In the Minority

Diplomatic action

After spending four days of travel split between hills and forest, the Fractured Packs' journey takes a detour. The Pack begrudgingly allies with the Ashskin gnolls to earn themselves safe passage through a wilderness claimed by dozens of gnoll, goblin, and orc tribes each willing to defend their territory from "civilized" outsiders.   The Pack is tasked with removing a threat from the Ashskin's temple ruins but find a phoenix, sickened from the elemental fluxes of the past spring. Rather than killing the entity guarded by the wood woads of the shrine of Sylvanus, the Pack decided to aid it. The party journeyed to Lushbrume (a nearby volcano), in search of fireapples to return the phoenix's strength. Therein, the pack worked in conflict with the local fire giants. They received a prophecy from the Oracle of the Heartfire, acquired the Fireapples, and Broxon challenged a champion. In the end, Broxon lost but did so honorably. Jotunfell was destroyed but it was replaced by giant craft armor.   The party returned to the nurse the phoenix back to health and earned safe passage through the monstrous territories.

Continuing on to the south, Buck, Anna, and Hali shared multiple deep conversations through the nights of travel. Leaving hills (19th-20th) and into Forest (21st-22nd), the Fractured Pack eventually found themselves the accidental prey of a gnoll. The gnoll had set a net trap for a deer and fallen asleep in his hide. Broxon got caught up in the net and the groggy, confused gnoll jumped out to defend his trap. While Anna cut Broxon down, Buck spoke with the gnoll, talking him down and making a deal. If the Pack could make a food offering to the gnoll village, he would take them to speak with the shaman about safe passage through the terrain. Buck managed to hunt a stag. Entering the village, by the time the Pack was in front of the shaman Vuat, the gnolls were already devouring the brought tribute. The hunter and shaman spoke of a problem they were having at a shrine they used. Seeing Hali as a Ghostspeaker and Anna in her mask and shifting feathers as a demon bird, they sent the Pack to drive out another demon bird from their temple. If they could do so, the gnolls would guide the Pack through their territory unimpeded and ensure that the goblin tribes would also remain civil.   The hunter gnoll Thol led the party two hours South towards temple ruins to arrive at dusk. Thol requested leave and it was given while the Pack set up for camp. Anna improved Buck's bow with her mechanical arcane prowess but his test shots at a tree ended poorly. Within the vicinity of the temple ruins of Sylvanus, the Heartless Cycle, a Wood Woad warrior magically stepped out of a nearby tree, making proclamations in the tongue of the sylvan realm. Buck got a dweomer of translation cast just in time to realize the folly of attacking a tree in this area. Before the woad could attack, a deep red light flared from the temple causing the wood woad to retreat.   Approaching the temple, the party found a charred smoldering bird upon the altar surrounded by four of the woads. Buck and Hali approached, attempting to communicate with the sickened phoenix through Hali's primordial tongue and Buck's incantation. The pair ascertained that the elemental fluxes of the region had likely drained the creature. While they needed to clear the temple for the gnolls, they understood that the temple is what was keeping the phoenix alive. The wood woads simply sought to protect the creature that the gnolls called a demon bird. Rather than fix this problem through violence, they would do it through aid. Buck had learned of an elemental fruit while studying at the Urja Archive. Fireapples were known to hold the essence of elemental fire and they grew in close relation with volcanoes. With Lushbrume half-a-day's Journey to the west, the party would turn their attention there.   The next day, the party marched westward. During their travel, they stumbled through the territory of one of the goblin tribes of the area they had been warned about. Anna overheard the impatience of the goblins, allowing the party to not stumble into their spiked pole traps. The battle was fast, with hails of arrows from tree-housed, ghillie suited goblins met by returned fire, blasts, hacks, and hypnotic patterns. A handful of goblins were slain as many others retreated. While not a direct threat to the life, the harrying situation did bring to light the merit of working with the gnolls rather than having to deal with another 40 or 50 miles of moving through the terrain of guerrilla warfare.   