The Crucible of Freya (Inactive)

Game Master Grimmy

As Vhillish is pulled up by Damien, he provides a report of his findings to the others - hoping that perhaps one of the more arcane minded of the company will provide significance to the ammonia smell and sooty blood.

"Bad business I say whot! The gorger may have crushed our necrotic foe but nowt remains o' him save blood sprays that whiffed away as soot and damn stench of ammonia! Damned fell magicks!"

Janna keeps a watch as the group makes the climb, most likely one at a time.

spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
know arcane: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

hearing the description from the deputy, she tries to remember if she learned anything about that at the Academy.

hmmm, hmmm, hmm

Janna doesn't remember hearing of any magic that makes dead bodies disappear with those side effects before.

Damien counts 12 orcs in the courtyard and a wave of skeletons shambling out behind them. The cultists seem to be just inside the donjon door, chanting and fiddling with their amulets.

From the outer curtain wall, a familiar face is seen down on the ground at the treeline... Herl the ranger points and waves at the party. Beside him is the treeling, Knotty.

"Hoy there! I met this creature in the wood. He is asking for you, Master Samduc."

Last over to the wall, and seemingly taking the presence of the two strange companions in stride, Damien cuts the ranger short, "Plenty of time to catch up later Herl! For the time being keep you bow ready if anything black, tusked, or dead pops it's head over the wall...well, excepting our dear paladin here."

One eye on the approaching orcs, Damien quickly gathers up the rope and drops it over the side of the wall, "Right, everyone down!"

Damien's priorities aside, I'm incredibly excited to see what the unusual treeling has in store for us?!

are all bandits dead?

Once she's assured everyone is up, Kevezyat clambers up the ladder. If she can she will pull the ladder up to prevent the approaching orc from using it.

Hurrying after the others, she gains the wall and looks down , seeing Herl and the treeling. Smiling she raises a hand in greeting, before descending herself.

"Quickly now, let's gain the safety of the treeline. We must regroup." she says intently.

Sam smiles at seeing his tree-friend. He rushes to get to him as soon as possible after frantically beckoning to him.

"Knotty, you're back!!"

When a hobbit and treeling rush together for a reunion, it takes a while for them to meet in the middle.

Finally on the ground, Damien gives an exasperated sigh at Sam's usual over exuberance while keeping a watchful eye on the wall for signs of orcs or cultists. A sharp nod signals his agreement with Kevezyat's words, "Quickly indeed. My ass is bristly enough without a dozen orc quarrels in it."

Firean's corpse was not mentioned among the ones thrown to the ground. It's possible both she and Cullen managed to escape before the ogre reached the top. If so, they're either long gone, or we'll find them skulking around while we regroup.

Vhillish loads his crossbow and nods back toward the orcs;

"Covering fire required sah? Keep them honest at least whot?"

Herl ushers the party to a magically concealed campsite he has created a few hundred feet back in the woods.

"So what did you learn about the occupants of Eralion's Keep?"

Damien drops his pack heavily and spits, "Nothing good. That bloody flag isn't a damned prank or a bluff by the mage we're chasing. You and the rest of Fairhill have the misfortune of an honest to goodness undeath cult setting up shop on your damn doorstep. Suicidal fanaticism, actual demons and all. Miserable bastards moved into the lower levels and seem intent on desecrating the old chapel to Thyr. Seem to have succeeded for the time being too...though we might have killed their leader...body disappeared, can't be certain."

He gives Herl a moment to digest the news before moving on, "Met those bandits you were talking about. I don't think you'll be hearing much from them after this. Not sure if any got out but Firean's little outfit is well and broken. Rebellious attitude is a poor substitute for proper training when you're facing down an ogre..."

The former Lieutenant sighs heavily, "Real kicker is we're gonna have to go back in there. Still have our own job to do, not to mention the church. Can't leave it like that, there'd be damned undead crawling around the place till the end of time."

He looks up, "So that's our story. What's yours Herl? What does the the little witch tree have to say?"

Vhillish keeps busy by brewing a pot of strong coffee and distributing it out to any that wish a cup (with the offer of a shot of whiskey to sharpen the mettle).

As he makes his rounds, the veteran listens intently to Damien's report and pipes in;

"Rotters abound now sah! And the blaggards will be ready for us whot! Seen what we can do..."

Leoven is uneasy and anxious,

We should find out if all the bandits are dead or if they still live they honour they part of our deal, and they don't seem evil, we can just abandon them

Damien turns his head to look in the direction of the keep, now obscured by the forest surrounding them, "They honored their deal son, better than I'd expected. If any of them are still alive, they either made it out of the tower or hid. If they're out, they split, no reason to hang around now. If not...well they just might have ended up prisoners. That's the case, we'll spring 'em when we clear the cultists out. Two birds and all that.", it's fairly clear from the veteran's tone that he doesn't think it likely the cultists would be interested in taking prisoners but he's at least trying to keep things positive for the young priest.

