After spotting an orc warband led by
Lord Darish trying to go around them, the party rushes to Emerald Outpost to formulate a plan. After the orcs disappear into thin air, the party offers to investigate on their own to prevent a large ambush.
October 25th
When the party awakes,
Arya, blessed by
Carlos's fly spell, flies up to scout the area for the
Orc warbands. To his surprise, he sees nothing. The orcs aren't particularly stealthy and there are a few dozen of them, so he should expect to at least see signs of them. But there's nothing. Concerned,
Carlos polymorphs
Roswyn into a giant eagle to better scan the area. She first checks the Emerald Outpost and Orc Hill, but sees no signs of the orcs. Next she scans the entire western section of the canyon and, like
Arya, sees no signs of the orcs. Worried, the party continues south to the Emerald Outpost to regroup.
After explaining the situation to
Sirian, they discuss their options. Ultimately, they decide to venture out as a party to search for the orcs.
Carlos suspects illusion magic may be at play and they do not want to risk the elven army being ambushed. Sirian offers them warm beds and food before the party departs on their missions.
October 26th
The party marches northwest and crosses the bridge over the Emerald River to the western side of the canyon, where they setup camp for the evening. Wary and on guard, they don't sleep too well.
Carlos and
Arya take their watch together, where
Carlos shares more of his past with him.
Arya brings up the attempt on his life back in
Kelethin, which
Carlos deflects. During their conversation,
Carlos explains his lineage and what his family used to do before he left
Freeport. His family went from a respected clan to pariahs seemingly overnight. It wasn't long before his family was attacked and the survivors were run out of the city. Since then,
Carlos spent his life wading through the drudges of society, keeping his name quite while trying to keep himself out of trouble. However, he frequently mixed with the wrong groups.
One such group resides on
Faydwer in the city of Ellirion, a trading outpost in the northeast that is not subject to elven laws. He worked a job with a local crime lord, Corym, and made some selfish choices that he thought would have no repercussions. He was wrong.
