13. The Blood Hag... Continued
General Summary
The Hag’s Hut
Having just eviscerated a blood hag and slain a giant serpent, the Company of the Broken Banner had barely caught their breath when they noticed a pungent stench rolling through the hag’s hut. The bubbling brew inside the cauldron was a gruesome sight; floating meat and bones. Lucian’s arcane assessment confirmed the blood hag wasn’t brewing stew for the hungry, but something far more unspeakable. The BBC decided to simply extinguish the fire beneath it and move on. Seeking answers, Buffman turned to Kent, the tavern owner from Ages Terra, Buffman’s childhood village, and asked, “What happened, Kent? What’s become of our home?” Kent’s voice—originally rich with a thick Jamaican accent—shifted suddenly, taking on the nasal, drawling tones of Southern America. He sighed, his eyes far away. “Orcs came through and tore it all apart. I ain’t going back there. Not sure where them women folk went after they left the Stormcloak hunting cabin. Could be anywhere wanderin’ in the forest. As for your family…” Kent shrugged, not offering much hope. With the air thick with unspoken sadness, Tuzi set about unlocking the trapdoor. Roknar was the first to descend, simultaneously guzzling down pork he brought from a prior, unspecified Yuletide feast. His darkvision caught the grisly details below. On a rack, hanging like twisted trophies, were several ritually cleansed skins—young human and orc females. In the far corner, a cage sat, and within it, a small girl. Roknar called out “I’m not dead,” and the rest of the group descended. Orvasa and Buffman moved toward the cage, and Buffman’s booming voice revealed the girl's name: "Madeline. The miller's daughter." Madeline, clearly broken in spirit, looked up with vacant eyes. When Buffman tried to hug her, his arms collided with the cage. Fuelled by a surge of adrenaline, he tore the iron bars apart and swept the girl into his arms. As Kent rushed over, Buffman noticed the girl's lacerations on her arms. Deep, fresh cuts spoke of a tormented past. “We’ll get you out of here,” Buffman promised, gently leading her back up the ladder into the hut. Meanwhile, Lucian rifled through a desk and read a few notes about a “coven” and “the second eye of the fox.” Lucian’s expression was one of realization. “This is personal,” he muttered, convinced the “eye of the fox” was a vendetta against something. More notes detailed the witch sisters—three in total—more powerful when together. Orvasa’s occultism expertise revealed another sister could control nightmares and steal souls, and the lead sister, a moon hag, would be the most powerful. To prevent the sisters from using the blood hag’s skins, Roknar folded two skins neatly like bedsheets and stored them in his bag. He burned the remainder. But there was more: a bone wand, dark robes and a winged helmet, the latter claimed by Tuzi, in search of new headwear. The group moved back up into the hut where Case had been tasked with standing guard, although rather unsuccessfully due to poor myopic vision. Just as the group were about to rest, a knock echoed through the door. “No one’s home!” Case shouted. Orvasa, sensing something amiss, casted a spell to read the air. Lucian, ill-tempered and brash, threw open the door, knife in hand. There, standing tall in the threshold, was a seven-and-a-half-foot orc clad in hide armour, flanked by a dozen more like him. “Drop your weapons,” the orc demanded. Lucian, brimming with confidence, responded by attacking. The orc laughed, unfazed, and with a swift motion, threw Lucian outside. The rest of the BBC joined combat, though Orvasa tried her best to facilitate peaceful negotiations from the far corner of the room. Roknar suddenly strode forward, “Let’s talk. There’s been a misunderstanding.” His sheer presence surprised the orcs. He flexed his bulbous bicep and pointed to his forsaken tattoo with a wink. “Not if you’re working with the hag, you’re gonna die,” Lucian spat. The situation escalated quickly. The Orcs threw torches into the hut, and as the flames began to consume the building, Kent grabbed a chair and carried it out—like a man with nothing left to lose. Madeline, still in shock, took a seat on it, her gaze distant. The hut erupted in flames and the BBC found themselves outside face-to-face with a one-eyed elf—General Faux. As Roknar shook his hand firmly, they spoke of the “Trials” ahead and the fate of the company, which would be decided by none other than Kragar Bonebreaker, the orc chieftain. The rest of the BBC were bound (not in the good way) and marched through the forest for days as the Orcs lead them into Harpea’s cave. Harpea’s Cave
