"You daft pigeon-wenches! Get away from my wizard!" Thorek steps up and swings his dorn-dergar at the nearest of the harpies harassing Gaius. Simultaneously the glowing golden axe switches targets to a different harpy.
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"Mixed messages, Thorek, sir! I can't go back to you if you've already come to meeee!" Gaius wails as his beating continues. Leaping off the edge of the cliff, he rips a portal into the fabric of space and belly flops with a hearty into the dirt between two tents.
He groans as he pushes himself back up. "Oh look, my wand!" He scoops up his Fireball wand off of the floor from where he unceremoniously dropped it earlier.
________
"GAIUS! You dummy! You're terrible at following orders! BLOW UP THE BIRD LADIES, NOT MAKE GOO GOO EYES AT THEM!" Flopsy shouts from her new position hovering over the tent. I see why Mr Bears-A-Lot is so angry all the time, it gets people to listen to you, no matter how small!
________
Thorek's swings decimate the harpy between him and Gaius, whilst his spiritual weapon deals two potent wounds to the bird woman on the far side. However, just as he clears the way to his beleaguered arcane ally, he watches Gaius take a step back and vanish into thin air. Of course, when Thorek hears Flopsy's shrill chastisement, he gleans a clue to his new whereabouts.
With one last twist of his talons, Undari finally rends apart the last of the sharpshooters upon the southern watchtower. Thus, he wings his way over to show the smaller avians what real strength looks like.
Likewise, Esperanza practically turns her opponent into bloody ribbons.
The last surviving Ironfang remains in hiding. As the magic nausea passes, he bides his time until he can strike back.
The last two harpies struggle to extricate themselves from the doomed fight. They withdraw and take wing, flapping towards the east. However, their flight is cut short as three more harpies descend from on high, apparently drawn by the chaos erupting within the camp. These bird women look to be a of a different stripe, equipped more like adventurers or explorers than the harpies you've been fighting so far.
"What in all the Hells is going on here? You there!" the leader among these newly arrived harpies shrieks with a sharp finger pointed towards Thorek, "I don't care if you've slaughtered these hobgoblin sots! Frankly, I only regret that I did not get to kill any of them myself. Let us take what was promised to us, and we will leave you be."
"And why the blazes would we do that? What was promised to you, and what role did you play in the destruction of Redburrow?!" Thorek's blood is up and the dwarf is loathe to leave a job half done.
"I am Wenda of the Carrion Brides," the leader of the harpies declares. "The hobgoblins paid us to move freely through our territory, and they sacked your villages. The cow that leads the hobgoblins seeks to recruit us to join their coming battles. They have treasure in their camp and prisoners in their cages. Both were promised to us. Above all else, we want that one."
Wenda points a sharp, accusatory finger towards the lone hobgoblin prisoner within the gibbets.
Lily stares at the harpy and says," Why that prisoner? "
"Some days ago, that squealing rodent insulted us. When we demanded an apology, the hobgoblins slew three of our sisters. Their commander in charge of this camp threw him in that cage to keep us from abandoning the proposed alliance."
Wenda is interrupted by the imprisoned hobgoblin, gripping the bars of his gibbet and crying out as loudly as his hoarse voice will allow.
"Don't believe their lies! My name is Mahrzan. I did nothing but reject the advances of those repugnant beasts then defend myself when they tried to gut me! Get me out of here, and I'll show you where Sergeant Dargg keeps the funds meant to pay these trecherous harlots!"
While the others negotiate with the new arrivals, Undari/Eagle emits a piercing shriek and peels off, striking towards the hiding hobgoblin sniper, if he can locate it with his Eagle-eyed vision (+8 racial bonus)..
The final Ironfang sniper, the very last of his company left in the camp, cannot hide from the eagle-eyed druid. However, as Undari dives for the foe, his talons only catch and tear away snippets of the hobgoblin's armor.
The sudden burst of activity draws the Carrion Brides' attention. Wenda wordless points towards the last hobgoblin, and her two sisters fly after him. The sniper looses a few more arrows at the giant eagle encircling him, leaving him blinded to the harpies swooping towards his back. They lift him up into the air before dropping him down the sharp precipice of the ridge line, leaving him to fall some 100 feet to his doom.
The harpies return to Wenda's side as casually as if they had merely nipped out to the corner store for some bread.
on the Carrion Brides
Esperanza appears at Thorek's side, her glaive held low but still at the ready. "There's no treasure here. It looks like the Ironfang were planning to pick up stakes and flee in the middle of the night." She looks to Wenda and smiles apologetically. "You're hardly the first people to be double-crossed by them."
