Session 6: The Enemy of My Enemy... Report

General Summary

Az’cotax has never seen so much metal. He did not think this much metal existed in the entire world. He ponders what the warriors of his village could do against a power such as this. It seemed to him that the army before him could roll over the world and destroy it if they wished.   Lyssa and Oso are whispering to each other as they try and identify banners and troop formations. Her training as a lady before her 14th year taught her to identity the banners of Vithyr noble houses. None were present in this force.   “The Silver Scales…” Oso pointed to a banner mixed among the main forces. Several soldiers-at-arms as well as squires and knights also proudly displayed this banner.   Lyssa frowned. “That makes no sense. The Silver Scales are a defensive fighting order charged with the protection of church lands. They would never go on the offensive.“   Another banner was quickly identified as the troops filed past their hidden camp. “The Order of the Righteous Lance. That’s a combat order.” Lyssa noted. “That makes sense. They tend to go wherever they can find an excuse to fight in the name of the Church. “   Oso nodded without comment. He was a commoner by birth. His knowledge of such things came from books. Analysis of kingdom fighting orders was not high on the list of spiritual priorities at his monastery.   Az’cotax decided he wanted to participate in this conversation. “Lots of warriors in metal clothing.” The warrior pointed. “Can’t swim in metal clothing. Fighting is also slow.” Lyssa smiled at her new friend then looked over at Oso.   “They don’t need to fight quickly when they can ride you down with a horse and lance.. “She smacked Oso on the back and he grimaced as his wounds still hurt.   The lizard warrior nodded understanding. A trained warrior in metal clothing on horseback with a lance was very dangerous.   Oso sighed. “Well at least these are our allies. If the kingdom of Vithyr is taking interest in the Lich then his days are numbered.” Lyssa did not look convinced so Oso pointed at the army and added, “That is a non trivial force. “   “And the lich is a non trivial enemy. Traditional forces may not be enough. “ It wasn’t like Lyssa to be pessimistic.   The three of them watched for another half hour as the troops marched past. By the time they were done the grasslands in front of them were mush, trampled into mud by iron boots and heavy horses.   With the thundering sound of the army fading off to the north, Oso begins to meditate again. He calms himself and focuses on healing. Both Lyssa and Az’cotax are amazed to see the monk’s wounds visibly heal in front of their eyes. It’s as if his mind is now able to accelerate the healing of his wounds.   Suddenly, the lizard warrior’s head snaps around suddenly as he tastes the air with his tongue. “More humans come. “ He points to the south.   Lyssa moves to the edge of the forest doing her best to stay concealed. Off to the south at least half a dozen scouts are following after the main army. They appear to be moving along the lake and into the forest ensuring that no one is shadowing or following the main army.   The scouts are coming directly towards the hidden camp and are less than a hundred feet away.   Lyssa rushes back to her companions frowning. “The scouts we found dead were likely a recon group several days ahead of the main force. When they failed to report back the officers likely ordered all units back to the main army for protection. These men and women are likely following the troop formations to catch deserters or watch for small units shadowing and harassing the main force. Not much chance of deserters with this devout lot. They are scouting for small groups and raiders. It’s probably bad if we are discovered here.”   With a simple nod, they all quickly flee from the camp moving deeper into the forest. There is a large rotten tree about sixty feet away that had been blown over by the recent storm. The three of them are able to hide behind it before the scouts discovered their campsite.   The scouts move efficiently through the forest with light crossbows at the ready. They are moving in a straight line at a quick pace with roughly thirty feet between them. When one of them discovers the camp she immediately whistles some sort of alert. Within a minute three more scouts converge upon the camesite and began examining what the group had left behind. They notice the three draft horses almost immediately and begin conversing at a whisper as they scan the surrounding forest for threats.   Other scouts cautiously approach from the shoreline. Az’cotax doesn’t like that their camp has been discovered and moves deeper into the forest. Lyssa and Oso stay where they are concealed among the dense trees. One of the scouts begins to examine the horses, cursing angrily.   “Damn. We forgot about the horses. Well they know we are here. “ Lyssa stands up from behind the tree where she was concealed. “Don’t be alarmed!” She shouts. “We are allies and friends to the kingdom of Vithyr!” The pathfinder waves her hand to ensure that the scouts can see her as she talks.   