Oshuamp - Episode 17: An Augur of Communion

### Recap

The crew is petrified by the meaning of the name, and inquire as to how the Gold would be haunted. Fae is uncertain, and says that the merchants who hire adventurers keep this knowledge secret. The returned gold is handled by third parties, and ensured to be safe. Nesgrim asks if any other locations have also been reclaimed similar to Oshuamp, and she tells him that the city of Hrayek was once sacked, and reclaimed. She is unaware of the what Orcish name was during its occupation. He asks about his birth village, Rarfli, and she tells him it means “Sacrifice on the Sand.” There were other raids that went south and east of the Felrast, but is unaware if any of the other cities were similarly occupied. She mentions an assault on the City of Endamar approximately a thousand years ago, but does not believe the city was conquered.

Their continued interests in the use of the Widow’s Wail and the other ingredients used in Adrian’s rituals leads Luna to stomp her boot heavily on the ground, and a man enters from the kitchen. He is of an average height and muscular build, heavily clad with a thick cloak, enlarged eyes, and a more defined snout-like nose. Fae introduces this man as Vorst, a dear friend who has worked for a few years after his tribe in the Woods of Nerenter was slaughtered by an Orcish warband. Vorst is well-trained with survival and tracking, and works as a guard for the Guild. His physical gifts, prowess, and familiarity with the woods make him an ideal candidate to assist them with their interests. Felix recognizes similarities in Vorst’s appearance to other species he has studied. Nesgrim does not recall anyone from Hrayek looking like this man.

Ritora introduces herself and the remaining individuals follow suit. Due to the shortness of his time in Oshaump, and his seclusion, few individuals know of Vorst. After the assault on his tribe, he fled from the Woods and was directed to Growlers by Clark. Vorst knows the location of a few of the herbs and berries required for Adrian’s rituals. The herbs themselves are remarkably valuable, and the crew does not have sufficient funds, and must weigh their other options. Luna is running low on the herbs that she requires for the Alement and tells them that she only has about a ten-day supply remaining. They inform the women of the issue with Ritora’s owl Juniper, and leave to retrieve Juniper so that they may tend to her.

As they leave, they discuss their options to make money before setting out for the forest. Yahlumlo and Felix remain with Vorst to learn of his history, his tribe in the Woods of Nerenter, and the assaults of Orc warbands. The tribe was able to survive in seclusion and secrecy, and protect themselves against the small forces that found them, until three years ago, when a horned Orc, with spiked arms and a barbed tail, led a ravenous force and gluttonously devoured the tribe. Vorst believes himself to be the only survivor, after having been separated from his friends and family. Fae instructs them to avoid this spiked Orc at all costs, and to traverse through the woods with great care.

Fae has investigated details of Vorst’s visions, and inform the few that the northern woods, beyond what he lived in, are the probable location of the berries and herbs. Now knowing that the journey would be more treacherous and further, into the forbidden forests known as the Korggoj. Yahlumlo connects this to a brief story from Buck, whose people wanted to make this place a potential home, but fled in terror as they approached. The bark is utilized in the production of magical items. She is fearful that Adrian would not part with any of the required items without sufficient payment. Despite the danger, she and the others offer their support in the travel and in the fencing of any goods returned.

Nesgrim, Ritora and Ethir return to collect Juniper from Ethir’s tent. As they pass by the Quiet Night, they see Elisa standing on the landing, looking distraught. Despite their best efforts to console and speak to her, she rebukes them, stating that she is alright and that everything is fine with Benjamin, and it was simply another day. Ethir catches a pair of tracks in the alley adjacent to the Inn, and Ritora follows them as a Cat, seeing that they lead into the northwest corners of Slums West, onto the cobblestone streets. Unable to follow them any further, she inhales deeply, discerning fresh flowers and ambrosia.

Respecting Elisa’s request for solitude, they collect Juniper and return to Growlers. They discuss the locket from Sabrina, and the crew discusses the hallucinations of Madeleine, and the potential implications of her sanity and certainty. Unsure as to what they can believe or trust from her, they begin to connect pieces to Sister Amber, and the conclusions to their services.

Ethir theorizes that the dirt may manifest in hallucinations of those who have died, similar to his ritualistic experiences. Yahlumlo calls forth the notes and the names of Sisters of Sorrow. Fae’s reading connects several pieces of information, including the mention of clay and Nesgrim's vision.

After Sabrina’s disappearance, there was a ceremonial burial for her during a pilgrimage of the Brothers, a few years later. The announcement proclaimed that she had died from a terrible illness contracted after her service in the Inner Sanctum began, but the public was not privy to seeing the body. Ethir questions the presence of wild flowers that grow in the area, because of his concern with the aroma near the Quiet Night. As they posit reasons, Fae connects it to stories she read as a child, for either love or loss.

Ritora opens up more about her time back at home and her efforts to protect the Avaeth Woods from the progression of a degenerative plague that stripped the life from the plants. The earth visually is blackened, as though scorched, and Nesgrim recounts the poem from the lower Cathedral. Ritora’s parents disliked that she attempted to correct the flow of nature and protect the forest, instructing her to abandon her task. She instead left her home, and moved to a nearby city, Fhaorn, and met a man, Deluin, a powerful magician who worked with her for almost 20 years to cleanse the land together. However, he betrayed her, as she discovered that he was leeching the life from the ground himself, bottling it and selling it. When she confronted him, he struck her, and hurried back to Fhaorn, placing a bounty on her head, claiming that she was the one who desecrated the forest.

Deluin was once a Professor at the Academy in the Inner Sanctum, the brother of Desielle, and the man who taught Adrian.

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