In Dreams - Session 15
General Summary
The rain starts to taper off overnight. During Sylman's watch, he hears animal noises nearby, and Larimar's Light spells show a pair of small cougars prowling around. They scurry into the darkness once revealed.
November 16, 1203 AR
The sky is still overcast come morning. The party breaks camp and returns to the road that winds along the foothills, with savanna to the west. They encounter nothing out of the ordinary until early afternoon, when Eric notices something reflective in the grass. Riding closer, he finds it to be part of a spear, broken cleanly in half, with a tip of roughly beaten iron. A string of beads with two attached red-dyed feathers are looped around the spear head. Nearby, a few footprints can be seen leading away from the road and towards a tall hill. The group figures they must be nearing Kalm—it could be as close as the other side of the hill.
Sylman dismounts to investigate further. He discerns five or six different pairs of footprints, probably orcish based on their size. There is also a small amount of blood on the spear head.
They puzzle over the weapon. The metallic point would suggest it belongs to the Spiritbinders, but the red fletching matches that of the arrows protruding from the corpse of the Spiritbinder they found yesterday, slouched in the saddle of the wolf-like creature.
They decide to follow the tracks up the hill. After thirty minutes or so, they are nearly halfway to the summit when they lose the trail over a stretch of rocky ground. The trees grow denser here, and visibility decreases. They come to a halt when they smell campfire smoke somewhere nearby.
Sylman dismounts to try to sneak up on the camp, but somehow manages to blunder directly into it instead. He finds himself surrounded by orcs: three of them lying on the ground, apparently asleep, and three others sitting around the fire, quietly arguing among themselves. When the human appears in their midst, they look up in startlement and immediately reach for their weapons.
Sylman recognizes the largest of them: Lutay of the Dead Eye tribe, Tukaja's second, who guided him, Mongo, and their companions to the Tomb of Blood Overflowing. He raises his hands and speaks quickly in Kota: "Hold on—I'm a friend! Remember me? Sylman! Lutay, you know me!"
Lutay considers him for a moment before recognition dawns. "Ah. I led you and the others to the cursed place." He tells the others to put their weapons down. "Why are you here?" he asks.
Sylman answers that this needs a more detailed discussion, and asks to fetch the rest of the party. Lutay agrees: "This is good. You can bring our message forward. Go bring your friends."
"You can't just let him go!" one of the other orcs objects. "You do as I say," Lutay responds, "until we get back."
Sylman soon returns with the other adventurers, who tie their horses to nearby trees and approach the campfire, doing their best to appear non-threatening. None of the orcs bear any face paint; their weapons are primitive in construction, like Lutay's crude iron battleaxe, or have been retrofitted with simple iron components. One of the orcs, grey-bearded and one-eyed, carries a long staff with bird skulls and other items attached to it, while two of those that had been sleeping are injured.
Lutay greets Eric, Larimar, and Bruno in his own language, but in response to their befuddled looks, speaks in Asturian instead: "I assume you do not speak Kota?" "No," Larimar answers, "thank you for understanding."
"I ask again," Lutay says to Sylman, "why are you here?"
Sylman tells him of their journey to Kalm, the dwarves they found hanging from the tree, the orcish bodies they found, the mounted scouts who were watching them, and the spear and tracks that led them here. "Can you fill us in on what's going on?"
Lutay nods gravely. "There is great discord among the tribes, as you are already aware. The 'warchief' Gulgar has split off from our tribe and seeks to reclaim our ancestral lands from the humans. He demands that other tribes join him or die. We resist Gulgar, but he has access to some dark power that we do not understand."
"We have experienced it," Sylman says. He tells of their encounter with the ka at Malrikstead, as well as their meeting with Tukaja. When he mentions the ka, he sees fear in the orcs' eyes. But when Sylman mentions having defeated her, or her form, the bearded orc, Seer Koowa, laughs and slaps Sylman on his shoulder. "I do not want to detract from your victory," he says good-naturedly, "but the wolf you fought was not her, but one of her pets. She has the ability to speak through them. But what you say you've done, few can make that claim."