The lead scout sees her immediately and shouts. “Enemy in the forest! Flank and kill them all!” The two scouts nearest move quickly to cover behind nearby trees and open fire. One crossbow bolt misses but he other grazes Lyssa’s arm leaving a light wound and damaging her armor.   Two more scouts run towards the camp as the pair flanking the leader reload their crossbows. Two others retreat back towards the river and then turn quickly north.   The leader levels his own crossbow at Lyssa and fires. She moves aside just quickly enough for the bolt to miss her and embed itself in a nearby tree.   “Wait, stop! We are not your enemies!” Lyssa’s tone is pleading but it’s clearly having no effect.   Oso realises their position is compromised and bolts from the tree he is hiding behind. The monk moves directly to where he saw Az’cotax enter the deep forest. Again they hear the leader of the scouts shouting “Kill the bandits! Don’t let them get away!” A crossbow bolt flies over the monk’s head.   Oso is forced to move from tree to tree, staying in cover to avoid being hit. After a minute he has reached the stump where he thought Az’cotax was hidden. The lizard warrior is not there.   Lyssa scowls in confusion and shouts “Fine!” and pulls out her own bow. She launches an arrow which flies true but glances off the lead scout’s helm. As the man panics and attempts to drop down to cover, she fires a second arrow taking him in the upper chest.   The scout goes down screaming in pain as the others provide cover fire and pull him to safety. One of the scouts shoots at Oso but misses. The monk darts behind another tree and flees further into the forest.   Az’cotax is several dozen feet away, his green scales offering him significant concealment in the undergrowth. He watches the monk run randomly into the forest and he wonders what his friend is doing.   Angry now, Lyssa shouts “Don’t make me kill you guys! We are with the Darkwood Rangers. We are allies against the lich. What’s wrong with you?” Three more crossbow bolts fly towards her. Two miss but another bolt slams into the leather paldron on her shoulder. The armor absorbs most of the arrow’s force and the wound is minor. The ranger realizes that there are too many scouts and eventually they will hit and wound her badly.   She turns to follow Oso but cannot see the monk. She whispers for him but realizes quickly why the monk fled from this hiding spot. There are two scouts thirty feet away trying to flank her. As she moves they fire their crossbows. A bolt barely misses her head as she dives and rolls on the forest floor and then springs to her feet at a run. These scouts are good. They have her partially surrounded.   Within seconds she has dodged two more bolts and darts into a deeper part of Darkwood Forest. Crossbow bolts continue to fly at her as the ranger flees.   Lyssa cannot understand how the scouts were able to surround her so quickly.   Both Lyssa and Oso are lost and cannot find each other in the forest. The scouts fan out and begin making circular search patterns keeping the camp at the center. They move in pairs and there seems to be at least 6 groups moving through the forest, all within visual range of each other in the early morning light.   Oso has circled back to try and find his companions and is in a position to observe the scouts at the campsite. The leader is in the shelter and one of the scouts has removed the long arrow from his chest. The wound is serious but the man will survive. Five scouts move within 20 feet of the monk but do not notice him as Oso has taken the time to conceal himself well in the shadow of two large trees.   He keeps an eye on the patrolling scouts as he watches the camp for signs of activity. His companions haven’t been killed or captured but more scouts approach the camp and eventually Oso sees several horses ride up from the grassy plains by the river. The riders are knights of Vith and are skilled enough to maneuver their horses slowly through the trees.   The lead horseman is a young man who has what looks like some sort of heirloom two handed sword on his back and a massive heavy crossbow on his saddle.   The scouts salute the knights and Oso can hear them providing a report. He and his companions are referred to as ‘rebel bandit rangers’ and ‘lawless thieves and cutthroats’. The leader of the knights simply nods. “Standing orders from the commander are to capture if you can, shoot and kill if you cannot. They are skilled at woodcraft so watch for traps and move with caution.“   Realizing that the knights will be pursuing his companions into the forest, Oso leaves cover and moves directly away from the campsite to try and find and warn his friends. He is seen almost immediately and several of the scouts fire in his direction and shout in alarm.   “Shoot him down but do not pursue!” one of the knights shouts and the scouts obey. Half a dozen crossbow bolts fly into the forest but none of them find their mark. The monk manages to dodge into the trees to safety.   