Book Six, Chapter Three �You�re going home in a moral ambivalence�
����������� 13/09/2003
We did discuss, at length, if we were going to go after the 20th level Undead Sorcerer in Cear Shobold. At great length, and then sense finally prevailed so we didn�t. Today is the 23rd of Agrazhar.
We are after Alegar II is the high king of Orbaal, in Geldehiem. So the journey is about 9 or 10 days to Tashal, then 2 days to Olokand, then wild-forested land, but on the road still, to Leriel for 12 to 14 days. Then it's another 16 days to Geldehiem across the mountains.
Alegar II rules the Balkanised land of Orbaal, which he inherited. He has a somewhat paranoid personality and sees enemies everywhere. He knows that various clans would like to see him go, and is coping with this by hoping it�ll go away. Weak, vain and untrustworthy. Lots of Ivinians clans don�t like him. The High Priestess of Agrik in Geldehiem is the mother of Alegar�s half brother (they had the same farther). This is the only serious replacement for him if he dies. He lives to the northeast of Geldehiem, between Vaagel and Zuden. We all warn Bowlhead to keep his mouth shut about Ivinians in Orbaal.
So we will go in disguise as merchants. The merchant Markus Spencer, his assistant W H Smith, bodyguard Don Quarry and Edward, err Silverhand (need a new alias). Bowlhead needs an alias and role. He will be Doctor White, a healer, a sort of holy man. Well he can get away with that. We need some trade goods. Ivinians are great traders.
We have two rings and a staff to identify. They are Channelling items. A Multiplier x1 per 5 levels, starting at x2, so its x3 at 6th level and 4x at 12th � so Aruth gets that. The other ring gives +1 per level to all magic (Ess, Cha and Ment) saving throws, which Zytsi gets. The staff is evil and nasty and does lots of evil things, Morgath origins. Sir Martyn gets the staff. Aruth gives Daniel his x2 multiplier any class ring.
Today is the 23rd of Agrazhar, we are in Burzyn and it�s about 9 or 10 days to Tashal. It was an uneventful 9-day journey, arriving on the 1st of Azura. We are looking at luxury and manufactured items to take to Orbaal. Tashal is a summer trading centre, everyone leaving in the autumn, so we�ll be ahead of the game. So 3,000d of wool and cloth and 3,000d of luxury goods (mixed goods glass, tools, brandy and the like). This takes 7 days so we leave on the 9th of Azura. Brief celebration of Bowlhead�s birthday on the 5th. Zytsi made him a stone amulet, quite nice but not really top quality. Zytsi spends some time overseeing the temple construction and gets a message to give a message to Sir Martyn. The Primate would like to see Sir Martyn. Sir Martyn sends a message to the Primate, and not one to Sula.
We leave on the 9th Azura and its then 2 days to Olokand. It was uneventful journey. We ask about Frost but find out nothing. We didn�t seriously search about or ask about. Not convinced the Staff is with his body any more. Sir Martyn asks Daniel to research a new name for him. A sort of vaguely Agrikan name, perhaps the name of an old dead Agrikan knight.
Then its wild forested land, but on the road still, to Leriel for 12 to 14 days. On the 4th night out early in the morning (14th Azura), the party discovers 8 things that look like the Agrikan V�hir surround it. Glowing bat wing fury humanoids bathed in flames. And it�s raining. Sir Martyn and Bowlhead were on watch, but Bowlhead didn�t spot them. Mind you the rest of the party woke up and noticed them. Sir Martyn greets them waving the hand of Agrik. �Aren�t we close to the east of Monster God Land� says Daniel. Sir Martyn sword is detecting evil. Probably not progeny of the Monster God then says Daniel putting on his armour. After 5 minutes they disappear. Sir Martyn put the hand on the 18th of Nolus and now it�s the 14th Azura, about 3 months ago.
They come back at the same night next night. Sir Martyn tries to order one in the name of Agrik stand over there, so it did. Sir Martyn talked to them and they responded. They came to him, and he can command them. Sir Martyn ordered them in the name of Agrik to be gone and not to return until he summons them. They go. �Oh� says the party. �Oops� says Sir Martyn. They are not the real V�hir.
�I do not care what happens to me�, says Sir Martyn. Robin says write that down so I did. �My Quest is to deal with Panaga�, Sir Martyn says. �Killing Panaga is all! It doesn�t matter if I survive. Wielding the Sword of Larani in the Hand of Agrik, with just a pair of smoking boots left behind is fine by me.�
We discus and then continue. ((The current date is the 15th Azura, knock a couple of days off the time in Tashal says Robin so I did, and the records are duly altered. It will come clear later says Robin.)) Sir Martyn will Dream about the Hand. He dreams about standing over a widening chasm, so Larani doesn�t actually object.
