| The World of Teréth End - Chronicles - Othic |
||||
|
"Too often days swiftly pass / Weeping in the evening grass / There just is not enough time / Forthings you dreamt you'd do / The hours still drift by. "Too many years, too high a cost / Too many lessons earned but lost / And still you complain all the time / Cursing the days before you / Lamentng the days gone by. "And finally laying in your bed / Staring skyward, nearly dead / It all floods back one last time, / The chances that you left behind / But alas there's little left to do / ... but cry." Dirimoran song  |
Troubles in Moren Burdrul The group again travels south from Eldarkar into the Moren Burdrul. Shambling shapes emerge from the forest. An Thuranth Spring shamanic stone and passage through the farmlands of Urthari Gnot. A caravan-masters warnings go unheeded and the company encounters an Order of Deephold patrol. Rest on the shores of Nularya Lun. Mishara awoke first in the sleeping house. Seeing no one else stirring, the Elve walked north from Eldarkar, scouting through the old autumn forest. His brief excursion across the woody hillsides led him to an old mine and long abandoned Uren roads. Returning to Tarawyn's empty home he found Jak sitting on the porch sharpening his spear. His human friend looked much older than he did only day ago. In his time with Humans, it had never struck Mishara just how fleeting life could be among the mortal races. Dammon awakened from a terrible and strange dream that left his clothes soaking from sweat, and to him, the faint smell of brine. Tarawyn returned from town with some eggs for a quick breakfast. After a small talk of travel intentions, Tarawyn left on his own. The group wandered south passed Kry Moradem, along the road they'd now traveled many times. By evening they found their previous campsite and Jak returned from the woods with the belongings cached after the battle with the Heedar. In the morning the group continued their travel through the rocky Moren Burdrul, cautiously watching for the notorious inhabitants of this area. At midday the group stopped at an old roadside campsite and Tressta made a fire to fend off the autumn cold. Eating the remainders of their traveling rations, Alcerra noticed movement from the surrounding trees. Grabbing her trident she began casting a Bless before the others noticed the source of her alarm. From the trees stepped large conical figures of orange and yellow leaves. Jak grabbed his spear and charged the nearest cutting into the leafy giant with Punishment, his spear. The thing neither howled or recoiled, instead producing two large arms from its side which it proceeded to clobber the spearman with. The others watched in horror as Jak was beaten down and enveloped by the leafy mass. Dammon fired the spell Lallan's Lightning at the creature only to watch with curiosity as the creature grew. Tressta grabbed a burning log from the fire, and tossed it at the far creature but the log simply bounced off the leafy mass. Tressta then proceeded to pick stones from the firepit and toss them at the Shambler that had consumed Jak, keeping her distance from the one approaching. Alcerra summoned a ghostly hand which she sent toward the creature, channelling her deathly powers through the spectral hand. Dammon, backing away from the monsters set up vortices of powerful winds, the churned up dirt and leaves from the ground. The Shambler's leafy form was ruffled by the wind, but did not move until a second was crossed with the first, blowing the monster into a tree and pinning it there. Mishara peppered the creature with his gnawed arrows, but no one could tell if the creature was being wounded as each arrow was swallowed into its shape. Soon, hands appeared from the side of the pinned shape and the ooze-covered gasping shape of Jak emerged from the monster, but was hurtled into the trunk and knocked to the ground. Gathering himself together, Jak ran from the creature and most of the group followed. Mishara, distanced himself but continued to fire at the lumbering monsters. Eventually Mishara and later Jak were able to reduce the advancing monsters into puddles of leaves and black-green ooze. Skeletal remains were found in their shapeless bodies, along with leather items, some cloth, a bone tube and a pouch of glass vials. Reaching a creek, a couple hours were taken to rest, clean Jak, clean Mishara's arrows, and heal. Dammon took the opportunity to examine the bone tube that had been found and discovered a scroll inside. He also determined that the two vials were potions of healing and necromancy, though he could not identify their exact purpose. Following this, the group continued along the course set by Dammon's instructions, leaving the road to cross south over a rocky hill. Crossing the hill was slow going as there was no trail to follow. That evening Mishara spotted a rocky outcropping where a gush of water spewed from the rock face. The rock face was covered with mystical goblin writings as seen weeks before at the shamanic rock in the Northwoods. Deciding this was not a proper place to spend the night, the group traveled south for an hour and set up camp. During Jak's watch, the campsite was approached by a small band of goblins which asked simple questions and set camp and a small firepit nearby. Both Jak and Mishara spoke with the goblins for the remaining night. Learning the direction of the group's travel the goblins agreed to escort the group along a southerly road through Urthari Gnot, an Urdar kingdom. In the morning, the group had to wait for the goblin leader and another to return