Session 5: Starfall Lake Report

General Summary

After two full days of rest, Oso and Lyssa are invited to meet with the elders at the war council. Az’cotax is there as well and has recovered from the ritual combat with no outward sign of visible injury.   Oso is not as fortunate and the claw and bite marks have left significant scars. In fact the yellow paste seems to add to the scarring as it rapidly heals the monks injuries.   Before the war council begins the shaman inspects Oso’s healing wounds and is pleased. He points to the marks and says “Trophies!” and is pleased with the result.   Looking around the room, it suddenly becomes clear that all the warriors have scars on their thick scale hides. Az’cotax has several and some older warriors are covered in the dull grey marks that indicate healed injuries over a long life of conflict. Battle scars are a source of pride for these people. Oso has earned his place among them by suffering grievous injury at the hands of their champion.   Both the shaman and Az’cotax translate what is being said. The war council is deciding how and where to attack. Lyssa attempts to interject but is quickly silenced.   “Stop. No speak. Reed Folk decide. “ Az’cotax looks at Lyssa sternly. Apparently his is an affair for the lizard folk to resolve and the guests have already had their say.   As the discussion continues, Az’cotax explains that the Reed Folk have been here for hundreds of years and lived in peace. They control the western side of the lake. Other lizard tribes live in the swampy forest to the east.   “Those in big cities west of here call forest ‘Feyhaven’. Lizard tribes there primitive, brutal cannibals.“ It’s clear that Az’cotex has no love for his kin in the forest. The tribes in Feyhaven would not be called to help   The lizard folk of this village mostly avoid the forest, favoring the lake and the river. They also avoid the deep center of Starfall Lake as they claim the body of water has no bottom and nothing living can survive its depths. Whatever exists down there is of the spirit world and makes an enemy of all life.   Knowing what the rangers learned about Starfall Lake, Lyssa is concerned by this but says nothing.   Both Lyssa and Oso are surprised to learn that the Reed Folk worship the god Frae. They have a different name for the nature goddess that roughly translates to ‘Broodmother’ but the ceremonies and rituals are similar. They mix worship of Frae with some sort of primitive blood magic. Lyssa has seen another do such magic before. Grush the half-orc hero and personal friend of Ranger One is skilled at its use.   She does not trust such magic but she does not believe the Reed Folk to be inherently evil. She speaks with Oso about it and he agrees.   Discussions turn to the village to the north. The Cove is a sprawling fishing village on the north side of the lake near a high waterfall. The Reed Folk never go there and the humans who live there are generally avoided. Once or twice over the last hundred years there have been minor conflicts as Reed Folk fishermen are caught in nets or some farmer moves too far south but these incidents are isolated.   As the elders discuss the situation, food is brought in. Seared fish and some sort of root vegetable that looks like a soggy turnip. Again the food is edible and the ranger and monk thank their hosts.   Az’cotax shrugs, trying to replicate Lyssa’s body language as best as he can. “Honored guests must be cared for. It is nothing.”   Moments after the food is brought in, several scouts enter the tent and give a report to the chief and gathered elders.   It seems that there is no immediate threat that the village will come under attack. The lizardfolk scouts explain that the crazed humans from the northern village are patrolling the eastern shore only.   When all discussion and debate has concluded, Oso and Lyssa are invited into the shaman’s tent. It is filled with strange smells, woven devices, weapons and many clay pots filled with liquid. These hang on ropes and in leather sacks all over the tent. It seems cluttered and chaotic but the shaman clearly has some sort of system to keep things organized.   Ix’itath bids them to sit down and provides a summary as to what has been agreed. Within three days the reed folk will mass more than half of their forces and assault The Cove. They will drive the humans back into their village and burn it to the ground. Every human who has been driven insane by the corrupting power of the Lich will be killed. Those who surrender willingly will be spared.   The rest of the forces will remain here to fortify the village. Nearby villages will be relocated within fortified walls of this settlement in case the forces of the Lich decide to counter attack or try to punish the Reed Folk. Their warriors will be ready to repel any such attacks or attempts to cause harm.   “This is how it will be. You bring this death to your human people. It is decided. “ The shaman looks sternly at the ranger and monk indicating that this outcome is not up for debate. Lyssa and Oso have no choice but to agree.   After several more days of rest, Oso's wounds are nearly healed thanks to the shamans ministerings. A massive Reed Folk war party heads out from the village and moves slowly across the lake.   Oso and Lyssa agree to head south back to the trio of trees and recover the rowboat. Then intend to meet up with rangers massing on the eastern side of Starfall Lake and require the boat to cross the river.   The terrain on the eastern shore of Starfall Lake is known to Lyssa and seems to be the best way to get safely to Darkness Falls.   