Nodding Corentin comes back around from the stables and climbs the stairs.
A flight of steep stairs and a lowered drawbridge lead into the dark interior of the way station. Inside, a single room contains a large fireplace, a table and chairs, a pair of bunks, and stacks of crates and barrels. Near the door, and readied for the party's approach, stands a pair of armed and armored orcs, obviously caught in the act of pillaging the way station. In the far corner, bound and gagged, is a human female with obvious bruises and cuts covering her face and torso.
Assessing the situation quickly and realizing the importance of not losing the drawbridge Corentin charges across and into the room to strike at the orc in the back.
Sasha kicks Galor into high gear and charges back around the building.
Corentin charges headlong into the tower, and the sound of crunching bones and splitting flesh can be heard from outside as he connects with his target, cleaving deeply into orc flesh. From outside the door, Johan lets an arrow fly at another orc, burying the missle deeply in his target. Sasha moves into position at the base of the steps, ready to engage with the orcs inside.
Inside the tower, Corentin quickly finds himself surrounded as two as of yet unseen orcs from the eastern portion of the room quickly charge into battle, eager for a fight with overwhelming odds in their favor. With several roars and vicious shouts, the orcs quickly surround the cavalier, raining blow after blow onto his form with their wickedly carved falchions and tearing through his heavy armor with relative ease. He quickly goes down to the terrible assault, his form collapsing in the middle of the room.
Blood flows freely from the brave, if rash, Cavalier.
Sasha dismounts and carries the fight to the orcs, slipping between her companions' legs to strike.
"Blast it all! What is happening in there? You longshanks are blocking my view! Is Corentin down?"
Johan fires off a pair of arrows, one of them landing firmly in the chest of an orc and throwing the creature backward and to the ground. Szacha starts a chant, creating a trio of additional images of the skald which mirror his movements and confuse the onlooking orc warriors. Sasha moves up between the rest of the party, her sword lashing out and biting deeply into the orc that was wounded earlier by Johan's arrow, wounding the creature as it struggles to maintain its stance. Gizsmith, further behind the group, pulls out a scroll and moves forward, hoping to provide assistance to the bleeding cavalier.
The three orcs, seeing the small target before them, step forward and lash out with their heavy weapons at the halfling. Sasha defends as best as she can with her much smaller weapon, batting the larger blades aside in a blur. One weapon manages to find a gap in her defenses, slicing into the halfling deeply and leaving a fountain of blood in its wake.
Sasha boldly taunts the orcs in their own tongue, "Silly numbnuts! Can't you take down a little girl?" Even as she speaks, her blade again slashes at the orc she wounded earlier (unless Johan's arrows took it down, in which case she will choose another target).
Oblivious to the chaotic battle going on around him Corentin's consciousness slowly coalesces into a dreamlike state. The fragrant hint of roses on an unfelt breeze and a steadily growing light far off in the darkness are his only companions in the unknown void. Even as he tries to comprehend the sudden change in his surroundings he becomes aware that the light is growing closer, or perhaps he is moving towards it.
Back in the waystation his lifeblood continues to pump out onto the floorboards with the regularity of his beating heart.
Johan lets another pair of arrows fly into the melee, sinking one deeply into orc flesh and killing the creature. Sasha quickly slashes at the orc standing over her companion's body, scoring a strong hit as she goads the creature to attack her. Szacha, roaring in from the back ranks, swings Aggrimosh in a wide arc, hammering the weapon into the wounded orc and cleanly knocking its head from its shoulders, the corpse falling on top of Corentin, who continues to bleed from multiple wounds. "Make a path!" shouts Gizsmith, as he darts between the legs of his allies towards the downed cavalier, a single scroll in his hand, clenched tightly in his grip. The lone remaining orc takes a swing at the gnome as he darts past, the curved blade cleaving into the wizard's shoulder and drawing out a scream of pain. Clambering on top the bodies of the fallen orc and Corentin, the gnome quickly unfurls the scroll and reads an arcane chant, his hand suddenly glowing with a dull red energy that gives of an almost unholy aura. Quickly placing his hand on the man's chest, Gizsmith releases the energy and the warrior's wounds slowly begin to knit themselves back together.
The orc, furious at the sight of his companions, lashes out wildly at Sasha, determined to slay the inferior creature who dared challenge its might. The far more nimble and evasive halfling quickly ducks under the slashing blade, returning a grin to the orc as it falls further into a blind fury.
