Drums of Yavimayan War 1476.02 to 1476.03

Along the border of the Yavimayan Forest and the western reaches of the Nations of the Radiant Coast Grundark, Dwayne, Gimblenock and Essen meet up after spending the winter and spring having gone their own way. Dawn's absence spurs much speculation about whether or not she is in the family way thanks to Dwayne.
Resting in the shadows of the wall of the fortified border town of Hildebad, the group are witness to a commotion erupting from the forest. A bedraggled and badly injured forest ranger is pursued by wolf-trolls whose deep baying prevent the ranger from successfully defending himself against the 2 ever present trolls who dog the rangers steps. In an act of unthinking bravery Dwayne leaps in to action, dashes to the side of the near dead ranger, only to find his own attacks thwarted by the baying of the wolf trolls. With the help of his comrades he survives long enough to use his ethereal short sword and jumps back to safety using its dimension door ability.
The unconscious ranger, has clutched to his body an armoured satchel with words in dwarven written on it saying "For the eyes of Grundark"
Investigating the satchel, the group finds that it contains the following:

• A list of all Major Orc tribes of the Yavimayan with the Ironclaws, Greyscale and Shieldbursters unmarked and all others marked with the seal of the Ojasi
• An unsigned treaty in Orcish binding the Whitefall Furies to "Great Treaty of the Yavimayan Orc"
• Copy (made by the Ranger) of the tattered first page of the Blue Host decree marked for the eyes of the Grand Marshall. The Grand Marshall is later revelaed to be the leader of the Ojasi Orcs, who is attempting to bind all Orcs of the Yavimayan to the "Great Treaty"

Grundark doesn't know who the ranger is, and when the ranger emerges into consciousness reveals that his name is Wymon, one of the Silentpine Rangers who patrol the forest along the edges of the 2 major trade routes with the Kingdom Jorentes. The lead ranger on his most recent patrol was a man named Darkal Benihard who was an old friend of Grundark's from his time leading expeditions and trade groups acoss the Yavimayan. Following rumours that Orcs were gathering in large numbers in the interior of the Yavimayan, Darkal lead his rangers on a raid into the lands claimed by the Orc tribe known as the Whitefall Furies and retrieved a series of objects from their Cheiftain's battle tent. Among the objects was a sealed decree from the Khagan of the Helegu Blue Host to the Ojasi Orcs detailing upcoming battle plans. Darkal only got to copy the first few lines before being discovered and forced to flee. The rangers were pursued across the length of the Yavimayan and Wymon was the last survivor from a band of 12, being given instruction to take the armoured satchel to Grundark the Dwarf, who would know what its contents meant.
After reading through all the documents, much great discussion and intelligence gathering the group deduced that:

• There was large scale movement of Orcs in the Yavimayan
• There was large scale clashes and skirmishes between clans of Orcs
• Attacks on the traders who risked the interior trade routes was much lower than in previous seasons
• A greater number than usual of missing rangers and scouts of the Radiant Sea nations
• Most bizarely, there were reports of poisoned yellow skies in remote valleys filled with booming wooden giants
• Ojasi Orcs were seeking to unite all the Orcs of the Yavimayan into a horde under their control
• The Ojasi were working in conjunction with the Blue Host Helegu and would use the horde to disrupt the eastern and least protected flank of the Kingdom of Jorentes
• The number of warriors immediately available to the Ojasi if all the Orc tribes committed was in excess of 160,000 with more able to be trained in the coming years
• The Horde would stay out of the affairs of others to maintain their strength and to not draw attention to themselves until ordered by the Ojasi to unite and strike
• The sealing of the "Great Treaty" had not yet occurred
• Ojasi had st up camp in the city of Cyolonore, the former capital of the Liodan Elves who had lost a long term struggle with their elven rivals the Feydor Elves more than 500 years ago
• Orc tribes were sending their first 100 warriors to the Ojasi this summer

It was decided that the group would:

• Travel the interior trade routes before diverting south into the Yavimayan Forest to reach Cyolonore
• Carry out reconnaissance on Cyolonore to deterine what is true and what isn't true
• Gather proof that can be taken to the leaders of Jorentes and the Radiant Sea Nations
• If possible take out the Ojasi leadership, or at least take a chunk out of it

