Post by Varis/G'Lorth/Sundilar on Mar 28, 2018 11:37:56 GMT
Excerpt from the Journal of Varis Nailo
27th day of Ches
I answered a request from a young woman name Jenna for a "wrecking crew". I had not met the lady in question before, but I understand she is a powerful magic wielder in her own right, and a student of Aurelia, the Lightborn Archmage who stabilized the portal to Kantas in the first place. I had expected to see more of my fellows at the Ettin, as Jenna's note was to all intents an offer of gold in return for wanton destruction, however only Barden the Cleric and Dvargar answered the call. I understand there was some celebration last night, and it seems many of my compatriots cannot handle their ale...
Jenna's story was both extraordinary and tragic. A year ago, Jenna, then a fourteen year old girl living with her parents in Daring, awoke to find herself inexplicably aged eighteen years. Her parents, understandably, didn't believe her protestations that the thirty two year old woman in their house was in fact their teenage daughter, and after searching for her, in grief abandoned Kantas and returned to Faerun. Aurelia took Jenna in and taught her the art of magic, and this has been Jenna's life for the past year - assisting Aurelia and studying magic under her guidance. But the mystery of what happened to her has weighed heavy on her mind. Now, at last, she has answers.
It seems a certain adventurer, no longer resident in Daring, sought the aid of the witch known as Granny in lifting the weight of years from her pet dog. Granny, never one to give a gift without a price, asked for the doll of a child. The doll eventually procured belonged to Jenna, and so she was burdened with the years Granny took from the dog. Jenna, understandably, seeks revenge.
I have had some dealings with this witch - she is powerful and secretive, and perhaps most problematically, she disappeared from Daring a month or two ago, leaving no note nor sign where she had gone. Nevertheless, I was happy to aid Jenna - wickedness, especially against one so young and innocent, must never go unpunished. There is no place for mercy in the justice of Tyr. However, just as we were beginning to plan our hunt for the crone, Aurelia herself came into the Ettin, a look of deep concern creasing her face. She apologised to Jenna, but claimed that her revenge must be delayed a few days more. Aurelia had had a vision.
"I saw a great shadow, rising in the mountains to the north west. It rose high, then washed over Kantas, destroying all in it's path. There are three groups in the mountains who might wish the citizens of Daring ill. The Orcs, the Xvarts and the Yuan Ti. I understand the Yuan Ti have been all but annihilated, and the Xvarts, though cunning, I doubt would be capable of any real threat to our town. It is the Orcs I fear, and I must ask you to investigate, to seek out this threat to Daring, and to return to me with what you find."
Jenna, understandably, was not best pleased at having her vengeance stolen away from her, but after some calming words from Aurelia and my oath to aid her in destroying Granny if she would first help us discover this threat to the north west, she agreed to accompany us.
We set off, Dvargar, who has had some dealings with the Orcs, leading the way, his faithful warhound Lyka ranging ahead, as none of us had any great skill in scouting or the like. It was not long before Lyka returned, telling in broken Dwarvish of a patrol of Orcs, Worgs and, more troublingly, Xvarts, coming over the hill ahead of us. Lyka concealed herself in a nearby copse while Jenna used her magics to turn the four of us invisible. Then we waited. Shortly, over the hill, came the patrol - Orcs riding Worgs, Orrogs, and two different varieties of Xvart. It was then, that the obvious flaw in our planned ambush was revealed.
Two of the Worgs stopped, sniffing the air, and the patrol began to approach our location cautiously. Jenna, frustrated at our failure, hurled a ball of fire at the patrol, and battle was joined. With some difficulty, we managed at last to cut them down, though one Worg and one Orrog escaped, fleeing beyond our reach as we finished their fellows. Lyka managed to subdue on of the Xvarts for questioning, and we were just about to begin the interrogation when we were approached by another Orc, stepping from the copse of trees where Lyka had concealed herself.
She explained that her name was Azzah, and she had had some dealings with the humans of Daring before, having stood with the town against the Twilight. Honouring that debt, she now came to us to tell us that soon the Orcs would march against Daring, with the help of their Xvart allies.
"For now we gather the tribes, thousands upon thousands of our kin, and when we are all met, we will sweep your pathetic town before us. I do not know why the Xvarts so desire your destruction, but we are happy to oblige. Now, my debt to your kind is paid. The next time we meet will be on the field of battle."
As she strode towards the treeline, I called to her, asking the name of her warchief. She turned, smiling.
"Shammog Skinflayer."
And with that she was gone, taking to the sky on the back of a giant bat, accompanied by a patrol of her fellows we had not noticed. We took what we could find from the corpses of the patrol, taking the heads of the three Xvarts to be sold to Lothar in Sigil - a distasteful practise but the ends must justify the means. We then turned to the interrogation of our prisoner. The Xvart, who called himself Ax, proved to have little new information, save that his leaders - the warrior Xvad and the high priest Xvugly, sought something in Daring. With Lothar's help, we would later learn that the Xvarts believed Daring contained "a way to reach their god".
I was in favour of executing the creature, but Dvargar took responsibility for him, converting him to the worship of Tritheron and bringing him with us back to Daring.
As we crested the last hill on the approach to the town, we were met by Aurelia, to whom we described our findings. She thanked us for our troubles, and told us to stand back.
"I think it is time this town had some defences."
Muttering incantations, she marked a large circle on the ground, and from the earth rose a great fortress, carved stone battlements and great iron portcullis facing the way we had come, towards the mountains. Aurelia explained that, as with the magics of the original portal, and indeed the teleportation circles that allow travel between Daring and Port Ffirst, this stronghold would, if renewed with magic every day for a year, become permanent.
