21st of Planting, Low Summer
In the still un-named mining town (formerly Drekkar), the RedWater Fellowship prepare to leave and take the journey to Enstad - formerly the capital of the Elvish lands.
The party discuss the contract - 30 days - made with the leader of the Demonic horde - it seems Skrit confirms that not all contracts HAVE to be written when negotiation and dealing with demonic forces. Also the party having had dealing with demons and lower plane creatures, are pretty sure the demons will most likely plan to have mutual betrayal.
Rebuilding of the towers and walls continues under the skilled engineer eye of Skrit. Pyra still the favorite of the kobold contingent.
'Skritsville seems to be a popular name of choice.
The Fellowship decides to take a flight rather than trek through mountain passes. Using Obaz's shape change and Graxuzas polymorph other spell and fly the adventurers as wyverns.
Engaging with some townsfolk, they get some horse saddles modified.
Before leaving, the party decides to investigate the crater area, where there is a pool of mist about 10' down. The party can feel the evil emanating from the area, further investigation and discussion with some of the kobolds whom resided here before confirmed only the Marshall entered the area, no others. The large crater - about 80 feet across, (
DM: Map - #8) is confirmed to be desecrated ground.
Kantif casts pass without trace on Doc and Obaz summons a small bird to flank the 1/2 orc. Obaz does druid craft cantrip to try and infuse life into the dead ground. but is unsuccessful.
Climbing down into the mist, Doc senses fey and undead from the whole area. Calling out with the name of a historic dwarf and gnomes - a folk hero. Obaz conjures snakes down to explore, while some wrap around the firbolg's body staying safe and not wanting to explore.
The gunslinger/paladin and druid head into the mist. Realizing they can only see about 2 feet around them, they stay close. They hear scraping and a hiss in the mist around them.. then another hiss from a different direction, and again and more and then from all around. All the Fellowship are fighting against an overwhelming wave of fear. Then out of the mist, diminutive
creatures attack. Doc has fought there before - ghouls. Slashing and biting they swarm the two, until the rest of the Fellowship join in.
Battling back and forth, a number of times some of the party are paralyzed. The blasts of Doc's pistol echo out to the town streets, some folks looking curiously, while most stay back.
At times, the party are pushed back against the edge of the crater and then surge against undead. Spells pulse through the 10' high cloud of evil mist, lighting bolts from Graxusas as well as Obaz, the druid's
conjured snakes are helpful, taking on a ghoul. Kantif uses his monk and rogue skills to pierce and kill the dwarf and gnome ghouls. Gothi's bow and sword make short work of many, her arrows cutting down many. Graxusas polymorph's into a firegiant.
Unfortunately the party are not aware of this, and attack the giant-turned sorcerer, until they realize whom it is!
The battling finishes, and the party for a moment sees a large dwarf like figure in the middle of the crater.
Graxusas ventures closer and then detects the dwarf and slams down the large hammer [the lizard sorcerer keeps in his bag of holding]. Glass and rock blast in all directions as the hammer smashes into it.
From the crumbled remains of what it seems was a statue, looked to be a councilor Dentil. Once a leader of the town long ago. Graxusas and Obaz debate the religion and magicks of the statue, confirming in the end that the statue was keeping the evil from spreading. There was once a temple here. The party look a little aghast at this.. as the mist starts to spread out of the crater.
Obaz finds a shard from the statue, and it turns out to have the ability to summon elementals. Graxusas finds what looks like a belt buckle.
Cedric and Skrit realizes that sacrificing the unique magic item that could create a temple to Istus could be used to stop the spread and bless the area to allow it to once again be used. The black death area has moved out from the crater. Starting this ceremony, the Fellowship make ready to venture forth.
The belt buckle turns out to be enchanted from a belt of stone giant strength. Gothi gets a collar created that allows JawBone - his mount and companion to use it.
Obaz and Graxusas and Jawbone shape change into wyverns, Goth, Doc and Kantif ride.
Flying off to the Southeast, the party head for Enstad up into the mountains.
Avoiding a number of encounters along the way, the party make excellent time flying off and on with rest breaks. Finally a few days of travel. the party hear shouts and roars and laughter echoing down amongst the mountains.
Flying high, they come across a glade surrounded on all sides by mountains and cliffs. The glade is quite large, once filled with most likely many trees and other flora of all descriptions.
The area where the party or scout spies into the small valley a small cliff near a waterfall into a pond below still blossoms with all manner of greenery, flowers and bursts of colour. The glade.. no longer. Roughly rectangular in shape, approximately 500' in length and 200' at the widest point.
Smoke billows up from a large number of broken and blackened trees filling the glade.
At Either end of glade were once majestic trees a grove of ash and oak trees there and a stand of pine and dogwood at the other end. The grass and flowers are burnt black or still burn in patches, all across the area.
2 ponds, one below the party the other in the middle of the glade, swirl with broken and destroyed tree limbs and bracken.
On one side, a group of hill giants led by a black-skinned larger giant - firegiant, face off against a group of two-headed giants - ettins. All carry long clubs for the battle.
What appears to be A burning ball of tangled vines 3 feet across covered in sap and tar is being used as a projectile to hit their opponents.
Near both groves at each end which both are. burning (hill giants more so) can be seen what appear to be a small group humanoid sized figures. Obaz feels the nature, and realizes these are dryads whom once dwelled in this glade. Most are dead..
As the party watches from on hight, the firegiant ducks blows from 2 ettins and swinging his large sapling blasts the burning vine ball from 50 feet away into the grove of ash and oak trees. It crushes a once grand oak tree. Tree limbs and greenery blasted and burning.
The hill giants roar in victory raising their tree limbs. The ettins also roar but in frustration. The sounds
echo around the valley and into the surrounding hills and mountains.
An old dryad lies near the oak barely moving, while another young dryad looks to try to comfort her..
A younger male ettin, brings the burning vine to whom seems to be their leader a large female in partial armour. One head with gold ringlets of hair, the other red and straight, both sweaty from the confrontation. Actually quite pretty - for a giant kind - both faces grin slowly moving the ball forward with 2 tree limbs one in each large hand.. keeping it off the ground by batting it back and forth.
There is a short horn blast from the hill giant glade - and older giant with only 1 arm takes the horn from his lips and lets it hang on a slightly burnt branch of a dogwood tree.
At that moment, the female flings the vineball up and with both tree trunks hits it far into the hill giant's backfield.. where an ettin and older fellow with no hair on either heavily tattooed head confronts 2 hill giants - a young male with bulbous features and brown hair 1/2 the ettin's size and a female older looking similar, perhaps a sister or mother.
A scuffle as the 3 swing tree trunks at each other and the ball for 1/2 a minute. The majority of the giants on both sides converge there until the flaming vineball flies out of the cloud of smoke and dust right to the female ettin. She catches it deftly with BOTH saplings and juggles it across the field only the older one-armed giant in the way. Dodging to the left she swerves right and deftly runs by the hillgiant as he stumbles.
With an overhead 2-armed swing, she rockets the vineball into the grove blasting a large dogwood tree to the ground, its mighty trunk cracked and burning.
Victorious shouts from the ettins as they gather around their leader to congratulate her.. the hillgiants and firegiant confer with glares of hatred at the 2-headed giants move back to centre field...
The party at first decide to move on, but then a variety of plans form and discussion back and forth as the battle or game below.. continues.
