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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 5409624" data-attributes="member: 9546">BLOOD FOR BLOODThe piscodaemon, as it turned out, was little more than a glorified jailor.  Beyond the chamber in which it stood guard, the companions found an unconscious, badly beaten female centaur shackled to the wall of a dark cell…Xamanthe Silverfire.  To make matters worse, she was also rigid as a board…another victim of Vordakai’s touch.The nobles of Kardashia carefully and gingerly removed Xamanthe from the lich’s tomb, then, after making camp for the coming night, made their way back to Varnhold over the course of the next day.  Once there, Tungdill and Velox set to work nursing the young centaur back to health, while Mox and the others went about the tenuous task of restoring the trapped souls of Varnhold’s citizens back to reality.  The folk were grateful, though in a state of disorientation and shock.  None remembered the circumstances of their capture, nor had any concept of how long they’d been trapped.  When they learned of the deaths of so many of their friends, and family, as well as all of their leaders, including Maegar Varn himself, they were overwhelmed with grief and heartbreak.  They were adrift, rudderless. Their gratitude for their restored lives was effusive, but they were lost.  They had no idea what was going to become of them.  In the end, the answer was right in front of them.  Unanimously, they came to Mox and her companions as a community, and petitioned the nobles to bring their township into Kardashia.  When Xamanthe was fit enough to travel, the group took their leave from Varnhold, promising to return soon to begin the process of annexation, and made their way back to the centaur encampment in the Dunsward.  Aecora was overjoyed at her daughter’s return, and immediately vowed to make a lasting truce and peace with the Kardashians.  All she asked in return was the Dunsward be left to her people as their sovereign home.  Mox agreed without hesitation.The companions began their long journey home.  They were welcomed back to Veritas with great fanfare, and when news of their success in solving the mystery of the Varnhold vanishing became widely known, their legend grew to epic proportions.  The people of Kardashia were overwhelmingly enthusiastic over the idea of Varnhold joining their country.  The opportunity for new trade and commerce was a welcome endeavor.  Within months, a road was built between Veritas and Varnhold, and the town was officially renamed Cougartown, ostensibly because of the large number of firepelt cougars in the surrounding mountains, (though some wisecrackers opined that it was due  to the large number of recently widowed and newly single women in the township).  With the annexation of hundreds of square miles, Kardashia achieved official recognition from Brevoy as a formal kingdom.  Queen Mox I was crowned in amidst a celebration that lasted an entire week!_____________________________________________________________Selena turned the crimson gem over and over in her hands, marveling at its beauty…and its power.  Weeks of research had finally revealed to her the exact extent of its abilities.  It was known as the Oculus of Abaddon, a potent artifact rumored to have been created by one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as a way to reward those who worked as their agents on the Material Plane.  It gave its bearer many unique abilities, such as the power to see the unseen, scry upon others at great distance, and even to summon natives of Abaddon, such as the piscodaemon, to do their bidding.  Yet by far its most powerful, and sinister ability, undoubtedly that which allowed Vordakai to ensnare the people of Varnhold, was the haunting beckon.  Once per year, the bearer could manipulate the minds of a huge number of people, provided the end goal of that manipulation was a tragic or otherwise horrific fate for those being manipulated.  Selena pondered the Oculus at length.  That the item was evil was beyond question.  Also, the means by which its powers were granted, namely, prying one’s own eye out and replacing it with the gem, was truly repulsive.  Still…in the hands of the right user, with the goal of the greater good in mind, it might just prove useful…very useful indeed.____________________________________________________________“Greetings, my liege lords!  Would that I had the opportunity to contact you via missive in gentler times.  Since its founding, Fort Spears has faced many challenges, but recent rumors of a much more disturbing sort abound.  A woman has come to Fort Spears bearing warnings that, if they are to be believed, indicate we may face a terrible threat.  She speaks of armies of bandits, hordes of barbarians, and worse organizing to the west beyond Hooktongue Slough.  To date we have had no trouble with these elements, but this woman is quite convincing.  She tells us an army is marching on Fort Spears.  If this is true, we will need your aid in defending our homes.  Please come as soon as you can.In good faith, your obedient servant, Mayor Loy Rezbin”Such was the message Mox received one spring afternoon while tending to matters of Court.  Fort Spears had done quite well for itself since its founding, having established a healthy trade route along the Skunk River.  