We discuss this over dinner. And bring forward the drugs of consulting Larani, but Zytsi bottled out. He was thinking of Dreaming about it, as another worshipper of Larani, the only other one in the party.
A drumming noise is heard at about 5 in the morning, and it�s getting louder. Not Gargun drums, says Zytsi. A large number of separate sources around us. Not a marching beat and it�s over a large area. Nearest one is over a mile away. We are currently in Nuthela, a wilderness area. The drumming is constant and it�s not moving. We can�t work it out, but it seems to about dawn. We have breakfast and set off, as we can�t get back to sleep. As we travel we leave some drums behind and there are some ahead. They are off the road, either side.
Some of the party spot people walking through the trees, not the Bard obviously. The Bardic dice rolling is in its usual appalling state. Tribesmen dressed in furs and hides, spears and bows and the occasional short sword. They probably noticed us, and are probably ignoring us. We decide to go and have a look. We head off towards one of the drums. Eventually we find ourselves underneath a tree. We look up, Daniel trips, stumbles, gives himself a black eye and is at -5 for a day. OK I rolled down big time on perception. There is man in furs and hides banging on a hollow drum up the tree. They are going northeast and we are going north-west. Its obviously a quaint local custom, so lets leave it alone. I don�t see anyone else, fair comment say the party. Bowlhead recons that the person up the tree might have a little bit of Jarin in him.
We go away, Bowlhead hangs about and shouts up at the person in the tree but he doesn�t acknowledge him. We ignore them and they ignore us. We go we hear the drums, we stop seeing them about lunchtime. The drums stop at midnight.
That evening we find a suitable campsite and there is a dead antelope there. Some one killed it and left it for us. Poison Purifications is cast on it by Aruth just to be paranoid. But it was OK.
After about 8 days we are edges of the mountains after crossing a river. There are Gargun or Orcs as they are called in Khuzdul. As about the same time Zytsi�s hammer goes �orcs� the drums start again. Sort of �Large numbers of Gargun� type message drums. (PS someone is letting off fireworks and we were concerned as this is Erdington but it was the authentic sound of fireworks not guns.)
There is about 60 Gargun says Zytsi, rolling 05. Within 800 feet. Gargu Hyeka the common or brown Gargun, says Zytsi. Wearing leather or no armour, who hunt in groups of 20 to 80.
Daniel, now he�s got lots of power points does the +10 Inspirations to everyone (except him) for 2 hours and 10 minutes. Ordinary signalling horns are blown to attract their attention, and Daniel blows �come on if you think you are hard enough� on the flute. It lacks a certain something really. Then he does the higher level Inspirations.
They arrive, Aruth and Bowlhead are on the wagon, Sir Martyn is on horseback, and Zytsi and Daniel aren�t. Sir Martyn lets himself get surrounded deliberately, he gets 16 attacking him. Zytsi gets 10, Daniel gets 6, Aruth and Bowlhead get 4 each. Sir Martyn kills 3, Zytsi kills 2, Daniel kills 1, Aruth 0, and Bowlhead gets hit on a roll up. Sir Martyn falls off his horse, when the horse fumbles on of his attacks. Prone on the ground.
They fill in the gaps and Sir Martyn stands up. Round two Sir Martyn kills 5, Zytsi kills 2, Daniel kills 0, Aruth kills 1, and Bowlhead gets to parry a lot. Daniel gets hit a couple of times and stunned 2 rounds and -15 and bleeding 3 per round.
Round three Sir Martyn kills 2, Zytsi kills 2 (and one running away), Daniel kills 1, Aruth kills 1, and Bowlhead kills 0. Daniel is hit again and knocked down for 2 rounds.
Round four Sir Martyn kills 3, Zytsi kills 1, Daniel kills 0, Aruth kills 0, and Bowlhead kills 1. Daniel breaks stun but is still down but eating Mirena Berries. Zytsi stands over him anyway, only to get lots of stuns.
Zytsi is looking to go under the wagon as he�s a bit of a mess. Daniel powers up the higher Inspirations. Aruth does a Sudden Light, which is converted to damage for simplicities takes so he kills 10.
Round five Sir Martyn kills 4, Zytsi kills 0, Daniel kills 0, Aruth kills 0 (but see the 10 above), and Bowlhead kills 0.
Aruth does another Sudden Light, which is converted to damage for simplicities takes so he kills 14. The last three run and Sir Martyn throws a dagger and kills one. They split up and Sir Martyn follows one and kills it. Then summons mount (horse) and lances it to death. So we got 59 and 1 got away.
4,000eps