Lily approaches the hobgoblin prisoner and says," Listen you I need to know all the details behind what happened. I'm not going to risk my life or the lives of anyone else for vague platitudes. You understand? "
Coming to perch on one of the towers, Undari watches the proceedings with a wary eye, expecting these creatures to explode into violence at any time.
A chorus of incensed shrieks rise up from the Carrion Brides at Esperanza's harsh dose of reality - regardless of whether it remains grounded in reality. They readily accept this report of the Ironfangs' duplicity, leaving them less likely to honor any future alliance with the Legion.
However, this causes Wenda to further insist upon taking the prisoners with them as compensation for their trouble.
"The Ironfangs are dead at our hands, whatever deal you had with them is null and void. Their weapons, equipment, and prisoners are ours now--there is nothing for you here, so begone or join them in death."
Gaius shares what he knows of these Carrion Brides.
________
Thorek is familiar with similar harpy tribes that dwell in the Mindspin Mountains. In the past, when Molthune or the Legion menaced Kraggodan, they would often attempt to court these harpies to serve as aerial auxiliaries. This advantage of air superiority was always hard won, however. Securing and maintaining an alliance with them often requires significant bribes, both in the form of coins and jewelry as well as prisoners or slaves for them to use as mating stock.
Gaius is rather knowledgeable about the Carrion Brides, in particular. Dwelling in the Hollow Hills, rather than the Mindspin Mountains, means their territory includes less defensible aeries. As a result, they are less aggressive and keep a lower profile. They are more likely to extort tribute from local villages rather than simply raiding them outright. They also keep away from the Fangwood to avoid conflict with the Chernasardo Rangers, whom they are suspected to fear. Mentioning the rangers might be the only sort of threat to actually gain traction against them.
However, Gaius also suggests caution with that route. Playing their fear of the rangers against them may work in the short term, scaring them away from this present confrontation, but it would wound their pride - and the Carrion Brides are particularly prideful among harpies. They might seek to avenge their honor by considering an alliance with the Legion after all.
"I understand that you want revenge for their lying to you, but in a way we've already carried that out for you by sacking this camp. As my friend says, we don't owe you whatever the Ironfang promised, but we don't have to be enemies either. Let us take the prisoners and save you the trouble of hauling them around." She flashes Wenda a wicked grin. "You can be sure that the Ironfang prisoner will wish he'd gone with you."
Having not actually gotten into the conversation with the Harpies, Gaius slips over to the imprisoned Gnome.
"You, uh, susurrated?"
________
Esperanza's well-wrought words sound pleasing to the harpies, even if they simply continue listening to hear what they get out of it. However, Wenda interprets Esperanza's grin and closing words to mean that the party will torture Mahrzan in ways the Carrion Brides couldn't even imagine. The harpy leader takes this opportunity to appreciate Esperanza's small horns, tail, and citrine eyes, accepting these somehow as proof of the swashbuckler's mettle for malice.
To emphasize her plea, the gnome woman tugs at the chain attached to a shackle upon her ankle, left raw and blistered by the tightly fitted irons. The chain leads to a sturdy field table at the center of the tent, its legs driven into the soil as if they, too, were tent pegs.
The poor woman is very dirty, and she is covered in many welts and bruises - mementos from her Ironfang keepers. Her clothes are in filthy tatters, with only her dungarees remaining intact.
While a number of weapon racks, armor stands, and foldable shelves ring the inside of the tent, of particular interest is the heavy, locked chest that sits under the command post's table.
"My name is Nibbitz. I'm an assayer from Radya's Hollow. Please, cut me loose," she repeats her request. "We have to get out of here."
"Sure thing, some of my friends are talking to those Harpies about, uh, your ownership. We won't be keeping you, but I don't think it is in anyone's best interest to make that known before the Harpies leave," Gaius tries to explain. I'll leave it to the others to talk about Hidden Hope. Don't want to get her too excited and tipping off the Harpies! Flopsy'd never let me hear the end of that one...
Undari retains his high perch, ready to take wing if the negotiations go badly, though he remains still for now, impressed by Esperanza’s eloquent phrasings.
Thorek crosses his arms, glaring stonily up at Wenda. "Hvis noen har en plan om å få dem til å dra, gjør det nå. Ellers ser jeg ingen grunn til at kamp ikke skal slås sammen," he growls in Dwarven.
