Any celebration that may have taken place in Trunau is muted as the defenders realize that the orcs were not defeated, they were merely repulsed and withdrew. In addition, the Inner Quarter has been largely destroyed and many citizens of Trunau have been killed or injured.
After some rest and healing you are called before the Council of Defenders where Chief Defender Halgra addresses you-On behalf of all of Trunau you have our thanks and gratitude. I know what you did was no easy task, and although you did not drive the foe away singlehandedly, you did thwart their agents within the city and gave them pause enough to withdraw and us a chance to survive.
We fear, however, that the reason for the attack has not gone away and that hill giant chiefant Grenseldek will reassemble her host and attack again; perhaps this time leading her troops in person. If this comes to pass, I do not see how we will be able to repulse another assault coming so soon after the last. No reinforcements would be able to come to our aid in time.
With that being said, we ask of you who have already done so much for Trunau that you go to Grenseldek's fortress, Redlake Fort, and deal with this threat before it comes knocking down our gates once more. I know that you would not be able to defeat her host directly, but a small group should be able to enter the hold and come upon Grenseldek unawares. If you can eliminate her, her forces will be thrown into chaos and most likely ignore us for the forseeable future as they fight amongst one another to determine a new leader.
Can we count on you to complete this task?
“Of course, Trunau must be kept safe.”
Fantastic; come forward Slivermane. At her beckoning, a venerable looking elf comes forward. You recognize him as one of the folks you rescued from the chaos of the battle for the inner quarter and Ghun/Eng recognize him as the druid that watches over the Hopespring for as long as they can remember.
Silverman has lost his power of speech, but he is able to communicate through a form of sign language that Halgra understands. Through Halgra, Silverman tells you about the Vault of Thorns, a demiplane created by the druidic Council of Thorns, of which he was once a member. The entrance to the Vault is located within the Ghostlight Marsh, a swamp that surrounds the confluence of the Kestrel and Esk rivers. The Vault contains a cache of items that will help the party against the forces of Grenseldek's Twisted Heart clan.
To find the Vault, you will need to 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.
Silverman gives the party a leaf-embossed brass lantern. According to Silvermane, if the husk of a dead will-o'-wisp is placed inside the lantern, it 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 will only need to wash the supernaturally fueled lantern's light over the central standing stone to open the portal into the Vault of Thorns.
Halgra-I had hoped that you would agree to my request and have already secured passage for you aboard a keelboat that regularly plies the rivers of southern Belkzen. The riverboat's captain, a half-orc named Raag Bloodtusk, has agreed to transport you to the Ghostlight Marsh and then up the River Esk to a location near Redlake Fort in exchange for your efforts in helping to sail the boat and defend it from any dangerous river denizens
Bloodtusk's riverboat is well known among the orc tribes along the river, and the gladiator-turned-riverboat-captain enjoys rights of safe passage from these tribes' chieftains, which makes a river journey far safer than traveling overland.
Halgra gives you a sealed message from the council to give to Bloodtusk and wishes you Desna's blessing. She welcomes any questions you may have and urges you to complete your preparations and begin your journey.
brass bullseye lantern is embossed with dancing orbs
flitting amid a leaf-and-holly motif. A ghostlight lantern
functions as a normal bullseye lantern, but if the
remains of a dead will-o’-wisp are placed inside it,
the lantern gains additional abilities. The dead
will-o’-wisp powers the lantern for a period of
1 week, during which time the lantern sheds
a bluish-white light without the need for oil
as fuel. Creatures within the 60-foot cone
of the lantern’s normal light are outlined
with a pale, bluish glow, as faerie fire. Orcs
within the cone are dazzled, as if in bright
sunlight, for as long as they remain within
the light. Additionally, three times per day as a
standard action, the wielder of a ghostlight lantern
can draw upon the power of the deceased will-o’-
wisp fueling it to cast shocking grasp. Lastly, while
within the bounds of Ghostlight Marsh in the Hold of
Belkzen, a ghostlight lantern unerringly emits a beacon
that illuminates a direct path to the circle of standing stones
that form the entrance to the Vault of Thorns. After 1 week,
the power of the deceased aberration is exhausted, and the
ghostlight lantern loses its additional abilities, once again
functioning only as a normal bullseye lantern until another
dead will-o’-wisp is placed inside.
“Where can we find a will-o-wisp?”
Silvermane, through Halgara, explains that a wisp should be readily found in the Ghostlight Marsh, and they are common enough there that is in fact how the marsh got its name.
“Everyone ready? Might as well set out now.”
"Let's go, want to try new hammer soon."
Let's go
The Kestrel River lies almost 18 miles north of Trunau. While your journey is uneventful, you can see the wide destructive swatch that the orc army hewed on its way to and from Trunau. Burned out homesteads and farm buildings, the remains of slaughtered livestock, broken weapons and equipment, dead orcs that could not survive the march back; all-in-all a very grim trip and the smell of death and destruction is a stark reminder that while you have been victorious so far, Trunau's fate is ultimately undecided.
You find the river, pier, and boat in short order and introduce yourself to Captain Bloodtusk; your letter of introduction settling any issues that may have otherwise presented themselves.
