The town of Trunau has just barely survived a raid on their town by the orcs of the Twisted Nail Tribe. Perhaps you were in town and helped defend it or you arrived later and heeded the call for heroes from Chief Defender Halgra of the Blackened Blades, the de facto leader of the town. Trunau’s Council of Defenders is worried that the town’s orc troubles are far from over and that another attack on Trunau is imminent in the near future from Grendelsek, the hill giant chieftain of the tribe. The town's militia is required to help defend and rebuild the town. To that end, Halgra asks you to go to Grenseldek’s lair - an abandoned outpost near the River Esk called Redlake Fort — and deal with the giant chieftain and her orc tribe before they can attack Trunau again. Will you heed the call and become the saviors of the town?
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Dot.
After you have had a few days to rest from your endeavors and wrap up any
unfinished business in town, you receive an invitation from Trunau’s de facto leader, Chief Defender Halgra of the Blackened Blades, asking you to join her in the meeting room at the Ivory Hall, Trunau’s government seat.
There is a rectangular table set up with four chairs in front, presumably for you, and two seats on the other side. Water and ale have been set up as well some cheeses and nuts.
Not having had much to do with the reconstruction, being a frail Arcanist and all, Penny, a slender, female half-elf with pale blonde hair tied back and tucked under a tattered hat enters the room.
Her blue eyes scan over the setup, she nods respectfully at the Chief defender and then sits down on one of the chairs, selecting a glass of water while she waits. A clear head looked to be needed.
She looks to be the first to arrive and so waits to see who else has been called?
When people saw a dwarf, they usually thought that he would be useful. Especially when a town had to be rebuilt. Surely he was a smith! Or a stonemason. Or a carpenter. Or a brewer. Or…something. Anything. A dwarf always had a craft. Unfortunately for the town, Ulmo’s craft was hunting giants. While this had played a part in saving the town, it meant little for rebuilding.
He nodded to Penny, found and seat and then sat patiently, his longspear resting on the ground and against his shoulder. His other arm had his shield, though at the moment it looked more like a particularly bulky gauntlet with a compact and circular disc attached to it. Made by the finest artisan he could afford to commission, it was made of interlocking plates and, he was told, was powered by a ‘miniature gyromatic engine.’ Whatever that meant. At the press of a hidden switch the gears would whir to life and expand in a seamless motion. It was called a quick-draw shield. Much more expensive than a regular shield, and it offered less protection than a regular ‘heavy shield.’ But it had saved his life on numerous occasions.
He ran his fingers through his black beard. Its dark color and moderate length showed that he was still young, as counted by his people. The breastplate he wore was scratched and dented, while the colors of the fabrics he wore were faded by time and weather. Taking an ale in hand he sipped it, taking his time with the beverage. He fully expected that they’d all need clear heads to consider whatever news had summoned them.
Jericho entered the room and nodded to the dwarf and female half-elf in the room. He walked to his chair with a natural grace, his movements measured and precise. He was 5'8", with green eyes, red hair, and pale skin. His garb was also very de minimis, as it included a form fitting chain shirt, dwarven made, which made no sound as he walked, and an elven curve blade in its scabbard on his back, which was essentially a longer form of a scimitar, but with a thinner blade. That was it, no other weapons were present and for today's meeting, Jericho had left his backpack in his room.
He sat down and poured himself some water. He spoke with a soft but direct voice, "Jericho Darklead, for any who may care. I guess we are waiting for our host."
Goliath lumbers into the Ivory hall. The shoanti druid is an enormous hulk at near seven feet tall and four hundred pounds. His piercing blue eyes gaze out from beneath a mane of shaggy brown hair, taking in each of those assembled. Despite his size, he does not carry himself with a lack of grace or control, for it is easy to break things when you are as large as he. His armor is much like a suit of fine knight's plate, but instead of metal it is made up of the naturally overlapping and nigh impenetrable scales of a green dragon. He wears his armor because Trunau is, apparantly, at war. His dragon scale helm is crowned with a set of auroch bull horns, which really does little to make him seem smaller. In one huge, gnarled fist he grips the wooden haft of his earthbreaker, a metal warhammer with a large head capable of catastrophic damage. He nods to the dwarf and grumbles. "I remember you from the battle. Fine work with that spear."
He opts not to sit.
Penny grows more thoughtful, with the addition of Jericho, Ulmo & Goliath it is clear that some expedition is planned. Muscle, magic and stealth in one party makes it obvious.
She watches the Chief defender and waits to see if anymore have been summoned, or it is time to hear what they have been called for?
Ulmo raised his mug of ale in a salute to the Shoanti. He was dwarfed by the man, for Goliath towered over regular people, let alone one of Torag’s sons. He motioned for the man to take a seat and to join him in a drink. ”Drink, lad. To a battle well fought, and to the ones to come.”