"If anyone has a plan to get them to leave, do so now. Otherwise I see no reason battle shouldn't be joined."
It soon becomes clear to the harpies that they will be getting nothing from the camp, even though they've been bluffed into believing this is the best outcome. They offer some brief chuckles of malice as they imagine the tortures the party will visit upon Mahrzan, but this is cut off by a shriek from Wenda that sounds more akin to a raptor than a carrion bird. This signals their departure, and as a flock they take wing and begin the flight back to their aerie.
The camp - including the prisoners in the gibbets, as well as whatever treasures and intelligence sit within the command post - is yours.
Once the harpies leave, Undari flies over to the gibbets and shrieks loudly, with the metal locks on the cages screeching in response. The doors hang loosely open, with the way clear for the prisoners to be released.
He then gains some elevation and flies a few circles around the camp looking for any nearby threats before landing and transforming back into human form, where he can check on the health of the freed prisoners.
Gaius flinches and covers his ears at all the sudden screeching. As the metal bars bend, he smiles at the Gnomish prisoner. "See?"
Prisoners freed, he begins scanning for magic.
The prisoners shiver in wide-eyed fear and confusion as the enormous bird lands among them. Watching it cast a spell only deepens their bewilderment, but this ebbs once they see the bars of their cages bend and twist open. Their escape is cautious and slow, however, as they struggle to leap from the gibbets to solid ground without falling down the cliff side.
The prisoners are suffering from a number of problems owing to their plight: exhaustion, exposure, dehydration, malnourishment, and two bad cases of sunstroke.
Scattered across the Hollow Hills, within a few miles of the campsite, you take note of a few hazards to avoid. These include signs of large creatures such as bulettes, trapdoor spiders, and even a flock of griffins circling a kill to the northwest. It seems quite unlikely that any of these will come near the camp, and it should be easy to avoid them once the time comes to press on.
”The freed prisoners need food, shelter, and water,” says Undari to Thorek, as he helps them escape their bonds and looks for a place in camp he can use as a makeshift shelter/medical ward for them.
Gaius recognizes magical auras upon items carried by a number of the slain hobgoblin soldiers. The sharpshooters each possessed a smattering of potions, alongside their enchanted arms and armor, whilst the most notable is the flaming flail once wielded by the camp commander.
+1 flaming light flail
MWK breastplate w/ armor spikes
MWK heavy steel shield
Cloak of resistance +1
Key ring for gibbet cages and pay chest
Silver-and-enamel Ironfang bravery medal (worth 75gp)
MWK chain shirt barding (sized for giant wolf)
Military saddle
Elixir of Hiding x3
Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds x6
Potion of Heroism x3
+1 breastplate x3
+1 composite longbow x3
MWK scimitar x3
MWK backpacks x3
Mess kits x3
255gp
In addition to their pay chest, the Ironfangs have left behind seventeen tents and enough bedrolls, canteens, and trail-meals for a couple dozen people.
Using Create Water, Purify Food/Drink, and one casting of Goodberry to get them started, Undari will try to treat the two cases of heat stroke and use his curative magic (cure spells cast spontaneously) as he stabilizes the rescued citizens. For any infected wounds, he will use the Coltsfoot and Wormwood he found earlier.
Esperanza lets out the breath she'd been holding in as the harpies take flight. With luck, they'd take out their frustrations on the Ironfang who had "wronged" them.
Next, she sets aside her glaive and goes to help the prisoners descend from their cages, gently guiding them down to safety and finding them a place in the shade of a tent. She keeps Mahrzan separate and bound, though she does not deny him water and food.
"These supplies are an unexpected windfall for our camp," she says, out of earshot of the hobgoblin. "What should we do with him? We can hardly set him loose, but I don't like the idea of killing him or taking him back to camp."
Thorek nods at Undari's report. "You know your business, Undari. I trust you to see it done." He helps several of the prisoners down from the gibbets and directs them towards the tents before approaching Esperanza and Mahrzan.
"These supplies are an unexpected windfall for our camp," she says, out of earshot of the hobgoblin. "What should we do with him? We can hardly set him loose, but I don't like the idea of killing him or taking him back to camp."
"I'm a little concerned about how we're going to move it all. Those refugees could have used it, but it seems too late to chase them down. If Longshadow is about to be attacked we wouldn't be doing them any favors by taking them there. If we give them the camp supplies and point them in the right direction, do you think they could make it?" He shakes his head, not happy with the choices before him.
