GH 04 - "The Charred Branch & The Battered Mill"
General Summary
Hello and welcome back to Phonic Fables - Green Hunters of the Dragon Queen Edition, a product of The Techno God, free to consume on World Anvil, Discord, and platforms like Spotify under Wizards of the Coasts’ Fan Content Policy. This journey is shared by myself, my Partner in Life, Katie, and some friends we’ve met along the way, Rachel and Jarod, who have given consent for their characters and tales to be shared here as well. This content is not official in any capacity, and is merely a rendition of stories Wizard’s IP has already published throughout the years. The foundation of lore from the books we use, mine and my players' creativity and passion, and little moments of spontaneity create this tale. With boundless joy, my scribing and reciting of these tales is something I am happy to share with y’all.
Episode 03 Recap
Previously on Phonic Fables, Green Hunters Edition, the party marched through the Hilted Hills, snuck past some Orcs, and arrived at the crumbling ruin of a city where they expected a Dwarven Mine. A few Dwarf miners, Dazlyn and Norbus, hired by Zelana’s patron, and a quick explanation about Abbathor would help to reveal that the site was a mine first, then became the once holy city-site it was before falling into ruin. Delving into the abandoned temple, the Trio and Talon would vanquish two Ochre Jellies, but not before the second one nearly fell Reymira. Greed would not entice them to continue because Zelana would share the wealth found thusly, and as they rested - Reymira dreamed something of a memory. The next day, they were cornered by Orcs at the end of the valley.Session 4 - “The Charred Branch & The Battered Mill”
Looking everywhere, Orcs, Half-Orcs, Dire Wolves, Blood Hawks, and Axe Beaks that they train and nurture from atop and around the Sword Mountain flood their sight. Archers line the top of the valley, and the dust-ridden edge of the valley that would lead back toward Leilon was rife with wielders of greataxes, javelins, mauls, and all manner of other crude weaponry - all were also decorated with marks of Talos in some or many ways. The Trio is indeed surrounded on all fronts! A voice emanates from the mass of Orcs beyond, in Orcish. Booming, echoing, it’s hard to tell exactly if she recognizes it, but Reymira thinks it’s her father, the Chieftain of the tribe. She does not share this with the others as she stands stunned for a moment at the front of the group. Oralis, Zelana, and Talon stand there in the moment too, Orlais is the only other of the three that understands the reckoning voice. The horde of Orcs and their kin are otherwise quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The wind whistles slightly, tiny tufts of dirt swirling into focus in front of and between himself and his allies, Oralis is kissed by this singing cloud of sand, and hears a whisper in its tune. His eyes darted quickly to see if any other would react, and none did, but he was sure he heard it, “What sky sinks to obscure the sea?” A tiny voice, charming and masculine, Oralis hears it and feels… distinct. Individual. Free. He speaks those words in his own way, “Sinking Sky Obscure the Way!” and pops a magical Fog Cloud in the gate before yelling ‘RUN!’ to his compaTriots. Grabbing Reymira, whose sight of the voice that would walk out of the crowd became obscured before its final step into view. The Trio and Talon all begin to dash back to the Temple of Abbathor to hide. The Anchorite Tribe of Talos give chase, then, chase their tails as the party looks around for secret passages and devises a way to close the door behind them - they may be trapped for a time, but as long as the Orcs don’t find the buttons, or them, then they would be okay. The buttons were very well hidden, and were it not for Talon and Orlais working in unison, then they might have been trapped like rats, but the irony is that Sereena that ratty would be the savior, of a sort. The doors, once opened, would need to be shut again once they all came through, and with no Mage Hand, they had to improvise. So, Zelana used her clicks, words, and commands, to get Sereena to clamber up and activate the lever after they’ve gone through - it was not a dissimilar tactic from one they had used to trick people out of houses when they were an Urchin in Neverwinter. This time, it let them lock the door behind them, fancy that! The trick was that Sereena had to make it under the descending stone door in time to not get squished! She did both times as they wind their way through a series of secret walls and doors, hoping to stay hidden, but after finding the first of the hidden doors, the Orcs would not retire searching for more, knowing the party to be in the walls somewhere. Zelana had learned some military tactics from Zoud, and used this knowledge to set up traps of spilled oil, Orlais’ bear traps, magical ice, and force the Orcs to enter or exit through a singular path amongst the many. The Orcs crowd the hallways, crowd the chamber where the Jellies had attacked, and then the party meets Agar Dro-Barah, though only his voice at first. After a blind axe thrown around the corner at the end of the hall from Reymira would graze him, he would grab an ally Orc, throw him down the hall, activating the initial layer of traps set, and yell.Cornered, The Threat Rises!