Halgra enters the room with an elder looking elf. Boh sit down in front of the party. Halgra, no nonsense, as always, starts, "Thank you for all for coming. There have been new developments in the orc raid that you helped fend off. In interrogating the prisoners, we have learned that the Twisted Nail orcs are led by a female hill giant chieftain known as Grenseldek. Their lair is an abandoned outpost near the River Esk called Redlake Fort. The prisoners did not know if further attacks were planned in the event that this one failed. However, I cannot sit idly by and wait for a new attack. We need to take preemptive measures before Grendelsek and her tribe can attack Trunau again." Halgra pauses to drink some water. "This is where the four of you come in. Due to your recent heroism during the orc raid, Silvermane,", Halgra motions to the elf, "and I believe that you are best suited to this task, as we cannot spare any soldiers. Trunau’s militia and its citizenry are needed to rebuild the town’s defenses." Halgra pauses for a few seconds. "In case, I cannot persuade your nobler sides to assist the town, I have been authorized to offer the four of you a reward of 1,600 gp to put an end to Grenseldek. I know it's not much, but it's all we can afford. What say ye?"
Penny leans forward, "Redlake fort's a distance from here. The surrounding lands are probably still overrun with survivors from the raid. How do we get to the fort and shank this b@&*$?" She asks as if discussing the weather.
It's clear she's already accepted the mission.
”I’m in.” Ulmo said. ”I don’t think my reputation would survive refusing.” He added with a wry smile. ”But aye. Any directions and information about the tribe and the fort would help.”
A sly smile comes over Jericho's face. "Of course, I'm in. And I agree, a small group like us is likely to get more results than a whole militia marching on a fort. If you can't tell yet, I'm very quiet and good at sneaking into places I shouldn't be. Any supplies you can spare for this mission?"
Goliath hefts his earthbreaker, running a hand over the metal head. "What can you tell us about this fort?" He grumbles. His preferred prey is not orcs or giants, but dragons. Still, uncontrolled hordes of orcs running rampant wasn't good for anyone, especially his tribe, which rarely had the protection of walls. Regardless, Goliath was known to engage in occasional big game hunting, and giants are about as big as they get.
Halgra smiles at the party agrees to "handle" the giant matter for the town. "Unfortunately, I cannot tell you much about the fort. Its location is what we were able to deduce from our interrogations of the orc prisoners. Perhaps you can do some reconnaissance when you find the fort or capture any patrols and interrogate them. The route that Silvermane and I have discussed for you to take is the following: take a keelboat that regularly plies the rivers of southern Belkzen. The riverboat’s captain, a half-orc named Raag Bloodtusk, has agreed to transport you to Ghostlight Marsh and then up the River Esk to a location near Redlake Fort in exchange for your efforts in helping sail the boat and defending it from any dangerous river denizens. Overland travel to Redlake Fort would be foolhardy and dangerous, as it would take you right through the orc-infested Hold of Belkzen. Bloodtusk’s riverboat, on the other hand, is well known among the orc tribes along the river, and the gladiator-turned-riverboat-captain enjoys rights of safe passage from these tribes’ chieftains, which makes a river journey far safer than traveling overland. I've already prepared a letter of introductions for you to give him and he is waiting for you on the southern bank of the Kestrel River."
Halgra calls for a soldier, who brings in a backpack. "Unfortunately, we do not have much to help you except for this: Handy Haversack with 4 potions of cure light wounds, potion of haste, potion of invisibility, and a wand of cure light wounds (50 charges). I am sorry that we cannot provide more. However, we know where you can find more treasures to help you in this journey. Silvermane, please take over." Halgra remains standing.
The elder elf stands and nods to each of you. You quickly deduce that the elf is mute, as he begins communicating via sign language, which Halgra deciphers for you. Halgra looks at Silvermane and begins translating: "He thanks you for accepting the mission. He wants you to visit the the Vault of Thorns, a demiplane created by the druidic Council of Thorns, of which he was once a member. The entrance to the Vault is located within Ghostlight Marsh, a swamp to the northeast surrounding the confluence of the Kestrel and Esk rivers. He says the Vault contains a cache of items that can help in your fight against the orc menace, though he has no specific details about the items. To find the Vault of Thorns, you should look for a marker in the form of a circle of thorns carved into a stone near the banks of the River Esk. This marker will put them on the right path through the swamp to find the Vault, but the entrance to the demiplane is hidden."
At this point, the elf stops his sign language and produces an ancient, leaf embossed brass lantern and hands it to the party. He continues to sign and Halgra interprets, "This is a ghostlight lantern. If the husk of a dead will-o’-wisp is placed inside the lantern, the lamp will produce a beacon that points to the circle of standing stones that marks the Vault’s entrance. Once you reach the druidic circle, you need only wash the supernaturally fueled lantern’s light over the central standing stone to open the portal into the Vault of Thorns. After your exploration of the Vault, you can head west to the Redlake Fort."
Silvermane smiles slightly and again nods at each of you. Halgra, more serious, looks at the party, "Any questions?"
"Boat down the Kestrel river. Stock up at this Vault of Thorns in the Ghostlight marsh. Carry on to the fort and take out Grenseldek." Penny sums up.
"Sounds pretty straightforward. Probably won't be but I'm ready to go." She finishes. Looking thoughtful, but not too worried.
She stands and adjust her gear as the supplies are divided among the group.