Human corpses decorated the ancient structures at the entrance of the caves. A busy population of orcs passed in and out of the gates. The BBC were rudely tossed in a wet dungeon, awaiting “the Trials”. Case mused “odds we make it out alive?”, to which silence fell over the despondent group. But then, from the dark corner of a cell, Orvasa lowered her voice to a deep masculine tone and let a little diddy slip from her lips. Her commit to this lyrical jingle grew with every word, but upon its conclusion, no one clapped. No one even batted an eye. With a wave of her slender fingers, she compelled an applause from a nearby guard. Meanwhile, Roknar was summoned to the Dining Hall. Kragar Bonebreaker, bald and notably lacking in scars, introduced himself. He explained the current festivities were in honour of his upcoming quest to defeat the Red Dragon. During their conversation, Roknar thought he saw an Orc with glowing golden eyes, but a double take dispelled his concern. Turning to enquire about the massacre of Ages Terra, Kragar explained that his forces sought to cleanse the town of those affiliated with the Sons of Avlar, to which Roknar retorted, “that’s great, we love an ethnic cleansing”. Roknar warned General Faux of the hag sisters, and finally turned to scan the dining hall once more. He yearned longingly around the room for any sign of his familial hold. To no avail, he sighed: “Awesome sauce. Let’s get to the egg and bacon of it all”. The Trials
The next morning the BBC were marched into a dark sandy pit at the base of an arena. The grandstands were lined with bellowing orcs. The BBC were instructed to pass the three tests to prove their trustworthiness. Roknar explained the punishment was death, but “if you succeed, you can hang with us as equals… until you're basically kicked out”. The first trial: reciting Orc history. Lucian stammered, his words falling flat on the ears of a crowd that already perceived him to be a privileged causation orc-hater. Case stood boldly in front of the crowd, admitting she knew nothing but appealing to their shared atheism. The crowd grudgingly accepted her answer. Buffman tried his hand next, “You value strength and self-righteousness” still bitter about the slaughter of his people, “but if we have a common enemy, I will stand with you”. The orcs, unimpressed, muttered among themselves. But it was Tuzi’s impassioned speech about free will and shared CCP values that caught their attention. The crowd fell silent, followed by a slow clap which escalated into an eruption of cheers and applause. Orvasa spoke eloquently in Orcish, making a key distinction between the Forsaken and the orcs. The crowd responded with further enthusiasm. Pointing at himself, Kent enquired “Do I have to have a go?” Reluctantly pulled into the spotlight, Kent responded in defiance against the violence of orc culture. His response was met with cold silence. When the axe came down, Kent’s life ended in a single, brutal stroke. His ghost lingered near Buffman’s shoulder, a final whisper, “I had nothing to live for, bro.” With Kent’s death came a new trial. The group were made to consume Canterbrew, a rare herb used to supress arcane powers and counteract against religious magic. The group were stripped to their underwear and left to face the next trial with nothing but their natural fists. Two massive bears charged into the arena and the BBC fought for their lives, each member finding their own way to contribute. Buffman projectile launched Tuzi, who clawed at the eyes of one bear as Case punches the other bear with great success. Orvasa slid between the legs of the bear and yelled “there’s a weird tat down here” before grabbing its dick and twisting it, first clockwise then counter clockwise. As the bear shrieked in horror, Kragar stepped forward and declared “The Trial is over”, turning to Orvasa “your ingenuity knows no bounds”. Mostly successful in the Trials, BBC were led to join the orc festivities. Over dinner, General Faux confessed that the orcs visited Ages Terra looking for the Sons of Avlar, who were rumoured to be hiding among the villagers. However, when the Orcs demanded that the village turn over the Sons, the townspeople struck first. “We certainly didn’t burn down the village or slay all the inhabitants”. On with the Quest
The BBC promptly returned to the Stormcloak Manor. Roknar immediately confronted a maid named Ivory, grabbing her by the shoulders and demanding she reveal her true nature after insisting her eyes were glowing. Lucian intervened, but Orvasa quickly calmed the situation, reassuring everyone that the maid’s golden eyes were not related to hags or occult forces. Then running into Cassian, he revealed the Lightning Bluffs had been attacked by the Federation and their mother, Isabella, had left to help response to the matter. Consequently, Lucian and Tuzi decided to snoop around Isabella's room. They failed to pick the lock, and as Orvasa sensed a magical alarm being triggered, Tuzi projected Lucian's soul to gain insight. Lucian found a letter indicating a high-stakes meeting with the noble houses of Trinity, with implications for the upcoming election. The second letter mentioned preparations for an expedition to Avalon, scheduled to depart in a few days. In a scramble, Tuzi dived under a cabinet as Lucian tried to act casual, claiming to the alarmed guards that he was merely trying to access his own room. A guard, however, insisted the room was his mother’s. After managing to avoid suspicion, Lucian requested drinks for everyone and shared their findings with the group. The BBC then travelled to Trinity to check on Isabella, but the maids at the Trinity manor claimed they hadn’t seen her in weeks. With no answers, the group decided to rest the night at the Lightstone Inn and make a series of trades and/or purchases.
