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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TheBard" data-source="post: 60843" data-attributes="member: 2821">Episode 15: Be Here NowTime Elapsed: 7/04 - 7/14/495 A.I. SummaryBefore departing Tavia, Nicasia put her family experience to work and secured a wide variety of trade goods to transport into Rolgulka. This served the purpose of helping the company pass themselves off as merchants and also enabling her to hopefully improve her somewhat marginal financial position. Buying and selling are beneath a true Iconian noblewoman, of course, but the Rolgulkans could care less. So it was that the group departed Tavia yet again, very early in the morning at the start of what looked to be a hot summer day, looking for all the world like a trade caravan of pack horses, one smallish cart driven by Theodorus and even a mule or two. In a few days time they passed by the now un-manned spriggan “roadblock” and wondered what had become of the alternately diminutive and gigantic brigands. Of Lady Zlata and her Immortal’s encampment there was no sign, and in the space of a week or so the group was deeper into Rolgulka than they’d ever ventured before.The Rolgulkan countryside was even wilder than other parts of faerie the group had visited before. The mountain pass itself was a wilderness region largely unsettled by civilized folk, with only a few scattered farming and herding communities of goblins and orcs trying to scratch out a living in the high mountains. Ingolf believed that the true heart of Rolgulka would be seen closer to Brasov and Vihar’s realm in the Vale of Thunder.A week or so into faerie, under a sky threatening to burst open into a thunderstorm at any moment, Ingolf heard the faint whinny of a horse off in the woods alongside the path while scouting ahead of the main group. He waited until the rest of the party caught up to him before deciding to investigate. Not far from the road they came across evidence of a panicked flight through the underbrush: broken vegetation, spilled trade goods of cloth and foodstuffs, and the tracks of what seemed to be a cart and two or more horses. Aoelif had no trouble following the trail and it soon lead to a sickening sight. Two horses and an overturned two-wheeled cart were smashed into a tangled mess, wedged between two trees. One horse was horribly wounded but the other seemed merely frightened – both were covered in sweat. Aoelif managed to calm the panicked animal while Martaine mercifully put the other one out of its misery. The wagon showed signs of strange burn marks and a few drops of blood, but there was no driver anywhere to be seen.Aoelif quickly lead the group back in the opposite direction, back to where the cart had come from, and it was quickly apparent that this trail lead back towards the road. The horses seemed to have cut off a loop in the winding mountain path. Near the road, the group came across a scene of horrific carnage. No less than 9 bodies were scattered about yet another overturned wagon. Blood was everywhere, as well as more of the same odd burn marks that had been seen on the first cart. All of the dead save one were human; the odd man out being a half-orc, whose broken and twisted body looked almost as if it had been seized in some monstrous hand and crushed. Six of the dead seemed to be guards; most had suffered terrible wounds as well as more burns. One corpse was nothing but a pair of legs. Pinned under one side of the wagon was the body of a young Templar of Logos whose face was known to Martaine in passing. He had apparently been trapped when the wagon overturned and suffocated by the weight across his chest. Before he died he had managed to write the cryptic words “two taken bailiff” on the wagon’s sideboard.Although the guards were all wearing simple armor and clothing, in a secret compartment in the wagon’s strongbox Nicasia uncovered a cache of much finer looking clothing – all in the livery of earl Iustus, the former ruler of Tavia. It didn’t take long for the group to realize what had happened – Iustus had sent a delegation of some sort into Rolgulka, most likely to deliver something to Lord Vihar, and they had been set upon by something that was substantially more than they had expected. What, exactly, had wiped them out remained a mystery for the moment, but soon enough Aoelif had uncovered a set of strange, three-toed tracks that lead off into the woods, tracks as of many creatures walking together. Mixed in with them was at least one set of boot prints as well.Despite Ingolf’s repeated assertion that they were certainly on the trail of something far too dangerous to tackle, most like “a family of blue dragons” the group decided to follow the easy-to-see path into the forest. It led ultimately to a high cliff face. Twenty-five or so feet above the base of the cliff as a large cave opening; a mound of scree and other debris made for difficult access to what all presumed was the lair of whatever it was they were following. Ingolf and Aoelif elected to sneak as close to the foot of the escarpment as possible while the remainder of the group hid themselves at the forest edge. Whatever it was that waited inside had sharp hearing, for after a moment or two a thundering voice was heard from the entrance saying in Rolgulkan “Who comes before Cryshan! Have you brought  . . . ransom? Ransom for my prisoners?”Though there was some evidence that whatever had attacked the Earl’s men was intelligent, a demand for ransom was not exactly what the group had expected. From his vantage point hidden in some mountain shrub or another, Theodorus could see what it was that addressed the group – a large, blue lizard-like beast. He could only clearly make out the head and neck of the creature, but its body seemed to nearly fill the large tunnel opening into the cliff’s face. With a rush of fear, Theodorus realized that the thing had spotted him. It demanded, loudly and insistently, that he come forth with his “ransom.”Not knowing