Orc Fight (still) (Session 16) - Faniele 21, 888 F.S.

Still Fighting Orcs in the Allindel Forest

The fight continues with the orcs. Sophia continues to watch the fray from on far then decides to enter the fight. The battle doesn't go the best for the party: Estenel, Guillamette, Sophia, Gaufridus, and Henri are unconscious. Ecran's arm and hand are chopped burger. Estenel's limbs aren't much better. While waiting for party members to wake up, Jollin kills all but three of the orcs.

We heal up over the course of two hours. Estenel mind-searches one of the orcs, who has very little for useful information other than the temple is a one-hour hike from where we are and that there are approximately 80 orcs at the temple.

Jollin heads off to scout the temple. Meanwhile, several orcs from the temple arrive at the battle site, survey the dead, and then begin to fan out, searching for survivors. After a few minutes, one of the orcs spots us and blows a horn. Sophia and Guilamette take the mule and begin to head to Throggi. Estenel and Ecran hide in the foliage. Yukon grabs Henri, casts flight, and sets Henri down in a tree. He lures the orcs toward him and begins lobbing fireballs down at the orcs. Several orcs run by Estenel's and Ecran's hiding spot.

Jollin observes some sort of ritual being performed by the orcs at the temple. He draws a bead on what appears to be their leader, trying to stick an arrow in his eye. His shot goes wide; Jollin beats feet out of the area and outruns the orcs.

The orcs head back to the temple. Estenel and Ecran begin hobbling toward Throggi. Yukon creates a flying mount and hauls himself and Henri toward Throggi as well. Jollin is still catching his breath. Yukon gets back to Throggi, dumps Henri at the inn. Estenel is able to contact Yukon (after trying for three days) and directs Yukon to his location. Yukon flies to him and begins to haul Estenel and Ecran back to Throggi. Estenel pings Jollin; he's half way back to Throggi. In the end, the entire party makes it back to Throggi and drink themselves into oblivion.

Estenel restores the various crippled limbs of the party. Meanwhile, we strike up a conversation with a local in the inn. He warns us that the Allindel Forest is filled with orcs. He is unaware of anything within the forest; he stays out of it... because it's full of orcs. Sophia seeks an audience with the mayor of Throggi to discuss the situation with the nearby orcs. We wait in Throggi for a month, waiting for people with crippled limbs to heal. We plan to head back to the temple and scout it out.

The Sidhe Ritual Site (Session 15) - Faniele 21, 888 F.S.

Chasing Orcs in the Allindel Forest

Estenel and Yukon rest up at the combat site, preparing to heal party members. Sophia and Jollen head off after the fleeing orcs. Sophia follows their tracks for an hour. Estenel heals Tiamat; Henri is healed and awakened.

Sophia and Jollen catch up with the orcs (as evidenced by an arrow narrowly missing them... that, and the gutteral grunts coming from the bush). A fight begins. Jollen takes a dirt nap. Sophia continues the fight, putting down two of them. The two remaining orcs are archers and are holed up in a tree. Sophia is stumped. She decides to climb the tree and go after the orc. Believe it or not, it works out. Sophia takes care of the one orc that was up the tree shooting at her. The location of the last remaining orc is unknown. We'll just assume he scarpered off.


To the Temple (we think)
Sophia arrives back at our camp, towing an unconscious Jollen. Estenel mind-searches the unconscious orc at the camp and learns that an ancient temple is located two hours to the east, which is where his orc tribe lives, and has lived for several years. This is the direction to which the orcs were originally fleeing. We track back to the location where Sophia and Jollen retired the last few orcs. The one remaining orc is still up a tree, and there are eight new orcs standing at the base of the tree. While 70 yards out from the orcs, Estenel sings the Sonata du Hush-Hush. Yukon then moves quietly. We sneak up on the orcs' position. Estenel and Ecran step on the same branch. At 30 yards out, ranged combat begins. Ranks close, and toe-to-toe fighting begins. Henri get bludgeoned into next week.

More next week.

Looking for Seals (Session 14) - Emmanir 29, 888 F.S.

Schnorking
Estenel meets with Ybilaron to see if he knows of a place called Careethay and Zoohoodu Island. He knows that Careethay is the volcano on the north end of the island. Zoohoodu Island is to the west of Hronn. Not much trade with that island comes through Schnorking; the island trades more with Arnur Soghal.

We rent the mage’s guild in Schnorking for 1 gold piece a day, which gives us all-access to their archives. However, Estenel is not able to find any information of any detail concerning the seals.

During the weekly ping from Futanmoth's advisor that says their researchers know of a man named Eng in Ergant who is a Sidhe expert; he may know more of these seals. He also says that the armies on Hronn have pulled back from their confrontation due to winter setting in.

While in Schnorking, we run into the ship captain that had brought us to Hronn initially. We secure passage on his ship to Ergant.

[Five days later, we arrive in Ergant.]


Ergant
Jollen schleps about the port and finds where Eng might be. He finds out that Eng lives in his magic shop near the colliseum. We meet with Eng and explain why we are interested in finding more about the seals. He agrees to research them in depth, for a fee of 500 cp. Jollen and Sophia haggle with Eng over the prices for his enchanting. Given that it will take Eng a few days to perform the research, we decide to travel about the city of Ergant.


Eng's Shop, one month later
We head back to Eng's shop, where he tells us of his finding on the 13 seals. Costuhshee is the Prince of Frost Giants, who would try to turn the world into an arctic wasteland. The Sidhe, 2800 years ago, created the seals to banish Costuhshee from this world. The seals were hidden to ensure that Costuhshee is never released. Other than that, he doesn't learn anything additionally regarding the seals. We ask him to continue researching the seal locations. We come back to his shop in two days; he believes that he may have found some information as to where one of the seals may be located: near the southern tip of the mainland, in the Wildlands, within an area where there has been found evidence of ancient rituals being performed by the Sidhe.

In order to save travel time, Eng suggests an alternate method that we might want to consider using: the Sidhe Towers. He knows that they all don't work. After researching them some more, Eng determines that the tower that is close to Ergant is not connected to the tower that is on the far south end of the mainland.

Eng gives us a description of the location where the Sidhe rituals had been performed. Eng gives Sophia a ring that is attuned to the material from which the seals are made (we gave Eng some of the pieces of the broken seal that we found in Ididerac's citadel, which enabled him to make a special Seeker ring).

Sophia stocks up on picks and shovels and such, for digging in order to find the seal, which we believe is buried. We hire a ship for passage to the southern town of Throggi, which is near the ritual site. Thirty days from when we arrived in Ergant, we show up in Throggi.


Throggi and Allindel Forest
We head into the Allindel Forest. It's about a five-day journey through the forest to where the ritual site is located. Traveling through the forest, we happen upon a party of orcs. They don't look very happy to see us. Combat ensues. In the end, the party prevails and the remaining orcs flee. Henri, Tiamut, and Jollen are seriously injured. A plan is made whereby Estenel and Yukon will stay with the injured to continue healing them while the rest of the party pursues the orcs.