He finds Az’cotex after moving into the deep forest for several minutes. The lizard has been shadowing him as he moved away from the camp.   “Back to mission?” It’s a simple question. One that the lizard warrior asks frequently. Oso nods.   As they move out they see Lyssa moving through the forest to the north. She is keeping her distance from a pair of scouts that are looking for her. The ranger is lightly wounded and has her bow at the ready. The scouts fail to find her and swing back towards camp   The sound of horses can be heard off in the distance. They are getting closer.   Az’cotax and Oso move quickly and intercept Lyssa. They whisper as loudly as they dare to get her attention and not be shot by the skilled ranger. They get her attention easily and she moves to meet up with them.   "Swampy area to the north. Go! Quickly!" The Pathfinder direct them to move out north pointing to a swampy area of the forest.   Oso is quick to report what he knows about their situation. “Knights. Entering the forest. They mean to capture or kill us.“   “The horses can’t follow us into the swamp if we move quickly.” Lyssa is confident and continues moving north. The warrior and monk follow her. Within a few minutes the smell of the swamp washes over them like a wave. The air is filled with dead and rotten things and the foul stench assaults their senses.   “Bad air” Az’cotex complains.   The forest drops down a dozen feet as it becomes wet and moist. Dead trees killed by an overabundance of water lie everywhere.   The swampy area is open to the morning sky as several areas of forest are cleared out due to deadfall. The water itself is not deep, but the swamp seems to go on for at least a mile.   Lyssa looks pleased, Oso ignores the smell and Az’cotax makes every attempt to stop tasting the air.   Without hesitating the pathfinder leads them directly across the swamp. Their boots and shoes are wet and muddy and they sink up to their knees. As they struggle to move forward Lyssa smiles and turns to Oso, “They won’t bring their heavy horses through here. If they didn’t have dogs. I think we’ll be ok.”   Oso, true to form simply nods and says nothing. Az’cotax has gotten used to the swampy terrain and is now navigating it with skill and ease.   About an hour after entering the swamp the three have nearly made it all the way across. They come upon an area with a large stone outcropping that rises out of the forest floor forming a sort of plateau roughly 30 feet high.   As they look up at the embankment a voice speaks from the swamp before them. “Lizard?”   A dozen feet in front of them, partially concealed on a muddy rotten tree stump is a little girl. She looks to be perhaps 10 years old but it is difficult to tell. Her entire body is covered in mud making her difficult to see if not for the bright whites of her two eyes. She is pointing at Az’cotax.   The lizard warrior did not smell her, the swamp and the mud concealed her scent.   The girl looks at all three of them curiously. Lyssa notices that under the mud she has strange ritualistic piercings. She or someone else has pierced her flesh with twigs, bits of sharpened wood and what looks like simple wire.   The child remains crouched on the stump staring with wide eyes. She seems very interested in Oso. The sight of his horrible facial scar doesn’t seem to bother her. In fact, she touches her own face and giggles.   Lyssa slowly reaches into her pack and pulls out some rations from the Reed Folk village. She offers dried fish and berries to the young girl whose eyes go wide with delight when she accepts the gifts.   A moment later the child has jumped off of the stump and says “Come come!” as she walks north towards the embankment. The swampy part of the forest becomes rocky and the density of the trees begins to increase.   The child skips over the ground and leads the group around to the side of one of the rocky outcroppings. There they see an old partially dead oak tree with what looks like an old wooden coffin at its base. The little girl whispers loudly “Fallen Mother!” and places the fish and berries on the lid of the coffin as an offering.   She then kneels before the old wooden box and begins to chant while rocking back and forth.   Az’cotex smells the air There is something amiss here but he can’t tell what it is. All he smells are humans.   Lyssa kneels down next to the young girl. “Tell me about the fallen mother.. “ she asks softly. The girl smiles and picks up a sharp stick from the ground and hands it to the Ranger. She points at her own face and nods then points to Lyssa.   Unsure what to do, Lyssa reaches out and puts the stick on top of the coffin with the rest of the offerings. The young girl frowns and stands up. She walks over to some underbrush and comes back with a large thorny thistle and hands it to Lyssa, again pointing to her own face.   