Results of Endeavors in Garthok

[Traceroo]

Unto His Excellency Lord Ambassador Baron Morningtide of Tiatar:

My Lord Baron,

I have the honor to report on behalf of "Team Awesome Fox," a group led by Squire Klonoa Kona of Rivervale, with his courtsmen, Squire Kendrick Eisenhal, Inaki Kona, Brooke Blaine of the Dockside Blaines, Panax Thistleburr, Fellstar of the Sky Bear Clan, and myself representing Her Grace's Court of Acarthia.

We traveled into the southeast region of Garthok, and there spoke with the Mountain Tribe, lead by Chieftain Takota. Our endeavors were successful! The Mountain Tribe will honor the ancient compact of its people, and it will send one unit of its people southward to assist Acarthia in the fight against corruption.

Additionally, Squires Noah and Kendrick guided negotiations successfully between the Mountain Tribe, and the nearby Moonriver Tribe of trolls, bringing peace to these former adversaries. Ogres and trolls will train their children together to ensure this peace lasts into the future.

Panax Thistleburr, Minister of Natural Resources of Rivervale, also returns to Acarthia with valuable information about beliefs regarding the First Forest, revered by dryads.

With the exemplary aim and dexterity of Inaki, whose swiftness and cleverness won the day for our party, the skill of Brook Blaine who is the finest battle healer I have ever had the good luck to defend me on the field, and both the bravery and generosity of Fellstar whom I would now eagerly welcome at my side in any adventure in the future, Team Awesome Fox returns to Acarthia successful and full of high spirits! We hope our endeavors meet your approval, My Lord Baron.

I eagerly look forward to reading and hearing the reports of the other expeditions into Garthok. I invite those brave adventurers who heeded your call to share of their own successes publicly to celebrate our victories together.

In service to Acarthia,
Ever your friend,

Dame Katherine Albright
Knight of the Ducal Court of Acarthia

 

[BromFarsmythe]

My Lord Baron Morningtide, Ambassador for Her Grace Duchess Tiberion,

I, Squire Brom Farsmythe, would like to inform you, and the rest of the kingdom, of the success of "Team Gooses Gander".

The winter weather had delayed us by a day. My Lord Baron Rivervale, Alexander Fairfax, Banks, Guardsman Connor, Aneyra [SP?], Riggs and myself had arrived a day after many others had left. Riggs is a rather capable archer and I look forward to getting to know him better, should the opportunity present itself in the future. The road to the camp was a bit treacherous; we were attacked by lesser ogres. Fear not, for My Lord Baron Rivervale is safe, as is the rest of our traveling troupe. For the rest of our stay with our friends and allies in the tribes My Lord Baron gifted me the chance to lead our expedition so that I may have practice at being a leader. I must admit, I was overjoyed at the chance to further my squire's training and to have a chance to lead such a powerful and reputable group.

We met with Skycaller Chogra. The Great Ogre Chieftain was still resting off the partying that had been done the night before in celebration of all the good that was done by our fellow Acarthians and was not taking callers at the time. After some discussion we were asked to help him with a task personal to him. It seems that the various troupes that had preceded us did an exemplary job and little was left for us to do! Skycaller Chogra had told us of a book... a journal really... that held within it strange writing that none from the tribes had yet to decipher. Aneyra [SP?] was most keen on finding this journal as well as she suspected, based on Skycaller Chogra's description, that what laid within were runes that many of us are familiar with.

The book, we were to discover, was held by a clan of nasty Gnolls who, thankfully, had lost most-to-all of their casters. Our friends and allies within the Ogre tribes are quite efficient and capable! After a failed attempt to negotiate for the book our troupe set upon the Gnolls and, after some spirited fighting, we emerged alive and with the book in hand. It had grown quite dark by this time and we quickly journeyed back to Skycaller Chogra not wanting to be set upon by other Gnolls who may have been lurking nearby.

Skycaller Chogra had told us of a cave nearby that held within it a strange mirror-like object that was sealed off by some form of a magic barrier. Eagerly we went to the cave to see exactly what was inside. The cave was home to a small but deadly group of giant spiders, which were put to the sword with little trouble.

It makes my chest swell with pride to say that I traveled with some of the keenest minds in all the land! Aneyra, Anders and Banks set to the task of deciphering some sort of runic language that was placed on the ground in front of the barrier that kept us from getting to the object. My eyes had adjusted well enough to the dark that I was able to see a segment of runic language carved into the wall, which proved useful to the trio as they put their minds to cracking the code. Baron Rivervale was ever watchful and fatherly as the three of them worked. Guardsman Connor was ever vigilant and kept My Lord Baron safe from potential ambush. Riggs, proving to have keen eyes and a steady step, had deftly scoured the cave for traps and the like. In a comical turn, I was merely a fixture for holding light for the those cracking the code, but I did such with great skill and duty! Surely it comes as no surprise that the code was broken, the barrier dropped and the object was accessed.

The object proved to be very powerful and will prove to be immensely helpful in the days to come. I wish not to discuss in detail what the object was in this form, but I give my word that I will inform you of the details when the time comes and it is safe to do so. Our friends and allies in the Ogre tribes are quite happy with this turn of events and, coupled with the success met by our fellow Acarthians, a better future is stretched out before us!