"What you say fills me with dread," Sylman answers him. Koowa nods: "now you understand why we fear her so.
"As for the wolf-thing you saw yesterday, that is the work of Gulgar's shaman, Tocho. It's through Tocho's power that Gulgar is able to corrupt the soldiers under his command and conjure these creatures. That was our first encounter with these mutated wolves—they scare us."
Lutay is particularly interested at Sylman's news of Tukaja. "I am glad to hear she yet lives. She is taking many of our people to safety—a location we do not speak of." "I wouldn't wish to know," Sylman states. Lutay nods appreciatively: "we hope she returns to us soon."
"This is the message you must take to those who live in the walled city at the base of the hill," he continues. "The reason we are here is to keep an eye on Gulgar's doings on the plains, and to see how he reacts to our presence. Based on our knowledge of the calamity that has transpired in the city, we believe that Gulgar wants to reclaim this land, and that he has sent a force under one of his commanders to seize the city. We estimate in the order of 500 warriors, on the other side of the veldt—perhaps 5 days from the city. This commander has been empowered by Tocho. He holds dark powers I would not want any warrior to face."
"We will carry the message to Kalm," Sylman answers, "and inform Redwall as well." "May good fortune guide on your journey across the plains," Lutay tells him.
Sylman looks over the injured: "can we offer help—healing?" Lutay is surprised. "You have been blessed by the spirits? We would be honoured to receive the blessing."
Approaching the wounded orcs, Eric kneels next to them. They gaze skeptically as he twice speaks a Healing Word, but are shocked and surprised when they see their wounds closing. Looking at Eric with awe, they say a few words in Kota, which Lutay translates: "they thank you." Eric nods and smiles.
Suddenly Sylman and Larimar notice that something has spooked the horses. Alerting the others, they ready their weapons. Bruno climbs to the top of a rock to scout, while Sylman advances upwind. They both spot two mounted orcs about 50 or 60 feet away, the ones the party fled yesterday. Both their faces are painted with the skull mark of the Spiritbinders, and their mounts are tentacled wolf-like creatures of the same type as the corpse they found. The orcs spot them at the same time. "We've got company!" Sylman calls to the others.
The two riders flank them to left and right. After Bruno's crossbow bolt strikes him a glancing blow, the right rider, his eyes glowing blue with the Mark, gestures and utters an incantation. A twenty-foot sphere of darkness and bitter cold opens at the centre of the camp, encompassing and blinding Eric, Sylman, and Bruno. From out of the dark void they hear a cacophony of soft whispers and slurping noises. The left rider fires an arrow into Larimar, who responds with an orb of lightning that misses the target.
Ignoring the injuries inflicted on him by the cold, Sylman stumbles out of the darkness and looses an arrow at the right rider. The shaft strikes home, causing the warlock to lose concentration on his spell. The sphere of darkness falls away.
The Dead Eyes attack both foes, Lutay's axe biting into the left rider while another orc slashes the rider's mount. In turn the Spiritbinder's axe brings down one of the Dead Eyes, while Lutay is lashed by one of the mount's tentacles. To the right, a Dead Eye wielding two axes easily dodges the wolf-creature's attacks, but his answering blows pass through the beast as if it weren't even there. Instead he takes an eldritch blast from the enemy warlock. Koowa keeps his distance, firing his sling into the fray.
Sylman puts another arrow into the warlock, then retreats to cover, while Bruno's crossbow bolt goes wide. Eric mutters a Dissonant Whisper to damage the same foe, and Larimar inflicts Tasha's Hideous Laughter on the left rider. The Spiritbinder cackles like madman and falls out of the saddle. Lutay strikes him two heavy blows, but the enemy stays up.