The ranger again puts this new gift with the rest of the offerings and the young girl screams in rage. She grabs the sharpened stick from the top of the coffin and tries to stab Lyssa in the face with it. Lyssa jumps back dodging the girl’s ferocious attack.   Pivoting with the stick, the child then turns and tries to stab Az’cotax. The stick glances off of the lizard warrior’s tough hide and does no damage.   Enraged, the child runs from the group screaming at the top of her lungs. As she passes Oso he makes an attempt to grab her but fails as she is slippery with mud.   The three of them chase the girl down as she runs back into the swamp. Eventually Oso gets a hold of her. She turns on him immediately and tries to stab him with the sharpened stick but he knocks it aside. He sees that the child is foaming at the mouth and totally manic. Lyssa reaches them and begins to bind the young girls arms and legs.   “Noisy.” Az’cotax points at the young girl. Lyssa nods and stuffs a small piece of cloth in her mouth to stifle the screams.   The warrior grabs Lyssa’s arm. His forked tongue darts in and out and he inhales deeply. The nostrils on his snout flare as he does so. “Horses.”   A second later a crossbow bolt hits Oso in the leg passing clear through the flesh. Two more bolts just miss Lyssa and Az’cotex. Below them on the ground the young girl as stopped struggling. A bolt is sticking out of her neck and has clearly broken her spine.   Several knights and many soldiers-at-arms have circled the swamp on their horses and found them.   “Damn the gods!” Lyssa curses. These knights are far more capable and intelligent than she realized.   “Up the embankment! Quickly. Climb!”   The ranger races for the stone embankment and begins to scramble up the broken rock. The horsemen move slowly into the swamp closing the distance as the soldiers fire again. Oso knocks a crossbow bolt aside as he reaches the base of the embankment. Two bolts slam into Septum’s shield which is on Lyssa’s back as she climbs. The ranger is happy that she took the shield to give to Septum’s wife Til. She hopes that she will one day see her young friend again and tell her about how the shield saved her life.   Az’cotax reaches the top of the embankment first and moves back from the edge so that he doesn’t present much of a target. Oso climbs quickly as the soldiers reload. These aren’t scouts using light crossbows but rather heavily armored men and women using weapons designed for sieges and castle assaults. The slow reload time is the only thing that saves them.   Lyssa is already up top and helps Oso crest the embankment. They duck down as crossbow bolts fly overhead. Knights and soldiers begin to ride around the embankment looking for an easy way up. The embankment is actually a raised escarpment that moves north for what looks like several miles.   When it becomes clear that the soldiers and knights cannot find an easy way up Oso hears one of the mounted men yell, “Use the oil! Burn them out!”.   Seconds later clay jars of oil smash against the embankment igniting as they do so. The three of them are too high for the soldiers to reach with these pots of oil but the smoke and heat is growing uncomfortable.   Lyssa leads them north along the ridgeline staying out of sight of the knights and soldiers below. The escarpment widens somewhat providing more cover and making movement easier. The only trees here are stunted shrubs as the rocky soil is not suitable for much growth. Once the have moved several hundred feet away from the flames Az’cotax stops them and applies some of the yellow salve to their wounds using up the last of it. He has a whole extra bag of the yellow muddy paste and wastes no time using some of it to help his friends.   Satisfied that the wounds won’t fester the lizard warrior points north and Lyssa nods. Az’cotax leads the way stopping to listen and smell as he goes. Lyssa helps Oso but after a few minutes it’s clear that his leg wound is not serious and he is able to move unassisted.   The escarpment begins to flatten out and more trees cover the rocky terrain. They are still many feet above the forest floor but Lyssa is happy to have the protection of the trees again. As they continue to move north along the rideline they spot something odd about a quarter mile ahead. It’s a circular clearing with some sort of strange structure in the middle. Lyssa points to it and Az’cotax leads them directly to it but stops short of the clearing.   He smells the air and says “Death”.   The noble lizard warrior appears to be afraid. In the middle of the clearing is some sort of damaged building made of green broken metal. All around it the grass, trees, shrubs are dead. It seems to sit at the center of some vast dead zone maybe two hundred feet across.   The lizard warrior begins to slowly move towards the dead zone driven by curiosity. He has never encountered anything like this before and seems oddly compelled to move towards it.   Lyssa puts her hand on Az’cotax to prevent him from going into the circle. “This is a dark heart. I’ve been warned about these. They destroy everything near them and anything that wanders in too close. There are six of these in Darkwood. Nothing survives so avoid them if you value your life."   