So what does Herl have to say?

"I may scout around. I don't let those who took up arms with me against evil without making sure they don't need aid."

Sam explains to Knotty "Some friends inside may be still fighting the bad men. I will look around a bit before returning to tell you stories."

Having learned better than to argue with the young halfling unless completely necessary, Damien nods, "See if you can catch a glimpse of anything useful. Stay outside the wall though. You'll be no use to anyone if you get captured."

Still uneasy, he turns to Jerrid, "You should go too, provide some backup."

So how is Lannet doing at this point? He's no longer paralyzed but is he still unconscious? If so I can heal him.

"Of course. I only have minor wounds. If we do leave here, remember we want to get that witch's staff for the apothecary. Still have Golden Palms to stop."

Sorry Jerrid, didn't notice your health there.

Damien gives the determined gnome a second look over, "Hel, you're not going anywhere like that. Hold still..."

CLW: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

"Better. We'll deal with the staff and the Palms soon enough. This comes first. Everything else involves Shandril to some degree and she's going to be even less helpful than usual if she's still fretting over these damn cultists. Might be dealing with this buys us enough goodwill to solve our other problems as well."

Jerrid grunts with the easing of his worst bite. The claw mark still shows up as a wide gash across his forehead but the deep gnome simply wraps a torn piece of material around to stop his skin flapping down or blood dripping into his eyes.

Kevezyat sit quietly , listening to the others plan and talk, gazing thoughtfully back at the dark outline of the fortress through the trees.

Seeing Damien heal Jerrid, she shakes her head and says, "My apologies, Dark Brother. Here let me..."

She places a plam over the cut on Jerrid's forehead, then lowers her head, her lips moving in prayer...

Lay on hands, mercy: fatigue: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5

Damien gives a small nod of approval to the deep gnome's stoicism, "Just keep your heads down. Those tuskers are piss-poor shots but there's a lot of 'em in there..."

With a terse thanks, Jerrid follows Sam.

Is this a trap? Healed so we can go and die? No they mean well but who can tell. Not them risking their lives. Just Sam. We will do better alone, they make noise just breathing.

whot-dot-dot...

After a quick bit of recconaissance, Sam and Jerrid return to the new campsite, satisfied that no one has left the bandit tower, and none of the forces of Orcus are pursuing the party outside the keep.

The treeling approaches Samduc.

Herl gestures toward a hollow in the trunk of the treeling, where a scroll is tucked.

It reads:

My dear children,

Thoughtfully,
Kayden

The ranger clears his throat and says flatly, "When we parted ways at Gethrame's cave I left to get her Staff of Sight back from the were-rats. I ran into this creature on his way out of the stirgewood. He was asking for Sam."

Sam reads the scroll carefully, and looks at the contents with surprise and excitement. "Knotty has been uncorrupted!!"

He adds as mostly an afterthought, somehow the large affairs had lost their importance when compared to the fate of the small tree. "And Kayden wants us to get the remaining staffs and Keep them from the Cult of Orcus, which apparently is much on the rise."

Sam whistles: "Orcus is just about the baddest devil there is. The king of all devils and all around evil to the core king of Hell. He wants to thwart Thyr and tip the scales in favor of evil right here in my own back yard. It won't happen on Knotty and my watch, no sirree."

He looks around and nods soberly:
"Pack up, it is staff gathering time!! Onto the Keep of Eralion!!"

Sam rushes over to Knotty. Confident that he is now firmly on their side, Sam begins to slowly explain to him theology as he learned it at the Church of Freya. Keeping things short and simplified, he ends by letting him know he is know on the side of good, a key piece to keeping the devils from setting the whole world on fire. He carefully takes his best holy symbol of Freya, and puts it prominently in Knotty's higher branches.

Leoven abstains from correcting Sam about the differences between Demons and Devils and the Abyss and Hell.

have we already rested?

No but you could rest up here if you want.

Janna takes the scroll or rather the note to examine it.

after some thought, So who is this Kayden? She looks to Sam as his statement seems to indicate some familiarity, expecting an explanation.

seriously, I searched the entire gameplay thread and this is the first time the name came up so unless I am missing something I am assuming this Kayden person is a new one?

As soon as Janna says the name aloud, it jogs her memory. There was a pair of ancient wizards, Kayden and Sorten, that were said to be rivals. No one knew if they were even real, but if they were they were very, very powerful.

Basically, the founding fathers of Janna's academy would have been the apprentices of the apprentices of the apprentices of the apprentices of these guys. But it is little more than rumors.

You guys weren't supposed to know that but I rolled the knowledge checks just in case and Janna crit. See discussion thread.

