Azimuth 2 - Session 22 - Raised Voices
General Summary
Northern Orcish Plains
Axe-Breaker Thicket
In the morning of 9 Adroth, the soldiers in Axe-Breaker Thicket packed their carriages and prepared to leave. At the same time, Captain Ruslan got the aid caravan ready to depart. Chaka approached Drok, startling him. Chaka was disappointed that he did not try art as he had previously suggested. He said Drok lacked skills and gave him some parchment and charcoal, saying, “Art. Please.” Mortimr watched Drok as he made a passable sketch of the caravan wagons. Mortimr grabbed it and showed it to Chaka. Chaka reviewed the sketch and complimented it. Mortimr said, “Did you enjoy doing that? This is the only semblance of worth that you’ve shown.” Mortimr laid out the options Drok currently had and asked which path he wanted. Drok said working at the Darksteel Foundry was the option he wanted. Some of the group thought they could send Drok north with the soldier group instead of bringing him southwards. They had good standing with Lieutenant Vramas and felt he may be lenient. They went to negotiate with Vramas. Romsca told Vramas about Drok, saying he was a deserter. Romsca explained he would make a poor soldier and may better serve the military by working at the Darksteel Foundry to make arms and armor. Mortimr provided Drok’s conscription notice to the Kiln Garrison and said Drok’s presence in a military unit would be a liability. Vramas said he couldn’t promise anything about Drok’s fate. He wasn’t the intended leader of the soldiers, but said he would take him north to Porgorag and speak with Warguard Ghuzzakk. Arwin said to use the group’s name, Lightbringers, as they had standing in the city. Before departing, Romsca gave Drok one of her holy symbols of Morounin, and Chaka gave him some additional art supplies. Mortimr told him, “You got a rare third chance. Don’t fuck it up.” With those parting words, the groups departed; the soldiers headed northward and the Lightbringers headed south. During the days of travel on 9 Adroth and 10 Adroth, the roadway seemed vacant after the soldier group passed through the days prior. As they continued towards central Tarteria, the group spent time on the road talking and setting to various activities.Ilmendwyth and Chaka
Chaka foraged for wildflowers for dye and was joined by Ilmendwyth. Ilmendwyth said the environment in Tarteria was much different than what he was used to in his home in Haradren Gaer Arnad. He had hoped Axe-Breaker Thicket would provide a taste of home, but it was a small forest. Ilmendwyth asked if Chaka had seen the World Tree before. Chaka had heard stories and seen a painting of the tree. Ilmendwyth asked for a small painting of the World Tree to help remind him of what he was missing from home. Chaka said he would be honored to do so and would hope to do the tree justice; he had never been asked to craft a commissioned artwork before.Demitri and Mortimr
Demitri spoke with Mortimr. After their last conversations, he didn't want to be a hypocrite and pose a danger to the group. Demitri shared his history with Adamski Sokolov. As an infant he had been purchased off his orc mother to be trained and serve as Sokolov’s heir. However, when Sokolov’s true son returned, Demitri was cut loose and lost everything. Demitri shared the message he received from Asmik Makara. He worried if Sokolov would be petty enough to devote the resources needed to reach Demitri in Tarteria. Mortimr thanked him for sharing and offered his help. Demitri echoed the promise Mortimr asked for earlier, that if it came to choosing between Demitri or the group, they leave Demitri to his fate instead of risking their safety. They talked about the Eight-Pronged Residuum Ring and what the genasi and Tarterian Traders wanted it for. Mortimr reread The Cycle of Ages, looking for references to items or artifacts that interact with divine or elemental energies. The sections that spoke of the First Age referenced the Primordials, titanic forces of nature that forged the world at the beginning of all things. It said they battled the gods, and though no reference to the ring was found, the book spoke of the creations of the first gods battling the elementals. However, it was only a creation theory with no proof or specific information.Romsca
