|
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  |
The Old Taládan Road After resting for a few days, the group continues south along the ancient snow-covered road. An Ortori camp is found and the group is assaulted by two-headed Ogdar and a wizard that blinds Dammon. Group finds the bodies of two beheaded mountain giants. In a high pass, an old series of Dwürden towers are found. The group is attacked by a nesting wyvern. Kehen bids farewell to Ezikus and disappears into the bowels of the tower complex. A search of the tower complex uncovers an ancient machine and a Gru. Late Maran, high in the Tor'n Evalshat, a large group of travelers trod shivering through the snow. Every hour a man runs back to the walkers, confers with those in the lead, and races off ahead again. This has been Flender's job since leaving the tunnels, and he is tired. They are all tired and weary from this unending trek along a stretch of crumbled road used in ancient times by armies and caravans. Walking ahead of the stumbling fur-clad masses moves a warrior known within his homeland as Jak the Red, a bloodthirsty fighter who has ran his father's spear through more men than most soldiers in times of war. Nearby walks a seasoned soldier, with his black and grey cloak damp with snow. Saldus is the one who Flender reports to when he returns from his forward scouting. The man keeps one on Jak at all times, but also seems concerned with the state of the slaves, who are too weak for this trek. Beside them walks the slender shape of Tressta, he cloak pulled tightly around, her mind nestled in warmer places. She joined this trek south with some apprehension, curious as to what Taldàna has in store for her; wondering what has changed since she left so many years ago. Further back, toward the struggling peasants complaining and talking to each other in a foreign tongue, walked Dammon in his dark cloak. He walked with a jeweled staff but talked to few (and fewer talked to him) as they trudged their way from one valley to the next. Following behind the peasants walked Elidir, the swordswoman, Kehen the Dwürden axe-man, and Ezikus the old priest who still mourned the loss of his ward Almus. They were thankful for the lack of incidents in their journey, but the battles they'd seen were not far from their minds, and even the appearance of large white owls caused some alarm. Now and again some would stare off across the mountains, looking for the Mishara returning along some distant path, but his returning form was not to be seen. The second night they slept among a stand of tall dead trees that creaked and moaned throughout the night. On the third night they camped in an area surrounded by caves. While exploring the mountainsides, Dammon's familiar returned to him an old skull and a bone necklace with a carved stone medallion. They camped within some of the shallow caves, watching the snow fall outside. On the fourth day since encountering the giant bear, Flender returned with news of trouble. He'd spotted an Ortor encampment over the next rise, and worse still it was patrolled by two-headed Ogdar, known as ettin in some parts. As the group looked for ambush positions two heads appeared over the rise, each looking its own way. Behind them, Dammon's magic lifted him into the air. Seeing Dammon, the Ogdar shouted and charged up the road. As it charged forward, the ambushers raced to greet the monster with swords and spear. Soon the giant monster crashed to the road and the others moved back to their hiding places. Soon two more the monsters came running swiftly into view, stopping when they saw those hiding before them. Again the group closed around them, but the fight was not so easy for each of the Ogdar wielded two giant clubs with which they battered and crushed their opponents. Above the battle, Dammon's barrage of magical bolts scorched the air, burning into the hides of the fighting Ogdar. Valus, the son of Saldus, rushed forward to stab at one, but a fist smashed him as he approached. Jak too, received better than he dealt and by the time the last Ogdar had fallen he was badly bruised and shaken. Dammon announced a third wave as Ortor rushed into view, joining the fight. Some of the commoners, equipped now with weapons, met the Ortor as they rushed forward. Dammon released his [Arcane Bolts] at one that had appeared uphill from the battle, but his magical missiles deflected uselessly away from the Ortori mage. In exchange, the Ortori mage wove a spell of his own and Dammon was blinded. Saldus turned toward the spellcaster and with the aid of Flender and some of the slaves cut the Ortor down. Nearer the road's edge, a larger Ortor rushed forward and cut deeply into Jak, dropping him to the ground in a bloody mess. Others rushed to his aid as the Ortor yelled and his muscles grew. Ezikus ran forward, dragging Jak's body away as Elidir, Valus, and Kehen cut and hacked at the enraged Ortor. A third spied Tressta sneaking across the battlefield under the cover of her shadowy cloak and slashed her. She returned the favor, slipping her rapier through the Ortor's abdomen, killing him. Soon, the battle was over. The peasants gathered around their own, making a cairn above the roadside for the second of their number to pass away. Ezikus tended to Jak's wounds, and after some moments assured those gathered that he would recover. The group moved into the next valley where the Ortor had been camped and moved into the two sirkùlar tents there. They tended to the fire pits and sorted through the goat furs. Dammon's familiar