Session 231- War of the Orcs
General Summary
5th to 8th of Peonu (Second Month of Spring) 725TR
The story so far
Sabretooth is a human-appearing Ivashu, one of the god Ilvir's finest creations. He is wandering the world seeking to understand himself, his god, and his friends and do good.
He has agreed to help out pilgrims of Ilvir who, when traveling along Ilvir’s Trail and the infamous Stairs of Grief, are being harassed and murdered by Orcs from the Kingdom of Huxuth. This Kingdom are rivals with the neighboring Orcish Kingdom of Jobasa, so Sabretooth plans to increase the hostility. Can he get the Orc kingdoms to massacre each other?
This is the continuation of Session 226 - The Stairs of Grief.
Location - North of Misyn in the Felsha Mountains.
Part 1 - The Orcs of Jobasa
The team makes their way through the mountainous terrain seeking out Orcs from the Kingdom of Jobasa. They are relatively easy to find and highly aggressive but ultimately prove little threat to the team. Two Orcs are captured alive. However, communication is challenging with these smelly, foul-mouthed, brutal, short humaniods. Sabretooth speaks Gargu-Kyani, or White Orc, but soon finds the language of the Gargu-Hyeka, or Common Orc, bears no resemblance. Giving up, he kills one foulspawn and drags the most intelligent acting one to the territory held by the Orcs of Huxuth.
Part 2 - Counter Ambush
In view of his Orc prisoner, Sabretooth and Edmund make their way to one of the hidden entrances to Huxuth they have uncovered. He and Edmynd quickly kill the guards, impressing their captive with their skill and ruthlessness. At last, he is able to communicate, speaking the language of violence.
The prisoner is freed, understanding that he has knowledge of a weakness in Huxuth defenses. Sabretooth hopes he will lead his tribe in a surprise attack on Huxuth. Perhaps the Orc tribes will annihilate each other, at the very least, weaken Huxuth.
The Orc does tell his fellow tribesman, and an assault is quickly organized that night. It was partially successful. The King of Huxuth had to intervene directly to save his domain, and the invaders were repelled at great cost.
Location - The Giants Garden in Misyn.
Part 3 - The Giant's Garden
Sabretooth needs allies to help with the remaining Orcs and decides to contact the Hru or Rock Giants of Giants’ Garden. At this remarkable rock formation, he politely waits for nightfall for the nocturnal Hru to appear. He does not have to wait long; the nearby rocks move just after sundown and transform into vaguely huge humanoid stone figures. These slow-talking giants are friendly and curious. Sabretooth soon enters into an engaging conversation, speaking Ivashi. However, these generally peaceful Ivashu are sympathetic; they loath Orcs but are unwilling to commit to dealing with them.
Sabretooth learns that they defer to the most senior clan member, Boloiton. Unfortunately, Boloiton has not been seen for weeks; he traveled upriver to investigate some strange sounds and has not been seen since. So Sabretooth decides to seek him out.
Part 4 - A Furious Spirit
Upriver Sabretooth finds an out-of-place rock pile near are very dismal bog. Rocks with what looks like Ilvirian Symbols engraved in odd positions. The area has an unpleasant smell, and dead vegetation is everywhere, and where the scraggly grass does grow, there are dead patches in the shape of footprints from some beast. In the bog are the remains of a wagon. Examination of the wagon shows it is the remains of some form of a traveling merchant or peddler. But before the heroes can explore further, they hear a bone-chilling roar, and a terrifying incorporeal bear emerges from the muck.
It is a savage, dangerous foe that nearly kills Edmund and Sabretooth. They spend much time incapacitated with fear from its mighty wails. Everything the Wraith Bear touches festers and rots while it seems to drain energy from the plants and earth around it. It is eventually destroyed in a long exhausting battle.
The rock pile begins to move slowly and forms an emaciated-looking rock giant. The engraving Sabretooth observed was a form of a tattoo. As Sabretooth suspected, it is Boloiton the Hru who ran afoul of the undead while investigating the ruined wagon. Hru draws its strength from the earth, and the life-draining nature of the Wraith Bear weakens him severely. As a defensive move, Boloiton entered a state of hibernation to avoid the notice of the specter.
Part 5 - Resolution
The appreciative Hru Clan agrees to help Sabretooth. They collapse the entrances to the Orc's lair near the stairs of grief. Unfortunately for the Orcs, many die as the cave entrance crumples. To make matters worse, the large wolf pack Sabretooth befriended previously (last Session) emerged from the valleys and savaged the smaller Orcish bands. The Orcish Kingdom of Huxuth is severely weakened; for the moment, little threat to pilgrims traveling along the stairs of grief.
At the nearby settlement of Ochrynn, Sabretooth later learns that the dead peddler had run afoul of some barbarians in his travels. It is speculated that some Kath Sharman put a curse on him.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
A pair of nameless Brown Orcs
Boloiton the Hru and his Clan.
Challenges Overcome
Befriended and gained the aid of a Hru Clan
Destroyed a Wraith Bear.
Killed 12 x Orcs in 2 encounters.
Closed the main cave entrance of the Orc Colony of Huxuth, near the Stairs of Grief.
Created Contact
Related Reports
Nothing this week.
Player Character Status
Sabretooth - Unique Ivashu - Level 8 Beastmaster Barbarian, L3 Monk, and L1 Druid of Ilvir.
