Episode 7

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## Plot Summary

The party is given a sealed letter by Governor Urit Syle to take with them to Copperforge to present to Queen Sleekrun.  It contains the parameters of the loan he is seeking to help rebuild Raufel.  Starheart has gone ahead to Copperforge to discover her true roots.  Arden Barlow meets the party at the new governor’s residence and asks if they need anything.  A crowd has gathered to see them off, many of whom have had their lost limbs replaced by silvery ones by the mysterious healer, Jerrot Valmir.  Parn Hill gives them gifts before they leave and if they return with his son Gaff, he will imbue them with magic.

The heroes depart for Copperforge on the Coppervein (also known as the Last Road), the well-traveled route between Raufel and the gnomish kingdom.  It will take them 2 weeks to complete their journey.  They open Parn’s gift and find small versions of a shield, leather armor, darts, and a bow, which enlarge to normal size when it leaves the box.  While the route is generally busy, there are no other travelers on the road.  They make camp for the night and are stalked by three young wolves, but Bubo scares them off.

They continue their journey and pass a small farmhouse.  Bubo and Nitsuj approach and meet an odd man named Orethil.  He recognizes that Ora is a tiefling despite her hat of disguise.  His home is filled with oddities (including a Quai fan he gives to Nitsuj) and many growing things.  Orethil asks them what is happening in the world and learns about the meteor.  Bubo inquires about the smell of cooked meat that follows him around, but Orethil changes the subject and offers them his famous pumpkins.

Tenoch leaves and uses one of his black orbs to turn invisible.  He explores around the outside of the house, entering the back door.  He doesn’t find anything but more oddities.  Orethil continues making a stew for the party and asks for more information about current events.  He grows angry when he learns about the Black Cloaks.  He reveals that they tried to steal his necklace which was made of starheart, which is glowing.  The smell of meat is the cooking carcass of one of the cultists.

Orethil explains that the meteor was one of the Sahlites.  Sahlen sends them in times of doom.  The starhearts glow when a Sahlite is alive on Sahl.  One landed in Copperforge 17 years ago and was slaughtered by the cult of Kloht.  He thinks the new Sahlite is probably still alive.  They are not physically strong but have the powers of a demigod.  Orethil tells them that the orcs are ready to settle under the leadership of Chief Kurluk.  Asking about the location of Gaff Hill, Orethil tells them to write the question in Nitsuj’s blank notebook.  A picture appears of a young man pinned under the broken wheel of a wagon.

As the party departs, Orethil gives his starheart necklace to Tenoch; it is able to lead them to the Sahlite as long as she is alive.  He gives them each a seed and imbues a weapon for each of them with the ability to gain Orethil’s fire.  He also gives Tenoch his pet, a furry octopus named Flibbit.

They continue your journey north and after a couple of days they come to the remains of the attacked caravan.  Ora and Bubo stealthily approach. They see dozens of bodies and find Gaff Hill, barely alive.  Tenoch tries to free him from the wagon but it causes him more pain.  They lift evenly and are able to free him.  They quickly heal him, but his right leg is destroyed.  He is concerned that his mother, Lana, is missing.  Nitsuj uses his book and sees a grotesque vision of Lana’s dead body, which he shows to Gaff.  Gaff passes out again.  The party does not find any other survivors but finds the yellow arrows of Kurluk’s band.

They send Halestorm to give a message to Parn to meet them at Orethil’s cottage.  They also gather the copper pipes that Gaff and his mother were bringing back to Raufel.  They also bring Gaff’s mother’s body back with them.  Nitsuj cleans Gaff’s wounds and stabilizes him for the journey back to Orethil, who is happy to take him while he waits for his father to arrive.  A tall, lanky man wanders by (character drop), his skin red from being in the sun too long and wounded by an orc attack.  The orcs are on their way, so Orethil takes the boy and man and shelters inside his house.  The party hides in an extra-dimensional space created by Nitsuj.

Six orcs from Kurluk’s tribe arrive riding giant boars and charge toward the cabin.  They destroy the pumpkin patch, but are unable to damage the cabin.  After many attacks, the cabin begins to give in.  The party attacks the orcs from their hiding space and are able to dispatch them all.  They spend the night at Orethil’s cabin to heal.

## Fun Moments

Art rolls a 19 dex save for Tenoch jumping down 60 feet, which Danny gleefully has him reroll using his last DM reroll. Art's next roll is poor, but he remembers he has inspiration and rolls a natural 20. Danny is very upset by this.