some hunting would be a good way to pass the time, and could gain us some ideas for cover stories as traders. He whispers to Forsythe
When I was a pirate we hunted seals, but I let the others do most of the work. I'm not really the type to throw harpoons and haul up seals. If the captain wants to hunt seals and acquire extra fresh water, by all means, lets do so.
a few lazy days pass hunting seals, and you manage to get 10 seal pelts. the next morning you set off again.
at about noon, Victor's razorcrow spots something hugging the coast, heading towards your ship. Closer inspection reveals its a group of three one-man kayaks, and a larger open seal-skin canoe with four men rowing.
the vessels close fast, and hail it loudly in broken Common. Hail Talirean traders!
It appears they want to trade. One of them, apparently their leader, White Tusk, according to their shaman, the only one of them that speaks any real common. they've got an impressive 8 ft. ivory narwhal horn they're looking to trade, and a lot of walrus tusks and other smaller ivory horns.
they especially value metal.
We're agreed then. Not the most lucrative piracy, but it feels good to be back at it, nonetheless. Captain, prepare your men for battle.
After seeing the fight against the tritons, I think we will benefit greatly from keeping this fight out of the water if we can. Let's let them approach us with the larger boat and then attack when they are within reach. Also, try to look intimidating.
We should also prepare ourselves more adequately for naval combat in the future. Maybe some spells/extracts prepared or scrolls scribed will help. Perhaps we can keep a couple of their boats as well.
I cast Mage Armor on myself.
In a commanding voice, to their leader, when they get within about 100 feet:
Hail Savages of the North! Approach peacefully and to not try to take up arms or you will be struck down by the Holy Swordarm of Mitra.
When they pull up alongside our boat and board, I will say from behind a shield of meat:
We accept your wares as tribute to the Crown of Talingarde in exchange for forgiveness of your base pagan rituals. Leave that horn and your other wares here and depart peacefully.
well, you've gotta approach them, to know they have the whale horn, so they're already around the boat, in reasonable talking distance. say 20-30 ft. they're watching as well, so spellcasting would likely tip them off to something or provoking the fight.
so you whisper your conspiracy, and then they see a spell being cast
they seem to recognize it, a cry goes out from their shaman in their languages, and they ready themselves. no one is apparently surprised that this goes to combat.
check out the map and let me know if you will be doing it.
Seeing them take up arms, I squeak, duck behind a crate or something for cover and start casting sleep. I am trying to keep line of sight to one or two of the guys in the canoes (not the big canoe), I'll try to drop it on them.
Calls from Water casts something and touches White Tusk
with a word of warning about Calls from Water, Forsythe silences him, he freezes in place on the four man ship. Leo draws his bow and aims his shot at the boat.
A clairon call rises from White Tusk's throat, and its clear he means to stand his ground. He hefts his bone spear and launches it through the air at Forsythe. Leo reacts faster, loosing his arrow at white tusk, whispering a praise of Asmodeus as the arrow flies.
the praise seems to go unanswered, as Leo's arrow misses by a hairs-breadth as White Tusk leans back in his throw. White Tusk's shot goes wide though, and he calls out something in Yutak to his men, and the boats close in with the Frosthammar.
Victor shoots the paralyzed caster, and ash lobs an alchemist fire at the caster. then loran's elemental rises up out of the waves, pounding the paralyzed caster, who slumps, as there's nothing left to hold, his will gone.
two days later, the weather takes a plunge at night, as a cold snap hits. ( global warming ). it begins to snow, first as intermittent flurries, but they give way to fat flakes and biting winds. The crew lights up a few torches to provide both light and warmth in the freezing darkness. as they hunker down for the night.
::pause for any reactions::
he lights a pipe, holding one of the spears from the water men. pretty rare it gets this cold. does happen though.
the crewmen, teeth chattering, continue to try and keep the rigging from freezing, and keep the ship intact through the night
Are we on such a tight timeline that we can't beach for the night? Floating on a frozen ship out on the water in the middle of a blizzard seems like a bad idea. We're also more tactically vulnerable than we would be on land.
more dangerous that way. Break apart on some rocks that way, we're safer out here, even in this. , says the captain.
With a crack, a peal of thunder rips through the dark night, in the booming wake of it, maniacal laughter echoes in the silence and the falling snow. The ocean's sound turns from churning waters to the crack of ice. The laughter stops echoing, you all turn to look, something flying above, perched up the mast, like the mast is icing over from the top down.
Leo's armor begins to ice over, and in the waning light of the flickering torches, ice shards burst up from the quickly freezing surface. As the shards lurch for the ship, the sailors panic, screaming, ICE DEMONS!!!
Largely grimly hefty his great axe.