Continuing on to the volcano, Buck and Anna eventually located a descending tunnel into the side of the rockface whose floor was covered in spongy, mossy loam. If the Fireapples would grow anywhere, it would be in here. Descending into the volcano, the Fractured Pack found a magma chamber whose bridge to cross was broken. Broxon's great leaps allowed him to cross while the rest of the party attempted their own experimental hijinks. In the end though, everything became expedited as a fire giant crafter entered the chamber from the far end. She spoke of a Prophet of Heartfire in the Ignan language but before Hali could interpret, friction sheered between the giantess and Broxon. The eager dwarf bearing Jotunfell and a newly acquired rings to protect against heat was ready for battle and the giant smith immediately recognized the swelling enchantment upon Jotunfell.   Broxon charged dealing massive, smiting blows upon the unarmored giant but she returned assault by picking the dwarf up and throwing him into the lava. Havoc ensured from the southern party members unable to get to Broxon amid the molten rock. Hali attempted a daring ropeswing but fate was not on her side, she tripped tumbled down a slanted collapsed section of bridge as the excess rope would not stop her until she ended, legs submerged in magma. Anna and her automaton spider quickly reeled the woman up for Buck to bandage but an extreme amount of damage had already happened to her legs, eating away muscle mass.   Speaking of extreme damage, Broxon began his climb out of the magma pit. His superhuman fortitude buffered by the enchanted ring saved his life but not his stuff. Clothes burned away, everything falling off him as he climbed, he reached the top in the nude, beard burned away. The only things remaining were Jotunfell, his magical ring and necklace, and his mohawk. The orichalcum necklace turned to molasses on him, slowly rolling in searing rusty lines down his pecks, his shoulder blades, and pooling in his clavicles. The giantess bellowed out that this was no place for self sacrifice. She attempted to confine the dwarf and his blasted hammer but could not. Broxon tried to grapple her but she was far too large. With a final blow, Broxon brought her to the ground, heavily wounded. The seared, orichalcum streaming dwarf stood atop her demanding the location of the fireapples. The smith succumbed, stating that they were further within at the orchard. The final moments in the ruined magma chamber were marked by everyone slowly realizing that Broxon's Bag of Hold and Tankard were still down in the magma, slowly having their enchantment eaten away. A mad flurry of attempts to retrieve them were marked by Anna's bluejay homunculus diving down for the heavier item but burning away before it could be retrieved. Buck Saved the day pulling out a huge ladder and pole from his robe of many things to cross the chasms and landings to fish the magic items out.     Entering into the center of the forge, the Pack met with the Oracle of the Heartfire. Despite the fact that they came here seeking Fireapples, the prophet instead delivered a vision. She spoke of a fair, female dwarf in bondage. Chained to the ground, spikes seen in proximity. White hair matted with scaley burgundy. Dried Blood. She spoke of Crossed Thunderbolts and a dust storm. In confusion, the party accepted the prophecy as it had been given to them. There were suggested ideas to what it could mean, Hali reached out to Yodac Hardgut, but in the end it was decided to wait for info to return, be wary for signs, and to continue on with their current mission.   In seeking out the garden within the volcano, Broxon was bold enough to ask the Oracle of Heartfire for the opportunity acquire armor from the fire giants. The Oracle bid him to take care of his business first. If he wished to have such an honor after assaulting one of her kit with a giantslaying weapon, he would have to win that right in a Trial by combat.   Entering into the garden, our heroes located the blazing Fireapple tree. Warned of guardians, the blazing tree produced a sentient flame for each apple plucked. Flying about the cavern ignited anyone it so much as touched, the first elemental proved troublesome but manageable enough to be learned from. Anna conjured water above but the rainfall was too dispersed to do more than inform future decisions. But inform them it did. Before plucking the second and third apples simultaneously, a magic bag was filled with water to be doused over an elemental all at once. A combination of fell strokes, utilizing the water for cover under a conjured disk, and infused arrowshots brought the two creatures down. The party had obtained all three fireapples currently produced upon the tree.   Hali managed to weave the elemental fire from the tree and bring it from the chmaber upon her hand. The Oracle warned that she held a Spark of Life with the ability to do great healing or great harm. The genasi attempted to infuse that flame into her tome but failed to do so. The process though caused a reactio, wind whipping around and a yellow sigil flaring on the book before it dispersed once more leaving the brown book a shade closer to a yellowed beige. Anna tried to recall the Sigil from her memory but found the thoughts jarring. This alarmed the woman and caused her to confront Hali about it.   