Session 346 - Mog the Torturer
General Summary
The Story So Far
The King is dead. Long live the King.
King Minigath Elendsa, who had ruled the Kingdom of Kaldor well for thirty-three years, has been assassinated. His nephew, Sir Conwan Elendsa, has been crowned King, but the former King's bastard son, Sir Maldan Harabor, has contested this and made his own claim.
While the kingdom is embroiled in a civil war, the mysterious Esoterical Order of Lothrim has struck, and armies of orcs, many thousands strong, have invaded the fractured realm.
Meanwhile, the heroes have seized Baseta Keep and held it against a determined attack by an orc army.
This is the continuation of Session 344 - Plans of Orcs and Men.
Location - Baseta Keep in the Kingdom of Kaldor.
5th Larane (Summer) 727TR
Part 1 – The New Empire of Lothim
The party returns to Baseta Keep and questions the captured siege engineer Zosimus. Dryueh also reviews the captured memories of some of the leaders of the Order of Lothrim, who were killed after a small foulspawn army was ambushed.
They learn the following.
- The Order of Lothim has a sizable force garrisoned in Olokand Castle, the seat of a wizard designated as the new Empire's regional governor. The bulk of the orc armies in the northwest are attacking Heru keep.
- Orcs are tribal and argumentative. They need human commanders to keep them in line and ensure they follow orders. If the opportunity arises, the orc troops will fight happily among themselves, so the armies are generally kept apart.
- The orcs use the Daylight Elixir, which allows the normally nocturnal humanoids to tolerate sunlight. One memory from an alchemist captured by Dryueh indicates the key ingredient for this elixir is the magically modified Violet Adefmium Berry, which is grown in a hidden grove near Lake Myen. The Alchemist's memory also reports that the elixir loses its potency after a few months. Also, they learn that the alchemist was terrified of what was said to be the grove’s caretaker.
- Many human mercenaries were recruited after being dismissed from services by the Lord Regent of Rethem after the recent civil war concluded. They traveled to Kaldor, thinking they would be involved in a conventional war. Most mercenaries were unaware they would be working with orc armies until recently. Zosimus says many lower-rank mercenaries are appalled with working with orcs but are too afraid to disobey orders.
Part 2 – The Party Plans
The heroes discuss what they can do to this hidden grove and stop the supply of Daylight Elixir. The first plan is to burn it to the ground, but Rycon has a better idea. Can they add a toxin that will damage the eyes of the orcs, making them blind? Khâl thinks it is a superb idea and agrees to locate and employ some of the alchemists and apothecaries he knows to come up with some truly vile poison.
The party is also aware that in Castle Olokand, there are a dozen noble hostages imprisoned. They plan a rescue. In a few days, they will raid the castle and, if the opportunity arises, take out the enemy leadership.
Part 3 – The Looter
As they observe, the heroes hear movement in the nearby ruined Tentru Manor and investigate. Several dead orcs lie nearby, and they spot men looting. One they recognize, Hankin of Symsone, a local assassin blackmailed into working for the party (refer to Session 300 - Moments of Honor). He knows the layout of the Olokand Castle's lower levels as he has visited the dungeons sometime in the past.
The party decides he will accompany him with an implied promise that Dryueh will give him an enchanted throwing dagger.
Using an Illusionary Disguise, Valeria makes the party appear as black orcs, and True Speech ensures that she can communicate in the foulspawn tongue. They loosely tie up Hankin and pretend he is a captured a spy who will need to be urgently questioned by the castle’s torturer.Part 4 – Into the Castle
As the party crosses Elendsa Bridge, they meet their first obstacle. The guards at the gatehouse need to be convinced that the prisoner has vital information about an imminent counterattack. This is straightforward, but getting into the castle proves more difficult. A guard and his orc guards are suspicious and need to be threatened. “If this prisoner is not interrogated, there will be hell to pay, and you will be responsible.” The guard escorts them into the castle to meet with Mog, the torturer.
Part 5 – Mog The Torturer
The dungeon cells hold a dozen human prisoners, all in a shocking state. They hear screaming; Mog is at work applying a flame to a man stretched out on the rack. The torturer is a big, muscled, and ugly man assisted by a trio of dangerous-looking black orcs, and the sadist clearly loves his work. Valeria tells him this human prisoner has important information, and Hankin is dragged towards the rack. Catching the enemy off guard, the heroes attack.
Rycon and Dryueh quickly and silently kill the orcs in the prison corridor, while Hankin and Valeria attack Mog and the orcs in the inquiry room. Dryueh locks the passageway door and creates an illusion, blocking the passageway and adding loud screams of pain to cover the sound of combat.
Mog grabs a hooked-shaped blade and fights back. He is a surprisingly good warrior, fast, agile, and an expert fighter in confined conditions. A very tough enough opponent. Valeria has no choice but to turn Invisible to escape being eviscerated. She blasts the orcs with life-draining spells and eventually kills them with the help of her friends and Hankin, but Mog still stands bearly scratched. He focuses his malignant gaze on Rycon, nearly killing him with slashes from his hooked blade; only numerous powerful healing potions and Dryueh battle medicine keep him in the fight. However, while distracted by Rycon, Dryueh sneaks up behind him, grabs his head, and rams it onto the rack, knocking him out; then he is executed.
Part 6 – Escape
The party makes their escape with the now-freed prisoners. Dryueh creates an Invisibility Sphere to conceal the men. However, as they move out, despite the best efforts to cover up the sound of the combat, a large group of orcs have congregated outside the locked prison door. They are suspicious and smell the stink of humans close by. Fortunately, still, in illusionary orc form, the party has prepared and covered themselves with Mog’s blood and bluff their way past. “It was a bloody questioning. Some humans did not survive”.
They leave the castle grounds when they have the last obstacle. They try their “This prisoner has vital information bluff” on a gate guard, but it does not work this time. “As per standing orders, the gatehouse will remain shut,” declares a sentry, “who gave you permission to leave.” Valeria thinks rapidly back to the conversations she overheard while moving through the castle, and a name stands out. “Rongar,” she proclaims. She guessed right. Through intimidation and guile, the party escapes the castle with the hostages and returns to safety.
To be continued.NPC Interactions
Zosimus - The captured siege engineer.
Khâl - Order of the White Hand agent.
Hankin the Assassin.
Related Reports
Player Characters
Valeria - Human - L15 Shadow Sorcerer
Background - Magical Experiment.
Archetype - Beastmaster.
Rycon - Human - L15 Fighter
Background - Rebel Knight.
Archetypes - Liberator Champion/Dual Weapon Warrior/Swashbuckler.
Dryueh - 1/2 Elf - L15 Thief Rogue
Background - Scout.
Archetypes - Vigilante/Medic/Shadowdancer/Wizard.
Next Session
Rycon
Dryueh
Valeria
Esoterical Order of Lothrim
Daylight Elixir
This ointment applied directly to the eyes suppresses the inherent foulspawn light blindness, but it is also a powerful stimulant that increases aggression and may be addictive. It may also decrease the orcs' lifespan, which is hardly an important consideration since no orc ever dies of old age.
The Order of Lothrim discovered the recipe for this foul concoction in Norlak’s Laboratory. Fortunately, the heroes destroyed the records of many of the alchemist Norlak’s more dangerous alchemical discoveries (refer Session 278 - Norlak's Tower and Session 280 - Secrets of a Lost Laboratory).
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