Session 27: Musty books and punchy hands

General Summary

Nursing a hangover the party moves out of Bjerglys heading back towards Nadigav to pick up their Wagon, Uradil, and more information for Oudak. The Sun is obscured by thickening clouds, and it stays in a hazy twilight for the travel back . Bredda, the Half-Orc Poet follows them in a light jog, since they had agreed to let her follow during the festivities.
  During their first rest after a days of uneventful travel Killian performs a ritual of Legend Lore, communing with the shades of the world for a question, he asks to have the legend of the selenite revealed, and they do so, through a haze of Skyggesvamp and dreams He hears a poem and sees the carvings depicting the story of the selenite, The Legend of the Selenite . For now it offered more questions than answers, and after the rest the group would continue towards town. Soren though was distraught, he knew he was forgetting something important about Hannah, and about the druids, it was haunting him at the edges of his mind, and so he told the other that he must meditate on the malestroem of thoughts in his mind, to recall that which was eluding him. This deep trancelike state would leave him vulnerable , but the Party had his back and so Soren entered deep into his own mind in search of answers.
  The path ahead was unclear to the brave Scout Muk Yuk, the Clouds were still darkening the world, and there were no paved roads between Nadigav and Bjerglys. the hilly woods around the river proved challening to navigate, but then a breakthrough! A path presented itself to Muk Yuk, who lead his party down it. Perhaps they should have been skeptical of their break in luck, because within the hour they found themselves between two steep slopes, and a Large leather armor clad Orc greeting them.
  "Hello!" said the regal and imposing looking figure, Thordunn recognized what must be expensive Mercenary garb on the Orc, but of what type he could not recall. The Orc pulled out a scroll from the bandolier he was carrying full of cartushes for scrolls , looking at it he said " Well, that is quite the fit don't you think Thordunn?! , You are wanted for thievery do you surrender?" Thordunn denied the accusation " never, I am not a common thief, nor will I surrender to the likes of you". The Orc gave a whistle, and suddenly the ridges filled with other mercenaires, A pair of robe clad athelic looking half orc women, a Muscular Dwarf with glowing fists, and two groups of 3 lads with hooks and nets, then the fight broke out.
  Caltrops were thrown at either end of path, nets were thrown down on the group, and the half Orcs sprinted to engage, with the Orc Boss summoning a massive icy blast from a scroll over the party, gravely injuring several. Bredda pulled Soren to the Ground, and away taking one of the healing potions to give to him. Muk who had dodged the blast made his way in a brisk stride to the boss, while Killian animated groups of caltrops and sent them towards the pugilists. The ambushers had planned their attack well, because the nets quickly weighed down everyone but Muk, while Thordunn was wrestling againsts the pugilists trying to bind him, in his Anger he swung his emerald greataxe and cleanly severed the head from of the halforcs, leaving behind an irate Shade in its place. A fireball cast at the group singed Thordun and Killian, along with the animated caltrops which fell to the ground inert, while MukYuk was pommeling the Orcboss, who called his wolf to grapple Muk while he ran for the hills, literally. Killian weighed down by multiple nets dimensioned doored his way through the ground and up on the nearby hillside, where he took aim at a group of netthrowers with his psychic lance, two died on the spot, their shades standing confused, while the last of the group stood frozen in fear. Thordunn had dispatched the shade and was now fighting hand to hand with the dwarven Monk with flaming hands, who seemed to be able to imbue them with additional firedamage making them glow red hot. The two were duking it out while Muk was once again pursuing the Orc boss, after having handidly dispatched the wolf biting his leg. Bredda had at this time swung Soren over her shoulders, carrying him to Killians position, that was now being assaulted by the two shades of those he had slain, the surviving pugilist fled from MukYuk, seeing only death in is cold eyes. Both at their limits, Thordunn went down first,as a flaming fist seared his flesh with intense fury. Luckily for him the Monk realized he would be in danger remaining and started running. MukYuk in the meantime had been blocked from following the boss by the second group of netcasters, who he had handidly slain two thirds of and was now facing their shades draining him of his life. All hope to catch the boss disappeared when the latter took forward a scroll and a mighty gust of wind threw Muk and the shades down from the cliffs and into the caltrops again. Killian in the meantime had put the Spellpiercer to good use, and it had annihilated two shades threatening him, Bredda and Soren, with a yell of his voice and drum Thordunn awoke again, and was able to catch the Orc Monk and grapple him. Teetering on the decision to fight or surrender the Monk looked at his massacred retinue, and stopped resisting, allowing Thordunn to bind him.