That still leaves the problem of the rogue hobgoblin, though. Thorek approaches him. "So. Mahrzan. Those harpies certainly had it in for you, why don't you tell us your side of things?"
Undari's herbal remedies prove invaluable, as the Ironfang camp has few medical supplies available. He identifies a few cuts and scrapes upon the freed prisoners that are in the initial stages of infection, but applications of his foraged Coltsfoot and Wormwood ensure that the infections' progression is halted.
Mahrzan scoffs at the mention of the harpies.
"Kosseruk wanted those wretched, feathery quims for her upcoming assault on Longshadow. That cow's officious demand for deference meant that negotiations stalled quickly. Sergeant Dargg managed to ingratiate himself with the Brides with gifts and endless compliments. It was going well until their shrill leader decided to take another prize for herself and attempted to fly off with me and have her way with me.
"I defended myself, giving her a nice little wound. Her 'sisters' flew to her defense, and my comrades rushed to mine. We plucked three of those she-beasts like chickens," he says with a sadistic grin.
His expression again quickly turns bitter.
"Dargg was going to turn me over to them to preserve their precious alliance. Bah! We wouldn't have needed their damned help to take Longshadow, anyway. Besides Kosseruk's War Maze auxiliaries, the Legion has thousands marching upon that practically undefended city. Its conquest is just a matter of time. Twelve days, and the noose falls upon the city's neck."
Thorek's expression is grim as he listens to Mahrzan's tale--his description of 'Kosseruk' as a cow and the hoofprints back at Redburrow cause a thought to click in his mind. "This Kosseruk, she is a minotaur? And commanding the assault force?" His brows knit together as he thinks hard, his tactical training in high gear as he whirls through dozens of possibilities.
"Is there a garrison at the mines near Rayda's Hollow, or other camps like yours in the area? Specifically between here and Longshadow."
Mahrzan confirms Thorek's suspicions: Kosseruk is a minotaur. Her group, the War Maze, has similar origins to the Ironfang Legion itself, starting as a monstrous mercenary company. She has joined forces with the Legion and now commands their northern forces.
Owing to his role as Dargg's assistant, Mahrzan is also somewhat knowledgeable about the Legion's forces amassed for the pending assault on Longshadow. Besides the Ironfang hobgoblins and War Maze minotaurs, a company of morlocks has also been contributed by another ally of the Legion.
You get the sense that Mahrzan is greatly exaggerating the Ironfang Legion's total strength. While they are undoubtedly mobilizing an entire army, their numbers are not as impossibly insurmountable as the captured hobgoblin would have you believe.
"Radya's Hollow? Hells, we were the ones that conquered that wretched little hole," Mahrzan states proudly. "I'm glad we didn't stay camped there. We put the humans to work reopening the mine, and it turned into a whole debacle. After a bad collapse wiped out our human laborers and a few of our troops, we cut our losses and moved here to a new camp."
Between Mahrzan's information and documents located in the command post, you discover the location of a few Ironfang camps throughout the Hollow Hills. These include a camp for training warbeasts, a nesting location for new wyvern scouts, a rendezvous site for the siege engineers' war machines, and a munitions camp established in the conquered town of Ecru.
Lily just stares at the hobgoblin and says,"So you get thrown to the wolves.... Ok I mean harpies. And yet you still remain loyal to organization that was willing to have you killed. Why?"
Undari is busy taking care of the human refugees and pays little attention to the hobgoblin, trusting his companions to get the relevant information.
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"The chaos of war allows ample opportunity to slip away and disappear," Mahrzan replies with a grin. "Even if my time with the Legion is done, I look forward to their victory. I want to be a part of the nation they will build from the ashes of Nirmathas."
The pay chest in the command post is safeguarded by a very complicated lock, which is rendered moot since you acquired the key from Sergeant Dargg. The hefty chest contains thousands upon thousands in coins, as well as large gems and very valuable jewelry. A number of pouches affixed to the inside of the chest's lid also hold a reserve of potions, conveniently labeled by the fastidious Ironfangs.
"I think we have some choices ahead of us. The more time we give Longshadow to prepare for a siege, the better. But the more camps we're able to disable, the less they actually have to prepare for... I say we head to Longshadow to warn them, then work our way West, then North until the Ironfang decide to actually start their siege," Gaius suggests.