Victor shoots at the thing on the mast, injuring it slightly. but as Temperance begins to chant her sleep spell, the thing launches icy glowing orbs that unerringly strike Temperance.
the shards of ice advance, slamming Leo and Ash forcefully, but the numbing cold doesn't wear away at them.
You slay the icy mephit, his body cracking the ice beneath him, as the oceans swallow his bloody, icy body. the elementals don't prove to be too much of a struggle. By morning, crew is mostly back to its old self, as the sun rises and it becomes easier to stay warm, spirits lift somewhat. A crag signals you nearing your destination.
Finally the Frosthamar arrives at the ice-choked entrance to the River Taiga. Kargeld proves himself a worthy captain, nimbly sailing the heavily laden craft through fields of floating jagged ice. He barks orders in ulfen and his sailors scramble to comply. Again and again he turns the boat at just the right moment to pass between broken shards calved from ancient glaciers.
After nerve-wracking hours of this, the boat pushes through the dangerous headwaters of the Taiga into the clear water of this almost uncharted mighty river. Beyond the headwaters is a land of savage wonders. The Taiga winds its way through a great northern forest that to the best of anyone's knowledge, has no name.
After miles and miles of picturesque pine trees frosted with new fallen snow, the ship comes to a great mountain range. This river flows through a great rift in the mountains that looks as if someone impossibly huge primordial giant smashed a pass through the grey slate.
As you head south now, though the cold does not lessen any, into the great interior sea of Talingarde, known as Lake Tarik. To the south of that sits the Watch Wall. On the northern banks in a wide wooded valley is your destination -- the camp of Sakkarot Fire-Axe.
Thousands of bugbears are already assembled. These savage humanoids are not pleased to see outsiders, especially humans. Worse, there are more than just bugbears here. The occasional polar bear lumbers around the camp untented. Fur-clad goblins scamper here and there, laughing with frenetic glee. Even a few hill giants gather at the camp's fringes.
There is only one place to dock the boat -- a crudely made pier that juts into the river. On that pier are four hulking bugbears. They don't seem pleased to see the Frosthamar.
[[ what would you like to do? ]]
You should be happier to see us than you are, we are allies and come bearing gifts of destruction to Sakkarot Fire-Axe and his men.
Look, mongrels. I don't care if you like us or not, get your shaggy asses on the boat and unload these goods before we make you regret it.
::whisper:: i'll show you how to be intimidating to bugbears.
ROAR
and swinging my falchion to carve a chunk into the side railing, to punctuate the roar.
oops. look's like leo's just in time for an assist actually.
well that impressive 15, ::cough:: okay the 28, is intimidating enough. it holds them at bay a few seconds, unsure what to do at this point.
Sakkarot finally does arrive, the great black-furred bugbear is a fearsome beast, wielding an axe of flame. He points it at Temperance.
Who sent you? Sakkarot demands in unaccented common
I walk towards him carefully. When I am close enough to speak in a quieter voice, I say:
Lord Adrastus has sent us to deliver weapons to you. I would like to discuss terms with you, but there are too many ears here (I covertly motion to the crew behind me). Is there a place we can speak more privately?
If he accepts this, I will call for my fellow bound (PCs) to come with us and tell the crew to remain with the boat for now. It seems the bugbears have been poorly informed of Adrastus's plans, so I want to bring Sakkarot up to speed. But I don't want to let Odenkirk's crew in on the second part of our mission (infiltrate the tower), and we still need them alive for now.
Then you are welcome here. He turns to the somewhat stunned throng of bugbears who were getting ready to storm the boat and eat the occupants. repeating himself in Goblin as he addresses the crowds.
These humans are my guests. I will deal with anyone who harms them. They are our allies! He walks over to the boat and rips open one of the crates revealing finely made axes within. He tosses one to a nearby bugbear warrior, who until this time only had a crude club to wield.
Behold! They bring us Steel! This earns you a terrifying chorus of growls and cheers from the monstrous assembly.
The boat is unloaded. Sakkarot's liutenants see that each case is distributed and soon you see a visible transformation in the camp. Where once there were a thousand bugbear savages, now there are a thousand bugbear soldiers each with new weapons and shields adorned with the emblem of the fire axe. What a terror you've helped to create.
Sakkarot holds a feast in honor of the weapons shipment and his allies. The feast is brutal, savage affair with bugbears fighting each other and all manner of monsters in attendance. The highlight of the party is when a great shaggy dire boar recently captured from the northern woods is brought in shackles.
One ton of angry pig is led in by a dozen bugbears who drag the beast before Sakkarot. Sakkarot beheads the already wounded animal in one mighty stroke with his fire axe. The beast is then spitted and roasted in a great open fire pit, as you have a front row seat to the spectacle of savagery.
Eventually as the raucous bestial festivities of the bugbear tribes die down, Sakkarot acquiesces to your request for a private audience. He summons you into his private chambers and dismiss his many followers with a deep growl. Of course, his guards and minions are no more than one shout away.
