With a shift in our plans, we solidified the party as Eoghan, Wilhelm, Dizzy, Shimlagesh, and Connal. With a trek overland we were going to need some mule as well as food stuffs and water. It was maybe 3 days to get there as well as exploring the area to find the long-lost Complex. During the weeks there was an impromptu trip to Ironcamp to get Wilhelm an animal, meet with Dizzy’s family and spend some time with them. Darius had gone off to Stivil and was meeting with Baron Skuddrid. Shim had gone up to the provinces to spend time there, and Connal was taking care of things in town.
The Abbess Cala had asked Connal to intercede with the Patron Guilly MacBorren. There was a new edict coming from the Duke that was putting a limitation on followers of the Ecclesiastic Guild having a dual charter with the Greater Rand Sellsword and Adventuring Guild. There was an influx of cash from the Gorokian Dwarves with had spent some money with the Baron to take over a crumbling ex temple and turn it into a Mission for lost and wayward dwarves. They had asked for some law changes and even Master Bjorn Durkenlurk of Grsag had been swayed by a donation to let it happen.
As for any priests that needed training, they were welcome to come to Tilani and train there, the Gorokian Empire would happily pick up the bill. The universe of priests and monks who this applied to was 27, and even after it passed and the Ecclesiastic council confirmed they would not be enforcing it, still at least 8 members renounced their charter with the Erylond Chapter to avoid any possible problems.
As we were approaching the D day to leave, Dizzy managed to get a piece of lodestone to one of the Wizard Towers and then had it enchanted with a Continual Light spell. We were at home on the 29th and going through our readiness when a trio contingent from the Gorokian Collective arrived and wanted to talk with us. We kept them out of the house and in the garden deflected their inquiries. They wanted to know where we were going, the Terror Dungeon needs to have its depths plumbed, treasures await, and it looks like you are gearing up for a foray. We managed to avoid committing to what we were doing and they left knowing we were up to something but not sure where.
We did some looking around and there was a new statue down the block on the side of a house, pointing right to our place. We paid some local kids to throw rocks at it and knock it off. Successful, and figuring the dwarves had put it there to watch us, we deflected conversation with the neighbors and went home.
Leaving was going to be delicate and we made sure to leave early and out a different gate. We had a new mule and ladened it down with foodstuffs, water, and supplies. We made good time that first day (apples worked on getting the Mule to follow and listen – in fact Connal had the best rapport with it) and we came to Paxian @ day’s end. We went up to White Shadow and found a nice place to stay, sleeping well and feeling good. We left the next day by 9:30 and decided to not head through Canaslan and risk going by Wendover, but to instead head west again and then go north- relying on Dizzy’s notes of Donnegarten’s locale as well as Eoghan’s direction sense.
The land slowly rose and fell, grasslands led to scrub lead to forested sections here and there. A group of wolves had picked up our scent (or the mule’s) and Wilhelm shape changed into a raven to awkwardly learn to fly and investigate. He returned to let us know that 10 of them were to our east a few hundred yards away and were pacing with us. And they were worgs – not wolves. We kept weapons out and moved on and eventually as we had hoped, the worgs decided we were not worth the trouble and ran off to other locales.
We found a place to rest and set up camp, sharing the land with a tribe of wandering orcs from the Four Steel Clan. They were taking a young hunter out on his Adulting Hunt and offered to share the fire with us. We talked and drank, the orc’s did not speak common but there were enough of us who spoke orcish so the meeting and camping was well received on all ends.
The next day we wished them well and moved on, heading north some more. A bit before noon on Firemonth the 1st, we came to a large river and then proceeded to find a place to cross it. Connal had learned to move swiftly over poor surfaces so was able to run across the water to the other side, checking depths as he did so. It was not a good place here so Wilhelm once again took Raven form and flew off west, a few miles down the river found a place for us to ford across. We went there and by 1:30, most of us had forded the 3 to 4’ deep section of the river; Shim carried across by Connal; and Dizzy tied to the mule’s back to prevent falling in and drowning. We were in the foothills of the mountains here and Eoghan was doing some sighting to judge which way was the best to go and which peak looked the most promising.
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