from a short venture north. The group and Urdar found the road shortly, and turned west into large meadowland within the forest. The fields were made into simple farmlands with narrow dirt trails, round stone houses, and rickety wooden fences outlining harvested fields and pig stys. As they walked and rode along the wider main road, the Urdari families emerged from their homes, shielding their eyes to watch the group pass through. The road eventually wound through an area of larger, more densely packed houses where hundreds of goblins watched the party pass. Jak waved at the inhabitants but only receieved recognition from the youngest of the Urdar onlookers. Within another half-hour the road had turned south and re-entered the dense forest, leaving the Urdari kingdom behind. Before leaving the group, the Urdar reminded Jak to tell his people not to attack the goblin people again. On the wooded road south from Urthari Gnot, the group met a Human caravan moving north along the road. Jak spoke with the nervous caravan swordsmen for a few minutes before they moved along. He learned that the group was heading for Avarlin with winter foodstuffs. They exchanged information about the road in either direction, at which time the swordsmen told Jak not to turn right at the T-intersection to the south, for that was a forbidden area. The two groups parted company and the journey continued. Hours south, the group reached the intersection and following the instructions layed out by Iahn Argentale, the group turned west despite the merchants' warnings. The trunks along the roadside were carved with warning marks and draped with lines of human, goblin, and other skulls. Not a half-watch into their journey down the western road, the roots and grasses rose from the group tangling their feet and the horse's legs. Those able to move out of the area found archers standing around them. Ordered to drop their weapons, the group did so. The archers closed slowly demanding answers from the trespassers. it was explained that Iahn Argentale had told them to journey this way, though none of those gathered could remember the name. Dammon listed other areas on his list of directions which intrigued and gave some credibility to his claims. A scout was sent to verify the name. In the hours that followed the spell was withdrawn under the condition that Mishara lay on his stomach, as his "kind" was not welcomed in this area. Dammon took the opportunity to ask the ranger leader, none of which offered their names, about the Lair of Katulth. The leader said he knew of the name and warned Dammon of throwing it about so cavalierly. The leader also stated that he would not tell Dammon where the lair lay, though he did know its location. Others in the group looked about confusedly at the ranger's comment, "It would not be wise to wake him." Eventually, another scout returned with word that Iahn's name was real. The rangers allowed the group to leave, and told them not to return this way. Mishara, cleaning out his boots, noticed Elve tracks leading down the road toward the Valley of Bones, and wondered what their fate may have been. The Urdar had mentioned that a group of six Elve had come this way. The group continued East and had no troubles traveling that day. The next morning they continued south down the traders' road and by late afternoon could see the large lake Nularya Lun through a break in the trees to the south, and the woodland town of Loston on its eastern shore. 5 Dec 1998
|
Navigation People Pr. Bairnon (Rgr5) Introducing Shaman Stones:
Throughout the Northwoods are
large jutting boulders covered with strange runes. These are
Shaman Stones, marked by the
Urdar of the region. Understanding the purpose of the Stones
requires an overview of Urdari theology, magic and community. The
Urdari refer to themselves as a godless race, having no mythic progenitor.
The truth of this is difficult to know but unimportant.
The Urdar fully realize their lot in life. They are not physically
strong. They are not intelligent (relative to other races).
They have no deity looking upon them or great destiny before them.
The key to their existence is to remain unnoticed by the other more
important races. Furthermore, the Urdar have been cursed with
an appearance of evil that colors the opinions of neighboring races,
and has found them roles in children's tales of "ugly men"
from the forest stealing away with Uren
children in the night. Keeping a low profile is rarely enough
to survive. All is not hopeless however, as select Urdar have
found a niche within the balance of things. Following the Acentran-Dekàlan
War the Urdar found themselves with room to expand and filled the
gulfs between claimed lands (now the Urdari
Lands). They adopted Uren techniques for farming and began
organizing themselves into small kingdoms as their Kandalan
cousins had done centuries before. Shamen (always present within
sizeable Urdari communities) learned the ways of Woad
and flourished with their new found knowledge and magical ability.
In 409 DR, an Urdari shaman (Ragboot)
was admitted into the ranks of the Stonewatchers
of Knerl. In time, Ragboot returned to to his homeland and
taught many shamen the secret ways of Woad, and instructed each to
construct (mark) a Shaman Stone near their communities. The
stones are magical foci for each community, but over the years their
significance has grown beyond this. By the end of the 5th century
DR they became places for decree, judgement, marriage, and punishment
within Urthari communities. |
||
| Ref. PHB (Player's Handbook), © Wizards of the Coast  |
||||