The party spent the evening essentially locked in a giant's cupboard. They had requested a night for Broxon to prepare for his challenge. While it was granted, it did not grant any other priveleges within Lushbrume. In the morning, the party was abruptly awoken and escorted down to a isolated arena. Suspended by humungon metal chains, the trial would occur on a giant disk centered with a vat of molten metal. The Fire Giant Champion wore a spike mail of full plate, bearing to identical shields. A squire poured molten substance down the shields as Broxon made his final preparations. The dwarf ceremonially shaved his head with Buck's dagger. Upon returning it, Buck took the opportunity to prestidigitate warpaint upon the dwarf's face. Walking across a bridge of arcane force to the arena, the dwarf took a knee at the edge to pray to Tempus that his fight might do him honor. As the dwarf arose, the Oracle of the Heartfire decreed from above: “ We witness here today a Trial of the righteous. To witness if an enemy that has used a godsdamned weapon against us is worthy to take the armaments of giant craft. May the righteous win, may the unrighteous burn.” At that moment, there is a metallic, ringing clatter as a hammer strikes an anvil.   Broxon's trial against the fire giant champion was one of growth. The dwarf's hectic blows with Jotunfell richocheted off of the heavily plated and dual shielded dread champion. The punches and jabs in retaliation from the champion rocked and rolled broxon massively. It only took a handful of swapped blows to bring the dwarf down. When that happened, though, the tattoo of Tempus' flaming sword upon him flared with light, causing the dwarf to rise again. Retaliating triple fold, the zealot struck out with devastating fury, critically smiting back at the giant. The second series was far more laborious than the first on both sides as hammer wrung on plate and shield gashed across flesh. In the end, Broxon was brought low again. The champion knelt down and pummeled the body to ensure that the dwarf would stay down. he champion had picked up Jotunfell and the Oracle of the Heartfire speak out, and with her breath came a nuance of life back into Broxon. The Dwarf's eyes opened to be look up at Jotunfell as it was dunked into the molten iron vat in the center of the arena.   Broxon sprung to his feet, taking up the shield the champion had dropped in exchange for the hammer, and began to shove the giant into the vat itself. The dread champion was surprised and rocked off his center only momentarily. The giant called out in disdain for the dwarf not accepting the defeat. Recentering himself, the giant turned about to snatch up Broxon, rotate about, and hold him over the vat. The more the dwarf struggled, the lower he was pushed towards the same doom as Jotunfel. Failing to break the hold, Broxon accepted his demise, arms going limp and wide. Only once the dwarf accept his defeat did the dread champion lower him to the ground. Not dropping, not throwing low, but respectfully set the dwarf upright upon his feet.   As decreed by the Oracle, the righteous would win and the unrighteous would burn. While Broxon had not won, he had not burned either. The Oracle questioned the mighty warrior on his tattoo. The Dwarf spoke with reverence of the Lord of Battles. In the end, with Jotunfell destroyed, the Oracle decided that the world would do well if a follower of the Lord of Battles capable of so much were protected by giantcraft. Broxon would be rewarded with suit of mail. After the challenge and between fittings, the dwarf held his own private communion with the Lord of Battles.   The party would stay one more day in Lushbrume. During that time, Buck and Anna performed the required surgery to remove the melted Orichalcum from Broxon's flesh. The orichalcum was then provided to the fire giant crafters to detail the adamantine armor they had crafted for him. The end result was a suit of Density Warp Half-Plate. A majority of Buck and Hali's time was spent observing the giants while Anna spent her time repairing her spider automoton and using “scraps” to create additional, temporary armor plating.   The next day, the Fractured Pack returned to the ruined Temple of Sylvanus to find the sickened phoenix guarded by twice as many wood woads. Buck approached the creature, pulling out the fireapples. Seeing the phoenix failing to break through the rind, the shifter took out his herbalism tools and began the slow process of feeding the phoenix, nursing it upon the volatile fruit. As the phoenix fed, the flames grew once more from it. In short order, the elemental avian took to wing once more, dropping a living feather as it flew away.   With the woads retreating back through their tree portals, the companions gathered up their things (including two fireapples unused under Buck's skillful hands), and returned to the Ashskin clan. The gnoll witchdoctor Vuat took the news in joy. Within the hour, the party was guided by four hunters including Thol back into the woods.