The warrior does not question. He simply nods and begins to circle the perimeter of the zone moving east. The dead zone around the dark heart takes up nearly the entire width of the escarpment. As he approaches the edge Az’cotax stops suddenly and says “Horses” as his nostrils flare.   Behind them across the dead zone a knight mounted on a heavy warhorse has managed to ride up what looks to be a broken rocky slope to gain access to the top of the escarpment. The knight is heavily armored and has a long lance with a barbed tip. He lowers the lance and begins to charge.   “Go! Go now!” Lyssa shouts as she sticks two arrows in the ground in front of her with another ready to fire in her bow. Az’cotax wastes no time and runs towards the eastern side of the ridgeline. He leaps into the air grabbing trees below to break his fall, gracefully swinging down onto the forest floor twenty feet below.   Oso sees the lizard warrior jump and follows him down. He leaps from branch to branch as best he can manage with his wounded leg. The horse behind him screams as it charges but Oso doesn’t turn around. Lyssa is holding the line.   She fires her first arrow which glances off the knight’s armor doing no damage. Her second takes the knight in the shoulder near his pauldron as the arrowhead glances up as it hits the thick breastplate.   The knight is charging full speed now, galloping across the dead zone towards them. The warhorse seems to jump forward and the knight lowers his lance to impale Lyssa as she stands there firing her third arrow.   The shaft flies true and takes the knight in the face to the left of the metal nose guard on his helmet. The force of the arrow makes the big man jerk back in the saddle stopping his horse.   The wound is grevious but not mortal. As the knight tries to pull the shaft from his face, his horse rears up screaming in the middle of the dead zone. Its flesh begins to melt off its bones and blood explodes from the creature's mouth. The knight's eyes go wide as he also seems to liquify within his armor. The tall warrior falls from his dying horse, convulses on the ground for a moment then stops moving. The flesh of the horse and the knight seems to liquify and disolve into the air and ground. Soon all that is left is metal and bones and even that seems to be degrading at an accelerated rate.   Lyssa hears the sounds of more knights and soldiers and three more horsemen ride up the broken ramp and crest the top of the escarpment. Soldiers follow behind them with crossbows at the ready.   Wasting no time the pathfinder throws her bow across her back and jumps down from the top of the ridge after Oso and Az’cotax. She isn’t graceful as the bow and shield on her back are bulky and get caught in the branches. With a sudden surge of luck she manages to avoid falling to her death by catching several branches as she falls. After a minute she is able to swing down to the ground below.   Her two companions are waiting for her deeper into the forest and they move out to the north at a run to decrease the chance of immediate pursuit.   Lyssa assumes they are being followed relentlessly by the Knights of Vith and drives them deep into darkwood at a brutal pace. When she can see her companions struggling to keep up she looks at them firmly and says “I underestimated those cursed knights twice now. I won’t do so a third time. Move! We need distance or they will find us and ride us down.”   They move well past the escarpment and continue pushing north for a full day. They light no campfires and only dry rations are consumed. Az’cotax tends to their wounds again and maintains watch while the other sleep. It’s clear that the warrior is tired but he does not complain.     By mid day they are back on their feet after a few hours of rest. They move northwest as fast as they dare while watching for threats. The forest here is dense and full of life with a symphony of life all around them. The animals noises and the numerous game trails is reassuring and Lyssa relaxes a little allowing the pace to slow.   As evening falls the sky is clear and the partial moon is out. They make camp on a hill where trees are thin and they can see in all directions. This part of the forest is unknown to Lyssa and clearly untouched by hunters or civilization.   Animals here do not fear them and come straight up to the camp out of curiosity.   The group lights a small fire to stay warm and dry their clothing. By mid evening Lyssa has shot a small deer and the three of them have fresh meat for the first time in days. Az’cotax has had this sort of meat only several times before and he savors it for many minutes.   After he is sated, the warrior scrapes the hide and wraps his hand in some of the excess skin. He then picks up hot coals from the fire and proceeds to rub and sear the inside fleshy part of the hide. When this is done he spits some sort of gooey saliva on the seared flesh and rubs it into the hide. It appears to partially dissolve the seared skin curing the hide in a crude way. By the time he rests for the evening he has a new primitive but functional deer hide sack on his belt partially filled with cooked meat.   