To the best of my knowledge, Kayden is a new player. I believe Sam is simply the sort to take these things in stride.

Damien sucks his teeth with a scowl until Janna has finished with the scroll before taking it himself. He reads it's contents silently, his scowl growing steadily darker, "Great, so we've a peeping tom now? Of course, it'd be far too easy to actually emerge from the shadows and talk to us face to face? Probably another bloody devil, trying to use us for his own ends."

He looks over at Sam, "And it's Demons. This "Orcus" is a demon you twit. Devils'll torture you till you break and agree to serve them forever. Demons...demons torture you till you agree to eat your own intestines cause they think it's funny..."

Narrowing his eyes, Damien walks over to Knotty, "So you're supposed to help us now then? That's definitely not going to bite us in the ass. Don't suppose our mysterious benefactor made those stubby little stumps of yours any faster while he was at it. No? Well then I guess you get to follow in our wake and catch up when you. On another note, so you met with this Kayden person then? Don't suppose you'd mind telling us what they look like?"

Just a reminder, while I love the idea of having Knotty around, his 10ft speed is going to prevent him from staying with the group much of the time. Unless something's changed DMG?

Knotty smiles, does a stretch and touches his toes, and proceeds to run a ten yard dash, taking himself outside of the magically glammered campsite in the process. Moments later he is heard wailing.

"Nooooo... Master Samduc, no, don't leave Knotty!"

Herl's eyes go wide. "Get him back in here, he'll get us discovered!"

Knotty appears to be quite a bit more fleet of foot than the last time he was met... able to travel about as fast as a halfling or a gnome.

Sam, do you let me to touch knotty?

Damien's eyebrows raise appreciatively at the treeling's display of speed, before returning to their scowl as he begins wailing, angry eyes swivel back to Sam, "Get him back in here now!"

Janna was a little lost in thought as she was trying to piece together the information she recalled.

after a few moments she pulls out a worn journal book, flipping through the pages she stops and reads through the various notes.

Kayden, Kayden, Kayden. Ahh yes, here, hmmm, I actually took notes in that class, that's new. Anyway, from what I have here Kayden was on of a pair of wizards, his partner, well more like rival, was named Sorten. Anyway, according to what I actually jotted down, they were very old and very powerful. they are above the masters that founded the Academy Magicka back in Reme. Anyway until now they were only myths. no one has ever seen them or could even confirm they actually existed. Of course this could also be just a coincidence.

she flips a few more pages and pulls out a piece of folded parchment. Also a friend of mine sent me this a while back, she was investigating a cult of Orcus in or around the City of Ashes. but it has been a while, I am not even sure if she is still alive.

Lannet moans and rolls over on his rucksack, shivering.

"Broth. The secret to good soup is good broth. Do you know every one of Glarian's soups use bone marrow in the broth? That's why they mend the bones. That's why...."

Jerrid sits on a small log with his feet flat and caresses Medus. The tongue flickers in and out as the snake tastes the air.

The gnome listens and watches, listens and then finally reads the letter. Not sure I like the sound of a wizard breaking the spirit of a creature to serve his purpose - like a devil - treacherous thing a geas sounds.

But through it all the deep gnome remains quiet and then eventually doesn't, "I shall watch in the dark of the night unless the treeling wakes the dead."

Damien raises an eyebrow at Janna, "First our friend Vortigern and now a supposedly mythical wizard? My you are certainly popular, aren't you? Why is it most of the big players of the world refuse to get off their asses and do anything themselves? Instead it's always cryptic letters and weird tree servants or some other horse s##~."

"Lets focus on the troubles in front of us. According to the letter, the cultists are after the staffs. I'd say the ones here are figuring there's at least one left in the keep and I'd wager they're right. They've pissed me off enough at this point I'm ready to scour the lot of 'em out regardless. We need to rest first though. Those tuskers are likely to skewer the lot of us in our present condition."

"Then there's the matter of the Crucible. If the cultists are as widespread as Kayden suggests, I'm not so certain we'll find it here anymore. But keep your eyes peeled anyway.", the former soldier sighs, giving Leo and Kev a vaguely apologetic look, "If we come up empty, it's gonna have to wait. We've gotta deal with that snake from the Golden Palm next. Let Vorgya worm her way out of this and we'll all end up bled out in a ditch somewhere."

Herl's face relaxes as Samduc retrieves the worried treeling and brings it back within the borders of the magically hidden campsite.

"Orcs you say. Their masters are wise to stop them giving chase. I would rather pick them off in daylight as they cross the field to the treeline then attack them in a fortified position..."

He looks in the direction of the keep, barely visible from the camp as he trails off.

"The glammer hiding this campsite comes from a scroll given to me by Shandril. It is very effective but it lasts only 10 hours. Will you be ready to fight by then?"

There is a hint of doubt in his voice as he assesses your wounds.

