2023/08/09

Last time in the Iron Kingdoms: A slightly too warm welcome.

The party had reported on what they had found in Ceryl and told the high captains that they wanted to set out to go look into the cursed city of Acrennia. The high captains had no objections to this, as the portal seemed to be drawing in all sorts of strange creatures to the city. The party was to consider this their highest priority for the time being. So with a little time for them to get ready, the party set out to go to the lands of the Protectorate of Menoth. Abe was the only one who had been to the Protectorate, as Kita took him a couple months back to visit Abigails grave out in the desert. And from what she had told him during that trek was that the remaining people weren't too keen on outsiders, especially those who don't practice the faith. While Kita was there, she knew what to say so that the worst of it was off their backs, though without her the party should prepare for a potentially hostile reception.

As the party set off they traveled by train through Cygnar and then once at Cygnar's capital of Caspia crossed over the Black River and set foot into the desert of the Protectorate. Travel through the Protectorate was significantly slower as the Protectorate never really had the resources to dedicate towards a rail network. So instead the party was traveling on foot, from town to town, resupplying where they could and trying to avoid the glares that they received from having two separate former Cygnarinan soldiers traveling with them. Eventually after about a week's travel, the party came to where they needed to leave the main road to start heading towards Acrennia.

As they set off into the desert the terrain began to become significantly more hostile. Despite a number of the party being skilled outdoorsmen, they quickly found themselves turned around in a sandstorm. Arriving not too far from the road that they left from. As the party had never had issue before, they assumed that the issue was due to the cursed nature of Acrennia. Thankfully Xavier was able to create water in the desert so they were in no danger of dying of thirst. As they settled down for the night, Hector asked his hand about how they could reach Acrennia. And when he awoke the answer he was given was that “The Original inhabitants of the desert know the way.” The party interpreted this as referring to the Iridians, which were a nomadic people that shared the lands of the Protectorate. The only issue was finding some that would be willing to help them.

The party made their way back to the nearest settlement they had seen, a small village by the name of Oldwell. From there they began trying to ask about any nearby tribes of Iridians that they could hire as guides. This didn't quite go as planned, as to be able to ask for information one needed to have people willing to speak to you. Though the party was tenacious,and continued existing in Oldwell, until one old lady told the party that there was a band of Iridians to the north and they should sort their business out and then leave. The party thanked the woman and then began heading north looking for this band. On the way there the party noticed that they were being followed, and by someone faster than them throughout the desert. The party decided that since they can't outrun their followers, they should meet them in a somewhat defensible position.

When the group following them caught up to the party, it was revealed to be a group of Menite zealots that demanded that the party leave Protectorate lands and not return. Negotiations didn't go well, and the situation devolved into a fight. The leader of the group of the Menites was a priest capable of calling down blasts of divine fire. Things went from bad to worse as Dmitriv found out the priest had further tricks up his sleeve and after Dmitriv punched the priest was given a harm spell in return. The party was eventually victorious though Dmitriv, Hector and Xavier, were bleeding out after the final flame blast from the priest. Charlotte rummaged in Hector's bag and found some potions to heal the injured and then they continued on to meet with the Iridians.

The Iridians agreed to help the party and provided a guide for the journey to Acrennia. As the party traversed the desert, the sandstorm from earlier, returned. Though the Iridian guide knew their way around the desert and after a day's slow travel, the city of Acrennia appeared in the distance. The city wasn't quite as abandoned as everyone thought, as what seemed to be a number of grymkin lingering around the city. The grymkin seemed to be acting out daily life in a city, something that was out of character for the creatures. Though neither the Iridian guide nor the party could fathom a guess as to why this was the case. The party sent the guide back and told them that if they don't hear back they died in Acrennia.