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 Talirieans by the thousands. Yet I see no regret in your eyes. Tell me, how can this be?
I tense my shoulders, looking slightly affronted by his comment
They are not of my kind. We may look the same, but we do not think the same. They claim to follow the good and the light, but they are arrogant and intolerant. They sentenced us to die for imagined crimes and we will gladly see them burn. We are united in this cause.
I relax into my chair
But more importantly, Lord Adrastus has commanded it and so it will be done. I don't know how well he has been in touch with you, but he has given us further orders to aid your cause. He has commanded us to help with the siege more directly. He has asked that we infiltrate Balentyne, kill the commander and open the doors to your horde.
We need to co-ordinate with you so that we can execute this plan smoothly. We will need time to sail to Aldencross and infiltrate Balentyne. I want to be sure you are ready to storm the gates when we open them.
|
We're outcasts. Born from them, but not of them. The shining holy ones don't look too kindly when their priests fornicate with devils and demons, let alone when they let evidence of their dalliances live on. And for that they've already tried to cast us off to die.
They think their mark sets us apart as mongrels, but it merely seals their fate.
Even the blood of the celestial don't stop the Mitrans.
Sakkarot pulls aside his great breast-plate, and reveals the holy symbol of Asmodeus burned into his chest.We all have our scars
There will be time for you to move. Just a few miles from here sits Aldencross, and less than a mile from there is the watchtower Balentyne.
[b]I can give you a month. Tomorrow you must depart this camp. It will never truly be 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. Sakkarot hands you a signle, carefully wrapped, signal rocket.
We don't have maps or layouts for Balentyne. You'll have to look it over yourselves. Its a watchtower connected by a bridge.
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 the bugbear warlord gets very serious, and stern. He stares straight into your eyes.Can you do this? In one month can you break the Watch Wall?
This shouldn't be that hard to accomplish. Anyone have any questions before we leave?
If not, I say we head out and get to business.
Stating in Giant
Although my dance card always has room, a girl has select her partners with care. Watch were you place those eyes tiny or that spit is about to have a much larger pig on it.
After a second to pause and look around.
Alright, then let's kill some Mitrans!
as you turn to leave the tent, a whirl of smoke by the entrance causes everyone to jump, as swords unsheath at the quick reactions of all. It clears quickly and becomes apparent its a message from Thorn as the familiar blonde hair and green eyed features of Tiadora materialize. Soothing thoughts float your way as she assures you she just bears a message.
She pulls out a bag from her side, reaches a hand in, and pulls out a tiny struggling woman, no bigger than three apples tall, with quiet features. Tiadora places her down, dismisses some spell, and the woman grows back to about 3'7 as she stands up and brushes off her nice dress, looking a little miffed.
You've failed the master once. He believes the death of your knot in finding the tomb of Abbadon is punishment enough. But do not fail him again. You're to join this knot she says, as she gestures towards Temperance, Forsythe, Ash, Victor, Loran and Leo.
They can fill you in.
Tiadora strides over to Forsythe, reaches up to almost caress her cheek.
Farewell.
Sakkarot dismisses you all to sort yourselves out, as you make your way in silence to the ship.
Back at the ship, night is starting to fall, and Captain Odenkirk looks more than anxious to leave the bugbear camp as everything is unloaded. Muttering about not getting paid enough for this.
Come along, we've got a bit to go before Aldencross.
Around the shore, bugbears finishing their meals around boiling cauldrons are watching as they finish ripping the flesh off their haunches of meat.
His eyes linger over Sakkarot's tent, as Sakkarot stands outside, watching from a distance. Look in that one's eyes. He's smart -- always plotting. Bugbears should not be smart.
A vulgar punctuated mix of Aklo and Abyssal mumbles out of the gnome as she stands,
How dare that harpy toss me in her mystical purse like a punished puppy.
A soft pink and grey skinned, freckled female gnome with deep black eyes and hair the color of smoke and bubble-gum quickly locks eyes with the group, looking each member up and down, clearly sizing them, then the host of creatures that fill the camp.
Being introduced to this vastly cooler environment quickly produces a haze of steam around her frame which seem to accentuate her clear anger at being the pawn of scorn.
Seeing Sakkarot and host, she tenses and speaks to herself, ...and the beasts of burden shall rise to challenge those that weigh heavy upon their earned yoke. If this is your will, then may he put better purposes to your undeserved time on this plane.
She sighs, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and exhales. Her anger clearly venting from her body. Oh this air.
She stretches to the sky So clean and refreshing; so gloriously cold.
Quickly she snaps back to her adopted family and in a cold tone, So. You're the new knot. How happy I am to be tied to you. You may call me Neji.
Looking towards the Captain and his boat Oh! A Boat! and excitedly rushes, almost skipping, towards the docks.