what else to do, Theodorus stepped into the clearing in front of the cliff face itself and made a great show of presenting what coins he had handy as his “ransom.” Behind him, Nicasia, Martaine and Zaccara could only watch and wonder what was being said. It soon became apparent, however, that the thing had not yet spotted the two alfar at the base of the cliff, as it had never emerged fully form the opening. So Theordorus “signaled” to his companions that he had formed a plan. Cryshan, whatever it was, decreed that his ransom was not quite sufficient, but ordered him to deliver it up to his lair anyway, and started back its way into the cave.Theordorus unleashed a fireball into the cave mouth, which was followed immediately by Nicasia’s magic missiles, Martaine’s crossbow bolt and a point-blank arrow fired into the thing’s neck by Ingolf, who was still hidden at the base of the cliff. The beast roared its displeasure and immediately withdrew into the cave. Meanwhile, Zaccara quickly covered the distance to the cliff wall. Not willing to give up the beast’s captives, whoever they might be, Aoelif and Zaccara began scaling the cliff, well aware that they would be nearly defenseless as the approached the thing.With the aid of her fianna training, Aoelif reach the top first, vaulting over the lip of the cave opening – and into a bolt of lightning which nearly hurled her back out and down the cliff. Ingolf was right behind her and Zaccara behind him. Zaccara quickly had the Spear of Balor at the ready, and so the other two combatants moved to the fore. In moments, Cryshan came hurtling down the tunnel towards them, this time vomiting his lightning towards Ingolf, who nimbly dodged aside. Aoelif leaped over Ingolf’s shoulder to come to blows with Cryshan, and Zaccara plunged his spear repeatedly into the thing’s body. Cryshan reared up to his full height, or as much of it as he could achieve in the somewhat cramped confines of the cave, to reveal his multiple legs, each terminating in a strong, three-toed claw, and thrust himself forwards towards Zaccara. All three of the combatants engaged with the serpent took horrible wounds, but all were able to deal plenty of damage in return, and in a few moments the Behir lay dying.Aoelif let down a rope to help the other three members of the group scale the cliff face, and together the six adventurers pressed on into the Behir’s lair. The found only a small cave room, littered with a few corpses and some of the Behir’s ill-gotten loot. Against one wall a large stone had been rolled over another cave opening, from which muffled human voices could be heard. Zaccara and Aoelif rolled aside the stone to reveal a small room with two inhabitants, both human males. One had his arm in a sling and from the looks of him was not doing well at all.The healthy individual thanked the group profusely for his rescue. Apparently, he had managed to save his life by convincing the Behir that his lord would ransom him away from the creature – but he couldn’t make the Behir understand that he would need to send someone to tell his lord where he was being held and what his ransom was to be. The man’s name was Mundus of Edrini, and when confronted with the evidence, he revealed hat he was in fact carrying a letter from Earl Iustus to Lord Vihar.Mundus told  the group what he’d learned of Cryshan's tale. The Behir moved to these parts because a small green dragon named Forbia had moved into the mountainous forests to the west of the Vale of Thunder. Cryshan, of course, attacked it, but found to his regret that the dragon was treating with a tall Rolgulkan at the time of his "ambush." The Rolgulkan and the Dragon joined  forces and drove him off - but not before Cryshan had severely wounded the dragon. The group agreed to accompany Mundus the rest of the way to Brasov and he was grateful for the offer. His wounded manservant, Patrick, was in fairly rough shape. A brief investigation by Martaine revealed that his wounded arm was festering with gangrene and needed to be treated soon if he was to survive. Curing such an infection was, sadly, beyond the templar’s ability. Ultimately, Martaine was forced to amputate the man’s arm at the elbow. While Martaine and Zaccara were seeing to this grisly task, Nicasia helped Mundus out of his prison cell and she, Theodorus and Aoelif returned to the road to recover what could be salvaged from the wreckage of his traveling company. Ingolf busied himself, as usual, with enumerating the gold and other wealth in the Behir’s horde, most of which was certainly stolen from travelers such as Mundus – but for his part, he gladly surrendered any claim to it out of gratitude at his rescue. With the weather more threatening than ever, the group decided to pass the evening in the Behir’s lair.Episode Fifteen, Part II: The Thing in the DrawerIt rained for the better part of the night, but the Behir’s cave proved to be dry and secure for the most part against the weather. The next morning was clear and bright as only a morning after a night of rain can be, and the party set out again through the mountain valley, down into the Vale of Thunder and Brasov. The next few days were uneventful, and in less than a week the group was passing through the orcish and hobgoblin farmlands. Many small villages were passed but no serious settlements were seen until Brasov itself came into view.Vihar’s seat of power was close by the shores of Lake Izvoru, nestled between the mountains and the water. The city was walled but hilly, and the party could see the low buildings of the orcs and goblins, set much closer together than they were on the wide, brick-paved streets of Tavia. On the hill overlooking the center of the city was a huge and formidable looking fortification that could only be Vihar’s castle. Near one end of town, built over the lake itself on pilings, squatted a large, ugly building spewing steam and smokes into the air. This the group would later learn was the chief industry of Brasov – a refinery, where the raw iron ore