brought his blind master a book of spells that it could not read. The night passed without incident, and in the early afternoon the wounded Jak wakened from his delirium thanks to the care of Ezikus. It was decided that another day of rest would be prudent, as many had suffered at the hands of the Ogdar and Ortor. Scouts were sent to the edges of the valley, but nothing stirred in the wintery wilderness. Those standing guard that night reported beautiful vistas under the soft blue glow of Woad's full face. This was a comfort for they could see anything that might move on the distant snowy mountain slopes for miles around. Two days following, the group had climbed higher into the mountains, following the Old Taládan Road as best they could through the snowcover. The exhausted Flender returned from ahead, reporting to Saldus that there were structures ahead. After a few went forward to inspect the report, the rest followed toward the ruined Dwürden towers that straddled the high mountain pass. No identifying marks were found on the buildings except the carving of names and dates that warriors and caravans had left on the weathered stones. Ezikus and Kehen spoke at length about the structures, more of which sprung from the mountainsides beyond the main gate, and determined they were of great antiquity, perhaps pre-dating the Empire of Dekàlas, for they were built by Dwürden at a time when these lands were ruled by the mountain race. Kehen, Ezikus, and Tressta went inside the westernmost tower while the others searched outside. Suddenly the walls shook with a terrible roar and the commoners screamed as a large winged shape launched from the ruins of the eastern tower and swooped down upon the hapless adventurers. The dragon-kin's barbed-tail skewered one peasant through the chest, snapping his bloodied corpse off into the snow. The monster's teeth ripped arm and head from another as it flew forward and its claws tore at more still. Elidir rushed forward with her battle sword but the tail flashed and stabbed forward, sending the deadly spine deep into her gut. Saldus and Jak also rushed forward stabbing and skewering the hovering beast. It clawed into Dammon's chest and a magic bolts flew wildly from the mage's fingertips. Finally, Saldus sunk the Sword of Bocor into the monster's side, its wings curled as it cried and fell to the ground, dead. Following the battle, Saldus checked on Elidir and found that the flesh around the wound she'd received was turning dark black. He tended to her as best he could, but she complained of weakness and fatigue. By the time Ezikus reached her, his skills were too late. The group moved into the western tower for that evening and night, which although drafty, provided better shelter than Ortori tents. In the nightsdeep of the next day, some were awoken by the moving of Kehen and his conversation with Ezikus, who had bid him farewell. Without speaking to anyone else the Dwürden opened a hidden hatch on the ground floor of the west tower and climbed down into the darkness below. Dammon's familiar followed him into the tunnels below and watched him open a secret passage and then another round metal door covered with strange runes. The familiar stood back and watched the vault door close behind him. Kehen would not be seen again. When the familiar returned to the tower it found the hatch closed. Dammon walked blindly down the old stairs and heard Saldus instructing others to cover the hatch. Dammon asked them to open it and there was a small knocking from the underside, but Saldus refused. Dammon argued some but then withdrew, his thoughts traveling through the hidden tunnels far beneath them as the familiar looked for other exits. Later that day they sent a group down to explore the tunnels beneath the towers and found ancient barracks, chambers, and short tunnels leading off into endless darkness. In one room, they examined machinery choked with Uren bones, connected to large iron spikes that had once thrust upward to the road above. As they examined these, the tunnels were filled with an awful howling, a noise they knew well, the call of the Gru. Soon the hall was filled with teeth and claws as the monster charged forth, Jak speared the creature but found its claws reached further and suffered some cuts before felling the thing. The telltale black and green nauseous smoke rose from its wounds as they torched and stabbed the monster until dead, but even as they burned its black flesh they could see its wounds knit together, fighting to survive. Following this, they returned to the surface, where everyone was made as comfortable as possible for the next two days. On the Fourth of Orid, Flender and Saldus went in search of food and returned after many hours with two mountain deer for the supply of bear meat was growing low. Flender also examined the wyvern's corpse but much of the meat was bad. They salvaged what they could, but those that ate the dragon-kin meat complained that it tasted more poorly than it smelled. In the dim morning hours of the fifth, as the group gathered its things and prepared to move on through the pass, Dammon examined a new scar by touch. Determining its meaning, he cast a spell that returned his sight. 3 Feb 2001
|
Navigation People Elidir (Ftr4) Introducing Towers: The art of building towers takes many shapes in different regions. Early Dekàlan towers were squared structures with few windows, but later examples adopt the round construction used by Dwürden and Elve alike. |
||
| Ref. PHB (Player's Handbook), © Wizards of the Coast  |
||||