Dawn showed up just before departure with no apology or explanation, aware that her presence alone was enough of an satisfactory explanation.
As they set off, gentle showers of falling stars started, intensifying over the 4 wweks it took before they left the relative safety of trade routes and headed into the deep of the Yavimayan Forest.
A few days travel into the primeval Yavimayan Forest, the group is ambushed by a small raiding party of Skyburner Orcs. The Orc raiding party is lead an Orc sorcerer and Orc champion, supported by two Ogre battering rams and consists of 25 Orc grunts.
A fierce battle takes place with Essen escaping high into the trees before raining down lightning strikes (which on one occassion catches an unimpressed Grundark in its area affect), Dawn throwing up a Wall of Fire that greatly weakened the startled ambushers before nearly fallen victim to the Orc champion, Grundark bravely battling an Ogre battering ram while being bounced around on his arse on several occassions, Gimblenock leaping over the top of his much taller comrades suprising Ogres and Orc champions alike and Dwayne taking on Orcs and Ogres and bravely interposing himself between Dawn and the Orc champion.
After being peppered by lightning bolts, javelins and loud Orc warriors the group manage to take down the Ogres, Orc champions and many Orc grunts before the magician and remaining Orcs scamper away through the overgrown undergrowth made larger by Essen's magic. Following up the victory, the party follow the sorcerer to a hilltop overlooking a lush valley. Multiple campfires send up smoke and rather than take on several hundred Orcs, the group gets a wriggle on with its main target (the city Cyolonore) in mind.
Weeks later, after using skill and magic to avoid the ever increasing number of Orcs the group come across the sight of more than a thousand crows, ravens, vultures, caracaras and skuas circling above a battlefield littered with the corpses of more than ten thousand Orcs. The biggest number of slain are the Greycale Orcs. Grundark realises they are at the edge of Greyscale territory and have been attacked by the combined forces of three other Orc tribes. There is a single Ojasi banner among the fallen of the Orc tribes of Jagged Meatpackers, Bridgebreakers and Granite Rifts Raiders. From her vantage point of a raven flying above the scene, Essen sees that no birds are landing and that the occassional Orc corpse is being devoured in great gouts of blood and violence by things unseen. Sensibly the group moves further on, even though it is near dark and sets up camp a little further on.
That night at least three highly obscured green dragons are observed flying down to the battlefield, including one that flies directly over the groups campsite. There landing causes a huge ruckus among the birds which had landed on the battlefield during the night. Dawn also briefly observes on the horizon (not in the direction they are travelling) a thin yellow smog-like haze, beneath which she barely hears several audible booms, before it vanishes from sight.
Over the next week the party travel through the shattered lands of the Grey scale. Dozens of dwellings small and large are destroyed utterly. Farms are torn up, fields sewn with salt, wells filled in, all buildings torched and the only survivors they find are a handful of Orcs hiding towards the rear of a cave village. A hand of Luthic and a nurtured one of Yurtrus peek at them from behind a deep cave archway but the group leaves when more than 100 Orcs enter the small valley seeking out survivors.
Three nights out from Cyolonore the group is witness to a truly cosmic experience:

• eerie sound of cosmic trumpets vibrates deeply everywhere
• stretching the entire length of night sky a monstrous, transparent alien tentacle with suckers, planet sized hooks moves through the void between the spaces
• planets and stars are impacted and jolted
• a thin scar releasing damp white light is left behind that remains in place in geostatic position
• it was a small portion of the Elder God Architeuthis almost emerging into the universe
• stars have been knocked from their constelations

Essen casts a divination spell to understand what is going on and is receives the message "the major discontinuance of the golden serpent will give rise to the eternal fall of the Star Dragon"
Dawn seeks divine assistance. Falling through the dimensions a bright star crashes in front of the group and it is a possible future Dawn, an Exemplar Dawn with eyes of liquid silver, a platinum halo that flows out behind her, skin of armoured gold and is the true queen and mother of all. Dawn asks to understand how the dsicontinuance can be stopped and Exemplar Dawn downloads the information directly into Dawn's mind. Dawn realises because of the complexity and density of the information it will take a long time to understand. She also understands that there are other people or entities that would gladly capture Dawn and extract this knowledge from her mind.
Two nights later they reach the outskirts of the former Elven city of Cyolonore. Even though it has been 500 years since the Liodon departed, it has not been reclaimed by the forest, but has grown wilder in mimicry of the original Elven gardens that once prospered here, including wild orchards, wild flowers twisting around and over archways, groves of untended decorative trees reaching high into the sky and fields of long grass and wildflowers. The small central city city and the buildings in the surrounding 5 miles of the central city are rundown but still habitable. Ojasi Orcs have now occupied the central city and each Orc tribe has been allocated a camp area for their 100 warriors.
The group gets within a mile of the city. Grundark and Dawn elect to remain concealed while Essen tranforms into a raven, Gimblenock turns invisible and Dwayne is polymorphed into a Hand of Luthic (female Orc preistess) and has tongues cast upon him.
Dwayne:

