Fruit Zoot Riot

General Summary

Early in the morning, the party had agreed to meet at Home Brew for breakfast before setting out into the mountains of Palanthas to search for the Elderberries that Flashfire needed for his special fortified beer recipe.

Before leaving her house, Kiara overheard her adopted parents talking, mentioning something about what might happen to them if they fail The Black Parade. They stopped talking and Kiara left the house.

At Home Brew, Peyton, Theta, and Derwin were enjoying their breakfast (Glass was busy researching a special project at the The Great Library) and learning a bit about the mountains around Palanthas. For instance, there were a number of monstrous tribes in the area, but with all their infighting, they keep their numbers in check and have never posed a real threat to the city. Tribes in the area include ogres, the quickest to anger, hobgoblins, fiercely militaristic and well organized, and rock gnolls, small gangs that are quick to avoid a fight, especially against overwhelming odds, and the easiest to deal with.

After a few hours of travel, the party was deep in the Vingaard Mountains high above the city. Using various skills, including Kiara's knowledge of nature, Theta's tracking, Peyton's keen-eyed perception, as well as Derwin's ability to "become the elderberry", they were able to find a local plant source. Unfortunately, they also found (i.e. Derwin tumbled into) a local source of ogres as well.

The party and the ogres engaged each other, with the ogres swinging their clubs and axes while the party employed their own tactics. Shortly after the combat started, a third ogre joined in from a high ground position and wielding a massive crossbow that only a creature of its size and strength could easily use. In short order, the first two ogres fell to the party's attacks, while the third ogre dropped his weapon and tried fighting the party with bare fists. Eventually, the third ogre was defeated as well. Unable to control himself, Theta hacked at the dead body until Peyton could calm him down.

After the fight, the party went about searching the bodies and didn't come up with much, other than a healing potion. Anything else, from javelins to food, was of such poor quality as to be worthless (or in the case of the foodstuffs, rancid).

While they gathered the last of the berries Flashfire would need, they were cautiously approached by a patrol of gnolls. Recognizing the party's superior skills (the three dead ogres were a bit of a clue), the gnolls were not in any position to want to fight.

Instead, the gnoll leader was more willing to talk to the party (and while they could see a few other gnolls, the patrol had a few more hidden in the forest if needed). After some hesitant conversation, everyone realized they could trust each other and the gnolls were able to share some of their knowledge of the area (and the berries) in exchange for defeating the ogres.

In another gesture of kindness, Peyton gave the gnolls all the leftover spoils of the ogre bodies (weapons mostly), for which the gnolls were especially grateful and further rewarded the party with information about the kobolds who lived in the area as well as giving the party their tribe's symbol, should they ever need safe passage through the mountains in the future.

With berries in hand, the party said their goodbyes and descended back down to the city.

Afterward:

Rewards Granted

• Retrieved a Potion of Healing (from one of the ogres)
• Retrieved some coins (a few silver and copper pieces) (from one of the ogres)
• Retrieved a huge crossbow (from one of the ogres) (penalties depending on strength and size of wielder)
• Learned that the local kobolds are allied with a dragon that lives in a cave in the highest part of the northern mountain range (from the gnolls)
• Learned that elderberries can be used to make a healing salve. This property is lost during the fermentation process (no such thing as healing alcohol!) (from the gnolls)
• Give tribe emblem (Broken Spear -- Jak Surat) by the gnolls should they encounter other gnolls in the future.

Missions/Quests Completed

Retrieved enough berries (and then some) for Flashfire to brew his special Elderberry Ale