mined by the orcs was converted into pig-iron for shipment and trade.After some suspicious questions at the city gate, the group was admitted and taken directly to Vihar’s keep. Along the way were seen a number of large statues representing the most prominent Rolgulkan deities, and the group got a brief lesson in theology from the guard escorting them to Vihar. The most important lesson learned was the Vihar was an adherent of Perkul “He Who Smites Us” – a violent thunder god seemingly best known for his penchant for striking his enemies and followers alike with lightning. A large, open shrine to him was littered with coins and other offerings, which the guide assured the group was “free for the taking.” As none of the party were eager to have yet more lightning tossed there way, all declined this generous offer.In the castle courtyard, the guard pointed out Vihar’s son Vladik, who was training with some of his father’s troops. Vladik didn’t look to be quite the ogre his father was yet, though he was at least a head taller than even Zaccara. As it turned out, he was a mere youth of eight years – still some time from taking his place as Vihar’s heir or potential usurper.Vihar himself was surprised yet not at all displeased to see the group again. Far from forgetting the services they’d done him in the recent past, the Ogre seemed to regard them as well acquainted, almost as friend of his household, and he took the time to introduce them all to his son personally. Vihar was dressed in the brightly colored style of his culture, and seemed much more at ease in Rolgulkan wool and furs than he had in Iconian silks. He insisted the group remain the night as his guest. He received Mundus’ communication with some ire at the man having revealed his origins, but Martaine and Ingolf quickly assured the ogre that they’d put the man on the spot after his rescue, and at any rate, the seals on the letters Mundus bore from Earl Iustus were unbroken. Nonetheless, the man seemed mortally terrified of Vihar – a reasonable reaction, but it was unwise to show his fear as openly as he did.Theodorus also had some mail from Tavia for the ogre lord which he delivered, whereupon Vihar inquired as to the reason for the journey through Rolgulka, as clearly a few letters were not sufficient to bring this particular company of travelers so far from home. Ingolf revealed only that the group was bound for the wild lands beyond Rolgulka itself, to the frozen north via the river Dan. Vihar seemed intrigued, but he did not press the issue. He did reveal a great deal about the political landscape of his country, however.Beyond the Vale of Thunder lay the domain of a minor ogre lord named Rorric, who owed his crown to Vihar. Through his lands, Vihar assured the group, the could travel at will – assuming he provided them with a guarantee of safe passage, which he graciously offered to do. Beyond Rorric’s country, though, lay a sinister realm rules by one Zakarij. With him, Lord Vihar was often at war, indeed that was why he funded and supported Lord Rorric – to act as a buffer state between the Vale of Thunder and Zakarij’s realm. Even had Vihar and Zakarij not been at war, he warned the group, they would have trouble crossing his lands – for he was a devout worshiper of Nyag, the Lord of the Undead.Mention of Nyag inspired Theodorus to inquire of Lord Vihar about his own troubles with the renegade Necromancer west of Rolgulka. Vihar replied that while the Necromancer was still troubling him, he did have Kamak, the Ollave (Cleric) of Nyag whose plans the group had disrupted, in his dungeon. “Or most of her, at any rate. Would you like to see her? Come, I will show you.”It is unwise to argue with an ogre, doubly so a noble ogre, triply so with Vihar. There was nothing for it but for the entire group to go visit Kamak in Vihar’s dungeons, but what awaited them there was more horrid than any of them would have guessed. He lead them across the courtyard of his castle to an iron tower near the center of the complex. The door of the tower opened to a flight of steps – leading downwards. How deep they went was difficult to tell, exactly, but the entire interior of the structure echoed with the weeping and crying of it’s prisoners. Deep below the tower, Vihar was greeted by a truly huge ogre jailer, easily twice his own size – but who nonetheless cringed as if struck when he heard Vihar’s voice. The group noted with some interest that this ogre was also blind. Vihar instructed him to lead them to Kamak, and he began walking down a corridor past a number of low, square doors which all assumed to be cell entrances. He was feeling the wall and counting as he went. After a short distance, he stopped, and pulled on the door he had chosen – which turned out not to be a door at all. From out of the wall he pulled a heavy slab, almost like a drawer, and on it lay Kamak. Or, as Vihar had darkly said, most of her. Her arms and legs had been cleanly amputated, leaving only her writhing torso. She lay in a pool of her own filth and was clearly not far from complete insanity. Vihar seemed quite pleased with the reaction to this revelation – all of the group were plainly repulsed at his treatment of his captive. Only Theodorus seemed to think Kamak had somehow earned such a fate, and he even went to far as to ask her if she had any further information about her Necromantic master that she’d care to impart. Her only response was her oft-repeated plea for death.Satisfied with his handiwork, Vihar lead the group back out of his dungeon and into the sunlight. The discomfort of Martaine at being compelled to cooperate with such a man was almost palpably plain, yet he accepted Vihar’s invitation to discuss religious matters with him before the evening meal. Everyone requested a chance to clean the dust off themselves beforehand, however, and Vihar was happy to have them shown to the rooms he’d had prepared for them.Next: Aoelif cracks some skulls!</blockquote>

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