• gets into a literal pissing contest with an actual Hand of Luthic named Urgog where he-she is trimuphant
• observes the flatpack construction of ballista, trebuchet, mangonel, siege towers, battering rams
• observes Orc War Wagons both complete and being constructed
• observes that 10 Orc tribes have sent their 100 warriors and learns 2 more will be arriving within the week

Essen:

• sees that the ancient moat is filling in with putriscient black water rather than the original clean spring water the city was famed for
• observes 4 elves using oversized calligraphy brushes designing a magical sigil on the forecourt of the main palace building
• they are ancient elves long extinct, but Essen couldn't recall their name
• wasn't sure if they were real, actual ghosts, illusions or land memories

Gimblenock:

• almost got busted by guard worgs and their Ojasi handler who threw dust of appearance over Gimblenock's head
• found a building that contained a permanent teleportation circle
• had a good look at the buildings in the front half of the city and knows which ones are currently occupied and which are vacant
• sees an hooded elf in an iron neck brace with a pole on each side being lead by 2 Orcs, thinks it is Essen's brother

Grundark and Dawn:

• hear voices from the past and see figures moving as slivers of light
• the voices are those of long dead elves who are talking about a chamber of Emtariath (the 6 armed Witch Queen of the Atrophic) being discovered beneath the palace
• They and worried even though Emtariath vanished at the same time as the collapse of the Sarpadian Empire
• where the group is holed up is the former temple of Lithandr

Concocting a clever plan the BMG sneak into ruined Fortress of Cyolonore. Firstly they scout and plan over a number of days! (I know we were all surprised)
100 Orcs from different tribes continue to arrive at Cyolonore.
The BMG learn the Ojasi sent here by the Ojasi Home Leadership are here to confirm the many treaties under the seal of the Great Treaty of Yavimayan Orc.
The Ojasi have set up in the ruins of Cyolonore, an elven city destroyed at the end of an elven civil war 500 years ago between the Houses of Liodon and Feydor.
There is also a sweet whisper in Dwayne's ear of a ruby clad Witch Queen - Emtariath, he is intrigued and Dawn is unhappy.
The Ojasi leadership here includes:

• Field Marshall Durob Guralar
• High Constable Uzgmmok Uzgafim (keeping and maintenance of armaments)
• Constable Rugdamul Gatimph (lead Arcanist, Shaman, Handler, Spotter)
• Constable Glusrul Orbhug (lead 4 peers)
• Peer Ogolmorz Shuzzor (lead 5 grunts)
• Peer Bugadumph Burogash (lead 5 grunts)
• Peer Hansh Muruolg (lead 5 grunts)
• Peer Snamok Bugk (lead 5 grunts)
• Arcanist Ulmumol Kharhash
• Shaman Uraghulakh Lurnbul
• Handler Bogrh Shammgog (Trolls, Wolf Trolls, Troll raptors)
• Finder Hanzamph Magrob (leads 5 spotters)

Dwayne and Grundark and frustrated by the lack of combat as the they want to smash Orcs but realising they are hopelessly outnumbered if it came to that they remain ready, and maybe a little willing to fail the odd stealth check if required too.
Aware of a great gathering now that all the Orc tribes who have submitted have each sent 100 warriors to directly serve the Ojasi, At night the re is a display of fireworks and the Grand Marshall ignites the fires of war within the Orcs with his proclamations:
"Comrades, arise! Look above and see that the end has come.
We stand upon the ruins of our ancient enemy, the watchers of the Sapphire Crown.
Now we strike against those that would stand on our corpses to avoid the flood of impending catastrophe.
Those self righteous nations who would make a living wall of our bodies to barricade themselves behind
Trembling as walls between worlds come evaportae and the fearful symmetry of the Spaces unravels.
Now is the day.
Now is the hour.
Let every Orc throughout Yavimaya arise and join our brothers in the deep, who as we speak ascend towards the light.
Our days living in the shadows are ended.
No more will be oppressed
Our suffering
Our persecution is ended
Arise.
Children of Grumush; our day is now!"

