Session 15

**Real World Date: 7/18/2021**

**In Game Dates(x): 33rd of Lencten, 5151 M.E. - 42nd of Lencten, 5151 M.E.**

**Party Level: 4**

## NPCs Met This Adventure

* Gell Starstrike - one of the brothers of the family, he is an intelligent Wizard
* Thokk Starstrike - one of the brothers of the family, he is a tough Fighter
* Ovak Starstrike - one of the brothers of the family, he is a charming Bard
* Feng Starstrike -  one of the brothers of the family, he is a disciplined Monk

## Summary

### Preparing For War

As the party head back to the village of Greenfield with Penna, they get halfway back before they run into the entire village going the other way. They have torches and pitchforks and were ready to storm into the forest to find Penna. She tells them that party secured her release, and they should return to their homes. The **White Tusk Clan** has taken over the nearby castle and she believes that war in imminent.

Sir Pelliton rides up, flustered and alone. He complains that someone tied his door shut, barring him from following. He forced one of his squires to jump out the window, injured himself, but was able to walk around and free him from his room. The other squire remained behind to nurse the other's injury while he rode out to fight the orcs. Penna informs him that when she was locked up in that castle, filled with over 100 orcs, she was imprisoned with none other than Edward Olmarza, prince of Shavren. She tells him he should turn around and tell his lord. Sire Pelliton does that, stating, "If Krusk wants a war, I will give him a war."

### Evacuation

Penna then tells the villagers to head back and pack. She will send letters to nearby villages to warn them as well. However, the king will be sending armed forces and they don't want to be nearby when this war breaks out and they don't want to be in the path of any fleeing armies. She thanks the party for their help and says if she ever gets her shop back up, she will pay them back for what they have done.

The party discuss what they want to do next. They wish to get involved in saving this prince, but they think their best shot at doing so is when the orcs are distracted by approaching army. They believe they have about 10 days before the army will have gathered and marched back here, so they decide they have time to find this missing cleric, Agaro. The party head back to Greenfield then begin to head east on the road.

### Fenris' Cave

The party reach a point where they believe they are near the X marked on their map labeled **Fenris**. They arrive in a small village with two dueling blacksmiths. There isn't an inn, but there is a general store. Cue heads into the store to ask about the X on their map. The owner and his wife remember that name, remarking there is a cave nearby, just north of the village, that once belonged to a man named **Fenris** and used to belong to an old druid before that. They tell them the general direction.

The party head to that spot and find the entrance to the cave. It is nearby a rushing river. The entrance is a large opening, unlit. Bashan and Baka light their respective lights and lead the party inside. There are several large gears moving along the walls, apparently moving under the power of the river, which runs underneath the cave. As they pass the gears, they are ambushed!

### Cultists, Mimics, and Rivers, Oh My!

The party fight off the ambushing Godkiller cultists. They take out the five men and advanced further into the cave. They find this cavern narrows into a carved out room. It is a study, long abandoned. There are books and papers that have been recently disturbed. While searching the room they find an enchanted bookmark, which Quintus takes. On the north wall of this library, however, the wall has collapsed, revealing more natural caverns beyond.

Cue moves into to scout ahead. He sees a long cavern with a rushing river running through it. There are several stepping stones that can be used to hope across the moving water. Cue notices, though, that the first stone is actually a Mimic. The party quickly dispatches the creatures before moving through the rushing water. The reach the other side, which leads into a massive cavern filled with giant crystals. One of which, in the center, like a cocoon, has been broke up from the inside.

### Cryads Are a Thing, Apparently

The party quickly realize that a few living people are trapped inside some of these large crystals. Several of them have yellow underneath their cloaks, but one looks to be the man they are looking for: Agaro. Before they can break them out, one of the crystals along the wall moves, revealing that it is a large crystalline construct. It is draining these humans of their life force, aging them rapidly. It teleports from crystal to crystal, attacking the party.

The party realizes that breaking the crystals with people in them hurts the creature, so they begin to free all the prisoners. After freeing them all, they defeat the Cryad. The cultists were damaged in the battle, but they manage to get Agaro out of the battle. He has seemingly aged several decades, but he is otherwise okay. He has a book he is holding onto very seriously, but he is thankful for their help and wishes to return home.

### Westward and Secrets

The party ask what Agaro has found, but he wants to keep this info to himself. Bashan attempts to convince him to give up some information, citing the info they discovered: **Obtaining the Scales**, **Tempering the Metals**, and the **Mantle and the Skies**. He does eventually admit that the info he found is related to the **Obtaining the Scales** step, in that he knows which scales they will use. He doesn't want to share that info, nor does he want to share this book with them.

The party continue west back to Greenfield. When they arrive, they see that a majority of the villagers have left. Penna can be seen organizing some remaining villagers from the **Drunken Raccoon**, as she no longer has her own home. The party, or at least some of them, reocgnize two Half-Orcs that arrive in town around the same time they do: Mhurren Starstrike, the Paladin of Aubade, and another Half-Orc named Gell Starstrike. He is a wizard, and Mhurren's brother. They have been summoned by Krusk Starstrike, their father, and they plan to hear him out then leave.

### Awkward Family Reunion

As they talk, two more Half-Orcs ride into town. One is a large warrior named Thokk Starstrike and another is an instrument wielding, charming bard named Ovak Starstrike. They are also brothers and have been summoned for the same reason. They joke that though they all plan to hear their father out, then leave, that Thokk will probably join him. Thokk claims he hasn't made his mind up yet.

The final two Half-Orcs wander in. One is a monk from a monastery that Cue recognizes down south in Tamil, and he is Feng Starstrike. The other is a bit of a surprise, as it is the only daughter of the siblings, and she is Vola Starstrike. Both Cue and Quintus recognize her, having seen her around, but aren't sure who she is. She, on the other hand, panics when she sees Bashan talking to her brothers and even more so when he mentions that the party already met with Krusk and discussed important things. The Starstrike siblings head off, bidding the party goodbye.

### Returns and Rewards

The party finally arrive back in Azul. The army has not yet left the city, but many of the reserves seemed to have been called up and they are gathering in large numbers throughout the city. They head back to the temple of Lorkayn and return Agaro. Carric Briarfell has secured a final payment for Agaro's safe return, rewarding the party with 150 S. Agaro insists that the party also be given one magic item each for their troubles.

Carric opens their vault, which seems like a junk drawer of magic stuff. As they look through the items, each member of the party selects a magic item.

* **Quintus**: Gloves of Missile Snaring
* **Cue**: Bracers of Defense
* **Bashan**: Horn of Valhalla, Brass
* **Baka**: Tentacle Rod
* **Poem**: Ring of Spell Storing