________
"A wise plan, Gaius, though first we need to decide how to help the refugees," says Undari, now assessing their capability to travel after the initial round of nutrition and healing.
"We will also need to deal with this rather repugnant hobgoblin," he adds, having caught enough of the conversation to realize that this enemy participated in the original massacre that started off the whole war.
"Guard your tongue," Esperanza growls, quickly growing tired of Mahrzan's casual misogyny. "And be grateful. You're the only Ironfang to survive meeting me, after all." She pauses for a beat. "So far, anyway."
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"By your own admission, you participated in the murder of civilian groups, not to mention enslavement of prisoners of war. However you've also been cooperative so a field execution seems unwarranted. We'll take you to Longshadow and put you in a cell there--you'd best hope the town holds."
"I think we should alert the town next. At the very least we could potentially evacuate some of the children and more vulnerable people before the attack. That and we may be able to trap the area," Lily says leaning up against a tree.
"Good idea Thorek. I really don't want to stoop down to the level of the hobgoblins. In addition he might be able to give us more information in the future if we win him over," she says happy to hear his words.
The freed prisoners, like the gnome woman Nibbitz, are survivors of the Ironfangs' ill-fated occupation of their home in Radya's Hollow. The village was little more than a dozen homes clustered around a general store and Nibbitz' assayer's office.
"The main mine shaft collapsed almost a decade ago," Nibbitz explains, a haunted look crossing her face. "I still remember all the terrible wails as family and friends struggled to free those trapped below. We lost a dozen dear souls that day. When we tried to reopen the mine, there were...strange accidents. Pretty soon, everyone just accepted that the place was haunted by the tortured souls of the lost miners and we closed it off.
"When the Ironfangs arrived a fortnight ago...I personally warned them not to reopen the mine. I got a blow across my jaw for my trouble," she rues, rubbing her chin. "After they didn't listen, there was another collapse. We lost more of our friends and neighbors, but at least this time a few of them hobgoblins were buried, too. They cut their losses and dragged the rest of us out here."
The other survivors of Radya's Hollow are wary about setting off on their own, even with the supplies of the camp offered to them. Whilst they would like to escape to Longshadow, what they've seen and heard has convinced them of the coming siege, and it takes little convincing for them to accept what a dangerous destination that could be.
...
Mahrzan, on the other hand, shows no gratitude for being spared. Quite the contrary, he is very incensed at the prospect of being dragged along like a prisoner or trophy. You can plainly see that you will need to watch him like a hawk to prevent his escape as you travel westward.
"I am sorry for your loss, Nibbitz, and in normal circumstances we would investigate the mine and try to recover the bodies of your friends, but we are at war and need to warn Longshadow as soon as may be," says Undari.
Inviting Nibbitz to continue conversation well away from the Hobgoblin, Undari asks, "Can you lead the rest of your people to safety? I wish we could spare the time to guide you, but we must warn the city and try to hinder the Ironfangs as much as possible. Do you have any good woodsman? I can give you directions to a safe place, but it must be kept secret from the enemy."
If she accepts, Undari will call over Thorek to make sure it is okay to disclose the location of Hidden Hope (Undari's survival bonus is +16 to describe a safe path).
A look of fright appears upon Nibbitz's face.
"I...I was actually hoping to travel to Longshadow, too," she insists. "It's sturdy walls are the best protection around. I know the Nirmathi tradition, at least in the south, is to build simple wooden towns without walls so they can be reclaimed and rebuilt after incursions by Molthune, but that's not going to work against the hobs."
Thorek's scarred face is sympathetic as he pats Nibbitz on the shoulder. "There won't be any safety to be found in Longshadow, miss Nibbitz. At Phaendar, the Ironfangs summoned a tower of black stone seemingly from nowhere, right in the middle of the town square--and hobgoblins came pouring out of it. When we checked back later, the tower was gone. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen the damned thing myself, but if they could summon it for Phaendar they can do the same the same for Longshadow. I don't know how or if the town can hold. It'd do my heart good to know I hadn't brought you and yours to their deaths."
”If we can guide them to a *hidden* location, they could be protected there while we deal with this threat, Thorek. We could leave the recalcitrant hobgoblin in his cage and I could carry it in my talons as we wing our way to Longshadow this afternoon,” offers Undari.
Esperanza's face takes on a look of intense concentration as she thinks through Thorek's words. "Why haven't they done that, then? Why have they been preparing for a siege if they can just pop up behind the walls?"