The sun slowly climbs towards it's noonday position in the sky.

The deep gnome squints up at that bright morning, "will there be enough light for the humans by eight thhis evening then? I doubt they will provide us with those big sentry fires this time. But I wonder who will be left by then. Give Vortigern a day and he may flee along with what is left of the cultists."

Can we see the entrance from our campsite or do we need to move for that?

From this campsite of Herl's, you can see the watchtower, and you can't quite see the front portcullis but you can see the road leading from it. But there is also the iron door the cultists put in at the back of the donjon. You cannot see that.

You are off to the southeast a bit

Forgot how bloody chatty we are when this train gets going! Whot!

Vhillish wears a familiar troubled expression as talk turns to devils and demons. The wee veteran taps a quarrel against his former commander;

"Ahem. If I may sah? Demons you say..."

Vhillish shoots Damien a knowing look;

"... No need to remind you of that action we saw in Blackearth Gorge? And those buggers were just wretched Dretches! Tore apart the 21st's rearguard! Took us and the 55th combined to turn them back! Demons!? Bad bloody business..."

The Sergeant-Depute's moustaches twitch in concern, before he settles to listen to others thoughts and stratagems - nodding sagely at Herl's advise on picking off the orcs with archery.

Rising from where she'd been quietly meditating, Kevezyat takes the letter and reads it slowly, also noting the other's observations.

Finished, she sighs and says "It would seem we've been noticed. Not necessarily a good or bad thing. This Kayden.... if he be the original, how indeed has he lived for so long. Eralion fell to darkness, seeking such. She rubs her forehead, "It matters not for now, we have a task before us, let us prepare."

"You have fought demons and devils Vhillish, that is good, your knowledge will help us against Orcus. So while we wait can you all tell me what has been happening since Astor and me left. You were going to attack the stirges, there was a treeling there if memory serves but is that this one. So help me fill the blanks for my journal."

The deep gnome pulls out a thick book and readies an inkpen. Meanwhile the snake slithers inside his vest, the brown tail disappears from view.

Damien nods, shaking his head in the direction of the treeling, "That's the one. Sam was as besotted then as he seems now..."

"Better settle in then, we need to rest before going after those cultists again. Speaking of which, we need a plan for that too. Considering the ogre left the door wide open, I doubt they realize anyone came in from the roof yet? Idiots hadn't even explored enough to clear the bloody spiders. Probably still our best bet for getting inside."

Memory is failing me. Where is Lucky 7 with the tents?

So we're able to rest for the remainder of the day then? I think we should attack at night this time. Once inside the donjon and the tunnels, light levels become irrelevant anyway. What do you all think?

Janna listened with interest at Vhillish's story, Well, it would seem then that the good ole 55th finally won a battle then? Guess you lot aren't entirely all bad luck then. Makes me feel a little bit better at least. she comments with a joking smile added in.

looking to the others, A rest is good, and attacking at night would give the orcs a bit of the advantage but as Damien said, once in the tunnels below, it wouldn't make much difference. however, we should be prepared as I am sure they are probably going to be ready for us this time.

turning to Damien, I will leave the tactical planning to your expertise, its one of the qualities I liked about you and Vhillish.

Janna tries to maintain a sense of leadership, despite the fact that everyone now knows she is rather new to all of this. she had hoped that her time here among these "veterans" will teach her a thing or two.

Vhillish coughs politely, before smiling toward the sorceress;

"Ahem. Myself and the brave Lieutenant served with the 33rd M'Lady. Alas we lost most of the 55th Heavy Foot against those dretchers... but thank you for the kind words..."

The gnome hefts his arbalest and stands ready;

"Want me to scout sah? Get up top and provide overwatch?"

55th, 33rd, just numbers. its your character that I prefer to rely upon, not your unit.

Memory is failing me. Where is Lucky 7 with the tents?

Around the back of the keep on the north side there is a trail leaving from the makeshift iron door. Jerrid originally chose an ambush site near there from which to catch any cultists leaving the keep. The party set up a campsite near there. On the first night, the orcs were spotted moving from the donjon into the courtyard, and that was when Vhillish climbed the watchtower to get a view. When the orcs attacked the watchtower, the party ended up scaling the watchtower and confronted with the bandits and managed to parlay. From there, the party attacked the donjon in the morning with the help of the bandits. So that is where the mule is, still at the campsite on the north side.

While Janna and Vhillish are talking, Damien notices movement from the watchtower. A look at Jerrid reveals that the deep gnome sees it too.

The barred window to Cullen's room, the room the party had slept in, swings open on hidden hinges... a neat trick. Momentarily Cullen's dog appears, being lowered by a rope. A man soon follows down the rope, and after him a slenderer figure. Presumably, Cullen and Firean.

These two were the leader of the bandits and her cowardly lover in case you don't remember.