Agar’s guttural voice bellows out, “Trapped like rats, fitting that you are stuck here with no other options. Put away your weapons and let me duel the Half-Orc that travels with you - Talos demands that I duel that traitor!”, in Common. They look around for a moment at each other and Reymira nods to herself then yells out that she agrees to the challenge, realizing that the Orcs from this tribe she used to be a part of, the ones that now wait beyond the Temple’s walls would not allow them to leave unless she was victorious. They all begin to step out, the corpse of the Orc being difficult to walk on, but easier than oils and spiked traps, they begin to exit into the chamber, clambors of many Orcs roaring from outside the temple and within. Seeing Agar first, and then, a larger figure in the hallway. As they first see him, Agar licks the open wound from the hewn handaxe, and is clad in patchwork and sewn up leather and hide bits. Meals and hunts he had completed, a quiver rested on his back with several spears sticking out of it, and the light from the entrance illuminates, ironically, an inky blackness up his arm that climbs to a flame-kissed face. He wears one of the Bloodshot-Eye Talos talismans, and he sneers when he sees Zelana step out. Finally, one of his spears is decidedly more ornate than the others, metallic, and hafted, it is a fine weapon of clear Dwarven make. Then, the voice that Reymira had heard echoing over the army outside the gate came to have their face known too. The larger shape in the stone shaft, it was not their father, but their brother, the booming echo from their voice from earlier was due to a magical effect known as Thaumaturgy. He had magic now? Rey thought as a tinge of fear overcame her senses. Xugor, The Charred Branch, as he was known now, had taken the position of Chief quite recently, it seems, though Reymira was too frightened to ask fo more details - partially for fear of what would be said, how her father would have come to pass, and partially because just looking at Xugor instilled an uneasiness, parts of him darkened and blackened like a marred, lightning-struck tree. He also held a unique weapon, a maul of such pristine craftsmanship, the metal almost seems to flow through the air, not move through it. It was frightening, yet beautiful as great ebony talons clutched the carved stone that peaked the maul, Orange streaks veining the star-studded black marble. He would speak in Orcish again, his deep, grim voice, bring all other cheers and chaos to a halt, “The Shadow Lady said we would find you here. Said you would be caught unawares. Rest up, little Rey. Talos needs you at your best for this challenge, else there would be no glory in it. I don’t know what battered you up so much, but it won’t be like the last time, you won’t be running away again.” Dismayed, Reymira and the rest of the group settle about the outside edge of the chamber, Xugor stands hulking in the light that's streaming in from the exit, just enough behind him that he is visible and not a shadow. Agar pulls out some of his spears and sharpens them across where the party sits. An hour or so passes, and they all rest a bit. Reymira needed it more than others though after her tussle with the Jellies the night prior.A Rise in Power
Shaken, Reymira prepares some of her monastic teachings, they recite the teachings of Ki, saying silently to themselves that it is the force of life and energy, that it is the burgeoning of the soul in the face of enlightenment... More stressed than she has ever been, on the brink of reliving the trauma of her past, she takes three deepened breaths, and on the third, as she exhales, the light outside, seems to rise a moment, filling the chamber with a bit more energy, and she taps into her Ki for the first time ever. Orlais, Zelana, Talon and the other two Dwarves that join them are terrified, shaking in fear, Talon’s pots and washpans clatter a bit, but Zelana tells Orlais that he did a good job, that she appreciates his attempt to save them all. He admits that there was only one person he had a mind to save, and she mistakenly thinks that he means himself - a little awkward silence begets the two of them, other than the clamoring of the Orcs and Reymira’s mutterings, they think prayers, and find it to be understandable in the situation though they can’t understand what she is saying. As the light fills the chamber a bit more, however, the wind also trickles in more tufts of dust and another message for Orlais, that same tiny, masculine whisper, “She’s right, you know, you should listen to me more often.” Orlais’ eyes darted again, the whisper sounds so far, yet so close… “Here’s something for your trouble, Elf.” The word trouble rings sweetly, and the tone flowed through Orlais, he knew he was able to invoke new magics now, and after blinking a few times, a low level Detect Magic sight became active within his mind’s eye, allowing him to see some magical auras. He would discover the other invocations in time, but for now, this sight afforded him the opportunity to see Zelana in yet another light, a magical arcane aura of Evocation pulsating out from her - Draconic magic humming alongside her Marid origins, suddenly the magic flares, it begins to pour out and spill into the floor around her like the flow of water. He jumps at the sight of it, but it’s not physical, it was her font of magic, growing from within her essence for the first time since its initial spark - though Orlais was just dazzled by the as-if-pyrotechnic display of orange-red and green-blue swirling into one combined hot-white-gold essence before settling back into her normal magical hum. She seemed flush, but was otherwise unaffected by the burst of magic within.Agar's Proving
