Interaction with Gurr'khan (handled over email):
Gurr'khan first goes up the mound to the spot where he'd been standing when you first saw him. There is the bloodied corpse of a young orc lying behind a large rock there. Gurr'khan says simply, "My apprentice Bharmak," before picking up the body and placing it on the back of the bear, which has accompanied him, where he secures it with some rope. Then he leads you towards the surrounding wall of plants, in the opposite direction from which you came.
When he reaches the wall, he casts a spell (Reduce Plants, some of you realize) to create a pathway through it, albeit an overgrown one, and leads you through it. Once you are on the far side, he casts another spell (Plant Growth) to regrows the vegetation. He leads you into the forest for another hour, before you reach a large clearing with a pond and a cottage standing beside it. The cottage is made of stone and seems to be quite sturdy. He asks you to wait and takes the corpse inside, and returns after a short while while to rejoin you. He produces some crude stools and a small table, as well as a couple of bowls of fruit and a large ewer of water. Inviting you to eat and rest, he sits down cross-legged and leaning against the bear (which promptly falls asleep). "So," he says, looking around at all of you, "Tell me exactly who you are and what you do in my domain. And more about this intruder that you (he nods at Nameless) said you were pursuing."
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Gareth:
Following Gurr'khan to his cottage, he notes the path. While he does not doubt his chances of getting lost, Gareth would at least like some sense of location. Once inside the cottage, Gareth takes a drink of water before speaking, "My name is Gareth Deneith, holy warrior of the Silver Flame. We have travelled here from Sharn in the attempts to capture this person alive" looking at Nameless, "or dead. He is called Desro. He is a traitor and deserter, as well as thief and murderer." Pausing for a moment, "What is the area we were at, and why would Desro have interest in it?"
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"We are mercenaries in this affair, though I think we may have earned the emnity of Desro. This gentleman (pointing at Raog) had hired us to hunt down Desro for some of his various crimes. He had received information that he would be at a cabin in the woods several miles from here. So we located the cabin and laid an ambush for him. After a fierce pitched battle we managed to take down someone who we thought was Desro and a Half-elf ally of his. The false Desro had only just survived and the Half-elf was not so lucky."
Namless pauses for a second, "Ah, we left the Half-elf's corpse back at the cabin if it is of any interest to you as they both aided Desro in killing your apprentice. The Changeling's corpse you probably passed on the stairs of the mound. She had quickly revealed the deception as we weren't terribly inclined to keep Desro alive. So she told us about how they helped Desro to murder your apprentice at the mound, before he had them wait back at the cabin where we fought them. I suspect that he did this to rid himself of them and that he knew or suspected that someone was or would be after him and know about the cabin. I suspect that Desro betrays people as often as other yawn."
"But I digress. We made her lead us to the mound on the chance that we could still catch him. We did encounter him, but he was disguised to look like one of your guardians and only revealed the deception when he decapitated the changling. After a brief skirmish he used magic to vanish. We pressed on to try and determine what his interest was in the mound, as pursuit proved futile. You've pretty much been told the rest. What his interest was is still unclear, though obviously this place has some key role with regards to the Dalkyr and their servants. You've already told us that one of the seals is here."
***
Gurr'khan's expression darkens as each of you speak, but he does not reply to either of your comments for a moment. Finally, he says, "This news is not good. I have not heard of this Desro, but then I do not ... how do you say it ... get around much. But I have suspicions of why he came here."
His expression darkens further, and he gestures at Nameless as he speaks, "As you noted, the place you visited holds one of the dimensional seals that holds Xoriat at bay. There are very few such in Breland, the manifest zones to the Realm of Madness being much more common in what your people call the Shadow Marches, and to a lesser extent, in the Eldeen Reaches. This is an especially strong one, since it blocks an actual portal to Xoriat, one which the daelkyr used millennia ago to send their forces into Khorvaire. My people fought them back and sealed it, and ever since, some of my blood and faith have guarded it. I am Gurr'khan, Gatekeeper guardian, and I guard this place with my life!"
By this point he is getting quite animated, waving his arms to illustrate his points. A sleepy growl from the bear draws his attention and he growls back, "Shut it, hairy!" (which doesn't draw any response), but he does seem to calm down. He doesn't look any more cheerful, however. Taking a deep breath, he continues, "Anyway, as I was saying ... the strength of the portal has some strange effects near the seal, in the area within the mound. Magic is sometimes warped and those who stay there too long are changed." He taps himself on the chest in emphasis, and you notice a strange ripple run along the clothing of his chest. "The alcove you saw, marked with the dragonshards, was created to focus those energies, with some of my kind choosing to let themselves be changed so as to fight the daelkyr and their followers with their own energies. Those who stand within for a long time are mutated according to their nature, whether good or evil. This Desro may have come here in search of that power."
