Rivers Run Red

Session 11, Growing a Barony (Erastus - Lamashan 4719)

En route from Restov, the heroes called in on Abbot Bresmus, head of the Pharasman monastery at Nivatka's Crossing. Bresmus agreed to send a small group south to investigate the undead around the Stag Lord's fort, with a view to later destroying them.

Erastus: Having settled in, the heroes make a series of social calls. Marcus discusses the tax status of the trading post with Olga (not wanting to make decision about it without her input), and they agree that it continue paying taxes to Restov. They also call upon Tyg-Titter-Tut and Perlivash, and make contact with Sora (the surly hunter who claims a portion of the forest for herself). Sora seemed less than pleased by their new barony, but the fey were much happier to hear that their friends would be living nearby.

They also travelled south, to speak with the kobolds and the mites. Chief Sootscale met with them, and various plans were discussed for future trade with the kobolds. Things went less well with the mites at the Old Sycamore - a group of armed warriors had slain all of the mites! Few traces of the attackers remained, and the biggest clue was a broken maker's mark on a spear tip. Heading into the depths of the roots below the tree, they found a small room formed within the root that the invaders had also visited. Perhaps something had been taken from there?

Arodus: The heroes continue the expansion of the barony, claiming the abandoned gold mine. They also found their first village, Tuskglen, on the site where the great boar Tuskgutter once lived. There was also bad news this month - a group of bandits had retaken the abandoned fort once claimed by the Stag Lord. The local military weren't able to deal with them, but thankfully the heroes themselves were able to take care of the matter, reclaiming the fort. They decided that permanently claiming the fort was a major priority, lest something more dangerous than half-a-dozen bandits wander in.

Jhod Kavken had been busy as well, and had arranged for some followers of Erastil to help him reconsecrate the Temple of the Stag. The Elk's Antlers are led by Arolin, a paladin of Erastil; Arolin and his followers swore to defend the temple and maintain its sanctity.

Finally, the Pharasman investigators concluded that the undead around the fort were mostly minor in power, though rather numerous. They agreed to help the barony drive the undead out.

Rova: The barony expanded further southwards along the Thorn River, and the village of Tuskglen continued to grow. The heroes headed off to explore some of the eastern hills, hoping to find a suitable site for a quarry. Instead, they found a wounded green dragon named Renuthirax outside an ancient cyclopean ruin. The dragon had been at the wrong end of a skirmish with a large and powerful black wyrm named Ilthuliak. Renuthirax stuck a bargain with them - he'd open the sealed entrance to the tomb. The heroes would venture inside and retrieve a potion he needed to cure his cursed wounds, but they could keep the rest of the cyclopes treasure. The tomb was trapped and guarded by constructs and undead, but the heroes won through. They returned the panacea potion to Renuthirax, and kept the remaining magical items and treasures for themselves. Fraxinus realised that the site was still a place of magical power, once used to strengthen the divination rituals of the cyclopes. It was possible it could be repurposed for use with more modern magics.

Returning home, the heroes were informed of a quarrel between their loggers and a forest naiad. Heading straight off, they were able to resolve matters peacefully, agreeing to leave the naiad Melianse's grove alone in the future. Melianse repeatedly pushed for reparations for the felled trees, but no firm commitments were made. Not entirely pleased, she did at least return the loggers she'd charmed into obeying her.

Lamashan: The kingdom continues its expansion southwards, reaching the river crossing. Several new farms are established, to help feed the growing population. The heroes decide to head south this month, exploring along the shores of the Tuskwater and up the river Skunk. They find a natural ford not far within the forest. On the shores of the lake, they also find an old woman named Old Beldame who lives in a small cottage. She speaks briefly with them, wishing them better luck with their barony than other settlements have had in the past. She also cautions them about Gyronna's possible reaction if they remove the undead from the Stag Lord's Fort (the fort was once a Gyronnan monastery, and the undead date back to the monastery's fall).

Returning home, Kesten has bad news - two villagers have been murdered, one two nights ago and one last night. The full moon shines tonight, making the heroes wonder if the werewolves of the Greenbelt are to blame...