Then, came the duel. This bout would allow Agar to prove his worth after being ‘healed’ by the Shadow Lady to also become chosen amongst his kin, though in a tenuous manner at best. Reymira stands tall as they walk her outside into the courtyard, the well being brushed away to make way for the fight. Surrounded by Orcs and their ilk chanting Agar’s name, a rallying effect overcomes the chosen Champion and the two begin their fight. Reymira would last a few rounds, but Xugor was not the only wielder of fear in the force of Talos’ fury. Agar Dro-Barah stood for “Flaming Tip of the Spear'' in the Orcish tongue, a fact that Reymira was well aware of going into the fight, and Orcs are not one for metaphors, but this time it was spot on as the first to fight for his kind, he would serve as the tip of their spear for this skirmish, and many more, it seems, as his guttural yell makes his own inky black markings glow with unsettling accord. Flames sprout up from his left arm, magical flames that blanket his person with a thick plume of translucent-black smoke. Orlais’ magical sight allowed him to see that the flame was a spell, and not real, a Continual Illusory Flame, he calls out through the deafening roar of the Orc tribe, but it was not enough to pull Rey out of the dread that had already projected its falsities into her mind. She tried to get back to stillness, like the night before, but was overcome with anxiety and panicked. This provided ample opportunity for Agar to also summon forth a Spiritual Weapon of a similar namesake. Inciting Talos’ wrath, an effervescent spear of flaming force appeared in his free hand, then floated about, and, moving as one with him, he made quick work of Reymira - though her Ki did stem the flow of her wounds, allowing her to focus her momentum to incur dodges with skillful grace. Orlais would notice one final thing as his Detect Magic flickered away, and that was the magic within the inky tattoo-like stains. Illusion permeated them, yes, but Necromancy magics within Xugor stunk him to high heavens and beyond, the source not being pure by any stretch of the imagination. After this victory, fair as a fight amongst Orcs could be, Xugor grants Reymira passage out of the valley, his reasons his own, but that is not their tribe’s way… she… she was weak. Almost in the throws of death’s grip for a second time in half a day, Rey leans on Oralis and Talon and they begin to walk through the crowd of Orcs and Half-Orcs, beasts and siege machines; the tribe much larger than she recalls, the Dragon… must have migrated them from their holy site atop the peak, so they would come here, closer to one of their others at the Tower of Storms, and rally, Pa’s old plan. Turning the final corner before the great Dwarven gates, Agar Dro-Barah attacks Zelana out of hateful malice for his flamed baleful wounds. A lightning bolt shot from their ornate metallic spear dances across her back, grazing it more than anything but not reducing the sting, before crashing into the canyon beyond. Some large chunks of rock that land atop the ruins collapse into a column of particles that sprinkle through the valley. This displeases Xugor, to say the least, whose own inky tattoo begins to glow. He grasps and squishes Agar with a shadowy tendril of a clawed hand, growing out of and moving as one with him, not wielding the maul currently. The shadowy hand erupts in a deluge of red ooze after grabbing and enclosing around Agar, who then slumps to the ground, lifeless. A moment later, Xugor digs his great maul of a weapon into the ground, pommel first, and begins to Revivify Agar, reciting an incantation of an unknown language and origin. The black tendrils pull up the body, sucking back in the blood, and mending the bones that reside beneath. Loud snapping, cracking, and popping sounds bombard the ears of everyone in the speech vacuum. The party collectively shudders, and Xugor utters, “Next time you fail me, or go against the wishes of the Lady, I won’t bring you back.” They leave towards Umbrage Hill, needing Old Lady Adabra’s services now, perhaps.Back Through the Hills
