Meet 5, Adv 2, 10/27/07

This marked the official start of the second adventure. As for a write-up, it's fairly short as there was much role-playing and setting up of our characters over the last two meetings with equipment, gear, and other needs and necessities. So this would mark the first time the party is actually geared up to go against a foe of any kind.

And yes, they finally have shoes. :)

Write up follows:

Detheron was formally recognized by the Orihalcus Greengrocer Coalition and investitured along with his bondmate animal companion as a friend to Frey and aspirant druid. Puck was verbally accosted by his mentor but also given a heads up. Karis and Zoltan had tea and scones with Lady Arian. Gwyn knocks before entering. And Zoltan had developed onion breath after conversation.

And it didn't end there. We visited Dellia's shop and Karis practiced his diplomacy on the 2'9" halfling seamstress with punching fists on countertops and accusations and sword and threats and her father coming down and crying children and the tower watch needing to pay a visit. Zoltan was at the Tavern drinking kvass and beer. :)

We worried about the tabards and there is concern that Kalt, Sir Slaine's nephew is not a trustworthy personage. There was a stolen chicken and kobolds were spotted in the midden again as well as crossing the postherds and attacking the coalition.

We finally had audience with Sir Walter and learned that it was more than that. There is no registered slaver named "Djohrgahd" and the heraldry was not identified yet. We got a letter from Hedonim who wishes us well and will try to find more slaver information for us. The kobolds had stolen seed and oxen and tools and killed and wounded Orihalcan citizens and the time for action was now. You were commissioned to go to the K'Tharkian homewarren and kill Kuluk if possible and hurt/harm the kobolds to give them repercussions for their actions. Scouts reported seeing at least one human in their camp - a human whose description matched that of one of the slavers who had captured the group.

You took the mission, got a map, agreeing to return to Sir Walter 10% off all that is found (and then some) and he had the ecclesiastic treasury muster forth a case of healing draughts (24) and you were off.

You decided to veer from the planned path and sought out the Drywood clan and Arnax the bugbear to gather more aid. He was pleased to see you, now named as sub-chief (subaltern) to his clan. Altern Lamatous was not so swiftly happy to see you - especially since you said you were here for help and bugbear aid to assault K'Tharkians - which he said was fool hardy. There was lots of discussion and he agreed to send two of his people: Asgirda a skilled tracker and archer and Flarg a mighty warrior and brawler. Deal is that if either of his people die, party puts up 25 crowns in coin or goods to pay for funerary rites and honor - and the party is to give up 1/4 of any treasures uncovered to the Drywood clan that they will use to honor the Ogrelord Compact.

Followed various paths after this around Sjorn's Crag and came to the K'Tharkian encampment which was read as:

The rough walls of the canyon are wide, great sides of striated stone blanket either side of the moss and earth covered ground you are walking upon. Old spears and splintered shields are set into mounded rocks like cairns, hairy and grisly trophies dangling from them as markers for whoever lies dead under the stones. The path turns and broadens and you can see the expanse of the canyon that is the K'Tharkian Homewarren.

Roughly oval shaped at over 400' at its widest, and 200' the other way, the area has all the look and feel of some sort of primitive village. A double shelf of stone rings the canyon, 80' off the floor, the right side dominated by two imposing stone and hide structures warded by a pair of lookout towers, the left side having a monstrous sized hole carved into the rock like an open wound, a sturdy scaffolding of lumbered trees and hewn planks set before it. A ramp of stone runs up the right and left sides of the camp, allowing access to the upper ridge that way as well as at least two steep ladders that have been lashed to the canyon wall.

The floor of the warren is quarter covered with circular huts of stone and hide, capped with sticks and moss; each one maybe 20' in diameter. A central pit has been set in the heart of the camp, ringed with stones and lined with bricks stolen from Orihalcus, a smoldering fire of charred logs and embers burns.

Beyond the fire pit a larger tented home twice the size of other huts is colored with a cacophony of colorful dyes, the wolf headed symbol of Fenris and the flaming sword of Sutur repeated continuously. Just to the left of the entrance, a sizeable area of the ground has been roped and staked off, straw dummies, round targets, and hundreds of well made javelins stacked comfortably.

At the base of the scaffolding is a fenced palisade that doubles as a corral for the bellowing and keening animals that currently inhabit the 60' square enclosure, and a holding pen designed as a cage made of stout sticks and scavenged metal; elevated 20' off the ground and affixed to the side of a central guard tower of sturdy timber that you can see is manned by watchful kobold warriors.

Asgirda warned us that there was a guard post just before the entrance and if we were to sneak into the camp - it was going to have to be past them. Which meant taking them out. We had lots of plans (involving fire) and plots to get in and get to Kuluk and the slaver (such as - setting the boars on fire - which Detheron was very against) and what to do with the slaver when we got him (I believe quadriplegic was brought up and discarded) - some of them silly - others serious.

It was settled on take out 1st guard platform, sneak around camp perimeter and enter the cavern area and follow along till we get to Kuluk's "back door". Zoltan snuck up, climbed, counted off 6 guards - and attracted their attention with a bang on the stone side with his weapon hilt. Gwyn shot one, Puck shot another, Asgirda shot a third. Flarg took a potion of jumping and leaped into the guard position - killing one of them. Zoltan struck from the shadows killing a 5th, and Ringo the beetle slammed into the last, carrying the kobold over the edge and most of the way back to his master. The tower eliminated, the group ran and hid around the curving wall in the training area and paused to get their bearing.

We know we have 6-7 hours of daylight where the K'Tharkians are at a disadvantage against us and we are going to maximize as much of that as possible.