Session 12, Of Werewolves and Ankhravs (Lamashan to Kuthona 4719)

Lamasham The heroes decide to track down their suspected werewolf. Marcus asks around for new visitors and the like in Tuskglen, and hears that a hunter named Thraysil is in town... Meanwhile, Voldea and Tamlane are at the shrine of Abadar, calling for anyone with trouble sleeping or other problems to come to them. After a few hours of dealing with unrelated matters, Thraysil walks in to talk to them.

It tkaes a bit of effort to convince the distraught young man of the truth, and they also need to defuse an small mob that's formed, seeking justice for the two murders. It's agreed that they'll withdraw gold from the barony treasury to buy a scroll of Remove Curse, which should be able to lift Thraysil's malediction. In the meantime, he'll stay at the Temple of Elk, to keep him out of sight of the villagers.

When they travel to the Temple, Arolin the leader the Elk's Antlers, makes them an offer. The Elk's Antlers will take responsibility for protecting this part of the forest, and will effectively rule over it. They'll be vassals of the barony of Greenhaven, and will offer up military service in defense of the barony. After some discussion (and over the objections of Kesten and Fraxinus), the barony accepts Arolin's offer.

Neth There's better news this month, as a group of former slaves arrive, led by Antar of the Bellflower Network. The barony expands along the Gudrin River, and there's a long-term plan to give the halflings a dominion of their own, like the Elk's Antlers have. In other good news, the heroes find a source of quarry-able stone in the hills nearby, giving them the final resource they need for building.

They also call upon the Pharasman clerics at Nivatka's Crossing, and the undead around the Stag Lord's Fort are finally dealt with. The small militia of Greenhaven is highly successful in their first battle, and morale rides high.

Kuthona In the final month of the year, the heroes finish exploring around Tuskwater and Candlemere. They find the massive turtle Old Crackjaw sunning himself on a beach on the lakeshore, and also see strange ruins in the centre of Candlemere.

They also decide to deal with the ankhravs near their new village of Thornmouth (established where the Stag Lord's Fort once was). The giant insects prove formidable foes, especially the hive mother. In the end, they are victorious, and Voldea soon has a new suit of armour crafted from the hive mother's carapace

Upon their return to Tuskglen, they head up to the logging camp to use a tree feather token they found in the ankhrav nest to restore one of Melianse's felled trees. The grumpy naiad is more polite than last time, and thanks them for returning with concrete help for her. They call in on the logging camp, and find that all is not well - there are rumours of strange beasts seen nearby, and one of the loggers has just been reported missing...

Session 13, Tricksy Kobolds and Oppressed Goblins (Kuthona to Calistril 4720)

Kuthona Hearing the reports from the loggers, the heroes investigated the site where one of them had been found dead. he had clearly been slain (and partly eaten) by a large animal, but there was no sign of any tracks. Not wanting to leave their loggers open to further attacks, they decided to lure the beast out - Fraxinus would pretend to be a lone logger, while the rest of the group followed behind to aid him.

The plan worked! A pair of hodags, extremely rare animals, attacked the 'logger', but they were slain by the party before they retreat. The loggers were overjoyed when the bodies of the beasts were presented in the logging camp.

Abadius Heading off to the east to explore, the heroes passed via the Old Scyamore. They were surprised to run into a group of kobolds, who told them that the 'Barony of the Sootscales' now covered this area. The rather angry party headed south to talk with Sootscale, who told them that'd he'd been inspired by their barony to form one of his own. This wasn't strictly prohibited by their earlier treaty, but was clearly against the spirit of it. The heroes headed back to consult with the council, with some voices being in favour of all-out war against the kobolds. Cooler heads won out, and they returned to talk once more.

Marcus took Sootscale to the side, and played to the chief's vanity. He'd publicly congratulate Sootscale to his people, but Sootscale would abandon his newly claimed lands. The kobolds would also get to keep some of the income from their silver mine after its added into the barony.

Carrying on their original heading, they returned to the pool where they'd met the dryad several moths previously. Marcus's music was enough to briefly stir her from her winter slumber, and they told her about the attack on the Old Scyamore, and asked if she could investigate. She told them to meet her again in the spring to talk of what she'd found. While in this area, the heroes also put the petrified victim of the cockatrices into their bag of holding, so it could come to no harm while they waited to be powerful enough to life the curse.