The path to Umbrage Hill is much calmer this afternoon than the path to the Excavation Site, the evening before, and it is met with disdain as they walk back in relative silence with one another, Reymira saying little more than, “I’ll explain later, when we’re gone from here.” as they exit the Dwarven Gate, and it begins to squeal shut, a slam with a resounding thud. Dazlyn and Norbus both talk about the secret passages, the holy symbol of Abbathor they found while hiding in the back halls, and the Dwarven Spear Agar held - apparently a Spear of Lightning from one of the Dwarven Kingdoms in the region, maybe even one of the lost ones that the Orcs could have found! So many findings to discuss with Cap Zoud, they also chat with Zelana about the Sending Stone pair, and that Zoud has people who could link up more, or even overcharge them, in Neverwinter, so she agrees to let them take one. The climb back up the great hill that neared the end of their journey last night, the camp atop the hill still had mounted heads on pikes, and in the light of the Sun, Orlais was mortified to recognize friends. The ones he was meant to meet for his trade the other day. They bore marks of torture, and are otherwise maimed, but tracks lead off into a small wooded area, and one of his friends is missing! Rey and Zelana remain at the Camp with Dazlyn and Norbus, resting up wounds, and beginning to feel the effects of battle; while Talon thinks its best they find some food. Orlais doesn’t think that Grymm would join such mindless beasts, tracks the parcel of footsteps to a collection of trees alongside Talon, and Orlais takes the time while investigating to bait a trap and manages to snag a Fox in it later. The tracks scatter save for one, and, remembering their friend's fondness for climbing trees, Orlais looks up. Grymm smiles at the sight of his friend and says, “Nobody ever looks up, remember!”, before scrambling down, making introductions to Talon, and heading back to camp with Grymm who was on his way back to camp when he heard the sounds of the raid last night and decided to stay hidden from the fray. The rest of the Trio and company take a short rest, eating some stew that Grymm makes up from the Fox, Reymira drinks her actual last potion, Zelana just… catches her breath, tending to the wounds from the lightning bolt earlier, and Orlais details what he saw with his new Magic Sight. Reymira also shares, pressed by Orlais, that she was once part of the Talos Tribe, but ran away when she could, that Xugor is her brother, and that her father, the old Chieftain, must be dead for this to be true. Grymm grants Reymira forgiveness, for what it's worth, but Oralis holds the grudge a bit longer. Zelana asks who the Shadow Lady is, and none of them seem to know.Monster at the Mill, oh Well!
Rested up, and ready as they can be for the last leg of the journey back to Phandalin, they approach Umbrage Hill from afar, they see nothing but the mill and the house in the distance as the late afternoon begins to soften the colors into its warm palette of auburns, purples, and the occasional pink. Wildflowers absorb the colors of the skies, white as they are, serving as petals of canvas, each of them, painting the hillside as if a pointillism painting - turning shades as the winds rotate their dishes of explosive color. Orlais had passed by Old Lady Adabra’s once or twice, and the party had seen it in the distance on the way to the West, but he had never needed her services. Luckily, the mill is just a few short hours from the camp atop the hill - if they don’t have to sneak! As they climb down, and up, the last array of hills, they spot a great monstrosity beginning to assail the country home. Crunching, bashing, and crackling noise roaring alongside an actual roar, they peer over, over hills and stone walls, and through wrought iron fences to make out snippets of what appears to be a single Manticore! Voracious teeth set in a masculine humanoid face, the mane that cascades down its back is black-brown, and as spiky as the spears of bone that pervade the end of the creature’s lash-like tail. The body between the tail and the head is of a lion’s, explaining the roar, but two wings also sprout out of this terrifying chimera of a kind - Draconic in their appearance. Fortunately, a collection of great past knowledge has accumulated by the party about Manticores, less from experience and more through tales heard from others or read through books, but follies of others become fortune for the Trio once more as they combine their total breadcrumbs to devise a plan to save Adabra - who is screaming for help from the mill’s window, overhead. Stepping up, past the fence, all by their lonesome, they look back and say to wait for her and sneak around; while she distracts and aims to dissuade the monster. Zelana discusses and shows fealty to the Manticore, and even offers the rest of the small sack of gems they found in the Temple of Abbathor! The colorful lies of fealty, the sacrifice of wealth, and asking the Manticore to leave with a small show of force when the others failed to climb the fence stealthily… Zelana convinced the Manticore to leave without even a fight. After the monster flies off, they look around at the destruction and find the corpses of three other Orc bodies, several bone spikes sticking out of them. She… exclaimed that she hadn’t noticed them, but she was sure her plan would work!Herb Hunting & Adabra's Hearth