He pauses, and then says, "Or perhaps he came to find this place and gain knowledge of it. There are fools on this world who would break the seals and unleash the daelkyr upon us again. Perhaps this Desro is one of those fools." He falls silent and mumbles to himself for a moment and then says, "This place has been secret for centuries, with only a few knowing of its location. Now this Desro knows - and so do you. Even now I wonder, what should I do with you?" He eyes you all and scowls in thought.
***
Sensing a potential fight, but not wanting to cause anymore alarm, Gareth, with his best diplomatic speech (you can roll it Shil) speaks, "Peace be to you Gatekeeper. This Desro we are seeking is a fairly powerful villain, and it would be more beneficial to you and your cause if we were around to help. We do not wish to see this Desro gain any power, nor reveal the location of this place. I can promise you, on the Silver Flame itself, that I will not speak of this location to anyone outside this group. I can also promise you that I do not mean to break the seals or release any evil, nor do I pine to gain the power that may be stolen from the cave. I have a little bit of knowledge on the matters of which you speak, though not as much as my comrade or yourself. Let us work together, to remove Desro so he is not a threat. Once this has been completed, we can continue the issue you may have of us knowing about this place."
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Nameless:
"If it is your task to guard this place, then it would be foolish for you to leave it abandoned and open to those who would exploit it. As you would do if you left to pursue Desro. We are already engaged in hunting him, so it would seem to me that you might as well make use of that and let us track him. One of your faith is already among us and she was trained by a fellow Gatekeeper. So even if you do not trust the rest of us, you should be able to trust her."
"As for myself, I am a seeker after knowledge, which is how I know of such things. I have no interest in loosing the Daelkyr, they are little more than spoiled children who delight only in the breaking of things. I am willing to swear whatever oaths you wish to that effect."
***
Gurr'khan nods slowly in agreement and says, "You speak well. My absence has already led to the death of Bharmak and I cannot leave this place - or at least not unless I know there are other guardians and I take some precautions. If you are already pursuing Desro, perhaps helping you will serve as well as undertaking the quest myself."
He seems to consider for a bit and then says, "Oaths have little meaning to me. I feel you speak truly, and if you did lie now, nothing would prevent you from breaking an oath either. Still, I ask you not to mention what you have seen here to anyone. Well, except some people I have in mind. You," (he says to Gareth) "said that you are from Sharn. Will you carry a message there for me? A few of my people are there and I will need them to send me another apprentice to replace Bharmak." He scowls again and adds gloomily, "And they must know what has happened here - and some other things. Something is stirring. Xoriat seeks to extend its reach."
***
Gareth:
Listening to Gurr'khan, and knowing that he is making some sense now, "I would be honored to take your message to Sharn. We could definitely use your help also. I think our biggest problem with Desro, other then his sheer power, is his ability to teleport away from combat when things get rough for him." Turning to Nameless, "It seems Desro is able to resist many of your spells, including your slow spell. Do you happen to have a haste spell? I think that would help us out more. A possible action is to have one or more of us hold our actions, and the moment he tries to dimension door, we hit him with everything we got. He probably won't do this until the 2nd or 3rd stage of combat."
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Gurr'khan waves a hand dismissively. "Typical coward who will not stay and fight, it seems. Anyway, I doubt that he is still around, but I should check on that. Excuse me for a while. Rest here, but do not enter my hut. Bur'al here," he indicates the bear, "Might not take that well. Otherwise, you do not need to worry about him."
With that, he rises to his feet and takes a few steps away, before transforming into an eagle. With a flap of his wings, he rises into the air and heads south at considerable pace.
***
You get some time to yourselves and two hours later (just after noon), the eagle returns and transforms into Gurr'khan. Walking over to join you, he says, "I have found no sign of this Desro. I did find the hut where you said he and his allies were staying, but it was deserted. I looked around the area for tracks and found those of some half dozen horses leaving the area quite recently - maybe an hour before I reached there - but that was it. I believe our quarry is gone for now."
Raog jumps up and says, mostly to himself, "Horses? Son-of-a- bitch stole the horses?




- that totally kills any little profit I might have made!" Gurr'khan gives him a dirty look and he subsides.
Gurr'khan continues, "It will take you a good eight hours to reach the Keep on foot. I do not go there, but I know how far away it is." He looks at the sun and then says, "You would not reach it by nightfall. You are welcome to stay here and leave tomorrow, if that suits you."
(OOC: As far as you know, the ship you came here on be heading back to Sharn tomorrow, though you do not know when. Constant traveling from where you are would get you to it in twelve hours.)
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Looking at Roag, just as equally if not more, with a dirty look. "Your hospitality is generous, and we may take it, but that depends the mode of transportation we can find tomorrow. I would rather be on the heels of this person so he does not have time to rest." Looking at Luna and Nameless, "Do either of you have a way to summon mounts for us? Or some other mode of fast transportation?"
***