Perhaps the Orcs will not find Daring so helpless after all.
27th day of Ches
I answered a request from a young woman name Jenna for a "wrecking crew". I had not met the lady in question before, but I understand she is a powerful magic wielder in her own right, and a student of Aurelia, the Lightborn Archmage who stabilized the portal to Kantas in the first place. I had expected to see more of my fellows at the Ettin, as Jenna's note was to all intents an offer of gold in return for wanton destruction, however only Barden the Cleric and Dvargar answered the call. I understand there was some celebration last night, and it seems many of my compatriots cannot handle their ale...
Jenna's story was both extraordinary and tragic. A year ago, Jenna, then a fourteen year old girl living with her parents in Daring, awoke to find herself inexplicably aged eighteen years. Her parents, understandably, didn't believe her protestations that the thirty two year old woman in their house was in fact their teenage daughter, and after searching for her, in grief abandoned Kantas and returned to Faerun. Aurelia took Jenna in and taught her the art of magic, and this has been Jenna's life for the past year - assisting Aurelia and studying magic under her guidance. But the mystery of what happened to her has weighed heavy on her mind. Now, at last, she has answers.
It seems a certain adventurer, no longer resident in Daring, sought the aid of the witch known as Granny in lifting the weight of years from her pet dog. Granny, never one to give a gift without a price, asked for the doll of a child. The doll eventually procured belonged to Jenna, and so she was burdened with the years Granny took from the dog. Jenna, understandably, seeks revenge.
I have had some dealings with this witch - she is powerful and secretive, and perhaps most problematically, she disappeared from Daring a month or two ago, leaving no note nor sign where she had gone. Nevertheless, I was happy to aid Jenna - wickedness, especially against one so young and innocent, must never go unpunished. There is no place for mercy in the justice of Tyr. However, just as we were beginning to plan our hunt for the crone, Aurelia herself came into the Ettin, a look of deep concern creasing her face. She apologised to Jenna, but claimed that her revenge must be delayed a few days more. Aurelia had had a vision.
"I saw a great shadow, rising in the mountains to the north west. It rose high, then washed over Kantas, destroying all in it's path. There are three groups in the mountains who might wish the citizens of Daring ill. The Orcs, the Xvarts and the Yuan Ti. I understand the Yuan Ti have been all but annihilated, and the Xvarts, though cunning, I doubt would be capable of any real threat to our town. It is the Orcs I fear, and I must ask you to investigate, to seek out this threat to Daring, and to return to me with what you find."
Jenna, understandably, was not best pleased at having her vengeance stolen away from her, but after some calming words from Aurelia and my oath to aid her in destroying Granny if she would first help us discover this threat to the north west, she agreed to accompany us.
We set off, Dvargar, who has had some dealings with the Orcs, leading the way, his faithful warhound Lyka ranging ahead, as none of us had any great skill in scouting or the like. It was not long before Lyka returned, telling in broken Dwarvish of a patrol of Orcs, Worgs and, more troublingly, Xvarts, coming over the hill ahead of us. Lyka concealed herself in a nearby copse while Jenna used her magics to turn the four of us invisible. Then we waited. Shortly, over the hill, came the patrol - Orcs riding Worgs, Orrogs, and two different varieties of Xvart. It was then, that the obvious flaw in our planned ambush was revealed.
Two of the Worgs stopped, sniffing the air, and the patrol began to approach our location cautiously. Jenna, frustrated at our failure, hurled a ball of fire at the patrol, and battle was joined. With some difficulty, we managed at last to cut them down, though one Worg and one Orrog escaped, fleeing beyond our reach as we finished their fellows. Lyka managed to subdue on of the Xvarts for questioning, and we were just about to begin the interrogation when we were approached by another Orc, stepping from the copse of trees where Lyka had concealed herself.
She explained that her name was Azzah, and she had had some dealings with the humans of Daring before, having stood with the town against the Twilight. Honouring that debt, she now came to us to tell us that soon the Orcs would march against Daring, with the help of their Xvart allies.
"For now we gather the tribes, thousands upon thousands of our kin, and when we are all met, we will sweep your pathetic town before us. I do not know why the Xvarts so desire your destruction, but we are happy to oblige. Now, my debt to your kind is paid. The next time we meet will be on the field of battle."
As she strode towards the treeline, I called to her, asking the name of her warchief. She turned, smiling.
"Shammog Skinflayer."
And with that she was gone, taking to the sky on the back of a giant bat, accompanied by a patrol of her fellows we had not noticed. We took what we could find from the corpses of the patrol, taking the heads of the three Xvarts to be sold to Lothar in Sigil - a distasteful practise but the ends must justify the means. We then turned to the interrogation of our prisoner. The Xvart, who called himself Ax, proved to have little new information, save that his leaders - the warrior Xvad and the high priest Xvugly, sought something in Daring. With Lothar's help, we would later learn that the Xvarts believed Daring contained "a way to reach their god".
I was in favour of executing the creature, but Dvargar took responsibility for him, converting him to the worship of Tritheron and bringing him with us back to Daring.
As we crested the last hill on the approach to the town, we were met by Aurelia, to whom we described our findings. She thanked us for our troubles, and told us to stand back.
"I think it is time this town had some defences."
Muttering incantations, she marked a large circle on the ground, and from the earth rose a great fortress, carved stone battlements and great iron portcullis facing the way we had come, towards the mountains. Aurelia explained that, as with the magics of the original portal, and indeed the teleportation circles that allow travel between Daring and Port Ffirst, this stronghold would, if renewed with magic every day for a year, become permanent.
Perhaps the Orcs will not find Daring so helpless after all.
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