Old Lady Adabra invites them into the still-sturdy mill, and offers each of them, the Trio, Talon, and Grymm, but not the Dwarves, hiding as they were down the hill, a common healing potion, and offers to make Zelana something special because she was so brave to stand up to the large monstrosity all on her own. Zelana yells in equal parts excitement and nervousness that she would love something to help her against another bolt of lightning, itching her back, still tender from the grazed bolt earlier. Adabra agrees to the request as long as someone can help her find the herbs, and help replace the healing herbs she’d need after brewing that night. She says there are some beds upstairs too, but definitely not enough for everyone unless some folks bunked up together. Sure enough, there were only four beds, but there were tasks to take care of before dividing them up and turning in for the eve. Orlais and Grymm listen to Adabra describe the herbs they are looking for, and Reymira listens in, still battered, but healed a bit from her respite at the camp, she says she needs to go too, more hands and eyes makes for more herbs, and they don’t have the same skills she does when it comes to horticulture, so the three of them shuffle off into the night, ready for anything. Using Fogcutter, Darkvision, and Reymira’s Herbalism knowledge, they were able to stay small in the darkness, and begin their gathering with a few advantages. Zelana asks Adabra some questions, trying to occupy her time and mind with something while the others were out on their nigh-midnight supply run. She would learn the recipe from Old Lady Adabra as the Acolyte of Chantea began to make the various brews of healing potions, having more than a few alembics setup for emergency brewing. Meanwhile, Dazlyn and Norbus appraise Talon’s gold chunk under his earnest request. The herb hunters would return with Liferoot for healing potions, and some extra bushels that Rey would keep for herself, a few Morel caps, which would play a part later, and three Forkstars, of which they needed two, and were hoping for a fourth, but the wind began to bite, and wolves, they knew already, were the least of worries in these neck of the woods. As they arrived back to the mill, they were all talking amongst themselves in Orcish, telling jokes that they had heard that just didn’t land the same in other languages, and tired of hearing languages that she could not understand, her Sorceress magic allowed her to Comprehend Languages, seemingly out of nowhere! The garbled deep consonances, suddenly translating to Common for her, she begins to laugh as well. Confused, and in disbelief that she actually understands so suddenly, the three of them ask what she thinks she heard, and give Adabra the replacement herbs. Zelana details every part of the joke that she did hear, but didn’t get the punchline of the one that had ended as the magic first took effect, not hearing the beginning of the joke. Grymm gives Zelana a particular look, intrigue, before they settle in for the evening alongside everyone.Ending the Day with Grace
Reymira is still distant minded and unable to bring up the subject, so Oralis broaches it as Adabra begins the second part of the Potion of Lightning Resistance. Telling her, not asking her, that she needs to come with them to Phandalin in the morning. She denies him, and for a time this discussion goes on, logic imparted by Rey, emotional strings tugged by Zelana, but Adabra would simply deny them. She smiles and says, “Let’s talk about it in the morning, when we’ve all had some rest, and food.” She pulls out the Morels given to her from earlier, and starts some cookware for another dish, this one leagues different, though. After it gets started, she steps away from the pan for a couple minutes and the draft of wind starts to Mend. She walks back in time to stir, and the earthy aroma fills the room to the brim, having nowhere to go now. The Trio and their collection of creatures dined heartily with this shared feast of potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and merriment with warmth despite the hardships and trauma of the day. Reymira would take one of the beds for herself, and so too, would Grymm. Dazlyn and Norbus would split a bunk, toes to toes, Talon would roll out a bedroll and sleep on the floor so that Zelana could take the last bed. Orlais didn’t need to sleep, so he sat in a lounger chair downstairs, and meditated on the day’s events whilst Adabra finished the healing potions and headed to bed, setting the Resistance potion to simmer and sitting back on the other lounger, drifting to rest for a time until it finished up.Until Next Time, Adventurer. Check out the other ways to engage!
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04 Jan 2024
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