The Bloodied Bite
Party:♦ Alvana (deva avenger)
♦ Barrus (bugbear rogue)
♦ Sergo (half elf warlord)
♦ Rhakka (tiefling warlock)
♦ Elessar (goliath barbarian)
♦ Hadarai (eladrin swordmage)
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| Barrus, Sketched by Dumi |
In the morning Hadarai made use of a scroll of sending to talk to the King's Majordomo and send a report, asking for reinforcements. He was told the Omega Company contingent could be sent. It was commanded by a dwarf, by the name of Durom Stormhammer, a man who gets things done. The Legate promotes Hadarai to major in-field, a promotion which remains to be confirmed into position at a later date. The others familiarized themselves with Oshul's stronghold, and Alvana even did a bit of shopping in the tribe before leaving to reinstate Barrus in his rightful position.
A scout from the Golden Fang led us part of the way towards the Bloodied Bite. The rest of the way was up to them. As the party drew closer to the territory of the enemy tribe, they find the land tainted by Shadow. No animals chose to live on this land. Barrus remembered the forest was once known as The Mad Forest, because the primal spirits were very active in the area. Traveling the tainted land was harrowing, but we endured its difficult conditions.
We came to a fallen tree, climb atop it, and see a clearing up ahead. This place looked like an ancient fey place of passage, marked by two Guardian Trees, and all could sense this was a perfect spot for an ambush. Hadarai explained that in antique times, this was a place of pilgrimage to a small fey temple of the primal spirits, since before Illithiria was established, when the fey people were nomads. This was part of a Path of Purification. Alvana notices some wisps coming from the lake, and each of us has a sense of peace and homecoming. Despite this, Hadarai feels that something is amiss here, as we are, after all, in a tainted place.
A prayer to the primal spirit incites the undead in the region, as the wind bares the message “Your gods are worthless here”. We are attacked by a Battle Wight, a creature which drains vitality when it attack with its soul-draining sword, Ghoul Ambushers, who ate their victims when they were immobilized, and Skeletons, which were essentially just cannon fodder compared to the rest. During the combat, from the ruins, a Green Arcanian arose, a ranged undead fighter who was the most dangerous yet. The combat was excruciating, particularly for Barrus, who dealt with the Battle Wight in melee, and was drained of most of his energy. After the fight, we tried out best to redeem this once holy place, and we invoke the spirit of Pakkun, in a ritual to cleanse the place of evil. When we completed it, we heard a mighty bear's roar, and due to a boon named Pakkun's Endurance, we all regained some of the vitality we had lost in the fight.
A small winding path opens up towards a road that we follow for 2 hours. At the edge of the forest, we find a plateau where the war camp is situated, and we arrive just in time to see its wooden gates open and 2 warbands departing from it. A group of 180-200 warriors in all. The warcamp would likely keep a few remaining guards, sentinels, slaves and other few, about a fifth of the tribe remaining behind. Haradai used a scroll of sending to contact the legate, sending a brief message about the Bloodied Bite warriors who would reach the Golden Fang next sunrise, and asked her to inform Durom.
The autumn moon was in its first quarter, and it was foggy, perfect conditions for an ambush. We noticed the patterns the sentinels were using between the four guard towers in the camp, and we attempted to disable the sentinels, knocking them out. The camp was still slightly benumbed, only 20 sentinels seemed to be awake in all. We disguised ourselves as sentinels of the camp, and approached the main tent inconspicuously.
Barrus saw his brother inside, talking heatedly in Goblinoid, about the foolishness of the attack, and the half-orc woman assured him that the sacrifice would not be in vain, and that The Shadow works in mysterious ways. The main army was 3 days away from that measly tribe. “The tactic is very simple”, she explained, giving details that made it apparent that she was an excellent tactician. “The Shadow is now away, and attempts to communicate with the dwarves.” It was obvious to those of us with insight that she knew more about the plan, but if we did not act soon, the window for action might slip away as other guards could be on alert.
Barrus' Brother bore the same symbols now found on Rhakka as tattoos, but he did not resist the half-orc woman, instead, he was empowered through them to be an even more excellent melee fighter. The guards inside the tent, two Bugbear Wardancers, were dispatched during our surprise attack. Possibly seeing us as a threat, the half-orc woman used a linked portal which took her through the Shadowfell, to a predesignated destination, one still on this continent, Haradai's keen arcane senses noticed. The fight with the half-machine bugbear was very difficult, Alvana even banishing him for a few seconds in which her companions gathered their breath. “Long have I wanted to decorate my tent with your head”, Barrus' younger brother threatened our friend, but when it became obvious that he would perish, the half orc woman detonated his body with a word from afar, which nearly floored all of us, leaving Barrus standing, in time to reclaim his authority in the tribe, having slain his contender.
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