A message also arrived from Andara Gisvet of Mivon, asking about improving trade relations between Greenhaven and Mivon. Andara suggested she'd visit in Gozran to discuss matters. Lady Vellara pointed out that matters were hotting up in Brevoy, and this could be a prelude to asking permission to move Mivonese troops north to fight alongside the Aldori Swordlords.

Calistil The heroes headed south, to explore the lands near their planned quarry site. Upon the hills, they found a small village of goblins, who were dominated by a powerful barghest. The first goblins they met asked their aid - while they were nominally followers of Lamashtu (praise be to the Mother of Monsters), having one of her holy children in their village was a bit much. The heroes agreed, and marched forth to face the fiend. It proved a tough opponent, but they were victorious (and also managed to avoid killing any of the goblins fighting on its side). The tribe as a whole were happy with their actions, and there was some discussion about future trade and some of the goblins coming to work in the new quarry.

The heroes returned home to good news for once. Rahdol, a local farmer, had found a decanter of endless water while ploughing his field, and was offering to sell it for half the usual price. The heroes pooled their pennies, and brought the magical item.

Session 14, Lamia, Peryton and a Bard, oh my! (Pharast 4720)

The heroes decide to located the Temple of Lamashtu that Neeka had told them about. They were able to trace a path from the shrine south-east towards Lake Silverstep. Not far from the southern shore of the lake, they found the temple.

As they asceded the path, they were assaulted by monstrous peryton, but the pack soon fled following the death of their leader. Within the temple itself were several priestesses of Lamashtu, and some petitioners. The priestess were revealed to be lamia, and a fierce battle was fought. In the end, the heroes were victorious!

The other people at the temple were a married couple (Alastair and Elena, of New Stetven), and a lone woman (Katrina of Mivon). Alastair and Elena were there to seek help in having a child, as a necromancer's curse had rendered them infertile. Closer questioning forced the couple to reveal the truth - the curse had been laid on them by Pharasma, for aiding a necromancer in a foul plot in New Stetven. Katrina had miscarried, and sought the aid of Lamashtu to bring her pregnancy to term, and refused to listen to any warnings about the change it would have upon the nature of her child. The heroes escorted Katrina back to the ferry across the Gudrin River, and Tamlane attempted to persuade her to move on - but to what effect he wasn't sure. Alastair and Elena were dispatched from the barony, and fled quickly. Not wanting to anger the Mother of Monsters too much, the heroes refrained from utterly destroying her temple - settling for bringing down the one of the entrance pillars to block easy access.

Back home, all was not well. A bard named Grigori had appeared in the barony, and done nothing but cause havoc, as he spoke out to criticise every decision the heroes had made. Marcus debated with him in the market square of Tuskglen, and though persuasive, the bard still held much sway. Marcus, Fraxinus and Lady Vellara held a discussion about finding (or 'finding') evidence to prove Grigori was a Pitaxi spy, and Fraxinus later broke into his room to see what he could find (nothing incriminating, as it happened). In the end, Fraxinus argued that should banish Grigori now, rather than leave him around for months to sow sedition before eventually coming to the same end. The council agreed, and Grigori was banished from the barony - though this didn't please the populace much.

Session 15, In Which the Barony Receives Many Visitors (Gozran - Desnus 4720)

Gozran 4720 The heroes decide to stick close to home, to help reduce the unrest raised by banishing Grigori. They decide to deal with the giant turtle Old Crackjaw, who's basking by a small pool of water on the beach of Tuskwater. They manage defeat him, though Mourgrym did end up being swallowed by the giant beast. After killing Old Crackjaw, the heroes investigate the pool of water, which is swirling continuously. Fraxinus detects something magical in the water, and swims towards it, and finds that some of the water in the pool is alive in a strange way. The living water forms a ring, which allows the wearer to call upon elementals and to call down a rainstorm. They decide that Tamlane is best placed to wear the strange ring.

After this, they call in on Old Beldame. She's pleased to hear that Old Crackjaw is no more, and tells them some information about sites within the Narlmarches - a haunted ruined village, and a house inhabited by a solitary wizard.