  While taking a short breather after the brutal fight, the group decided to interrogate the Monk, who seemed surprisingly chatty for being a prisoner. Apparently not his first rodeo, and he continued throwing jabs at Thordunn for loosing their hand to axe fight. But his information was valuable, they were infact mercenaries, an outfit out of Melabe, and had been hired by a Dwarf in armor to apprehend Thordunn, The monks name was Gedrik Sak from the Order of Sak, a monastic tradition focused on learning about the Sun, it's perfection and place in the world, and everyone elses to it. He was happy to greet Muk Yuk, though from a different order, Sak had heard of Muks order before.
  Thordunn realized that what he had "stolen" was his Paladin Armor from his time in the Order of the Eternal Sun back in the Ore Peaks east of Vanadi, and that the dwarf who had hired these Mercs was probably none other than Thardunn, his twin. They released Gedrik Sak, and told him to go to Bjerglys, who would have need his skills, especially as he had ratted out his boss the Mercenary Captain Nasdar, the scroll wielding Orc who had escaped, and had a reputation for holding to his contracts. They had been promised by Gedrik that they would not have seen the last of Nasdar.
  Rattled the group travelled onwards to Nadigav, thanking Bredda for her effort to protect Soren, even though her burns weren't quite as fire as Killians. As they arrived at the now permament palisade around Nadigav they hear a familiar gruff Voice call out to them, " Well, you guys look like you have had a good trip" says Fiadh with some mirth. The leader of the household guard of the Lescailles, fearing being locked out again they are instantly relieved when Fiadh bellows "Open the damned gate for them, that way they be gone again faster" and they reenter Nadigav. Immediately they head for "Den smilende Ko" where they find Uradil coming out to great them. He is concerned about the obvious Damage the party has endured the group and Uradil catch up with eachother. Uradil warns them that a group of people had come through nadigav looking for them, these had been the mercs, as confirmed by Sak the day prior. Uradil also mentions to the group that his wife has opened up a store in Carminia for Farpens, and as the party had mentioned the need for some, offers to order a couple at cost and have them delivered from his wife if they want to. The party agees and hands over a very large amount of gold for two pairs of farpens for future use once the order goes through.
  Uradil also has one final surprise for them, he hands them a letter and a ring from Ribhus while opening a large trunk on the carriage, a large metal filigree woven Crane unfolds from the box, the letter from Ribhus states that he was sorry that he had let them go empty handed, and that he hoped the crane could help them in their search for Oudak. Wearing the ring allows the wearer to choose to see through the cranes eyes, letting it essentially act as a familiar to the ringbearer.
  Having reunited with their follower, and noting the disagreeal of Bredda towards Uradil the party rests for a day, while Soren heads to his haystack, still deep in thoughts.
  Next day Alrund joins them over drinks, ensuring Bredda is nowhere close asks them about Gismose, Ribhus, and the next piece of the ocean heart. Killian reveals his revalatory "dreams"he recieved from the shades, and says that he is looking for a hole in the mountains. Alrund suggests they investigate the family archives, and they mosey their way on over there.
  What follows are several days of ardous research by the entire gang, a wall of thumbtack redstrings and conjecture and hundreds of books read, a collosaal bibliographic undertaking done in collaboration leading to the identification of two prime accounts. One a 5th edition retelling of Druidic tales and the other an annotated account of all peaks in the sunspine, without pictures. Along the way we learn that Killians New Mandran clan are called the "Skyggevogtere" and Thordunns the "Guldkløer", and that each apparantly have a different origin tale that their clan mythos is built around. This is of note because the both of the books refer to an area, "the valley of the 5 peaks" in one and the "Mountaintop of missing revelations" the latter apparently the mountain that some druid said that their orders ideals were delivered from. This seems to follow a larger trend in the literature of many cultural groups having founding ethoses or messages.
  The valley of the 5 peaks seems to be a possible location of the site depicted in Killians dream, but their exact location is still unkown. Using Killians minor illusion, and Muks Recreation of shadow descriptions relative to the sun based on the catalogue, the are able to recreate a 2D impression of a 3D model, and with Muks deep understanding of the heavenly bodies, he determines a latitude for the valley of the 5 peaks, directly in the central Sunspine, where it forks between 3.
  Exhausted they gather themselves together in preparation for this trek, deep into and high up to the mountains, uncertain of what they will find, or if Killians dreams have led them on a wayward path.