Session 12: Reckoning and Reconciliation Report

Baffled and betrayed, the other members of the party deliberated among one another as to what they saw. Could Azidael and Auron have truly betrayed them? Perhaps they knew something nobody else could know? Something… some logical explanation must exist! It was then that the Vestidian suutgir interrupted and plainly observed that they had all been betrayed. The fools were running off. However, he proposed that if the party helped hunt them both down that the 100 doln price would be paid. Without any other options, the party, five Dramana, and one Vestidian rider began to give chase while the other Vestidians returned to camp to retrieve their horses.

Given the recent escape, the swifter members of the pursing party were able to quickly close the distance between Auron and Azidael. A battle ensued, wherein arrows and blasts of Vojûn were hurled between the combatants as they rode furiously through the low fields of the Tharsite hinterlands. The match was even between them, but Azidael was too slow a rider to keep pace, and he began to fall behind even Auron. The blasts continued, and Azidael’s weapon was destroyed, he was wounded, Calista’s bow was destroyed, Ballisar was wounded, but the chase continued. Further and further they rode, fighting and yelling in all the chaos of battle. Azidael kept his eyes forward, and ahead of him noticed a small hamlet. He attempted to ride to it, but the other members of the party closed the distance first. Auron was compelled to halt his horse and escalate the fight.

Like a beast, he leapt from the saddle and crushed into Ballisar, throwing him from the saddle. Making long matters short, Auron, Ballisar, Orin, and the Wayfarer battled on those plains while Calista continued to pursue Azidael who rode toward the village. It was a bloody affair, without a doubt, with heavy blows exchanged between all parties. Auron managed to hold his own until the arrival of the Dramana reinforcements, who swiftly surrounded and overwhelmed him. They hacked and cut into his body relentlessly, protecting their lord with equal vigor as fighting an enemy. Auron did fall and he did die, and the party believed that dilemma was handled.

Nothing is so simple in Othos. After a few tense moments of silence, the corpse of Auron began to bubble and fissure, the skin looking to tear and pop like a soup kept too long upon the fire. The Dramana stepped back in horror- witnessing the body bloat and morph into something grotesque. At the critical moment, the corpse burst with a magnificent blast, sending blood, intestine, shards of metal, and other miscellany hurling through the chilled air. Rising from the remains was a dire beast, the visage of the Dhrak born from fire and blood, tangled with warped metal and dangling intestines. It immediately began to attack the Dramana members and Ballisar. A vicious fight ensued, and all around but Orin, Ballisar, and one member of the Dramana were killed. Vimal, three other Dramana, and the Vestidian rider lay dead upon the dirt. However, the beast was slain, and in its final throes cried out that ‘the powers unleashed upon here must be halted, and must be halted now!’ before dissipating into air. It was an ominous message, and nobody there was quite certain what it meant.

In the village, the Wayfarer and Calista stopped Azidael from fleeing, pleading that he stay and speak. They succeed with this, and after a long while of conversation Ballisar and the others from the battlefield arrived. Making long matters short, they spoke of the recent battle, the motivations for fleeing, and what might be done next between them. They didn’t want Azidael to leave and believed that he had been led astray by Auron. Azidael agreed to remain with the party, his friends, but only if they turned their objective toward the plight of his lover, Ekess. The party agreed with surprising ease. Shortly after the Vestidians arrived at the scene, and Ballisar explained that they killed one of the criminals but wished to spare the other. The suutgir agreed, but only after a price of 50 dolns had been paid.

The party was now marching southward, away from Andulon and their original objective. After a day of travel they made camp within a shallow gully flanked by light tree cover. The night watch went by smoothly for all but Azidael, but to him came Eryssis, desiring to speak once again. This time, however, it was not a matter of pleasantries. She had a letter, signed by Tressonar Syrgus Pyrgos himself. Azidael read it carefully- it was an overture, a request for peace and assistance. Syrgus offered him a blank check of sorts, anything he wanted within reason, if he assisted him against the party. When he made a decision, the daughters expected a message to be left buried in the old spot of the camp. After that delivery, the two of them sat upon the fallen timbers and spoke in general about their interesting situations, both bounds to powers beyond themselves on opposing sides. She also explained that Azidael was now bound to events in Othos- Syrgus had his eyes upon him, and he could not hope to flee now. However, the current path was favorable. The longer the Tressar of the Dramana and the diplomat from Everos were kept away from the frontline action, the better. Finally, Eryssis explained that the two daughters will protect Azidael as best they can until the next letter is written, as Azidael is now an ally and asset of Syrgus. The Dhrak’onyth slowly nodded his head, saying that he would try to remain useful.