Their next stop is to visit the dryad they met before defeating the Stag Lord. She's investigated the Old Sycamore, and tells them that whatever was stolen was an artifact of some power - it was responsible for the great size of the tree, and without it, the Old Sycamore will wither and die. She's also concerned that this will affect the rest of the Greenbelt, and asks the heroes to find out who's responsible. She gives Marcus a necklace of leaves and emeralds, which will allow him to communicate with her from a distance.

They visit Bokken next, and confirm that he's doing well (or as well as he ever is). They tell him that there may be a road nearby soon, but they'll keep it a fair distance from his hut.

Returning back to Tuskglen, they pay host to Andara Gisvet of Mivon. She's come here to ostensibly discuss trading, but her real mission is to secure permission for small groups of Mivonese warriors to move north to Restov. The heroes agree, though place limits on the maximum numbers of Mivonese soldiers that can be present at any one time.

Desnus 4720 Mourgrym is pleased see many of his relatives arrive to join the growing barony. Kesten Garress also petitions the rest of the council to construct a shrine to Gorum, in addition to those already built for Abadar and Pharasma. They agree, and a shrine to Our Lord in Iron is constructed, in addition to one for Sarenrae.

While heading into the forest to explore, the heroes find troll tracks at the Skunk Ford - and tracks that are heading northwards, not south. They follow the tracks, which head towards the Sootscales mine. Wondering what scheme the Chief is up, the heroes head in. Sootscale is playing host to three trolls. The leader, a massive troll, introduces himself as Hargulka, and explains that he's here to persuade the kobolds to join with Hargulka's alliance of 'monstrous' ancestries. Hargulka promises to give the kobolds free rein to continue with their traditional way of life, but Marcus makes an eloquent counter-argument about how the barony already considers the kobolds as citizens. When Sootscale rejects Hargulka's offer, he looks displeased, but leaves without any violence. The heroes track him to the borders of their lands, and decide to start equipping their small force with alchemical items to help them if Hargulka decides to attack.

Resuming their previous course, the heroes headed into the forest. In between the Skunk and Murk Rivers, they found one of the locations Old Beldame had told them about - a ruined and haunted village. Near the village, they met a dryad named Tiressia and a satyr named Falchos. They begged the heroes to help them defeat a powerful and evil scythe tree that lived nearby, which had already nearly killed Falchos once. Tiressia explained that the scythe tree had once been a powerful dryad queen, who went mad on her wedding day and slew the villagers (the queen had been due to marry one of the villagers). The heroes reluctantly agreed, and easily defeated the corrupted tree.

However, the tree's death did not release all of the ghostly villagers, suggesting that something more complicated was afoot...

Session 16, Troll Troubles (Desnus & Sarenith 4720)

Desnus As they entered the ruined village, the ghost of the headman Wilburn approached them. He told them that something was anchoring him to his ghostly existence, and suspected in might be in a nearby well. The heroes approached cautiously, and were able to defeat the will-o-wisp and undead that guarded it. Within the well were two coins, one inscribe with the name Wilbur and the other with the name Callios. Wilbur explained that his daughter Nyta had been betrothed to one of the villagers (Dorsy) but broke the engagement off after falling in love with the dryad Callios. Dorsy was furious, and accused Callios of enchanting and stealing Nyta. Local legend said that if you wrote the name of someone you truly, deeply hated on a coin and threw it into a well, they'd be cursed - and so would you. Somehow the unassuming Dorsy had managed to create a curse powerful enough to make Wilbur a ghost, and to turn Callios into a scythe tree. Finally, the heroes placed the coins on an altar to Pharasma. The coins evaporated in the breeze, and Wilbur's ghost vanished as the call of whip-or-wills echoed through the forest. Tiressia and Falchos thanked them for their aid, and Tiressia rewarded them with a fine emerald.

Sarenith Exploring more of the forest, the heroes paid a call on the reclusive wizard Bartholomew Delgardo. He told them that he'd moved to the Narlmarches some years ago to study the curses that seem to be so common in this area, and was fascinated to hear about the scythe tree they'd recently encountered. Bartholomew also mentioned he had a troll prisoner, and that he was studying the troll's regenerative powers. When the heroes realised he meant that he'd imprisoned and was torturing a sentient being, they persuaded the reluctant wizard to let Grisnakh the troll free. Bartholomew wasn't happy with the plan, but thought better of confronting five strangers within his own house.