Ranger allied forces should be there shortly to engage the forces of the Mountain Lich. Oso and Lyssa must hurry to reach them in time.   The pair are surprised when Az’cotax indicates that he will be joining them. “Life debt. You did not kill in the duel. A life is owed. “ Oso simply nods. He decides not to tell the warrior that it was pure random chance that prevented the lizard folk champion from dying that day. The monk was actually trying to kill him in the fight assuming it was a contest to the death.   The three of them are resupplied by the Reed Folk with fresh leathers, provisions and oil. Within three hours they have reached the boat and Az’cotax is able to pull it from the lake. The water level is lower and they manage to cross without much difficulty. Their new companion swims beside them in the water with one hand on the gunwale of the small craft helping to steer it across the river.   Again Oso notes that they have no need for boats.   Once they are on the other side of the river they conceal the boat in the tall grass and move out on foot. They are several miles upstream when they all notice a storm raging above the mountains to the north. Another storm system is a day or so away up in the direction of the village at the north edge of the lake.   Oso realizes that they are near to where Septum was killed. The rains over the last few days have washed away any sign of the tragedy.   Lyssa points northwest. “I don’t like the look of that storm. It could be as bad as the last one that blew through here. We should move north for no more than an hour or two and find shelter.”   Oso and Az’cotax say nothing and simply follow Lyssa’s lead. The forest to their right seems darker and more foreboding. The stormclouds are blocking the sun and everything is cast in dull shadows. It isn’t raining and there is not much wind. It seem like the storm has stalled.   The air tastes wet. After several hours heading directly north, no rain has fallen. The group decides to continue.   Az’cotax seems to be eyeing the lake. It is clear something is bothering him. When Lyssa questions him about it he simply states “Reed folk not here. Must be moving up western side of lake. Unexpected.“   They continue to move north along the lakeshore for several minutes. Az’cotax drops to the ground suddenly and it causes Lyssa and Oso to freeze where they stand unsure as to what is going on. The Lizard warrior has strange unfamiliar body language.   They soon realize that he is simply examining tracks discovered in the wet grass. The warrior follows them for several minutes until they end in what appears to be a pool of blood. The lizard moves his head around in a circle as he tastes the air with his tongue. “Human. Recent.” Az’cotax points further north where there is a small blood trail in the grass.   The storm seems to push north and hovers over the mountains. The moment the clouds clear the hot sun begins to dry the grasslands that surround the group. The air is hot and humid. Despite the lack of rain the water level of the lake seems to be rising.   They follow the blood trail slowly, staying low to the ground as they move. At one point Az’cotax stops and lies flat smelling the air with his tongue. He looks to Oso and whispers in broken common “Human ahead. Hidden in grass.”   The warrior silently draws his blade and waits. It’s clear that he sees Oso as their leader.   The monk nods and begins to quietly move through the grasslands in the direction the warrior indicated. He can see a human form hidden ahead, lying low to the ground to avoid detection. Oso glances behind him and sees that Lyssa and Az’cotax are slowly moving up to assist.   With a flurry of motion the monk leaps into the air covering the last 10 feet in an instant. He brings both knees down upon the concealed figure in a move intended to knock the wind from its lungs and stun it for several minutes. The move is executed perfectly but the hidden human does not react at all.   The human concealed grass has been dead for some time. It is holding a bloody steel dagger and all around it are the corpses of villagers from The Cove.. Lyssa and Az’cotax stand up and approach with caution. They have come upon the place of a recent battle.   Lyssa notes that the figure under the monk is wearing kingdom colors.   “A kingdom scout..” Lyssa notes. “Dead for some time. Likely died of wounds received defeating these.“ She points around to the half dozen villagers nearby all of whom show clear signs of self-mutilation.   Az’cotex sees that the dead scout is holding a fine looking dagger and takes it along with a belt and scabbard. He marvels at the steel craftsmanship. Such metals are rare in his village.   Several dozen feet away the group finds a second scout lying face down in the muddy grass. This one is also dead but it’s clear that this woman was butchered and all her belongings have been looted, likely by whoever killed her.   As they float the bodies in the river, Oso notices something interesting about the dagger lizard warrior now wears at his hip. The hilt has an insignia indicating that the scout was officer rank in either a sanctioned fighting order or a local kingdom militia.   It makes no sense for an officer of rank to be out here in the middle of the wilderness. It is also unlikely that this officer is alone so far from kingdom lands. He decides to keep this information to himself and not reveal this to his companions..   