Session 45

# December 5th, 2019 - Yakfolk, Call Lightning

## Yakfolk, Call Lightning

The session began after the group successfully parted ways with the cloud giants of Sansuri’s castle. Her brother was now the ruler of the castle until her children came of age. And it seemed Count Blagothkus was the unchallenged ruler of all cloud giant kind. In return for their service, Blagothkus did as he promised and took the group in his cloud castle to this yakfolk village north of Khaz Thorum. Where the giant Oracle told the fire giant stronghold of Ironslag hid beneath. The trip from Countess Sansuri’s castle to the location within the Northern Worldspine Mountains took seven days.

As they approached the village, the group asked Blagothkus to have the castle create heavy clouds to mask them. Thus, the ice castle approached hidden within the clouds that now sprawled across the sky, and they could see the village below through telescopes, or the castles steering tower. The village lay atop a five hundred foot cliff on the edge of a mountainside, next to a small river’s waterfall. There was a water wheel in this river attached to one of the buildings, but also into the mountain itself. Observing the walled village with wooden huts and buildings, they saw a tiered farmland system going up the side of the mountain that looked manned by four halflings. Overseeing these halflings was a yakfolk sitting in a chair and smoking a pipe. Rufus volunteered to go down quietly to the farmland and try and talk to one of the halflings before going further.

And so, most of the group gathered on one of the lower courtyard walls and watched as Lachlan cast *feather fall* on the swashbuckler and he walked off the wall, falling through the clouds trying not to be in the line of sight of the yakfolk watching the elves. Landing quietly, Rufus then snuck quickly into some nearby bushes and got the attention of the halfling worker furthest from the yakfolk. Surprised, the halfling stumbled over but quickly answered Rufus’ questions once he told him he was here to save them. It happened that the yakfolk appeared nice but were evil, and would poison and enslave any travelers. Most were then set to work in the mines beneath the village. Through two large metal doors into the mountain by the chieftain's hut was the way down into the mines and giant place below.

Satisfied, Rufus told the halfling to go back to work and he and his friends would return soon. Rufus then gave the signal to those he knew were watching in the cloudy sky. A moment later, Alburt appeared in front of him, grabbed a hold of the halfling’s shoulder, and *dimension doored* right back up to the castle walls. The group discussed how they wanted to approach the village knowing it was filled with murderous yakfolk. They collectively decided to rain lighting down upon the whole place, setting everything on fire and killing all of the enemy.

Rachen first went to the steering tower, and told Blagothkus the plan, who was amused at the prospect. Allowing the human to enact the control rune making the castle turn the cloud filled sky into a storm filled sky. Once the storm was in full force, and Rachen could see the halfling slaves returned to a barn, he then began commanding specific lightning bolts into the village. Igniting walls, gates, and huts. Cadmus was on the lower courtyard walls below, watching once the lightning strikes began by the castle, he then enacted a *call lightning* spell that drew power from the existing storm. Now, multiple powerful lightning bolts were devastating the small wooden village below, thundering buildings apart and setting everything on fire.

Some yakfolk from the central hut were trying to reach the large metal doors into the mountain, but Rachen focused the castles lighting bolts on the entryway, knocking them all back and killing most. However, they got the doors open, and it appeared as if a few might of got inside, but with all the flashes it was hard to tell. Bodies were seen by the open doors. It wasn’t long until the entire village was in flames, and the rain from the storm had begun putting out some of the flames, but the sky was filled with smoke. Before ten minutes had elapsed the group stopped their assault and Rachen began to command the ship to descend.

With Blagothkus’ help, they maneuvered the castle into the open space next to the cliff, with their entrance gate just above the yakfolk fields. When the party was gathered by the front gate the ogre guards raised it and they began to explore the main village ruin. Most of the thatch roofed wooden buildings were charred piles at this point, and there was still lots of smoke in the air. Someone complained of a strange smell, and soon everyone but the elves and Rachen of the party fell unconscious. Those who remained standing helped carry the other party members back into the castle and within one of the outbuildings to shelter from the smoke.

While those who fell ill rested, Rachen began digging graves outside in the farmland for the bodies they were recovering among the rubble. A number of other slaves, including elves, dwarves, and humans were found among the various huts. After about an hour, those who went unconscious began to wake, and the group prepared to enter the mountain through the open metal doors and descend into the heart of the fire giant stronghold.

But that is where the session ended, once again within the Northern Worldspine Mountains on the afternoon of the two hundred and ninth day since the raid on Greenest.

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