Still, the likelihood of an “army” advancing on the small, frontier town was remote in Mox’s mind.  It was probably nothing more than a bandit tribe stirring up trouble, but even so, it was still worth investigating.  Though the duties of herself and her companions kept them close to home most of the time, she informed the others that she thought it was worth putting in a personal appearance at Fort Spears, if for nothing else than to show that the nobility was “taking an interest.”_________________________________________________________When the royal entourage reached Fort Spears, they were met by the commander of the town guard, Captain Coren Lawry.  He escorted them through the center of the village, where they drew the attention of every soul present, to the Fort Spears Lodge, which functioned as the town hall.  There they were greeted by Mayor Rezbin himself, as well as his wife Latricia and another, younger woman.“My Lady!  My Lords!”  Rezbin said as he bowed deeply.  The ladies beside him offered respectful curtsies.  “I can’t thank you enough for responding so swiftly to my plea, and in person no less!  Allow me to introduce Kisandra Numesti.”He gestured to the young woman, who inclined her head politely.“Your Highness,” she said to Mox.“Who are you, girl?”  Mox asked, sternly but not unkindly.“I come from the Drelev Demesne,” Kisandra replied, “west of here on the far side of Hooktongue Slough.  It was established by Baron Hannis Drelev of Brevoy.  My father is Lord Terrion Numesti, a knight who once served the baron, but recently went against him and was thrown into the dungeon as punishment.”“Drelev?”  Mox quirked an eyebrow.“The third charter dispensed by Restov,” Davrim said, clearing his throat.  “They sent a group of soldiers and nobleman west, led by a Baron Hannis Drelev, about the same time we came into the Stolen Lands.”“I see,” Mox nodded.  “Continue,” she motioned to Kisandra.“Well,” Kisandra said, “Baron Drelev earned the ire of a local barbarian tribe known as the Tiger Lords by looting several of the tombs of their ancestors.  They refused an offer of peace from our town, but when they attacked, they were easily defeated by our knights and soldiers.  The Tiger Lords did not accept defeat so easily, however.  Apparently, they sought out and formed an alliance with Lord Irovetti, the bandit king of Pitax.”“The river kingdom?”  Davrim asked.“The same,” Kisandra nodded.  “When the Tiger Lords returned, they were accompanied by mercenaries from Pitax.  When Baron Drelev saw the host arrayed against our town, the coward sent riders out under a flag of truce to plead with them to spare his holdings, surrendering unconditionally.  Lord Irovetti and the Tiger Lord chieftain, a brute named Armag, accepted, but they wanted even more.  They demanded that the townsfolk hand over five of their daughters as hostages until Drelev proved his loyalty.  Baron Drelev commanded his senior officers to hand over their eldest daughters.  My father refused.  The baron made an example of him by throwing him in jail and giving my sister to the barbarians anyway.  It was shortly after that when I fled Fort Drelev.”“I see,” Mox said, “but that still doesn’t explain why there is now an army marching on our lands.  What have we to do with Fort Drelev’s woes?”“Baron Drelev has made no secret that he covets your accomplishments here,” Kisandra replied.  “I imagine he hopes to prove himself to Irovetti by attacking you, and also hopes to add your lands to his own in the process.”“What sort of army are we talking about here?”  Velox asked.  “How many are they, and what sort of troops are there?”“Perhaps two dozen of Pitax’s mercenaries,” Kisandra said, “and half as many Tiger Lord barbarians, not to mention a half-dozen enormous trolls!”“Ain’t exactly an army, now is it?”  Tungdill grumped.“It’s more than enough for our defenses,” Mayor Rezbin snapped.  “We have no more than a dozen guards, and maybe an equal number of villagers who are battle ready, though none of them have ever truly been tested.”“Do we know how far away this force is?”  Mox asked.“Well…,” Rezbin hesitated, “that’s the problem.  Our scouts tell us they’re no more than two hours march north along the Skunk River.”“Nothing like advance warning!”  Stevhan exclaimed.  “Then I suppose there’s no time to waste,” Velox said.__________________________________________________________Preparations, such as they were, were hastily put into place, and just in the nick of time as it turned out.  The mercenary and barbarian troops appeared along the banks of the Skunk River, and when they sighted the town’s walls with its meager supporters, they roared their challenge and charged.  “Stand your ground, men!”  Velox commanded from where he paced along the catwalk behind the wooden palisade.  “Stevhan!” he called.“Ready!”  the ranger hailed back.  He’d taken up position on the Fort Spears Bridge, along with a small group of archers behind the high rails there that provided cover.“Fire at will!”  Velox signaled.The archers rose as one and loosed a withering volley of arrows at the oncoming horde.  Simultaneously, Tungdill, Mox and Selena stood up from behind the palisade and unleashed a deadly barrage of magic.  