In service to Acarthia,

Squire Brom Farsmythe of Rivervale

 

[Graham Wolsey]

Until his Excellency, Ambassador Baron Eldred Morningtide,

I, Graham Wolsey, am reporting from the Warchester group that traveled to Garthok to meet with the Dark Moon Clan. From the Barony was our leader, Sir Duer Osborne as well as Thorgrim Gravelcracker the Unquenched, Ulric, and a new addition Erizane whom we met in one of the bars of Garthok. Additionally, we had the pleasure of taking Jax and Andrew the Bard with us on our journey as well. We journeyed to the eastern region of Garthok and encountered the Chief of the Dark Moon Tribe herself, Chief Etu. Chief Etu initially dealt with our group with suspicion. She seemed to not remember the ancient pact and while she expressed a hearty disdain for undead in all their forms, she commented that our group would need to prove ourselves. The Dark Moon Clan has a very high density of "Sky Callers" (Celestial Casters) and "Bone Menders" (Earth Casters) compared to the other tribes of Garthok. They also have many ogres that "don't like being part of a shield wall" and instead attack from the flanks and back often using poison or ambushes to kill their foes. This seemed strange to me based on what I knew of Ogre culture from interactions with the Thunderfist or Skullhammer tribes. Additionally, the Dark Moon Clan seemed to prioritize results rather than how those results were achieved. They believed that the weak should be let die and the strong should be given positions of leadership and authority. This "strength" and "weakness" was results oriented though not based on who could smash a rock harder. Sir Osborne and I explained that in Acarthia those that follow the Code of Chivalry believe that everyone is worthy of respect and that strength can be measured in ways aside from battle. Chief Etu considered what we had said and asked for honor duels to see our fighting capabilities. Several of our group fought and in each duel we were victorious. Chief Etu smiled and decided to send us on a quest.

She arranged to send us on a task where we would venture into a "magical cave" that made me remember the cave of chivalry back in Acarthia proper. She explained that the cave was used as a coming of age ceremony for her tribe and that the cave adapted to the capabilities of the supplicant. She wanted us to retrieve a large gem from the cave and bring it back to her in under an hour. With that Chief Etu sent us with a guard as a guide to the cave and we departed.

We were attacked by a group of common lesser ogres which we dispatched with little effort. Thorgrim, Ulric, and Jax were particularly effective at quickly and efficiently dispatching the yellow bandits. We continued through the woods following our guide until we came upon a group of blue feathered creatures. One of them approached our group and claimed to be a "harpy". She explained that we needed to give them "shinies" or they would murder us and search our corpses for them. I calmly explained that we would not be extorted and that they had one chance to leave without blood being spilled. The harpies attacked us with their claws and teeth reeking of sickly disease. They were fearsome opponents even causing the incredibly stalwart Ulric to run away in fear until Jax could use his mental powers to calm him. Many Biata have been very helpful to me in my time in New Acarthia, if anyone has had a trying experience I encourage them to seek out one of our feathered friends for assistance. Once he was back in the fight Ulric easily killed the Harpy that sent him running. The supernatural fear was the hardest part of the encounter. One of the harpies managed to get to Erizane who quickly made it irrelevant by cursing it with weakness allowing the rest of us to easily dispatch it.

Eventually our number arrived at the magical cave. We entered to find the cave very dark. Thorgrim bravely volunteered to lead the expedition into the cave. His nose was assaulted by toxic spores that would have put a lesser man to sleep. Thorgrim shrugged it off with his hearty dwarvern constitution and tried to figure out what had happened and if there would be further gases or danger. Unable to see Thorgrim and I switched places... what I saw was a leafy plant creature in the corner a pile of toxic mushrooms. The mushrooms would spew dangerous gases ranging from hallucination to weakness to sleeping gas poison. I was able to strike the mushrooms several times but after 20 or so hits I felt as if I was getting no where. Sir Osborne volunteered to try with his polearm, but eventually he was weakened by the mushrooms. I returned to hit them again and eventually I reduced the mushrooms to a pile of just mush.

We headed into the room the mushrooms had occupied and discovered numerous tapestries on the walls depicting all manner of things. There was also a HUGE golem in the center of the room guarding one of the tapestries. One of our number commented that one of the tapestries was of stars and that the High Ogre's Celestial Casters were called "Sky Callers". I suggested that Andrew the Bard use one of his scrolls on the tapestry to see what happened. Sure enough when Andrew the Bard used a Stone Bolt scroll he was inspired to interact with the tapestry in such a way as to rearrange the stars on it. As soon as he moved a few of the stars the golem in the center of the room moves to one side and pulled up the tapestry it was standing in front of to reveal a hallway. On the floor by the golem was also a Formal Scroll.