Sylman dashes from cover and fires an arrow right between the warlock's eyes. He drops dead, while Bruno switches from crossbow to warhammer, striking the right wolf-creature despite its unnatural displacement in time and space. Eric joins his attack with his short swords, but misses, and the creature fells one of their allies. The fighter and the bard renew their attack, both striking true; in response the bleeding wolf-thing lashes Eric savagely with both tentacles, then buries its teeth in his shoulder.
To the left, the scout drops another of the Dead Eyes, while his mount strikes Lutay again with its tentacle. Larimar casts another magical orb, which explodes against the creature with the sound of thunder. Apparently disoriented, Lutay misses his strikes. Larimar casts another spell, and an intensely loud ringing sound erupts from behind the scout and his animal. The concussive force knocks them both forward, and blood spurts from the orc's mouth. But the wolf-creature attacks Lutay with full force, and the Dead Eye succumbs to his wounds, falling lifeless. Enraged, Koowa draws a dagger and attacks the beast, but misses. Sylman's arrows do not; he shoots and fells first the injured wolf-creature to the right, then the Spiritbinder scout.
Only one foe remains. Bruno dashes at the remaining wolf-thing, but his mighty swing passes right through it, smashing into the ground. He swears loudly. Larimar strikes it with magic missiles, while Eric utters another Dissonant Whisper. Wracked with pain, the creature flees; Bruno strikes it a blow in passing, then a Chromatic Orb from Larimar strikes and electrocutes it.
The battle has ended, but their losses are heavy. Four of the Dead Eyes are dead, including Lutay and both of the orcs that Eric healed. Only Koowa and the dual-axe-wielding warrior survive.
When they search the bodies of the dead Spiritbinders, Sylman finds that the scout's quiver is of surprisingly high-quality. Looking at it more closely, he finds that it somehow contains more arrows than should be able to fit. They take it for later identification, along with a roughly cut, faintly glowing blue gemstone about one inch in diameter that Eric finds in one of the warlock's hands.
As for the fallen Dead Eyes, "they fought bravely," Koowa declares, "and now they are in the hunting grounds. We all go back to the earth. We will bury them in shallow graves, to make them one with the earth again." The party assists with the burials. The corpses of the Spiritbinders and their unnatural mounts are left where they fell.
As the survivors take a short rest, the Asturians take the opportunity to send a message to Lord Deston using the Sending Stone: "Dead Eye allies warn: Spiritbinder force of five hundred massing against Kalm. Were attacked by abominations an hour outside Kalm. Arriving there by nightfall."
Koowa wishes the party well on their journey. He and his remaining companion will continue on their way back to one of their hidden camps to report what they have learned. "Our chief must know what beasts Gulgar now has under his command."
"Good luck," Sylman tells them. "Sorry about your friends."
"They fought well," Koowa says simply. He points the party towards Kalm, then he and the other survivor depart in the opposite direction.
Mounting up again, the adventurers ride on. Ten minutes later, they break through the treeline to see the stone walls of Kalm out on the veldt, perhaps an hour and a half away. The city, they know, was founded to house the labourers who built the Great Lift down to the Crimson Lowlands, and has since prospered as a trade hub and gateway to Anasazi lands. Before the plague, its population numbered around 10,000 souls.
Under the grey, overcast sky, they see some tents in a muddy field just outside the city gates. As they come closer, they realize that this must have been where the refugees camped after Kalm was evacuated.
The terrain around the southern gates of the city looks to have been trodden by thousands of feet. About 40 tents remain in the field. Ten of these form a military encampment, with the banner of the Iron Wolves visible.
They join the line waiting to enter the city. When they reach the gates, they are halted by four guards wearing the colours of Kalm, dark green and gold. Their leader, a youngish woman with tangled copper hair and bright violet eyes, greets them: "Hail, welcome to Kalm. What brings you here?"