Bloodtusk’s riverboat is a large, modified keelboat with a sturdy wooden hull. Assembled from the scavenged wrecks of several other vessels, the riverboat looks ungainly, with a wide forecastle and towerlike structure at the bow, and a high aftcastle at the stern. The boat is 120 feet long and 30 feet wide, with a draft of 10 feet. It has a single mast with a large sail as well as rowing banks. To assist in traveling upstream, the riverboat also carries eight horses that can be put ashore to pull the boat upstream.
You reach the boat to late in the day to set off and Bloodtusk informs you that the ship will depart at first light. Bloodtusk further informs you that while the Council negotiated your passage on his boat, it is a working passage and you are not idle tourists and must make yourself useful while aboard.
You can choose from the following daily tasks:
Cooking (Profession cook or INT check)
Fishing (Profession fisherman, survival, or STR check)
Lookout (3 DC 10 climb checks to reach crow's nest and then perception check)
Rowing (Profession sailor or STR check)
Sounding (Profession sailor or Perception)
Stable mucking (Handle animal, profession stable master, or ride check)
Bloodtusk gives you one final look before showing you to your hammocks-I'll expect you lot to do the majority of the fighting should things come to that. You have the looks of it allright and if the rumors are true, there wouldn't still be a Trunau if it weren't for your actions. My lads will pitch in, but they are more use in a tavern brawl than for anything serious.
Pick an activity for the first day and let me know if you try to talk to anyone on the ship.
I'll try my hand at cooking. Some old elvish recipes that you might like.
Daardra will make small talk with anyone else that helps with the cooking. If noone she will try and get some info from people as they get their food.
I'll check out the crow's nest.
Orett will talk to other sailors as they eat and perform tasks.
Between her fair cooking and being a female, Daardra makes quick friends with the crew. They are all half-orcs except for the Coxswain named Halrex, who is actually is a full blooded orc. The eight regular crew are named: Barka, Gashnakh, Ghorza, Krothu, Oorug, Sharg, Taug, and Urul. Each seems fiercely loyal to Captain Bloodtusk and tell some tales of the dangers of their life on the waters in such an unruly land.
For some reason you can't help shake the feeling that something is just not quite right with Gashnakh. He seems distracted by something and his passion for the Captain and his fellows appears to be more muted than the others.
Eng works under Captain Bloodtusk's direct supervision as a failure to sound properly could result in serious damage to the ship, or at least delay the journey. Raag is highly impressed by Eng's natural affinity for the task and shows him many of the things he has learned over the years. Eng gains 1 skill point in profession sailor.
What tasks does the party set themselves to on the second day of the journey?
Realizing you can't learn much up in the crow's nest, Orett gives Stable mucking a try.
-So close...
Daardra spends another day cooking, chatting up the crew once again
Orett finds stable mucking quite easy if unrewarding; horses tend to be quite filthy when stored in a ship's hold. Daardra continues to receive a fair amount of attention from the all-male crew. Eng is displaced as Bloodtusk's favorite by Ghun's superior sounding skills. Bloodtusk-Looks like it was first day luck for you lad. Maybe it's just a half-orc thing.
During the time spent sounding, the section of the rail supporting both Eng and Ghun gives way! DC 17 REF save or tumble into the river.
"HELP!"
Ghun easily pulls back from the collapsed railing while Eng splashes unceremoniously into the river below quickly falling behind the swift moving river boat.
Orett leaps in and swims vigorously towards Eng.
Hold on Eng, I'm coming!
Shoot at crocs
Eng surfaces and swims towards the boat; Orett leaps into the waters and his powerful strokes help Orett along; Ghun drills a croc with a bowshot, wounding it. Captain Bloodtusk calls for a full stop and the ship slowly comes to a halt and lines are cast towards the swimming PCs.
The crocodiles savagely snap:
PCs can reach for a line (AC 15) and start getting pulled towards and into the boat or fight crocodiles.
Grab for rope
help Eng swim towards boat
Slumber hex on Crocodile.
Sleep, scaly one.
I should have a hold on Eng, I believe.
Daardra sends one of the mighty reptiles floating down the river, content and snoozing while Ghun slays the other with a second arrow. Orett holds onto the rope and he and Eng are promptly pulled back aboard ship.
“Thanks everyone!”
Any other actions before the next scene?
Dry off. Inspect the broken railing.
nothing here
Eng notices that the section of rail that collapsed appears to have been purposefully loosened.
In private just to our group.
“The rail was sabotaged, someone on board may be trying to stop us, keep your eyes open.”
Rolls and activity for the following day please.
Orett tries fishing today.
-that's not good...-
Settling in to the routines of ship board life, the party notices that a few times during the day, one of the crew takes a large amount of meat down below decks.
While fishing Orett gets a massive tug on his line. He battles with it for a few moments before the line snaps!
A massive serpentine form emerges from the waters where the line was cast, while on the other side of the ship the waters roil as a similar creature emerges to attack. The both emit cacophonous bellows, as if signaling something before they assault the ship.
Party can take 1 round of action before the beasts engage.
“River drakes! Watch out they can spit explosive balls of mucus. Daardra, they are immune to sleep and paralysis and resistant to acid.”
Summon small water elemental to attack river drake 1.
Hope that gets the crappy rolls out of the way.
Thanks Eng. Mage Armor on Orett.