Jericho agrees with Penny. "Sounds like a plan. I guess we have to kill a will-o-wisp in order for the lantern to work."
”Oh aye, it’ll be a shytshow to be sure. But with this wand and all these potions, we should be able to get there in one piece.” The dwarf said, nodding in thanks to their host. ”All that really worries me are the will-o-wisps. Nasty creatures. I’d fight a giant any day over their shenanigans.”
Goliath did not expect to hear anything about a druid's circle. "Interesting." While he was hardly the most studious druid, he would not turn down the chance to visit a Circle, even were it long abandoned. Taking a boat sounds less interesting than battling through the orcs on land, but then again the other party members are all quite small. "What happened to the Council of Thorns, master Silvermane?"
Ghostlight Marsh is a vast tract of swampland along the shores of the River Esk. The current border between the Hold of Belkzen and Lastwall
runs through the swamp. Both orcs and humans avoid the marsh due to countless tales of strange, floating lights.
Lastwall’s northern border with Belkzen has been pushed back multiple times over the centuries. When the second of these borders, Harchist’s Blockade, was overrun by the orcs, some stood resolute, seeing themselves as protectors of the land. The Council of Thorns, a militant druid circle who despised the orcs’ defilement of the land the creatures conquered, attempted to stand their ground. While the druids’ fight was valiant, the Council of Thorns was eventually driven back to the swamp and defeated by the orcs.
Faced with sure defeat at the hands of the conquering orcs, the druids of the Council of Thorns made a final stand in the swamp, sacrificing themselves in a bloody ritual. As the druids’ dying bodies slumped into the muck, vengeful will o’-wisps rose from the marsh and drove the orc army out of the swamp. These cruel and capricious aberrations have guarded Ghostlight Marsh from intrusion ever since.
The elf sees the realization in Penny's eyes at the mention of Goliath's question. With a saddened look, he points to her, signaling that she has the answers, as he signs "Good luck" to the party and leaves the room.
Halgra shakes her head, "The Kestrel River, where Raag Bloodtusk’s keelboat is waiting for you, lies approximately 18 miles north of Trunau. You should best be going. Godspeed to you. Trunau's fate is in your hands." She hands the letter of introduction to Penny.
”A grim tale.” Ulmo said. ”I respect their sacrifice against the orcish defilement. It would have been better if Koldukar could have suffered such a fate, rather than becoming Belikzen.” He added, taking a new mug of ale. ”Fooking orcs. It’ll be good to put more of them in the ground.”
"Silvermane, do you have something from the Council of Thorns? A staff or totem mask? If you summoned the wisps, maybe something from the Council will calm them. I'd rather not fight an army of angry wisps." Fighting something small is not the same as fighting something large. Goliath prefers fighting large things.
Jericho sighs, "Geez, that was honorable and sad and desperate on the part of the druids. I guess that was better than being slain by the orcs." Jericho nods his head in sadness, as he sees Silvermane leave. "I just need to buy some food and camping gear and I'll be ready to head out."
The short trip to the river is uneventful, and with Halgra’s letter of introduction, you have no trouble boarding the boat. Bloodtusk’s riverboat is a large, modified keelboat with a sturdy wooden hull. Assembled from the scavenged wrecks of several other vessels, the riverboat looks ungainly, with a wide forecastle and towerlike structure at the bow, and a high aftcastle at the stern. The boat is 120 feet long and 30 feet wide, with a draft of 10 feet. It has a single mast with a large sail as well as rowing banks. To assist in traveling upstream, the riverboat also carries eight horses that can be put ashore to pull the boat upstream.
Captain Bloodtusk, a green muscular half-orc, reads the letter of introduction and allows you on his riverboat. The half-orc speaks gruffly, "I owe Halgra, so you can come on board my ship, but know, that you part of my crew. Therefore, you are expected to partake in daily duties aboard the vessel and defend the boat while in hostile waters during the six-day journey to the Marsh. The duties available are cooking, fishing, being a lookout from the crow's nest, rowing, sounding (helping the pilot avoid shallows along the riverbeds), or Stable mucking. Pick which duty you wish to partake in during the trip."
Ulmo thought about it. He knew nothing about fishing, didn’t wish to climb, had no idea what shallows looked like, and stable mucking didn’t sound fun at all. But rowing? At least that could be considered a work out. ”I’ll row.” Said the dwarf, with a shrug.
Jericho stepped on board the keelboat skillfully, happily remembering his days as buccaneer...in a past life. Back then it was the salt air, the river smelled differently, foreign. Yet he still knew his way around a boat. "Captain, I'll volunteer for sounding. I've helped steer a vessel or 2 in my younger years."
Pennny tries to remember anything shes' heard of Will-o-wisps but can't recall anything useful.
Meeting Captain Bloodtusk is as pleasant as she thought it would be, "I can cook." She offers with a resigned sigh.
Thinking to herself 'At least I'll have some idea what we're eating.'
Being as they are on a boat, Goliath doffs and carefully stows his dragonplate. Druids have many options for protective spells that do not aid in drowning the wearer. "I shall look after the horses."