In the final room we encountered an elaborate system of webbing and bells. It seemed that spiders had infested the room. Many of the spiders could entangle the group and we had to be cut out of their webs several times. The spiders even breached my armor but thankfully the healers of Erizane, Andrew the Bard, and Jax were more than sufficient to bind my wounds and close them with powerful earth magic. Our group bravely defeated the spiders and found a chest in the back. Zane quickly stripped out of her armor and selflessly picked up the chest to see if it was trapped. Nothing much happened until she started jostling it by running upon which she was quickly cursed with paralysis. Andrew the Bard was able to call on his extensive knowledge of Earth Magic to fix her and we exited the cave with a chest full of loot in tow.

We ran back to Chief Etu with barely a minute to spare when we arrived. We hadn't even looked into the chest, but thankfully the gem was there along with some smaller gems and some other treasure. We presented the large gem and smaller ones and were rewarded with the respect of the tribe. Chief Etu pledged to send significant forces to New Acarthia at a time of your Excellency's choosing to deal with Pike's army. I would encourage you to contact her to let her know when and where her forces will be most useful. The Dark Moon Clan has significant magical resources which they promised to Warchester's Aid in creating a weapon that will deal with Pike and break through his immunity to steel and mundane blades. They requested food and provision for those that they send and Warchester agree that this is only fair. Sir Osborne shrewdly negotiated and allowed our allies what they needed in assisting us and provided them with contact information to follow up with us. Ultimately, our group was successful in securing the Dark Moon Clan's aid and we are optimistic this will be part of a long and productive partnership.

This report from the pen of,

Squire Graham Wolsey, in service of Warchester and Acarthia

 

[JeffL]

To His Excellency Baron Eldred Morningtide of Tiatar, Lord Ambassador of the Duchy of Acarthia
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From Calidan Roan, Lorekeeper and Circle Member of the Scions of Valarion
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As recent immigrants to New Acarthia we were honored when Dame Katherine Albright, Knight of Acarthia brought to the Scions of Valarion your request that we participate in the expedition to Garthok.

It is quite possible that many of your own countrymen would not have chosen to include the Scions of Valarion in an essentially diplomatic mission, and initially even some Scions had doubts. However, perhaps it speaks to your insight into both the Scions and the Ogres of Garthok that you sent us to treat with The Ironblade Tribe of High Ogres. I trust that the following report will make it clear that the task was well-executed by the Scions. Those making this journey included the entire Circle of the Scions of Valarion: Izual Brown (Gavel), Zak, Parzivel Eisenhall and myself. We were accompanied by the Scions Loche and Mahara, as well as Gillian Carpeanu, a stepdaughter of Valarion, and a new companion, Belswin.

An uneventful journey led us to the keep that sits at the entrance to Thousand Corpse Pass. Zak, Circle Member of the Scions and Member of Mages' Guild then defeated an Ogre guard in an honor duel with daggers, allowing us access to the High Ogre leaders of the Ironblade Tribe. There we met Chieftess Chogan, Daughter of Chogan, veteran of the Battle of Thousand Corpse Pass as well as Bonemender, whose ancestors fought at the Battle of Thousand Corpse Pass. We witnessed a formal battle between two High Ogres over who would lead a strike force... a decision-making process that only reinforced our sense that the High Ogres are a people with traditions and attitudes strikingly similar to those of our Valarian homeland. Perhaps it is this insight that led you to send us on this mission.

Chieftess Chogan listened to our invocation of the ancient agreement between the Ogres of Garthok and the Kingdom of New Acarthia. She recognized the bond upon which we pulled, but demanded that we first demonstrate we were worthy of being their allies. To prove our mettle she suggested we take care of a group of goblins and gnolls calling themselves the Igazi that had attacked the Ogres recently. Specifically we were to retrieve the blade of one of their fallen Ogre comrades and use it to slay the gnoll Igazi leader, who had also been threatening to bring undead across the very crest of Thousand Corpse Pass.

Bonemender set us upon the path to a cave in which we were able to retrieve the desired blade, slaying a modest group of Igazi in the process. We then proceeded up the ascent of Thousand Corpse Pass, made treacherous by the spring snow melting into mud. At the top of the pass we met wave upon wave of undead slogging down toward Garthok. They were herded by the occasional Gnoll necromancer as well as a mysterious red-eyed Ogre that seemed to be watching their progress but turned to gas when we approached.

After a lengthy and fierce siege the Scions of Valarion had shown Kai. We stepped across the bodies of perhaps ten times our number in undead and faced the final Gnoll necromancer. Slaying him with the blade of the fallen High Ogre, we completed the task set to us by Chogan.

Upon returning we met with Bonemender who accepted the blade that had been bathed in the blood of their enemies and acknowledged that we had completed the task set before us.

Given that the Ironblade tribe is responsible for securing Thousand Corpse Pass they are reluctant to shift many forces south in accordance with the ancient agreement with New Acarthia. However, they did pledge to send at least a representative or small force to better understand efforts to defeat Dreadrot, Nathaniel Worden and Anarchy.

In addition we discussed the possibility that the Scions might send a group of warriors to reinforce their positions for a time, allowing them the breathing room they would need to more meaningfully contribute to the situation we face in New Acarthia. We hope to discuss this plan more fully with your Excellency and other representatives of New Acarthia.

We hope this report finds you well. Izual Brown will be in attendance at the April Ducal Gather if you wish to discuss this further.