After taking the things he wants, Kargeld and his crew set the Mitran ship aflame and continue the journey. By the time the patrol's absence is noticed, you'll be long gone.
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 Norspik, and his sailors scramble to comply. Again and again he turns the boat at just the right moment to pass between the broken shards calved from ancient glaciers. Finally, 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 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 some impossible huge primordial giant smashed a pass through the grey slate. You are headed to the great interior sea of Talingarde – Lake Tarik as it is known. To the south of that lake sits the Watch Wall. And 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 untended. 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.
Moving to stand on the prow, Lyr'aan raises her voice to call across the water. "Great Sakkarot Fire-Axe, I come bearing gifts from a mutual acquaintance! We humbly request your permission to dock."
The bugbears scowl and make threatening motions, but after a minute or so, a giant, black-furred bugbear wielding an axe of flame arrives. Pointing his fearsome weapon at you, he gruffly demands in unaccented Common, "Who sent you?"
He smiles a toothy grin. "Then you are welcome here." He turns to the somewhat stunned throng of bugbears. “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 lieutenants see that each case is distributed, and soon you can 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 the you have helped to create.
Sakkarot holds a feast in honor of the weapons shipment and his new allies. The feast is a 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. 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 pit. You sit at the Fire-Axe’s table – a front row seat at this spectacle of savagery.
While far from her usual scene, Lyr'aan takes pleasure in the chaos of the celebration, the savagery but a glimpse of what lay in store for the unwitting fools upon whom Sakkarot's forces would be unleashed. The brute of a bugbear was dangerous to be sure, but a good ally to have in the future.
Eventually, Sakkarot summons you into his private chambers and dismisses his many followers with a deep growl. They'll be no more than a shout away, of course, but he wishes to speak with you alone for a time.
“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 Talireans by the thousands. Yet I see no regret in your eyes. Tell me, how can this be?”
Lyr'aan considers her words carefully. "Those in power in Talingarde think that anyone who doesn't worship their ridiculous god, or fit their foolish ideas of what society should be are only worthy of suffering, punishment and being marked as an enemy." she says showing the runic mark on her arm.
"Forsaken. People like myself of the Cardinal, strong of will, are forced to take what we can by force or subterfuge. When their great society crumbles, we'll build back what comes out of the ashes, something that welcomes other...outlooks."
The fire in her eyes shows the intensity with which she longs to see Talingarde burn to the ground.
Seeing your brand, Sakkarot pulls aside his great breastplate, revealing an Asmodean symbol burned into his chest. "We all have our scars."
Lyr'aan nods as she looks at the brand of Asmodeus buried into the massive bugbear's chest, no doubt a 'gift' from the cardinal. "It will only make it sweeter, watching everything our enemies hold dear burn."
"If you don't mind my asking, how did you come to ally with Cardinal Thorn?"
“When Thorn found me, I was dying, poisoned and weak. I had been outcast from my tribe and branded across my chest with a giant slash from a shaman’s obsidian blade – the mark of the defeated and the banished. I was cast out into the ice to die alone and unmourned. Thorn took me in, healed me. He drew the poison from my wound. And with his magic, the scar of the outcast was remade into the Asmodean star. He marked my flesh and my soul – I was then and forever bound to the Cardinal and to the Lord of Hell."
"A far more fitting fate for a warrior capable of uniting the tribes. All the better when your army rolls over the fools who will never see it coming."
You're unable to get a read on the bugbear. While his story strongly implies loyalty, who really knows how his monstrous mind works?
Before you turn in for the night, Sakkarot has one final thing to say. “Tomorrow you must depart this camp. It will never be truly 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.
“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.” Sakkarot hands them a single carefully wrapped signal rocket. 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?”
He grunts and nods. “Thorn has faith in you. If you weren’t his best, he wouldn’t have sent you. Do this and your name will be legend. Now go. Hail Asmodeus!”
"Hail Asmodeus!" Lyr'aan replies with solemn intensity, accepting the signal rocket. "In one month, the Watch Wall will user in your army!"
Once unloaded, Captain Odenkirk is more than anxious to leave the bugbear camp. Already, bugbear warriors have been eyeing his ship, and though they have not yet built up courage enough to attack, the Captain knows it is only a matter of time. He does not trust Sakkarot and is not shy about saying so. “Look in that one’s eyes. He’s smart - always plotting. Bugbears should not be smart.” He constantly grumbles about not getting paid enough and threatens to abandon you if you linger any longer than he thinks is necessary. It is only Odenkirk’s superstitious nature and fear of Thorn’s magic that keeps him from doing just that.
Captain Odenkirk crosses the mist-shrouded Lake Tarik under cover of darkness and deposits you upon the southern shore no closer than a couple of hours walk from the Tower Balentyne and the small town of Aldencross. All that remains (although he doesn't yet know it) is to wrap up some loose ends....
Embracing the darkness in her mind as the ship drops anchor at the southern shore, Lyr'aan sends Shameen below, under the premise of gathering the rest of their gear, though more than likely most of those on deck would barely remember her heading down. If she could start a fire or something below, all the better.
Watching the crew hard at work, making sure the ship doesn't founder in the shallows, she chooses her moment, centering her spell to get the most people within the range of the spell, she utters a prayer to Asmodeus, conjuring a rapidly expanding cloud that washes over the crew.
As the cloud spreads over the deck of the Frosthamar, Kargeld flies into a rage. "You want my ship, do ye? I killed my brother to take her, and I'll kill you to keep her!" Fortunately, the cloud makes it easy to hide from him.