Except for a few patrolling guards, the fortress is empty. Stealthy and clumsy together, the BMG enter the fortress.
With some luck, a little planning and clever tactics they get themselves a copy of the Ojasi-Helegu treaty. They cannot steal the well protected master version, but do not steal an abridged copy written (in Orcish) for easier casual reading. Even this is magically sealed and warded. On the sealed arc is transcribed, one side in common, the other in Orcish:
Blue Host-Ojasi Alliance

• An agreement declaring that alliance exists between Ojasi of Fel Voggoth and the Blue Host Khaganate
• Be it enacted by Viceroy Dilban Tilbu , 1st servant to the Great Khagan Jumulka and Grand Marshall Rartuck Deathband, foremost among the Ojasi
• First. That the Blue Host - Ojasi alliance is declared to exist, and has existed since the fifteenth day of the Summertide in the Year 1471
• Second. That the Ojasi and Blue Host will be united to bring about the destruction of all nations that fall between the Blue Host and the Radiant Sea
• Third. That the Ojasi and Blue Host will follow the war instructions declared at the Conclave of the Khaganate in the Deepwinter of 1473

From the many scattered documents written in Orcish near the treaty and their intel to date, the BMG put together an overview of the Ojasi plan:
The Ojasi are mercenaries in pay of the Blue Host Khanate

• Viceroy Diban Tilbu name is on the titles presented to the Ojasi; he is the highest adviser to the Jumulka Khan of the Blue Host
• Arranging by force, bribery, gifts and promises peace treaties among the larger Orc tribes
• Included in the treaties are allowances of the migration of the other Orc tribes if they’re travelling under the seal of the Ojasi
• Will use the Orcs to strike at the eastern flank of the Jorentes Kingdom, disrupt trade & travel through the Yavimayan Forest, raid into Serric territories, burn the estates of any Steelhold City-States that support Jorentes and/or seize ports on the Azul Sea coast
• Their main aim however, when the time is right, will be to unite the Yavimayan Orcs as an Orc horde to assault the upper reaches of the Dwarven Kingdoms of Karkoram, Darnulir, Kurwuhrum, Halborimm and Gurnbadihr

So far most of the Orc Clan Chiefs have been promised the title of War Chieftain; the Ojasi have yet to decide who they will elevate to that position, but will make a strategic decision at the time
After a conversation with Essen's brother and other insights, the BMG descend down beneath the ruins of the Cyolonore to a muddy pit. A deeply weathered , squat stone tower is embedded between the muddy floor and the rocky ceiling. Oversized copper nails have been pounded into the tower around the top and beneath the mud. This is one of the Witches Pin used by Emtariath to distribute herself among the different places during the failed Hecate ritual. This pin was to secure part of herself to the Nine Hells.
The BMG find a way to release the Witches Pin and are rewarded by Emtariath who grants them each an additional feat.
They flee and and in the days that follow, while unable to open the sealed arc , learn from the other stolen papers and putting 2+2 togther that contained within the selaed arc is:

• Timetable for raids against the Steelhold city-states
• Timetable to be ready to raid the eastern Jorentes with raiding forces – depends on success of war against the Blue Host and its ancillary nations
• Locations of weapons stockpiles left by the Blue Host for the Ojasi
• Disposition of forces to assault the Dwarven Kingdoms of Karkoram, Darnulir, Kurwuhrum, Halborimm and Gurnbadihr in the Jorentes borders – 3 options:
• All the Kingdoms commit to support Jorentes against the Orcs
• Some of the Kingdoms commit to support Jorentes against the Orcs
• None of the Kingdoms commit to support Jorentes against the Orcs
• The secret routes to be held by the Ojasi in northern Jorentes and disposition of forces
• What to do, depending on which cities were attacked first
• Code names for contacts in the Andromeda Ridge Fortresses in Eastern Jorentes
• Schematics of tunnels beneath Crinis Minor, Crinis Major, Andromeda (2x Jorentes fortresses and 1x Jorentes citadel)
• Schematics and battle strategies to deal with the eastern fortifications
• The distribution of Jorentes military at different times of the year
• Movement reports from spies over the past 4 years in Eastern Jorentes and the Dwarven Kingdoms
• The preferred order of war in the east
• Magical blueprints to duplicate masterkey to the Dwarven stronghold of Karkoram – attuned to the Field Marshall
• Correspondence between the Ojasi and the Deep Orcs – complete blue prints of Karkoram, the expected military forces

Cyolonore

Related Characters

• Entariath, Witch Queen

Related Organizations

• BMG
• Helegu Khaganate
• Ojasi

Game sessions:

• November 2018
• Fenruary 2019
• April 2019
• May 2019