All three agree to post a watch that evening but nothing approaches the camp to threaten them. In the morning they eat more of the venison and move out to the northwest again.   As they move away from the hilly area the forest drops down into a valley next to the mountains. After several hours they are reminded just how close to war they are. Dead, mutilated commoners and gnolls lie everywhere. It is the area of a battle. It looks like someone lured the gnolls and commoners here and butchered them.   Lyssa sees tracks heading north and they follow to find six dead dwarves. At some point it looks like the trap failed and the dwarves were killed. Their bodies are hacked apart and all of their gear has been taken. Near them are burned corpses.   “Something is wrong. There shouldn’t be dwarves here. Borin is on the mountain with all of his dwarves not down in the forest.” The ranger looks concerned and points to the bodies before them.   “It’s war. No battle plan survives the first encounter with the enemy.“ Oso states this matter of factly to reassure his friend. It was something he read in a book once. The statement does not seem to alleviate Lyssa's oncern.   Az’cotax stops to linger among the dwarven dead for a minute or two. He has never smelled these creatures before. They smell like dirt.   They move past the carnage heading west up the valley.   It is mid afternoon when they exit the forest up up on a ridge overlooking the north end of Starfall Lake. Below and off to the west is The Cove. The village is heavily fortified with riders patrolling around the perimeter. They can see at least several hundred commoners inside the wooden walls who look ready for combat. There are sufficient supplies in town for a long siege. The villagers have been preparing for some time.   It would be challenging to take the town but the docks and harbor were undefended. It is a perfect target for the Reed Folk.   Up the far side of the mountain is an area of pastures and plains. The entire plateau is filled with a massive army of gnolls, trolls, ogres and all sorts of strange humanoids. There must be thousands preparing for war in their haphazard camp.   Past the area of grassy plains is Darkness Falls, a massive waterfall that pours directly out of the bottom of one of the tallest mountains in the region.   Oso points “That’s a problem..” noting the thousands of combatants that have flocked to the Mountain Lich’s banner.   “Perhaps not so much.” Lyssa directs his attention to the forest several hundred feet below them. Partially hidden in the trees are the allied forces of the Darkwood Rangers. The rangers have also been busy, and it seems that they outnumber the enemy two to one.   The ranks include thousands of commoners from the forest equipped with bows and wearing quality leather armor. There are also hundreds of rangers here. Ranger one pulled back nearly all of his forces to Darkwood Forest from all over the region.   Several tribes of orcs are with them as are about a hundred hobgoblins. Other less recognizable humanoid races can also be seen in the allied Ranger army.   Dozens of gnolls prepare seven foot bows with yard long shafts. Apparently not all gnolls sided with Lotherym and several smaller tribes were convinced to fight the Lich.   Finally the druids of the Darkwood Conclave are massing below with hundreds of forest creatures. The animals look like they have been compelled to defend their home.   It is as if every tribe and intelligent animal in Darkwood not tainted by the Lich has rallied to the Darkwood Rangers call to arms. Even the forest itself seems prepared to fight. There are walking trees wielding large branches as clubs among the allies. Lyssa, Oso and Az’cotax have never seen anything like it.   The lizard warrior points with his eyes wide “Friends?” and Lyssa nods. “Allies Az’cotax. Your people will fight alongside these warriors against a common enemy for the safety of your home as we have promised.“   The warrior nods clearly pleased. Az'cotex points below. "Powerful. Trees rip themselves from the earth to do their bidding and the animals follow them."   Lyssa looks at the lizard warrior and nods reassuringly. He does not see the concern hidden behind her eyes. She did not see the Sages of Anur among the ranger forces and that means the allies won't have the benefit of arcane protection against the Lich. This could be a major problem.   Lyssa wonders where the Sages are and why they have not joined this fight.   The forces of the rangers are building bridges to cross the ravine carved by the river created by the falls to the north. They appear nearly complete and it is clear that the assault will likely start in the morning.   