Zooska and High both recognize that the goats could be a useful resource as well as a hazard.
Zooska draws a map of what she can see. Simple but effective.
Zooska recognizes some valuable terrains resources, like climbing spots and steams.
Zooska finds some medicinal herbs. High doesn't, but she does point out that Zooska's find is incorrect and prevent false information about poisonous plants from going into the report.
At least nobody sees anything dangerous that travelers might need to worry about.
Zooska and High recognize that part of the base of the cliff makes a natural shelter. It's almost perfect as-is.
Zooska attempts to clear an area to make it even more suitable as a shelter. Kazaleti actually accomplishes it.
Deosil spots something the others missed--a potential meltwater hazard that's much easier to see from this high vantage point. Being able to account for it on their map should help future travelers be aware of it.
He and Zooska both plan well while they're traveling, but have some trouble with physical execution.
The valley opens up, flattening out at first, then deepening, forming a large bowl. The terrain becomes more marshy, with trees and shrubs stunted by the damp. Animal musk hangs in the air.
Something has left quite a mess, including half-eaten carcasses. At least one of the corpses was humanoid. Most of their gear is shredded beyond recognition, but there's a pouch with four small vials--lesser elixirs of life!
The orcs shouldn't be far from here, but it's still a few hours away.
Eventually the town comes into view. Or camp?
Between the walls of a ruined building stand a few hastily erected tents. Muddy footpaths run between the tents while carefully tended campfires emit only faint smoke. A few tired-looking orc guards watch the Pathfinders approach with caution.
Grakcha, a heavily scarred woman with a broken tusk, is the leader of this orc band and approaches with confidence, asking in Common what the Pathfinders' business is here. The other orcs gather warily behind her.
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“Messy eater!” Zooska exclaims when she sees the scene of half-eaten carcasses. She pockets the four elixirs of life for safe keeping.
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Upon spying the dilapidated orc camp, Zooska stows her weapons, just as Bark suggested, and approaches with outsized confidence for one so small in stature. “Grakcha?” she greets the heavily scarred woman. “Me Zooska. Bark send us. He worry. He send signal but you no respond. Maybe we help?” As if to accentuate her point, she digs the bottle of gin out of her pack and offers a drink to the orc leader. “Urglin gin. Make hair grow. If too much hair, Zooska happy cut some off.”
“Marsh messy,” she points back at the way they came. “Much kill and destroy. Messy eater. You know what make mess?”
"Bark? Yeah, been... peroccupied. What is Bark want?" Grakcha looks like she's about to take a swig of the gin, but stops. "I'm rude. Sorry. We can share the drink."
Grakcha clearly speaks Taldane, but doesn't seem fully comfortable with the language. She offers cups, and supplies another drink in a dark bottle to go with the tin.
Then she takes a large swig.
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“Bark wonder why you no respond to signal. Maybe Bark worry. He say we talk to you. Make trail for trade.” Zooska gamely accepts the offer of a shared drink, taking a cup and downing its contents into her wide goblin mouth.
“You help, we help,” the little swashbuckler offers. “Want haircut? Or shave? Give all haircut free. Zooska good shave hair.” Eager to demonstrate her prowess, the inebriated goblin pulls out an oversized razor and proceeds to prune the leshy’s twigs and leaves, undisheveling it into a nicely manicured shrubbery.
"Trail for trade? Hm. That might be--no, bad idea now. Unless traders want to get eaten. We handled the warg, but..."
Grakcha trails off as she looks at Zooska and laughs. "Too much drink for little goblin, perhaps. No, I don't think haircuts can help with our problems."
The orcs don't seem impressed with Zooska's drinking, but still seem to be warming up to her words.
Seelah drinks.
And tries to build on what Zooska started.
Seelah sputters on the booze, but she and Zooska win over the orcs nonetheless.
Grakcha seems interested in having a trade route pass through--certainly she's not opposed.
But she explains why here people have disrupted their usual lifestyle, and why most of their warriors seem injured: They were displaced by an angry ogre. The ogre invaded the cave the orcs call home, and her band is currently in no shape to take it back.
"I don't suppose you know adventurers who can kill an ogre?" she says, "Because it'll be a problem for merchants, too. But if there's no ogre, we invite traders! We have furs and things to trade."
The orcs give the Pathfinders some items to help them on their travels. And hint strongly that they might help somebody facing an ogre.
The orcs give them two minor healing potions, a lesser tanglefoot bag, and a crying angel pendant talisman.
The ogre is a formidable foe, so the orcs have retreated a day’s travel from their old cave. Their directions, however, are clear. Close to the cave are several well‑traveled paths that the Pathfinders can follow.
The ogre has made the orcs’ cave a foul place. Just outside the cave entrance are several animal carcasses, which have attracted large swarms of black flies. The stench is only just bearable.
The smell in this low‑ceilinged chamber is nearly suffocating. The stench of rotten meat wafts in from outside, and the smell of excrement comes in through the tunnel to the north. Shelves and racks that once held equipment now lie smashed on the ground. Other tunnels exit to the west and south.
Most of the equipment in the front entryway has been smashed, but the Pathfinders discover an intact onyx panther talisman.
The adjoining room looks like it was once a storeroom, apparently for leftover crates and bales, but has been recently and regularly used as a latrine.
The flies don't seem to be a threat. But the stench certainly is! It's unlikely there's anything of value or interest in there, and the smell really is overpowering (and potentially even dangerous).
Moving further into the complex, the floor slopes up a bit and then branches. To the left it slopes up further, or to the right it slopes down.
The space to the right seems to be a makeshift bedroom for a large creature, mattresses piled up. To the left is a large pile of refuse. Animal parts and partially eaten fruit and vegetables make up most of the pile, and flies lazily buzz around the perimeter.