The group continues to move north towards the distant mountains. The clouds rolling around in the sky seem to be almost stuck in place as the storm front tries to clear the high peaks. Lyssa moves along the shoreline to the north. The others follow behind her in grim silence.   Along the way they discover half a dozen additional bodies scattered in the grasslands. These soldiers were not killed by crazed villagers. They were torn apart by some sort of animal. The rending of the flesh is violent and without purpose. Several of the bodies appear to have been consumed.   Lyssa finds the tracks of a large beast several minutes later. It has strange clawed feet twice the size of a bear and seems to head into Darkwood Forest. She is uable to determine what sort of animal this is and Az’cotax cannot identify the scent. It is something the lizard warrior has never encountered before.   The three discuss the situation amongst themselves. Lyssa wants to investigate the tracks, Oso is indifferent since the people here are already dead. Az’cotax is clear that he doesn’t care since this is not the mission.   It is agreed that they will leave this mystery unsolved and continue north until the sun sets and it is no longer safe to travel. They manage to move along the shoreline for another 5 hours before they are forced to seek shelter in the woods for the night.   As they build a quick shelter in the forest, Lyssa notices a new star flickering red in the sky. The rangers have trained her to use the stars to determine direction and she knows the night sky well.   Az’cotax sees her staring into the night sky and also spies the new rogue star. Pointing the lizard man hisses “Bad omen. Very bad!”   Oso attempts to calm the warrior. “I’ve read about such a star in books. The vanishing red star is said to be important to those who worship Anur the god of Knowledge. It is rare but known within the kingdom. There is no need to fear.”   Neither Lyssa nor Az’cotax look convinced. The lizard warrior insists on taking the first watch to keep an eye on the star and to watch for the trouble that this dark omen might bring. They keep their fish oil fire low and hide it from view as best they can.   Less than an hour later both Lyssa and Oso are awakened by a low hiss.. “Red star bad omen! Smell horses by lake!” Az’cotex is clearly agitated and points down to the water about 300 feet away.   Minutes later the three can see riders silhouetted against the water by the broken moonlight. There are four of them and they are dragging something behind them. It appears to be a body.   Az’cotax has already smothered the fire and the wind was in their favor blowing smoke away from the riders. It was likely that the enemy would pass them by.   The lizard warrior was ready for a fight but visibly relaxes as the horses pass by and do not detect them.   The moment is fleeting however as Oso has begun to sneak down towards the horses to see if he can help the prisoner being dragged behind by the riders.   “Not our mission!” Az’cotax hisses as loud as he dare but Oso ignores him. Lyssa looks towards the warrior and shrugs. “He worships Koth. The monks of his order are taught to care about people and sacrifice themselves for the good of others.”   Az’cotax simply spits and says “Stupid.”   Oso moves in closely, skillfully using the shadows to conceal himself. Remarkably he gets within ten feet of the last horse when all four of them stop. The lead horseman points to the south and cries out in alarm. Oso raises his head slightly to see a strange glow coming from many miles away. It has the villagers in a panic.   Seeing that what has alarmed the horsemen is no immediate threat, the monk turns his attention to analyze the situation around him. The horses are plow and farm animals. The riders are mutilated commoners from the village to the north. Their captive is clearly dead and is simply being dragged behind for some sort of sick entertainment.   The wind shifts and a nearby horse smells Oso and is immediately startled. Its rider notices that the animal is skittish and looks behind to see the monk partially concealed in the grass. A shout goes up and suddenly Oso finds himself in a rather dire situation as all the horsemen converge upon him.   Without time to think much about it Oso bolts up onto his feet and attempts to run back to the tree line. He has a head start and is wicked fast but he cannot outrun the horsemen.   Lyssa stands clear of the tree she was hiding behind while Az’cotax hisses his objection. Once again he repeats “Not our mission!” The ranger ignores him. The lizard warrior remains hidden.   As the horses chase Oso down Lyssa fires her bow twice in rapid succession. The first arrow hits one of the riders near Oso in the chest. He falls off his horse, shocked by the sudden appearance of an arrow sticking out of him. Seconds later the manic villager staggers to his feet and screams rage at Oso.   The second arrow hits the saddle of another horse, missing the rider entirely. The rider is shocked and pulls the reins suddenly causing the horse to panic, disrupting the charge.   The other two horsemen ride down upon the monk and stab him with what look to be long improvised lances. One takes the monk in the shoulder and the other directly in the back.   Grunting in pain Oso is spun around by the force of the blow. The lances rip out of his flesh sending blood flying into the air. The monk stops running and turns to face the horsemen. He knows he cannot escape.   