On their way back home, the heroes called into The Felled Stag inn in Thornmouth and were introduced to Willas Gunderson of the Pathfinder society. Willas explained he was here to explore the local ruins, and was particularly interested in the tale of the cyclopes ruin they'd found. He also told them that 3 other pathfinders had headed to Candlemere to investigate the strange island, and suggested they meet up in Thornmouth next month to share information.

In Tuskglen, another visitor was waiting - Cephal Lorentus, the wizard who works with Maegar Varn. He'd come here to discuss matters of trade. The Varnling lands were rich in mineral resources, but poor in food. Cephal said they'd found an adamntine vein, and were hoping to have ingots ready next year. It was agreed that he'd later return to lead a food caravan back to the Varnling lands.

News also reached them about strange events happening at the Thorn Ford logging camp - loggers reported hearing one and other say things that were later denied, or objects that vanished and re-appeared. Suspecting something magical or fey in nature, the heroes paid a call on Tyg-Titter-Tut and Perlivash to ask them if they'd seen anything. Only Perlivash was there, and through sobbing tears, he revealed that a big troll had kidnapped Tyg-Titter-Tut, and was threatening to rip her legs off if Perlivash didn't play tricks on the logging camp. The heroes easily tracked the troll through the forest, and were able to rescue Tyg-Titter-Tut from the troll and his troll hounds with ease. Both fey were overjoyed to be reuinited, and praised the heroes as the most awesomeliest, bestest people ever!

Session 17, Candlemere (& More Troll Trouble) (Erastus - Arodus 4720)

Erastus Worried about Tyg's mention that the troll had referred to a boggard, they paid a visit on Garuum, the lone boggard living on the Skunk River. Their visit was well timed, as a group of trolls sent by Hargulka were there to 'convince' him to join with their kingdom. The independently-minded Garuum refused, and a fight soon broke out. The heroes were victorious, and were also able to communicate with Garuum via the Staff of Divination they'd recovered from the cyclopes ruins. They explained about the growing troll threat to Garuumn, and he agreed to relocate to a suitable spot along the Thorn River - where the trolls should be unable to go, due to the presence of the Erastilian patrols between the temple and Statue of Erastil.

Next, they ventured to Thornmouth to meet up with the Pathfinder's who'd ventured to Candlemere. To no-one's great surprise, they weren't there, and so the heroes set out to investigate. The island was home to many wisps, as they expected, but they also found the corpses of two of the Pathfinders, both dead in mysterious circumstances. The first had succumbed to his wounds, and appeared to have been left behind by his compatriots - but as they were a paladin of Irori and a cleric of Nethys, this didn't make much sense, as they should have been easily able to heal him. The paladin was also dead, slain by a dagger in his back. All became clearer when they met Rismel, the surviving member of the trio. She'd fallen prey to the baleful influence of ... something ... that lurked on the other side of a portal in the ruins of the old tower at the edge of the island. Rismel was initially convinced she was hearing the holy word of Nethys, which again made little sense - the All-Seeing Eye is famed for his silence towards his worshippers. They were able to convince Rismel of this, and she threw off the curse. She was distraught to realise what she'd done, and asked their help to defeat the being on the other side of the portal. She knew it would enter the Material Plane soon, and suggested they deliberately summon it in order to slay it, rather than waiting for it to inevitably pass through at a later date.

And so the portal was opened. A strange being of baleful fire entered, which proved a tough foe. Thankfully, closing the portal weakened the being, and it was eventually defeated. Rismel left with the corpses of her fellows, hoping to return them to life and make amends. She told the heroes that she'd return soon, to take up a watchful guard over the portal site, in case anything else tried to pass through.

Their grand diplomat Jamir Cloverton was dispatched to the lands of Hans Drelev to see what was happening there. Jamir reported back later in the month that all was mostly going well, though the new Baron Drelev was concerned not only about the boggards who threaten the vital Sellen River trade route, but also a nearby tribe of barbarians. The Tiger Lords consider Drelev's lands their own, and so far, attempts to negotiate a peaceful accord have failed.

finally, the heroes decide to explore the southern reaches of the Narlmarches to find out where Hargulka's trolls were based. Eschewing their normal careful approach of mapping, they were rewarded for their boldness when they found the trolls had established a small settlement around the old Dwarven Ruins they'd heard of. The trolls were clearing fields for their slaves (mostly humans and halflings) to work. Mourgrym was alarmed to see a dwarf walking alongside Hargulka one day - a woman wearing the holy symbol of Droskar, the outcast former apprentice of Torag.