Covering her eyes against the afternoon sun, Lyssa looks west up the mountain. Near the peak she just barely sees the hidden army of the dwarves. They are dug in and look to be ready to drop the mountain as they have promised. The path to get to this point was bumpy with many twists but everything seems to be falling into place.   “We are safe here until the dwarves drop the mountain. That should take out most of Lotherym’s forces, then we can move in. “ Lyssa points to the mountain but Oso and Az’cotax can’t make out the dwarves from this distance.   Az’cotax is confused. “Drop the mountain?” Lyssa just smiles and says “You’ll see.”   The warrior shrugs once again mimicking the body language of his new friends. He then frowns and points to their left. The army of Vithyr is also here far to the southwest along the shores of Starfall Lake. It appears to be fortifying position down by the sandy grasslands south of The Cove on the eastern side of the river. “People with metal clothing there. Near village.” Lyssa nods.   “Aye my friend. It’s clear they are here to fight. Those fortifications are standard practice for any encampment they make. They can’t cross the mouth of the river easily so they will leave the village alone. I wager they will make their own crossing like the rangers are doing and attack the forces of Lotherym directly. “ Az’cotax nods. What the ranger is telling him makes sense.   He still hopes that the Reed Folk don’t stray too close to the metal people. They are dangerous and the beasts they ride are fast.   The the monk, the ranger and the lizard warrior stare off in the distance at the armies down below them. The forces surround the mountain where the lich makes its liar. The stage is set for a great that has been battle decades in the making.  

Epilogue

  Lyssa points towards Darkness Falls off in the distance. The ranger says softly “Oh no.. I think that’s Yorbrim. I met him briefly in the town of Darkwood Gate.” The distance is extreme but both Lyssa and Oso can see a body fly out of the falls that exit the mountain and crash into the ranging water below. Seconds later other bodies fly out of the waterfall.   Az’cotax isn’t able to see that far but patiently waits for them to explain what they see.   The problem is, what they see doesn’t make any sense.   Yorbrim looks dead. There is another dwarf with him with grey skin and white hair who also looks dead. Both of them float face down in the water after being spit out by the waterfall. Yorbrim is naked. From what Lyssa knows of the warrior this is isn't all that odd for the dwarf but still peculiar in this situation.   Another body flies out that looks like a young child. Then a second drops from the falls. A third child that looks like another dark skinned dwarf follows. The three 'children' seem to survive the fall and swim to hide in a small crevice in the shoreline near the falls.   A human wearing armor flies out of the waterfall at great speed and makes an arc in the air as he falls. Even from this distance they can hear him shout "MA AXTH!" until he slams into the water face first and floats in the rapids like a dead thing.   Several other items and backpacks are also spit out by the waterfall and sink to the bottom of the pool at the base of the falls. A group of gnoll guards camped near the waterfall hear the commotion and begin to fish the corpses out of the water. They miss the group of children off to the side but throw the dwarves and human into a cage after fully stripping them of all their gear and clothing.   Floating items are collected from the river before they pass by a rickety temporary bridge and fly down the rapids. The gear is put into a pile near the gnoll campfire. It’s clear they intend to rummage through it at some point.   Oso looks at Lyssa. “Your friends. Are they dead?”   The ranger shakes her head “I can’t tell. I think they might be. I don't know them well but I do know that at least a few of those who fell from the falls are friends of the Darkwood Six.”   Lyssa points again. “Kira… She's with them. A sage who is an ally to the Rangers..”   Oso can sees the figure of a woman in robes holding what looks like a book wrapped in oiled leather. She has managed to crawl up on the eastern shore away from the gnolls and the others. The woman looks exhausted but is able to hide herself in the reeds at the far end of the pool.   After several minutes the figures in the cage begin to stir and move. “They are still alive!” Lyssa exclaims. “We need to help them. My people are too far away and cannot see them from where they are encamped!”   Oso nods and puts both hands on the shoulders of the tall lizard warrior standing before him. “Az’cotax, we have a very important mission for you..."

Missions/Quests Completed

The party escapes from the army of Vithyr and makes their way to the rendezvous point at Darkness Falls with the Darkwood Rangers. They encounter several mysteries along the way.

This includes some allies in trouble. Az'cotax is asked to intervene and save them.

Character(s) interacted with

The conflict between Vithyr and the Darkwood Rangers seems to continue.