Dodging between the lances, Oso decides to attack the villager that was wounded by Lyssa’s arrow. This proves to be a nearly fatal mistake as it opens him up to attack by the mounted riders. He takes another minor stab wound from what looks like a lance made from a pitch fork and is almost run through by the third rider who is still charging in. The wounded villager is manic and moving quickly despite the near mortal nature of the arrow wound. Wounded and confused, Oso misses his unarmed attack.   Without warning the butt end of a spear crashes into the side of Oso’s head nearly knocking him over. Things are going badly for the monk.   Lyssa takes a chance and fires two arrows into the melee. Both hit the lead rider, one in the throat and one in the chest. The villager falls from his mount clawing at his throat as he struggles to breathe. The ranger knows that the villager will die in seconds from these wounds and looks for another target.   As she moves to shoot again she sees something racing through the grass on four limbs incredibly fast. Az’cotax has charged in towards the horseman that just stabbed Oso.   Desperate and wounded Oso grabs the reins of a horse and flips up, smashing his heel into the temple of a nearby rider. The monk continues upwards, grapples the rider , and drags him from his horse.   Three riders are now on the ground and one is likely dying.   The last remaining rider screams in glee as he turns his horse and begins to charge at Oso again with his lance ready to end the monk’s life. Az’cotax gets their first and leaps at the horse as it charges, biting through one front leg and ripping open the horse’s belly with both clawed hands.   The poor beast screams in pain and crashes to the ground. It falls onto its rider crushing his legs. As the man screams and flails about the lizard warrior rips out his throat with painted claws and draws his sword.   Oso uses an open fist attack to crush the skull of the rider under him. He is so focused on ending the immediate threat, the monk does not notice the wounded villager looming above him with a spear. As he is about to stab down and kill the monk a second arrow hits him. Oso looks up to see the crazed villager go wide eyed when he sees an arrow in his belly. Suddenly Az’cotax is there and stabs the man through the back with his sword.   The body slides off the lizard warrior’s sword with a soft groan. All of the horsemen are dead.   Az’cotax kills the wounded horse, putting the beast out of its misery. The remaining horses are terrified of the lizard warrior and nearly bolt but Oso manages to calm them down and lead them back to camp. Lyssa pushes the bodies of the fallen villagers as well as the poor soul being dragged behind them into the lake.   Oso’s wounds are severe. The lances left deep wounds and the monk is having trouble with blood loss once again.   “Skin weak. You should wear the skin of others like she does.” Az’cotex points to Lyssa’s armor. Oso shakes his head. “I must not. My ways are different. I am not trained to wear armor and doing so would limit me.“   Az’cotax applies some of the shaman's yellow-mud healing salve to Oso. “Better to be limited than dead. We have a mission.“ It is clear that the lizard warrior does not understand the monk.   Much of the salve is used tending to Oso. They have perhaps one or two applications left but the monk is stabilized and no longer bleeding.   “Sleep soft skins. I take watch.” The lizard warrior points to the dry ground near the still warm fire.   Lyssa shakes her head. “We will share the watch. Take turns.”   The lizard warrior sighs. “Oso need rest. Nearly died. Reed Folk need only a few hours sleep per night if warm. I will light the fire again near morning and rest for three hours. You both rest until then.”   As Lyssa goes to object Az’cotex raises a hand to silence her. “This is how it will be. Also, ground not right. Small shakes. I must stay awake to feel it.”   The lizard warrior was making no sense but Lyssa was too tired to argue. It would be as he said.   It is over six hours later when Az’cotax wakes them from their sleep. The sky remains dark and dawn is many hours away. Fall is upon them and the days are growing ever shorter. Lyssa thought it must be Eracanth - the harvest month. Villagers should be pulling in the final harvest of the year not mutilating themselves and killing everyone.   These thoughts are pushed from her mind quickly however as she feels the ground move under her. Everything around them is vibrating and shaking slightly.   Az’cotex looks at her with slitted eyes and says “They come. So much metal...”   Oso is also awake and the three of them see that the grasslands down by the river are glowing with the fire of thousands of torches. Troops in shining armor enter view and march north past the three of them as they hide in their camp. The distance and the dense forest keep them concealed.   The formations marching past are orderly and the colors that the troops fly is that of the Kingdom of Vithyr. It is a massive army that takes over an hour to slowly make its way down the shore of the lake in front of them. The ground shakes at their passing. Leaves fall from the trees and the forest has grown oddly silent.   In the middle of the army is a warrior woman with blonde hair on a high dias issuing commands. She is pulled by a team of twelve war horses and is attended by all manner of priests and knights. It is clear that she is the leader of this massive force and that leadership is unquestioned.   An army from the Kingdom of Vithyr has left kingdom borders and come to Starfall Lake.

Missions/Quests Completed

The group moves north and encounters several more crazy cultists who serve the Mountain Lich. Later they encounter a massive army of knights and men-at-arms heading north to battle.