Arodus The month began with bad news - a series of wolf attacks on the farms and quarries south of the Gudrin River. The heroes went forth to investigate, and found the tracks of a decently-sized pack, led by a much larger beast (perhaps a warg or dire wolf). There were also tracks of a trollhound, and the heroes suspected more trollish interference in their realm. While here, they headed off to visit the nearby goblin village - and found it abandoned. The tracks led towards the Narlmarches, and there were troll tracks interspersed among the smaller goblin footprints.

Session 18, The Battle of Fangflower (Arodus - Rova 4720)

Arodus The heroes tracked the wolf pack back to their den on the Little Sellen River. The pack was led by a winter wolf named Howls-at-the-Moon, who briefly parleyed with the heroes - before betraying his word and attacking them. The heroes were victorious, but even more concerned about Hargulka's scheming.

Jamir reported back from Mivon - there would be no help against the trolls from the south, as Mivon's attentions were focussed on Rostland. Marcus and Tamlane both wrote letters home, Marcus to enquire about the politics, and Tamlane to warn his mother to consider heading somewhere other than Rostland. Antonius (Marcus's father) wrote back, and explained that many in House Lebeda opposed their current alliance with House Surtova and the Issians.

Rova The heroes headed back into the Narlmarches to find a route to Hargulka's stronghold. They called in on the village of lizardfolk that live to the south of Candlemere on the way. The unnamed settlement is a temporary seasonal base that the lizardfolk use to fish the lake waters during the summer months. Their chief Arasheg told the heroes that Hargulka had approached them as well, and that some of his people had chosen to join Hargulka, a faction led by Enshuk. The remaining lizardfolk will depart soon, and make way to along the rivers to their permanent homes in the south. Fraxinus spoke to them about the divinatory school he planned to establish, as the lizardfolk are keen astrologers and diviners.

On their way back, they spoke with Tiressia, who warned them that a large party of trolls had headed north. Alarmed, the heroes headed back to their lands as quickly as possible.

Their scouts had also picked up on the advancing trolls, and the heroes were able to gather a small army and meet the trolls just before they reached the rich farmlands of Greenhaven. A great battle was fought, and the forces of the barony were victorious, driving the trolls from the field and taking few losses themselves. The heroes faced off against the troll commander and a troll druid, and while the commander was slain with his troops, the druid escaped their trackers and vanished into the forest.

Upon their return home, Dolgrin had news - he'd finally managed to track down the maker's mark they'd found in the Old Scyamore, after the mites were slain. The mark was from a high quality blacksmith in Pitax...

Session 19, The Trolls March (Rova - Lamashan 4720)

Rova Following their victory at Fangflower, the heroes make ready for the next troll attacks. Mourgrym drills the army, and Tamlane briefs the commanders about how to counter the troll druid's spells. Marcus rallies the populace, and instructs them about what to do when the trolls attack, while Voldea makes the field hospitals of the barony ready.

Meanwhile, Fraxinus heads forth to scout directly upon Hargulka, accompanied by Jhod and other members of the Elk's Antlers. Fraxinus arrives there before the defeated troll army, and using his invisibility and divination spells, is able to see Hargulka's furious reaction - the troll raid has messed up his plan somehow, and he's not shy about making his displeasure felt. A few days later, the majority of the trolls march forth, led by Nagrundi and an onidoshi. Hargulka doesn't join them, and closets himself with the cleric of Droskar. Further scrying from Fraxinus reveals that the cleric is conducting a ritual deep in the bowels of the dwarven fortress - one that will render Hargulka immune to fire. Having recovered this valuable intelligence, Fraxinus and the Erastil followers rapidly move home to jointhe defense against the trolls.

The barony's scouts were able to warn Mourgrym that the troll army had split into two, one headed north of Candlemere and one headed south. The barony leaders decide to keep their army intact, to increase their chances on the field, and hope that the troll army they ignore won't inflict too much damage.