Smiling to herself, Lyr'aan sends a wave of life leeching energy washing over the crew.
The crew cries out in pain and fear as your dark energy washes over them. Captain Kargeld is made of stronger stuff, however. You hear the *thud* of an axe biting into the Frosthamar's deck as he blindly lashes out at his unseen assailant.
Kargeld: 5pts damage
Biding her time to weaken Kargels, and drop the other members of the crew, Lyr'aan maintains her position, unleashing another burst dark energy.
Kargeld continues to blindly rage as you wash dark energy over him and his crew. Your magical fog is dispersing, though. And once he can see you, all hell's likely to break lose.
Kargeld: 14pts damage
As she realizes the cloud is about to wear off, Lyr'aan calls upon her dark patron again, this time sending forth a wave of darkness against her enemies, immediately conjuring a shadow clone as additional protection.
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Kargeld grimaces as your energy washes over him once more. You're not hidden any more, though, and he's quick to swing his axe at you.
Kargeld: 18pts damage
the dark courtesan shouts to her companion, taking a step back and vanishing into the darkness.
Almost as if on cue, Sameen emerges, weapon bloody from finishing off wounded crew members. She stabs Kargeld in the back as you vanish from sight. The captain, now looking quite injured, unleashes a mighty swing at your companion...
... that narrowly misses. You notice that Kargeld appears fatigued. Raging for a prolonged period is very draining, after all, and he probably won't be able to continue fighting at his current capability for very much longer.
With the fluidity of a shadow, Lyr'aan steps in, plunging her dagger into the enraged captain as he goes after Shameen, viciously twisting the blade, as she looks up into his bloodshot eyes, hoping to see the light go out in them.
With a final roar of defiance, Kargeld falls. Before burning his ship, you give it a thorough search for anything of value.
Loot
MW Greataxe
Silver statuette of a nude mermaid
Fine Whiskey x6
Lockbox full of 6,115gp
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You are close now. Just a few miles from here sits the small market town of Aldencross, and less than a mile from there is the watchtower of Balentyne – your goal. Already Sakkarot’s horde gathers and prepares to move. Within two weeks, they will be in a small valley north of the lake awaiting your signal. Fire the rocket into the air at just the right moment, and you will take the first step towards claiming vengeance against Talingarde.
Destiny has taken you here. Destiny has given you a mission. There is no doubt that the future of this green and pleasant land lies in your hands. You could go to that town right now and warn them of the plots of the sinister Cardinal Thorn. You could give yourself up and face the justice you deserve. You could turn back from the horror and the slaughter that you are going to inflict upon these Mitran sheep. This is that moment. This is the turning point. After this, there is no going back. Are you eager for redemption? ... Of course not. You have work to do. It's time to burn Balentyne.
Gathering what valuables they can, and setting the ship ablaze, Lyr'aan leads the way toward the small market town of Aldencross, her mind on the next steps of the plan.
The journey to Aldencross from the lake shore is short and uneventful. By all appearances, it's a sleepy market town, comfortable in the knowledge that the nearby Watchtower Balentyne will keep them safe from any danger that might befall them. While it's a fairly sizable town, there's only one inn that caters to travelers: "The Lord's Dalliance." It seems a pleasant enough place. Aldencross also has an alchemist shop, a scroll scribe, a good-looking marketplace, and several blacksmiths.
Changing her appearance just enough to be notably different, while maintaining her dark hair and pale shin, Lyr'aan leads the way into town. "I suppose "The Lord's Dalliance." it is. I like the name, bodes well." she says to her companion.
The Lord's Dalliance is a decent-looking place. It serves strong drink and adequate food for the price. In the evenings, you can expect to see off-duty soldiers being wooed by comely barmaids. It's also probably a good place to gather information if you're willing to spend time and gold interacting with the patrons.
Lyr'aan spends roughly 4 hours a day interacting with various individuals, chatting, mingling, flirting and otherwise gathering information, in preparation for her true task.
At one point, one of the patrons raises his glass to make a toast. "Here’s to the soldiers of Balentyne! One hundred of the finest fighting men it’s ever been my privilege to serve with!" The bar patrons cheer heartily.
In the evening, shortly before dinner, eleven dwarves tromp in and head straight to a corner. They're quickly served with food and a ludicrous amount of ale, and they spend the next few hours playing complicated card games and avoiding everyone else. They seem to be regulars.
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In the middle of the night, you're awoken by the sound of someone creeping around the main floor of the inn.
Awakening to the sounds of someone being less stealthy than they think, Lyr'aan swiftly gets up, grabbing the cold iron dagger beneath her pillow, and not bothering to get dressed, she focuses, altering her appearance just enough to conceal the brand on her arm, and lightly taps Shameen's leg as she creeps toward the door to investigate.
Creeping downstairs, you see the innkeeper heading quietly to the door leading down to the basement. He looks around cautiously before entering but fails to spot you in the darkness.
Curious, Lyr'aan stealthily follows the innkeeper down the hall, hanging back to see if he opens the door and heads down, sticking to the shadows, and ready to cloak herself in darkness at a moment's notice.
You cautiously follow the innkeeper into the basement, where you see him move a few barrels away from the back wall and press one of the bricks. A portion of the wall slides away, revealing a hidden tunnel.
Calling upon her divinely infernally granted power, she drapes herself in darkness, becoming utterly invisible as she creeps up behind the innkeeper.
The innkeeper sneaks into the tunnel and begins making his way down a (very long) passage. It'll take around a quarter-hour to reach the end.