The light grows until the radiant form of a winged woman can be seen. Behind her the darkness parts to reveal an idyllic land where simple folk go about there daily lives, an aura of happy contentment flowing forth like heat from a fire. Looking more closely at the inhabitants of this land Corentine notices that almost all of them bear the scars of past violence and beneath their smiles lies the steely resolve of those who have fought for what is dear to them.
Turning his eyes back to the woman he finds himself reaching a hand towards her almost without thought. She raises her own in turn and their fingertips almost touch before the cavalier feels a sudden pull drawing him back the way he came. For a brief moment it's as if time stops, a hairs breadth or perhaps infinite miles between them, before the woman graces him with a brief smile and he begins drifting backwards. Faster and faster he retreats, until the entire scene is once again only a point of light in the darkness and then just darkness.
From the bank ranks another pair of arrows zip past the party, one skipping against the doorway while the other slices into the lone remaining orc, spinning him like a top. As the orc's body twists about, under the influence of the powerful projectile, its eyes struggle to focus on the quickly approaching head of the mighty Agrimmosh as it connects squarely with the creatures face and shatters its skull into dust. The orc's body twitches several times, still holding onto its bloody falchion, until at last it collapses to the floor and is still.
The flow of blood from the wounded warrior slows and comes to a halt. Over the course of the next minute the most grievous of his wounds begin to knit. Though he remains unconscious and pale it at least seems he is farther from deaths door.
Giz pulls out another scroll. Pausing to look at his own wound, he sighs and begins chanting in infernal, placing his free hand on Corentin's chest..
Giz rises to his feet with a grunt and gives the corpse of the orc that wounded his a vicious kick. Slowly, he heads over to the bound woman, and pulling out a small dagger, he cuts her free.
Her bounds freed, and gag removed, the woman coughs for a moment she does her best to wet her otherwise parched mouth. cough "Thank you master gnome, whoever you are. And thank you all for dealing with those vile things." cough
The woman stands, and its suddenly obvious she's no helpless waif. Standing over 6 feet tall and boasting an impressive physique for a female human, the woman moves comfortably in the breastplate she wears, an ornate piece that has been colored gold. The woman moves to one of the corners, retrieving a longsword on the ground, which she quickly thrusts into the sheath at her belt. She grabs a jug of water from the nearby table and takes several long gulps before lowering it and letting her eyes fall upon the group.
"Not that I'm one to question a timely rescue...but what brings you here? You have the look of more than your typical group of travelers to be sure."
Her stance is as casual a stance as one can muster when surrounded by unknown armed strangers, but she manages to not reveal any immediate signs of fear or concern.
Gizsmith gives a florid bow,
"Gizsmith Glitterbyte, owner and operator of Glitterbyte and Sons' Tonic and Curios Emporium, at your service. My worthy associates and I travel on a mission of grave import upon the fine vessel of Raag Bloodtusk. Master Bloodtusk was contracted to deliver a shipment to this waystation. Having seen the current disorder, he asked that his resident adventurers extraordinaire determine the fate of the commander of the Knights of Orem, one Calrianne Blix. Might you be she?"
As time passes the cavalier's wounds continue to improve and eventually his eyes reopen. Rising he takes in the situation before retrieving his axe and awaiting the womans response.
Nodding to the gnome as he explains the sudden appearance of her rescuers she says, "Indeed, I am Knight Blix. So you travel the river with the traders, I see now. I can only thank the Inheritor that you arrived when you did. I managed to hold my own at first, but their numbers proved too many, even for one skilled in fighting their kind." She moves through the room as she speaks, surveying the damage caused by the orc looting and gives a sigh. "I guess this will have to wait, as I'm sure Bloodtusk will not want to be kept waiting to unload the goods."
Considering the group for a moment, and the obviously strange makeup of the party, she adds "If I might be so bold to ask, what brings you specifically to this part of the hold? I'll be a fancy noblewoman before I buy that you are simple merchants or deck hands, traveling with the old captain."
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Johan moves about retrieving unbroken arrows and then begins to remove useful items from the orc's bodies. You surmise correctly Ms. Blix. the ranger confirms. It may sound foolish to you, but we hunt Will-O-Wisps, and for good reason. Might you know anything about them? And now that you are rescued what are your plans? Might you be willing to come with us?
Still feeling a bit light headed from his injuries Corentin quietly chuckles to himself at Szacha's surprise.
