Session 05 (2024-08-30)

The Mirefen Swamp and Omlarandin Mountains

As we approached Bad Doric, the ground grew more solid, and the Mirefen faded behind us. We found ourselves on a road, or a well-made path, and following it south, we came across the banks of a fast-flowing river, likely a tributary of the Ith. Lepett informed us that we were entering the foothills of the Omlarandin Mountains. Kira instructed Lepett to return to the Lazaretto, and he agreed after confirming that we could find our way back.

Bad Doric

Crossing a rough bridge over the river, we saw the collapsed stone of a tower on the other side, indicating our nearness to Bad Doric. We investigated the ruins of the tower but found nothing of interest; it had been abandoned for decades. Concerned about the potential for ambush in the valley, Kira wildshaped into a fox to scout ahead. She discovered a building housing two goblins arguing over food and, further up the hillside, the ruins of a small town occupied by goblins and orcs.

Using her telepathy, Kira tricked an orc into thinking a female orc was accusing him of stealing food. She returned to us and shared her findings. We decided to incapacitate and interrogate the orc female leader. Gavin attempted to parlay with the goblins, but the situation escalated into combat. We killed several goblins and orcs and captured Mulekick, an orcish warrior. Hearing human screams and seeing smoke, we rushed to a granary on fire with people in cages. After another fight, we defeated the orcs and a warlock leader, rescuing a civilian named Amelia.

While resting, we searched the corpses and buildings, discovering gold, barrels of clotted milk, and a cloak with potions. We interrogated Mulekick, learning of the existence of the Laguna-kin and their temple south of the town. Barrick executed Mulekick. Amelia shared her story of being captured by the White Skull and her journey from Cormyr.

The Order of Hospitalers Temple

We then explored the temple. The cloisters were in disrepair due to a sinkhole. In the ruined bedrooms, we found a crack leading to earthen tunnels. In the tunnels, we discovered a well and alchemical ingredients. Hugh tasted the water, which was bitter and caused discomfort, indicating the source of the desecration. Further south, we found a ritual table used for shamanistic orc magic. A path to the north led to a room with a shattered silver-framed mirror, used as a magical focus. We found the last pages of journals, revealing the temple was founded less than 200 years ago and abandoned 60 years ago.

The temple had a small cemetery with opened graves and was affected by an Unhallowed/desecrated effect. The focal point was a dry fountain, and there were signs of recent activity. In the basement, we found four massive flowing fountains and a warm, humid environment. We discovered a collapsed library with burned books and recent orc activity. Barrick found a page with small writing. As we ventured deeper, we encountered Laguna-kin Korra in a flooded hallway and engaged in combat. After defeating Korra, we found ourselves in a crypt with five tombs, each containing a journal of a mother superior. We recovered the journals and left the temple, finding Lepett to return to The Lazaretto.

After the fight, a thorough search of Bad Doric and the Order of Hospitalers Temple revealed:

• An enchanted quarterstaff found on Laguna-kin Korra
• An enchanted hide armor found on Laguna-kin Korra
• 89 gold pieces in assorted coins, mostly silver from cities around the Lake of Steam
• Adventuring and traveling gear, about 2 gold pieces worth
• A set of unused, well-made iron manacles worth about 3 gold pieces
• 6 mediocre light crossbows worth about 15 gold pieces each, but annoying to transport and unlikely to find a buyer
• Assorted herbs and alchemical supplies used in poisoning
• 7 gallons of curdled milk and other severed body parts

Amelia

We questioned Amelia about her experiences after she was sufficiently recovered from her ordeal. The good news is that her injuries are mild, and she’s healthy, smart, and observant. The bad news is she doesn’t speak Orcish, so she could not understand what the orcs spoke of amongst themselves. You learn:

She is Cormyrian, and left her home to avoid an arranged marriage. She took passage west with a group of “Stoica” (stoy-kuh), who she would describe as nomads - sometimes workers, sometimes entertainers, sometimes thieves. She had no particular destination other than escaping Cormyr.

Her group was captured by the White Skull in a late-night raid almost three weeks ago. Most of the men were slaughtered outright, but some were taken as prisoners as were all the women and children and the group was held at a fortress in the mountains. Every few days the White Skull would gather a group and force-march them out of the camp, not to return. Occasionally new prisoners would come in, but it seemed sporadic to her, more opportunistic than intentional. Eventually her group was gathered and marched to Bad Doric. The others were taken away one-by-one over a few days, leaving her and the other survivors you found.

She doesn’t know where the fortress is - it was a long march though, many days and mostly down hill, though she was hooded. She can say the Orcs are led by women, the most revered of which are witches. She gathered the witch caste is called “Laguna-kin” and they follow a leader, who she never saw, “[[Laguna]].” Whether that’s a person, god, or what she doesn’t know.

Summary for next time

As we approached Bad Doric, we crossed a rough bridge and entered a valley with a collapsed tower and ruins. Kira scouted ahead and discovered goblins and orcs in the ruins of the town. Gavin’s attempt to parlay with the goblins escalated into combat, resulting in the defeat of several goblins and orcs and the capture of Mulekick, an orcish warrior. Hearing human screams and seeing smoke, we rushed to a granary on fire, rescuing a civilian named Amelia after another intense battle.

While resting, we searched the area and interrogated Mulekick, learning about the Laguna-kin and their temple south of the town. We explored the temple, finding it desecrated and in disrepair. In the basement, we discovered four massive flowing fountains and a collapsed library with recent orc activity. Venturing deeper, we encountered Laguna-kin Korra and engaged in combat. After defeating Korra, we found ourselves in a crypt with five tombs, each containing a journal of a mother superior.

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