highbridge in order to allow them to attack and kill The Hate Incarnate clerics located in their stronghold, the recently consecrated temple of Lathander on Baron’s Isle.
The party was last located in a room on the bottom floor of the main tower of Castle Rend. Both Rhagal and Yornan recognized an old and worn statue in the room as being an image of Lathander. Based on a vision that Rhagal had, they were trying to light a magic beacon suspended in a contraption behind the statue.
Light My Fire
Yornan casts a Light spell on the beacon and it flames to life, riding the contraption up its rails, through the ceiling, and up to the top of the tower.
Next, Kelmen Longbottom and his friend Joc show up with about two dozen Highbridge constables and militia. They bring word and help. Apparently, Brother Pelliton is marching on the Castle with seventy or more troops, including brothers of The Hate Incarnate, to take back the castle and capture Bonebreaker Dorokor - living or dead - so that he can collect the reward offered by Prophet Ezekiern . These troops have divided into multiple groups and are approaching the castle from all directions.
The orcish warriors - tired of fighting behind stone walls - leave to intercept the one group moving closest to their camp located a few miles to the south.
An Ambassador
The lighting of the beacon has summoned Atha, an ambassador that explains that he represents the elves of Hold Erenlune and is responding to raising of the beacon - here at Hold Rendalia (Castle Rend) - that hasn’t been raised since the fifth age. Treaties bind Hold Rendalia to Hold Erenlune and he quickly offers to return just before dawn with troops to help support the castle.
At Dawn, We Fight
Atha arrives with approximately 25 archers and skirmishers. Combined with the HIghbridge troops that Kelmen and Joc brought, it looks as if the castle defenders - even if some are not quite as experienced as the attackers - will at least match the attackers in numbers.
At dawn, Brother Pelliton emerges out of the woods circling the clearing around the castle with his companion Feldric the Archer, as well as an 18 foot tall Fire Giant. Pellion walks to within shouting distance and demands that the party turn over Bonebreaker Dorokor (alive or dead) and the heretic Yornan.
As anyone familiar with the story might imagine, the party hurls insults in response. Except Rhagal, who decided to use the Called Shot power of the Bow of Alluria to plant a shot right between his eyes. Bloodied and enraged, Pelliton signals for the assault on the castle to begin.
The fight is long and bloody and here are some of the highlights:
The castle defenders are beaten soundly by the attackers, lose control of the walls, and are forced to flee into the upper level of the tower, defending the staircase with the last of their numbers.
Initialy, only Hurodash is willing to leave the walls and engage the fire giant on the field of battle. The giant levels a number of crushing blows and Pelliton charges with his horse doing massive damage with his lance and eldritch blasts until Rhagal shoots his horse out from under him.
Meanwhile, Ser Shadow had been hiding in the trees and uses his assassination powers to almost kill Feldric with a single blow. They spend the next few rounds playing cat-and-mouse in the woods with Feldric unable to serve his purpose of strategically attacking spell casters. In the end, Feldric slips up and Ser Shadow kills him.
Pelliton tries to use Mass Suggestion to cause the guards to flee the walls, but Corliss successfully counterspells each attempt.
Yornan casts multiple healing spells and uses his Divine abilities to keep the party from dying. Of course, a strategic blindness spells works and leaves the Giant swinging randomly on the field for a few rounds.
Rhagal performs a backflip off the 30' castle walls, shoots Pelliton in the back of the head with a natural 20, and tucks and rolls in order to land without issue.
The party then dispatches the giant and Corliss and Yornan rush in the gates.
Yornan casts Contagion which causes the nearby guards to shudder and spasm, while Corliss takes the form of the dead Pelliton in order to issues orders for the remaining Hate Incarnate troops to surrender. A quick thinking Hurodash dives on top of the body of Pelliton so that it cannot be seen from atop the walls.
The orcs surrender and the few survivors at the top of the main tower are rescued.
Aftermath
At the end, the Elves leave with Atha, leaving a small crystal that will allow Corliss to visit them in Erenlune. The orcs check and make sure that the party will honor their bargain to sneak them into Highbridge.
Pinna and Kelmen offer to stay behind and manage the castle as chatelaine and castellan.
Ser Shadow - feeling happy and charitable - recounts his tale to the party as the evening closes.