Larimar, still wearing his lieutenant's clasp and wearing a scimitar marked with military insignia, speaks immediately: "We come bearing important news of a possible impending attack against the city. We want to pass this information to the authorities as quickly as possible."
A look of surprise crosses the woman's face. "Are you here representing the King's Army? How do you know this?"
Larimar explains that no, he is not an active member of the army, but that they discovered this information on their journey from Redwall. He describes what they encountered en route and the foes they fought, but the guard remains skeptical. "We know the orcs are fighting amongst themselves, but they wouldn't dare to attack our walled city. You must have some sort of evidence?"
"What sort of evidence would convince you?" Larimar asks.
"Something other than just your word?"
Annoyed to have his warning questioned, Larimar tosses a glyph-marked dagger at her feet. "That dagger was pulled from a dead dwarf. It's the property of the Spiritbinder tribe. Only an hour away from here we were attacked by creatures the like of which I have never seen before. I can take you there if you like. Believe me or not, but we were informed that the Spiritbinders are amassing a force of 500 orcs, many with magical powers, to attack this city in its weakened state."
One of the other guards stoops to pick up the dagger, and shows it to the leader. She scans the faintly glowing red glyph, then looks back at Larimar. "I don't see any reason you would make up this story, or try to use it to gain entrance to the city. We normally dissuade people from entering without a good reason. I've heard plenty of stories from those seeking entry, but none as... extraordinary as this.
"Personally, though, I still don't find your story very convincing. Everyone knows orcs don't use metal weapons. You say there were two bodies? Tell us where we can find them. If it turns out this outlandish claim has some credence, I will personally take you to the regent to convey your warning."
"Thank you," Larimar answers drily. "I appreciate that you are doing your duty."
The guards provide ink and paper, and Larimar quickly draws a map, showing how to get to the site of their recent battle and adding a few details of the battle scene. An armed and armoured scout takes the map, mounts up, and gallops away.
"I hope for your sake that your story is confirmed," the guard leader says to them. "We don't look kindly on those who would waste our time. Now, is there anything else you require within the city, or did you come here just to tell us this story?"
Sylman introduces himself, saying that they have come from Redwall on business from Lord Deston Ashwood and are looking for Mateo Hastwyck. "I understand that he helped create the cure for the city."
"Yes," she answers, "Mateo was instrumental in developing the cure. You're the second group that has come looking for him recently." To Sylman's questions, she confirms that the previous group, half a dozen people led by a blonde woman, came through yesterday. The woman also claimed to be working for Deston Ashwood. "Interesting that she would say that," Sylman remarks. So far as the guard knows, the group is still in the city. Sylman reiterates that they still need to talk to Mateo.
"You are welcome to enter," the guard tells them, "as long as you are aware that—the city is doing the best it can, but we are still in the midst of recovering from the plague here. There are parts of the city that were quite damaged by the outbreak of fire and what not. If you are aware of that and willing to accept any risk—"
"We understand," Sylman responds.
A toll is being collected by the regent to help in the reconstruction: two gold pieces per person. After they pay, the guard directs them to Eldwin's Tavern, where they may be able to rent some beds. The tavern is in the "quarantine zone" of the city, a few blocks from the gate.
There are more people in the streets than they would have expected, with crates, building materials, and wagons in the road—presumably, supplies for rebuilding, though this area seems unscathed. The party finds the tavern easily enough, securing simple lodgings and stabling for the horses.
Before they turn in for the night, Larimar casts spells to identify the items they seized from the Spiritbinders. One is the Quiver of Mahala, holding three compartments connected to an interdimensional space. The small compartment holds up to 60 arrows, bolts, or similar objects; the mid-size, up to 18 javelins; and the largest, up to 6 large items such as bows, quarterstaffs, or spears.
The blue crystal is a dream cryst, the Tear of Eyota—a "pearl of power" enabling the attuned bearer to speak a command word and restore a spell slot of up to 3rd level, once per day.