A sudden storm of sleet and ice erupted over the attackers, causing ice to form at their feet, and sending them slipping and sliding along the sloped river bank.  Simultaneously a ball of acid, and a second one of fire exploded among them.The assault was ferocious, but it only temporarily halted the advancing raiders.  Enraged by the temerity of their prey to actually mount a defense, they reached the outskirts of the village and began their attack in earnest.  The militia had managed to erect hastily built barricades, and these slowed the enemy, but only just barely.  Velox took advantage of the break in the charge to weave his own magic, conjuring a cloud of billowing fog around the horde, and then Mox loosed another fireball, while Selena summoned a column of white flame down among them.The remaining Drelev forces finally broke through the out defenses and carried the fight into the streets of Fort Spears.  The villagers, both guardsmen and common folk alike, rallied to defend their homes.  The spell casters could no longer bring their most destructive magic to bear, but Tungdill still managed to send discrete bolts of lightning sizzling among the raiders.  The fighting was brief but fierce, until finally, the defenders began to push back in the invaders.  A cry of victory went up from the townsfolk, but it was echoed a moment later by a cry of despair.  Both sides drew back and parted as six monstrous figures appeared at the edge of the barricades.  The trolls had arrived.It was time for Mox and her companions to take a more personal hand in the battle.  The militia would be quickly overwhelmed by the vicious giants within a matter of moments.  Quickly they moved into the center of town, just as the trolls came rampaging into the street.  With a raucous cry of bloodlust, the brutes charged…directly into a wall of flames that Velox conjured in their path.  Four of the giants stopped short of the wall, trapped on the far side.  One made it past, but the last was engulfed completely in the flames.  Immediately, Selena took to the sky, soaring high so she could see the trolls beyond the flame wall.  Chanting, she called a hex to her, causing the ground around the brutes to erupt in a forest of rubbery, black tentacles.  The appendages reached out and wrapped around the arms and legs of the trolls, holding them in place while they began squeezing like the coils of large serpents.  The single troll who’d made it past the flames paid no heed to the plight of its brothers.  It continued its headlong charge, barreling into Velox and Davrim, swatting them both aside with its massive club.  Velox rolled to a halt within feet of the wall of fire, just as the troll trapped within it charged through.  The oracle leaped to his feet and charged at the pain-maddened creature, hammering at its raw, seared flesh again and again.  Within a matter of moments, he’d beaten it into unconscious, but he could see that the deep gashes his blade had inflicted were already starting to heal.  Davrim, meanwhile, found himself on the far side of the flames.  As he regained his feet, a nearby troll wrenched itself free of the black tentacles, and came roaring at him.  The inquisitor met it head-on, and drove his blade deep into its gut.  The giant recoiled with a grunt, and gazed down at the rapidly closing wound.  It leered at the half-orc, as behind it, its three brethren also broke free.Mox backed quickly away from the oncoming troll as she opened her mouth her mouth and breathed a cloud of acid on the monster.  At the same moment, Tungdill called down a column of flame on the brute’s head.  It collapsed under the onslaught.  Meanwhile, as Davrim continued to battle his foe, the other three trolls barreled through the wall of fire.  As they did, Velox ambushed one of them, dropping it in its tracks.  Now three of the giants lay unconscious in the street.  Quickly, Velox conjured a second fire wall, engulfing those three, insuring they would not rise again.  Davrim and his enemy fought tooth and claw, but ultimately the inquisitor won out, knocking the giant backwards into one of the flame walls.  Selena, still flying above the melee, pulled a lump of wax from her belt and quickly began kneading it into a vaguely humanoid shape.  She spoke a few words over it, and then puffed her breath upon it.  Taking it in her hands, she began moving it as if it were walking.  Below her, one of the trolls suddenly went rigid.  It then turned slowly around and marched itself deliberately into the fire.  The last of the brutes collapsed under a second plume of Mox’s acidic breath.  Just like that, the battle of Fort Spears was over._____________________________________________________________“You are truly the heroes I heard you to be!”  Kisandra exclaimed in the aftermath of the battle.  “Surely you must know, however, that Baron Drelev will not give up so easily.  He will send more troops next time.  You must stop him!  Please tell me that you will!  Go to Fort Drelev and repay the baron for his treachery!  Please!  You must free my father…free the people of Fort Drelev, and save my sister!”“You needn’t beg, dear girl,” Mox smiled thinly.  “We most assuredly will be visiting Baron Drelev, and let him know in person how we feel about trespassing in Kardashia.”</blockquote>

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