"If that's you desire. I'll have on of my lieutenants show you where you can rest for the evening. In the morning you can be off. I'll see about having your man sent back to his boat unharmed."
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"In any group there will be fools, fools to be used as needed. These men are already divided. I could arrange for an 'accident' to befall those not at the boats, but be warned the strength that will give this army the force to destroy Talingarde will be disadvantageous here. They will not stop until all are dead, unless I intervene. And while I will risk such action to save you, I will not for them. The choice is yours."
He grunts and nods. "Thorn has faith in you. If you weren't the best, he wouldn't have allied with you. Do this and your names will be legend. Now go rest for the evening."
Sakkarot swishes the wine in his cup, as though looking into it for answers. Then he downs the glass in a single drink and violently throws it aside, roaring with laughter. "Well spoken, my friend, well spoken. Creature's from the darkness, signs of the end times? I suppose that's what you've already helped create. And much worse to come before this is over if you're successful. My plans for after are simple. To burn Talingarde to the ground. Burn it and replace it with something....better." The bugbear chief rises from where he sits, moving towards the back of the hut where he retrieves a cloth wrapped package from a chest. He brings this to the table and sits it down. "Tomorrow you must depart this camp. It will never be truly safe for you here. Over the next week, more tribes will rally to my banner. I will promise them blood and give them steel. Then at last I will be ready to march. A week after that – I will be poised to strike. I will move my horde to the valley just north of Balentyne. There we will wait for your signal. Fire this rocket into the air. Within the hour, we will attack. Make sure that the way is ready." The gleam in Sakkarot's eye is a dangerous one. "After we gather, my horde will be idle and start to grow anxious. I can hold them together for another two weeks. After that, I expect desertions and squabbling. Get your work done before then. You have one month to infiltrate and destroy Balentyne." Suddenly Sakkarot turns very serious, all signs of the jovial savage gone, "Can you do this? In one month can you break the Watch Wall?" He intently stares at each of you expecting of an answer.
"I will be interested in seeing this calamity befall Talingarde. And how does my army fit into your plans? And how does Thorn fit?"
Sakkarot's eyes focus on Xanos. "Those are good. Your plans, or Thorns?"
Sakkarot weighs each of your words carefully, his ruby eyes focusing on the speaker in turn. "Varied motivations. Expected I suppose." He finishes his own cup at Cain's toast, refilling it. "Beyond Balentyne. What are your plans? It is only the first step. Where will you go from there? Despite our allegiance, many of my brethren lack my views on your kind. After we have breached the Watch Wall, where will you go from there?"
Odenkirk and half of his men join you in the feast, though most are unwilling. The other half take to guarding the ships despite Cain's efforts, Kargeld unwilling to let 'the savages' be alone with his vessels. As promised, a great feast is held in your honor and of the weapons you have delievered. A brutal and savage affair, bugbears battle with other bugbears, goblins deliver wine in wood or bone cups, food is brought forth, mostly nearly cooked meat though some food from the forest is also made available. The highlight of the feast, a giant boar is brought into the center of the camp. Standing 10' at the shoulder it takes a dozen of the bugbears to handle it's chains. Even then, only the weakness of the wounds it's suffered seems to hold it back. Brought before the Fire-axe, he hefts his namesake high and brings it down, beheading the creature in a might stroke. The beast is spitted roasted in a great open spit. The feast continues for several hours before finally dying down. Sakkarot retreats to his private chambers, summoning you to speak with him. As you all enter, he dismisses his many guards and minions. "You are traitors to your own kind. You must know that. When Balentyne falls and my horde pours through its shattered gates, we will slaughter the Talireans by the thousands. Yet I see no regret in your eyes. Tell me, how can this be?"