Lamashan The first battle is fought by the fishing village on the shores of Tuskwater. The baronial army wins a solid victory, routing the trolls from the field - and the heroes manage to slay both Nagrundi and the troll druid who'd previously vexed them. Knowing that the other troll army had succesfully forded the Gudrin River and were marching on Thornmouth, the army marched rapidly to reinforce the town. They managed to beat the trolls to the town, but the second army changed tactics - the onidoshi general commanded his forces to bring down the bridge across the Shrike River, forcing the baronial armies to march some distance to the north to meet his force in the field. In the meantime, his army pillaged the land, destroying farms and road (though few civilians, thanks to the evacuations and preparations made earlier).

The next day the baronial army brought the second troll army to ground. Despite their fatigue, their army was victorious once more, with the heroes managing to slay the enemy general and his troll bodyguard. Their twin victories left many trolls still alive and wandering in small bands, but with both generals dead, the heroes hope they won't re-group into a proper fighting force.

Almost immediately, the heroes and many of their councillors marched southwards to deal with Hargulka himself.

Session 20, The Fall of Hargulka (Lamashan 4720)

Following their victory in the field, the heroes marched south (though not before writing wills and alters to relatives, in case things didn't go to plan). They were accompanied by Jhod and members of the Elk's Antlers, while Kesten and Kassil remained to lead their forces in mopping up the scattered remnants of the troll armies.

Upon arrival at Hagulka's Fort, they found the exterior largely empty, apart from a small group of slaves working at securing the main gate in the wooden pallisade. The heroes slew the troll guards, and the slaves told them that the remaining trolls had retreated within the fort. Hargulka's two dwarf advisors (Illasera Droskardottir, priest of Droskar, and Kavken, a fire-touched sorcerer) had come to take the slaves inside as well, and it was clear from the half-overheard scraps that some dire ritual was underway. One of the slaves also mentioned that she'd seen some of the goblins sneaking out of the fort via a hidden route, and the heroes resolved to find this entrance and use it to avoid the guards. Jhod and the other followers of Erastil remained outside to tend to the mistreated slaves.

Scouting the south side of the fortress, the heroes were able to find the hidden path relatively quickly. It led into a series of dark and musty corridors, clearly long abandoned. Deciding that speed was of the essence, the heroes marched on - and straight into a pod of yellow mould. Marcus suffered badly from the poisonous fungi, and a later patch caught Voldea and Mourgrym too. They were also attacked by some dwarven undead, but were able to overcome them with ease.

Pushing onwards, the heroes made good progress - too good almost, as they marched directly into the room where Hargulka waited without realising it. Hargulka was placed in the inner sanctum of the dwarven fortress, in what was once a holy place dedicated to Torag and his family. Now, it bore decorations of Droskar and great bonfires were lit towards the rear. The heroes could see the chained slaves near the fires, and the edge of a ritual circle - but Hargulka (who was entirely immune to the fire by now) and Illasera Droskardottir held them off for long enough for Kavken to succeed in his ritual.

Hargulka fell, slain once and for all. But as he fell, the slaves were burned alive, and a portal opened in the heart of the temple. The two dwarves fled through, heading to what appeared to be the Elemental Plane of Fire. Something started to travel through the portal from the other side - a vast and terrible magma dragon. In a last ditch attempt, the heroes managed to seal the portal shut, but not before the dragon unleashed a wave of magma breath upon them. Marcus taunted the beast, drawing fire from his allies - and then nimbly dodged out of the way, entirely unharmed by the waves of primal energy.

In the aftermath, the heroes located Hargulka's treasury and claimed its contents for their own. The treasury contained an ancient codex on crafting, as well as a large pile of gold and a partially-completed weapon rune. Additionally, Mourgrym claimed the Heart of Fire, the fire-infused necklace that Hargulka wore. Judging by the design, it had been made by Illasera, but adapted from an early dwarven work, as there were faint references to Angradd, the forge-fire (another dwarven deity).

That night, the dryad appeared in Marcus's dreams to congratulate him for their victory. He told her about the evidence from Pitax, and she promised to do what she could to renew the Old Scyamore when she awoke in spring.