General Summary
Iron Range
Battle Aftermath
After the battle, The Copper Dozen tended their wounded while others pursued Daelee and the fleeing kruthiks. Krummer stood before Luyos and Tha’theo. Tha’theo stepped defensively forward and illuminated Luyos’s axe with fire. Luyos asked where was Thelman was, saying, “Are you going to tell me where Thelman is, or are you going to be using that weapon of yours?” The Copper Dozen were not the type to flippantly get rid of a potential resource. Krummer replied, “If you’re worried about your companion, he’s alive. We’ve kept him somewhere else in the event that you showed back up, instead of turning tail and running.” Luyos asked for proof, and Krummer said it was just his word. Luyos noted he wasn’t being attacked, so Krummer must value the information he had. Krummer asked about the kruthiks and their warren. Luyos said he had some questions, too, about Daelee and Krummer. The dwarf suggested they exchange information. Luyos had seen the kruthiks up close and recognized the threat they could pose to Endor. Krummer pointed out that didn’t stop Luyos interrupting The Copper Dozen’s attacks earlier. Luyos admitted he had been naïve.A Common Goal
He said Daelee seemed to recognize Krummer, and he seemed to know her as well based on the reactions Luyos saw. Krummer said he knew Daelee very well. She had been the previous leader of their group, before Daelee led the failed attack on the caverns and went missing. This was the first Krummer had seen Daelee since, and he saw how she now commanded the kruthiks. He didn’t know how she was controlling them or what she was trying to do. Luyos said, “I don’t exactly view you as an ally, with the way that you’ve been treating me, but these kruthiks are a danger. So, I hope that you and I might be able to set aside whatever differences we have and work together. At least, that’s what I’m assuming you set aside Thelman for, aye?” Krummer said he’d be keeping Thelman elsewhere until Luyos helped The Copper Dozen put an end to this. Luyos shared the direction and location of the hidden warren entrance. Krummer said the other entrances they’d found were all sealed. Luyos asked about the tunnel he’d brought down with acid earlier, and if it was possible to use it as a shortcut to reach the warren before Daelee. He asked if there was a way to meld or remove the stone. However, none in the group could accomplish that, and that cavern was thoroughly sealed as well. Daelee and the kruthiks were fleeing back north, and Krummer wanted to hunt them down quickly instead.Daelee and Krummer
Luyos relayed the spell circle made with the gathered piles of gold. Luyos asked if Krummer knew what Daelee could be trying to accomplish. He said, “For how hellbent you are on trying to eliminate these creatures and get Daelee back, after this much time, certainly you must have found something out, aye?” He said, “I don’t know what change hit her after that battle. This is not the Daelee I knew. She should be resisting anything like this. Something is trying to keep its hands on her. Take her. And I fear that we’re running out of time to be able to save her and stop these creatures.” There was an intelligence behind the kruthik’s movements, but also wild, monstrous intent. Krummer felt Daelee’s time would run out if the spell circle was completed. Then, there’d be no telling what the kruthiks would be capable of once Daelee was in complete control. Luyos thought of the connection she had sought with the drake egg, and the connection she displayed with Krummer. He said there seemed to be more going on, and asked, “If I’m going to be helping you, as I intend to, I don’t want to be heading into something that I’m not fully prepared for. What happened between the two of you?” Though Krummer said the question was overly personal, he agreed that Luyos being informed was the tactical choice. He relayed their history. He had been trained by Daelee, who’d taken the dwarf under her wing. It was a close and familiar mentorship, and they worked together for a long time in friendship and loyalty. When Daelee was gone, Krummer was the natural next one to step into her place.Short Rest, Quick March
Many of The Copper Dozen were wounded, and they all took a short rest in the foothills. Luyos tended his and Tha’theo’s wounds. He saw members of The Copper Dozen looking towards him and to the drake, but they keep their reactions to themselves. Luyos took the time to briefly explain the caverns he’d seen and the dangers he’d encountered, from the hidden entrance to the warren. If the kruthiks were fleeing to that same entrance, it was possible Luyos’s familiarity with the Iron Range could let them catch up to Daelee before they reached it. Using shortcuts and pathways Luyos knew, they started their pursuit in earnest and followed the trail of kruthik tracks. Krummer drove them forward hard, and after a few hours of travel into the evening, they overtook the kruthiks weaving through the gulleys between the high foothills. Nearby was a cave entrance marked with red paint of some kind. Clearly written on the rocks was “Stop”; a warning about danger within the cavern. The groups noticed each other and immediately prepared for a fight. Krummer called out, “Daelee! Stop! We’ve got you outnumbered. We’ve killed your kruthiks before. We’ll keep going at it if you make us!” The kruthiks appeared to have been healed by Daelee, and they viciously moved to protect the elf. Daelee realized she couldn’t outpace them, and they were nowhere near the entrance back to their warrens. She trilled a whistle and ordered the kruthiks forward. While they rushed towards The Copper Dozen, she fled into the nearby cave, seemingly hoping for another way into the Horukzul Caverns. She ignored the red paint warning.Kruthiks and Caves
Krummer called to exterminate the kruthiks. As the fight broke out, Krummer ran towards the cave after Daelee with Luyos and Tha’theo following behind. The battle quickly became hectic. They tried to force their way by an attacking kruthik. It reeled and struck Tha’theo harshly. They struck it in turn, doing no damage, but making way for them to move forward. They rushed past the painted warning and into the cave. Following Daelee’s trail led them to a wide, dark cavern. Luyos could barely see. As they entered, he felt a weight on him, like a sapping of his energy. Ahead, Daelee stood still in the center of the chamber. There was an aura over her. Something dark and reeking of other. Krummer called out. As she turned, they felt the aura’s pressure. Suddenly, the walls all around them ignited in dark fire. Light burst around the cave, and they realized they were now separated from the exit.
Report Date
16 Jul 2024
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