The bugbear does something truly unnerving at Shulme-Silule's words. He smiles. "Then you are welcome here." Sakkarot turns to the assembled bugbears and other assorted monsters and calls out, "These humans are my guests. I will deal with anyone who harms them. They are our allies!" Sakkarot walks up the boat, causing Odenkirk and his sailors to step back, hands on weapons. The huge bugbear ignores them and rips open one of the tightly sealed crates revealing the finely made axes within. He pulls one out and tosses it to the same bugbear who stood against you before. "Behold, they bring us steel!". A terrifying chorus of growls and cheers come forth from the monstrous assembly. Sakkarot directs his lieutenants to unload the boat and see about distributing the weapons, converting what was once a thousand bugbear savages into a thousand bugbear soldiers, each armed with weapons and shield brandishing the symbol of the Fire-Axe. While the work is done, Sakkarot comes up to you. "We'll talk in detail later. For now, we shall have a feast to celebrate this occasion."
The bugbears, ferocious in appearance, short of temper, appearing ready to pounce, halt at the mention of Sakkarot's name. They turn to each other for a moment while the biggest of the group stares forward. A few growls pass back and forth, the bugbears communicating with each other. The bugbears give pause for a minute, a crowd starting to gather, encouraging their fellows on. The energy of the ever-growing throng seems to turn hostile moment by moment, until as it seems the bugbears are on the verge of attacking, a scream from the crowd causes the bugbears on the pier to scatter. Goblinoid:
Striding forward from the crowd is the largest bugbear you have ever seen. Adorned in black charred armor and wielding a mighty axe burning of hellfire in one hand, he strides fearlessly forward down the pier towards your group. This can be only one person. Sakkarot Fire-Axe. Raising his axe towards you to point, he demands, "Who sent you?" He speaks in unaccented common, the red orbs he has for eyes settling on each for a moment as he takes you all in.
"From a bugbear, I would demand blood. From a fellow such as yourself, your word will suffice. Now go, I'll see to it that you are safely brought back to your boat. And remember, in two weeks I'll be in position. In one month, we must strike."
"Hmmm, an interesting proposal. And worded so I'm not necessarily betting against myself. Then let blood be met with blood." Sakkarot opens a chest near the back of his hut. From within he retrieves a silver skull with ruby colored eyes. As you watch, blood almost seems to be streaming from the eyes though it doesn't pool below. "Found in the north, this is one of the treasure's I've collected. A handy little thing. Do you find this a fair wager on my part?"
Sakkarot drains a glass of wine as he takes in your words. "Everything I learned as a bugbear says not to trust a weak gnome in this task. Everything I learned as a bugbear also speaks to your dismemberment." He rubs his chest for a moment. "Everything as I learned as an Asmodean says differently. Thorn has faith in you. If you weren't his best, he wouldn't have sent you. Do this and your names will be legend. Now go. Hail Asmodeus!
"You will decide if I lead to victory or failure. In that way, your actions are as great as my own." Sakkarot pulls out a crude map of the area and lays it upon a table as wel as a cloth wrapped package. "Tomorrow you must depart this camp. It will never be truly safe for you here. Over the next week, more tribes will rally to my banner. I will promise them blood and give them steel. Then at last I will be ready to march. A week after that – I will be poised to strike. I will move my horde to the valley just north of Balentyne. There we will wait for your signal. Fire this rocket into the air. Within the hour, we will attack. Make sure that the way is ready. "After we gather, my horde will be idle and start to grow anxious. I can hold them together for another two weeks. After that, I expect desertions and squabbling. Get your work done before then. You have one month to infiltrate and destroy Balentyne." Sakkarot hands them a single carefully wrapped signal rocket. Suddenly the bugbear warlord gets very serious and stern. He stares straight into the PC’s eyes. "Can you do this? In one month can you break the Watch Wall?"
"You words are bold. But bold words do not make for bold actions. This is not the first time the bugbear have risen to cross the Watch Wall. If there's one thing this line of pathetic kings have done well, it's to make that wall. And even then they built on what came before them, not a creation of their own. But what comes after? When the wall falls, I march into Talingarde. But what of you? What is your place in this affair?"