"Knights are made of stern stuff my friend." he advises quietly.
To their host he asks, "Dame Blix are there other knights stationed here we should be concerned for? We dealt with the orcs wolves but can not say there are not more about. To answer your question we are from Trunau which has recently come under attack by the Twisted Nail tribe. We were able to repulse the attack and have been tasked with breaking their power before they can regroup. As my companions have said, before we can see to that we have business in the Ghostlight Marshes. Any knowledge you have that might be of use would be greatly appreciated."
"Before we talk much further though we should signal the boat so they know how things stand."
Sasha cleans her blade on the bodies of one of the orcs while her companions speak to the knight. She has no tongue for diplomacy, and knows her limits.
Halgra begins translating as the elf turns to you, his hands still in motion as he works through his offer. You face a challenge that will prove to be most difficult, and I may be able to better equip you to deal with it. The Vault of Thorns, a demiplane created by the druidic Council of Thorns, of which I was once a member, contains a cache of items that can help in your fight against this Twisted Heart menace. The entrance to the Vault is located within Ghostlight Marsh, a swamp to the northeast surrounding the confluence of the Kestrel and Esk rivers. To find the Vault of Thorns, you should look for a marker in the form of a circle of thorns carved into a stone near the banks of the River Esk. This marker will put you on the right path through the swamp to find the Vault, but the entrance to the demiplane is hidden.
At this point, the elf produces an ancient, leaf-embossed brass lantern. This is called a ghostlight lantern. If the husk of a dead will-o’-wisp is placed inside the lantern, the lamp will produce a beacon that points to the circle of standing stones that marks the Vault’s entrance. Once you reach the druidic circle, you need only wash the supernaturally fueled lantern’s light over the central standing stone to open the portal into the Vault of Thorns.
The elf then stands still, the effort of the speech obviously tiring him. Halgra picks up where he left off, stating, "Once you have secured the items within the cache, you will continue along the river towards Redlake Fort. It is there we believe that this Twisted Hearts tribe is making their home. We know at least that the giantess claims the fort as her lair, so it would only make sense that the rest of the tribe would be close by."
Listening to Johan, Calrianne replies "Wisps? I've heard of them and the lands they inhabit west of here. I admit that I've never dared travel to the marsh myself, but I know it is said to be haunted by spirits. If that be your destination then ware the tales of those who go missing there, for I'm sure they are more than just legends."
Taking Corentin's advice the group moves outside, where they signal the riverboat, several dozen yards off of the shore. Soon, a second skiff is busy being loaded with the goods that Bloodtusk was commissioned to deliver. After that is seen to the knight turns to the group once more, "There are other knights in the hold, and I cannot abandon my post. A few days of hard work will put this place right once more, have no fear. Tis not the first attack we've suffered at the hands of the beasts that call this land home, and it will surely not be the last." Taking a moment to think she adds, "However, I will be sending word that something has the orcs whipped to a new frenzy and will request additional knights from our garrison to be posted here."
Hearing Szacha the woman brightens for a moment, "A circle of thorns...no, but I know of Redlake Fort to be sure. Just a moment!" She spins on her heels and runs back to the guard post. A few minutes later she returns, holding a ancient burned piece of parchment in her hand. Kneeling to the ground she opens the paper and spreads it out on the ground, careful not to tear the torn and singed parchment and using a few small stones to hold down the edges. "One of my ancestors, Fabian Blix, was once the fort's cleric. Fabian died during the final siege of the fort, but one of his sons, my great-grandfather) escaped through a hidden sewer tunnel." she says, indicating a spot at the rear of the keep. "I don't know much other than that, but please, take this map. It is of no use to me in my duties, and maybe it can bring you some assistance on your journey. If what you say is true then the recent orc activity could very well be linked to this fort, and if you can settle things there then it would in turn benefit my order." She picks up the scrap of parchment, folds it carefully, and hands it over to the group.
"One more thing..." she blurts out, turning again and walking to the stable area and turning the corner. When she returns she is carrying a fine looking leather saddle which she offers to the party. "For your assistance here today, please accept this. I'm certain the order would want to repay your kindness here today, and if you will be traveling overland, this might be of use to you."
"Thank you Dame Blix, this map and the information you've given us could well mean the difference between success or failure in our mission. Your gracious gift is unnecessary, after all we live in a hostile land and it's only right that we aid each other where we can, but is appreciated. It seems of fine make, does it carry any special properties beyond it's craftsmanship?"