Session 3.9

After a 2 weeklong journey from Cardona, the party finally finds itself in the Orc city of Uhlmar ready to forge a new alliance and rescue their friends and family from Peche that were being held here. Unlike previous cities instead of being greeted by a liaison, the group merely received a note from Chieftain Igmut. According to the note, the party has arrived during a time of political turmoil, and she was currently preoccupied with trying to alleviate the situation. However, she did mention that the party should head to the Ember Wards District specifically to the Hearth and Hands in the meantime, for a token of her appreciation for coming all the way to visit.   In the first few hours, the party quickly realized that the city was unlike any they’d visited thus far. Uhlmar is an amalgamation of different people and architectural styles with tents, wooden buildings, metal structures and combinations of each. The party’s first test was the Infinite Causeway which is a set of 700 steep stone stairs carved into the Dread Cliffs constantly slick from the sea spray and weather. Surprisingly, the party managed to skillfully navigate it without much issue. Upon reaching the upper city the party headed straight for the Southern section of the city where the Ember Wards District was located. The group took this time to explore and load up on supplies:   Caspian: Ring of Swimming   Fannti: +1 Pot of cooking   Soren: (x3 – Fire Arrows), (x2 – Vine Arrows)   Zhorn: 1lb of Troll meat (Random Meat chart)   Afterwards, the party visited the Hearth and Hands and what Fannti was initially expecting to be an inn, was actually a place of healing. Upon entering the group was taken to see Mayor Ashford, the former Mayor of Peche who had set Zhorn and Fannti on their path. It had been a year since they last saw each other, and he looked visibly older, but Mayor Ashford’s demeanor instantly brightened upon the sight of his family. The party spent the next hour exchanging stories from the past year, and the group had learned that the refugee camp within the city was a large one housing over 200 refugees with 25 or so villagers from Peche. Furthermore, throughout his time in the city the mayor had learned that there was one refugee camp in the Federation capital of Regalia and another in Ascension that housed the remainder of the Peche Villagers. Mayor Ashford also informed the party that he had colon cancer and was dying. Fannti provided him with the healing waters procured from the Temple of Cygna’s tide pool in Cardona in hopes that it actually had healing properties. Towards the end of this reunion, he appeared visibly exhausted, to which the party had excused themselves for the day so he could get his rest.   The day concluded at the Smoldering Tankard. There the party tried to glean any insights into the political landscape in Uhlmar from the locals. They ended up learning a game called Drunkard’s Duel where Fannti and an orc named Grug had defeated Caspian and Soren. Through all their interactions the group learned that two conservative orc tribes: The Stoneblood Council, and the Ashen Circle has chosen this time to try to overthrow Chieftain Igmut and her progressive reforms.