As promised, a great feast is held in your honor and of the weapons you have delievered. A brutal and savage affair, bugbears battle with other bugbears, goblins deliver wine in wood or bone cups, food is brought forth, mostly nearly cooked meat though some food from the forest is also made available. Aedorn:
As you make your way about the camp, at first you find the normal signs of what one would expect of a bugbear camp. The creatures roam around the camp, fights break out often, goblins scurry about under their noses. But there's something else, something unexpected. A sense of order underneath the chaos. Such a gathering should fall apart as the creatures each vie for control, yet something keeps them at bay.
Witnessed earlier, more evidence comes forth. Making your way about the camp, you suddenly become cornered by a trio of the creatures. Their clubs raised, a battle seems imminent, until a fourth comes up and waves one of the axes brought on the boats. You recall the bugbear as the one at the docks who received the first weapon. "No. This one's protected by Fire-Axe. Go get steel." The three give a growl before departing, their hostility replaced by something else. "Danger here. Fire-axe words protect you, but some need reminder. Go back to feast, Roak not be there next time." At some point during the feast, Aedorn rejoins the group. The highlight of the feast, a giant boar is brought into the center of the camp. Standing 10' at the shoulder it takes a dozen of the bugbears to handle it's chains. Even then, only the weakness of the wounds it's suffered seems to hold it back. Brought before the Fire-axe, he hefts his namesake high and brings it down, beheading the creature in a might stroke. The beast is spitted roasted in a great open spit. The feast continues for several hours before finally dying down. Sakkarot retreats to his private chambers, summoning you to speak with him. As you all enter, he dismisses his many guards and minions. "You are traitors to your own kind. You must know that. When Balentyne falls and my horde pours through its shattered gates, we will slaughter the Talireans by the thousands. Yet I see no regret in your eyes. Tell me, how can this be?”
A crowd of bugbears gathered, they appear ready to watch their leader handle the outsiders. This is not the show they are given, but another that visibly stuns several of the large creatures. "Then you are welcome here." He turns back to the crowd and calls out to the audience gathered. Turning back to you all, he begins to head towards the crates. "We shall discuss matters in privacy later. But first let us see what Thorn has provided for my army. I doubt it will be as impressive as the Lord of the Sixth's, but we have time to prove that wrong." Moving to the nearest create, Sakkarot rips open the crate, revealing the weaponry within. Finely made axes, he pulls the weapon out and tests it's weight before tossing the weapon to a nearby ally. Where once stood a savage bugbear wielding a crude club now stands a symbol of what is to come to Talingarde. And with his words, cheers begin to wash over the encampment as word spreads of what has come. "My Lieutenants will see to distributing the weapons. We will have a feast to celebrate this step in our victory, and to give you all a chance to recover from your journey. After we will talk about what comes next. I advise not wandering too far. None will attempt harm while my presence is made known, but sometimes they forget my wrath." He turns to Odenkirk for a moment, but the man speaks first. "I'll stay with my ship." The caution behind his words are clear, but Sakkarot displays no concern as he turns to lead you deeper into the encampment.
The lead bugbear turns to look at Alazandaru, a glance to Tatya then back to Morthos. Several other bugbears who had gathered in the distance seem to return to whatever tasks they were performing before. The bugbear holds Morthos gaze for a moment before turning to leave. "Let the Fire-Axe gut these ones. Weak hummies ain't worth my time." As the bugbears leave, another bugbear makes his way to the dock. Black-furred, this bugbear stands taller than any other you have seen. Adorned in black charred armor and with a flaming axe wielded in one hand, he approaches the group. This can be only one person. Sakkarot Fire-axe. He raises his axe and points it in the group's direction. "Who sent you?" He demands in unaccented Talirean, the red orbs of his eyes focusing on each in turn. |