Demitri said to Romsca, “We’re going to learn a little lesson in politics today.” He recommended Romsca contact Coinguard Borscha Brickwell in Porgorag. She could have some sway in her new position to influence Drok’s fate. Romsca messaged Borscha, saying, “Borscha, congratulations, Coinguard. Travel goes well, delivery soon. Boy named Drok arriving with Keel’s Band. Trying to secure job with Foundry for him. Contact Ghuzzakk.” Borscha quickly replied, saying she would reach out to the warguard. Romsca also sent a message to Hceehc of the Golden Fur, the chieftain of her tribe in Endor. She asked for clarification on her intended goal and expressed concern that any cultural exchange seemed one-sided. Hceehc replied and said, “Romsca, I thought you were dead. Go and learn, Bearer of Expectations, then return to us.”Arwin
In the evening of 10 Adroth, Arwin was crafting arrows using Romsca’s darksteel bodkins. He noticed Leena watching him and asked if she wanted to learn. Leena joined him and asked questions about the process and helped adhere the bodkins to the arrows. When they were done, Leena asked Arwin to teach her about the residuum arrows. He replied the arrows were from his mother, but he had neither the tools nor materials to craft more. He handed one to her and she looked it over before handing it back.The Residuum Ring
After, Arwin examined the arrow for a time asking the whole group what their plan was with the Residuum Ring. Demitri wondered how far the Tarterian Traders would go to retrieve it, and Mortimr was concerned with delivering the caravan right to them. They were to deliver the caravan to the Nalt Oknar, an orc named Rulla, at Breakwater Keep. The ring and lead box were not in the caravan’s manifest, but they did not know if the Tarterian Traders knew about their group or their discovery of the ring. However, they felt it likely that news Gim Gorod had been arrested had reached them. Romsca wanted to get rid of the ring and said they could bring it to one of New Keeleon’s guard positions or to Argilla, son of Kla, who they were planning on seeking out anyway. Arwin didn’t want that decision to lead to the ring falling in the wrong hands, and he and Mortimr were unsure who might be working with the Traders. Gertrude suggested they hold onto the ring until they figured out who to trust. They did not know the purpose of the ring. The voice that spoke to Mortimr told him to not let the ring go, and that it could reveal the ring’s nature. It claimed it had seen something like it before, but would need to verify. Mortimr would need to hold it so the entity could examine it. Demitri offered to try to attune to the ring, as his magic seemed to be unaffected by it. Before starting, Mortimr told Demitri the voice wanted to examine the ring. He didn’t know what would happen once the ring was taken out of its box. Demitri told the others that Mortimr might be compelled to make another grab for the ring. The group prepared just in case. Romulus formed a hole in the ground and Mortimr went inside. There, Romsca cast Hold Person on him. Lastly, Chaka shared an art piece with Demitri to inspire him. Demitri spent an hour and attempted to attune to the Eight-Pronged Residuum Ring, but was unsuccessful.Raised Voices
They debated what to do next, but several of the group wanted to first know what was going on with Mortimr. Romsca didn’t trust letting him examine the ring, saying, “If things are being kept from the rest of us, I don’t think we should be experimenting with it.” Arwin said they couldn’t just do nothing. He said, “Well, I say if shit goes wrong, we just fucking kill Mortimr.” Arwin knew Demitri and Mortimr had been speaking, and he seemed to trust their judgment. Gertrude was shocked by the thought of killing Mortimr, and she decided to walk forward and reach for the ring. Demitri held it away and she struck him, hitting his Shield spell. As they fought, Romsca cast another Hold Person, but her divine magic activated the ring, and a damaging, vacuous force harmed Demitri, Gertrude, and Romulus. In response, Arwin shot a whistling arrow in the air, which sent a shrieking sound through the field. With everyone’s attention on him, he cursed, and asked, “Why is this always happening, when we touch this fucking thing, everyone starts fucking arguing?” Yelling between Arwin, Gertude, Romsca, and Demitri continued. At the same time, Chaka, Ilmendwyth, and Mortimr all heard the approaching sound of moving earth and felt the ground begin to tremble…
Report Date
20 Dec 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Characters
9 Adroth 5A 352 to 10 Adroth 5A 352