Currently distracted with his latest meal, a boar carcass, the ogre sits with his back to the refuse pile, casually leaning on it. The ogre doesn’t pay much attention to his surroundings.
The Pathfinders start moving in stealthily, led by Zooska. Seelah is surprisingly sneaky in her heavy armor.
The ogre does start to stir, though. Perhaps he's not so distracted after all.
Something else stirs, too. Poking out of the refuse pile is a hand--there seem to be humanoid corpses in there. But High in the Mountain and Deosil see something else. Two enormous rodents, big as a goblin, have definitely caught wind of some of the Pathfinders. Time to move!
High in the Mountain and Deosil's turns.
Initiative:
High in the Mountain (34/34, Stealthy)
Deosil (18/18)
Purple Ogre
Red Giant Shrew
Blue Giant Shrew
Zooska (22/22)
Seelah (20/20)
Deosil casts a spell to empower the Pathfinders, before directing electricity at the damaged shrew and the ogre.
High's first shot catches the unsuspecting rodent. Badly injured, it's still able to dodge the second one now that it sees it coming. But the electricity fries it.
The ogre also certainly noticed that!
The ogre bellows as he turns to face the party. He stands, draws a javelin, and hurls it back at High. Unsuccessfully.
The remaining shrew squeaks adorably as it scampers towards Zooska. It then tries to bite her, which is somewhat less adorable (but only somewhat).
All PCs' turns.
Initiative:
High in the Mountain (34/34)
Deosil (18/18, courageous anthem 3 rounds)
Purple Ogre (-6)
Blue Giant Shrew
Zooska (22/22)
Seelah (20/20)
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“So cute!” Zooska exclaims when the shrew tries to give her an awkward kiss. “But whiskers need trim!” The skinny goblin scoops up a handful of dirt and throws it into the rodent’s face, then gracefully pirouettes and follows with a pair of swishing slashes from her oversized razor. “Powder first, then cut!”
Zooska adeptly skewers the shrew.
Deosil casts a spell to empower Zooska's weapon, and another to protect himself.
Seelah closes with the ogre, keeps her shield up, and attacks.
High's first two arrows embed themselves in the ogre, though the third fails to penetrate the thick hide of its armor. Seelah gives it an additional gash, though, and it bellows in rage.
He draws his battle axe while shouting
If any of the Pathfinders understand him, Seelah isn't one of them--but the massive creature bellowing in her face seems to rattle her a little nonetheless. He then swings it at her, though she catches part of it with her shield.
All PCs' turns.
Initiative:
High in the Mountain (34/34)
Deosil (18/18, courageous anthem 2 rounds)
Purple Ogre (-25, bloodied)
Zooska (22/22, runic weapon)
Seelah (12/20, shield 12/20, frightened 1)
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“Ooh, shiny!” Zooska exclaims in delight as Deosil’s spell etches her razor with glimmering runes. Seeing Seelah charge into battle, the little goblin follows suit, dashing forward beside her and then tumbling through the ogre’s tree trunk legs like a bouncing green ball. “Hairy ogre need shave!” she cries, bouncing up onto her tippy toes and lashing out with an upward slash.
High in the Mountain puts another arrow into the ogre, and the Zooska gives him a close shave.
Only a little closer than that.
Okay, a lot closer. The ogre collapses into a heap.
With the ogre defeated, there's nothing left to do but look around the rest of the cavern complex. It doesn't look like it's exactly in the shape the orcs left it... and that'd definitely a boot sticking out of the refuse pile.
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Standing proudly on top of the slain ogre, Zooska carefully wipes her blade clean. A good barber always takes care of their equipment!
“Big bump on neck gone,” she nods with a satisfied look. “Was very unsightly.” Spying the boot, she starts rummaging through the refuse pile—after all, one person’s garbage is another goblin’s treasure!
Zooska finds the bodies of several orc warriors. After being stuck in the smelly, damp pile their gear is deteriorating, the metal rusting and the leather rotting. There are two other humanoid corpses here, likely humans but it's hard to tell as they're half-eaten. They have jewelry that's intact--one has a pair of silver bracelets, and the other gold earrings set with gems. These items can be collected so that they can be... respectfully returned to their families.
Most other areas in the complex contain broken furniture, smashed household items, and filth. One room has been turned into a makeshift bedroom.
Beds have been pulled from elsewhere in the cave and pushed together to form one large misshapen sleeping place. The beds have collapsed and now lean haphazardly against each other. The blankets and pillows are filthy, and flies buzz about. The previous use of the room is now unclear.
The ogre slept here and used the bedding to hide the valuables he found in other parts of the cave. The bedding is very foul and is crawling with fleas. While it is unsavory, the Pathfinders discover a pile of copper and silver coins of Chelaxian, Isgeri, Druman, and Molthuni denominations.
When the Pathfinders return to the orc camp, the orcs are happy that they can return to their home. The party receives a lot of heavy congratulatory pats on the back, and the orcs invite them to spend the night to have a good feast.
If they accept, the orcs scrounge up several bottles of strong alcohol, and the group sings rowdy songs deep into the night. Grakcha promises she and her band will leave any caravan coming through their territory in peace. She’ll swear this on her ancestors, a promise she cannot break without dooming herself and her band.
With the ogre defeated, the remainder of the Pahtfinders' trip to Molthune, and its capital Canorate, is uneventful. They encounter the Chelaxian nobles again in Canorate a few days after their arrival. The nobles are extremely grateful for the help the Pathfinders gave them, and they realized that without their help, they might have died on the mountain.
They reward the Society with an animal staff.
It takes the Chelaxian officials quite a bit of time to go through the best submissions and sending teams of their own to travel the routes. But eventually the team hears back from them: in the end their route is deemed the best.