Having just eviscerated a blood hag and slain a giant serpent, the Company of the Broken Banner had barely caught their breath when they noticed a pungent stench rolling through the hag’s hut. The bubbling brew inside the cauldron was a gruesome sight; floating meat and bones. Lucian’s arcane assessment confirmed the blood hag wasn’t brewing stew for the hungry, but something far more unspeakable. The BBC decided to simply extinguish the fire beneath it and move on. Seeking answers, Buffman turned to Kent, the tavern owner from Ages Terra, Buffman’s childhood village, and asked, “What happened, Kent? What’s become of our home?” Kent’s voice—originally rich with a thick Jamaican accent—shifted suddenly, taking on the nasal, drawling tones of Southern America. He sighed, his eyes far away. “Orcs came through and tore it all apart. I ain’t going back there. Not sure where them women folk went after they left the Stormcloak hunting cabin. Could be anywhere wanderin’ in the forest. As for your family…” Kent shrugged, not offering much hope. With the air thick with unspoken sadness, Tuzi set about unlocking the trapdoor. Roknar was the first to descend, simultaneously guzzling down pork he brought from a prior, unspecified Yuletide feast. His darkvision caught the grisly details below. On a rack, hanging like twisted trophies, were several ritually cleansed skins—young human and orc females. In the far corner, a cage sat, and within it, a small girl. Roknar called out “I’m not dead,” and the rest of the group descended. Orvasa and Buffman moved toward the cage, and Buffman’s booming voice revealed the girl's name: "Madeline. The miller's daughter." Madeline, clearly broken in spirit, looked up with vacant eyes. When Buffman tried to hug her, his arms collided with the cage. Fuelled by a surge of adrenaline, he tore the iron bars apart and swept the girl into his arms. As Kent rushed over, Buffman noticed the girl's lacerations on her arms. Deep, fresh cuts spoke of a tormented past. “We’ll get you out of here,” Buffman promised, gently leading her back up the ladder into the hut. Meanwhile, Lucian rifled through a desk and read a few notes about a “coven” and “the second eye of the fox.” Lucian’s expression was one of realization. “This is personal,” he muttered, convinced the “eye of the fox” was a vendetta against something. More notes detailed the witch sisters—three in total—more powerful when together. Orvasa’s occultism expertise revealed another sister could control nightmares and steal souls, and the lead sister, a moon hag, would be the most powerful. To prevent the sisters from using the blood hag’s skins, Roknar folded two skins neatly like bedsheets and stored them in his bag. He burned the remainder. But there was more: a bone wand, dark robes and a winged helmet, the latter claimed by Tuzi, in search of new headwear. The group moved back up into the hut where Case had been tasked with standing guard, although rather unsuccessfully due to poor myopic vision. Just as the group were about to rest, a knock echoed through the door. “No one’s home!” Case shouted. Orvasa, sensing something amiss, casted a spell to read the air. Lucian, ill-tempered and brash, threw open the door, knife in hand. There, standing tall in the threshold, was a seven-and-a-half-foot orc clad in hide armour, flanked by a dozen more like him. “Drop your weapons,” the orc demanded. Lucian, brimming with confidence, responded by attacking. The orc laughed, unfazed, and with a swift motion, threw Lucian outside. The rest of the BBC joined combat, though Orvasa tried her best to facilitate peaceful negotiations from the far corner of the room. Roknar suddenly strode forward, “Let’s talk. There’s been a misunderstanding.” His sheer presence surprised the orcs. He flexed his bulbous bicep and pointed to his forsaken tattoo with a wink. “Not if you’re working with the hag, you’re gonna die,” Lucian spat. The situation escalated quickly. The Orcs threw torches into the hut, and as the flames began to consume the building, Kent grabbed a chair and carried it out—like a man with nothing left to lose. Madeline, still in shock, took a seat on it, her gaze distant. The hut erupted in flames and the BBC found themselves outside face-to-face with a one-eyed elf—General Faux. As Roknar shook his hand firmly, they spoke of the “Trials” ahead and the fate of the company, which would be decided by none other than Kragar Bonebreaker, the orc chieftain. The rest of the BBC were bound (not in the good way) and marched through the forest for days as the Orcs lead them into Harpea’s cave. Harpea’s Cave
Human corpses decorated the ancient structures at the entrance of the caves. A busy population of orcs passed in and out of the gates. The BBC were rudely tossed in a wet dungeon, awaiting “the Trials”. Case mused “odds we make it out alive?”, to which silence fell over the despondent group. But then, from the dark corner of a cell, Orvasa lowered her voice to a deep masculine tone and let a little diddy slip from her lips. Her commit to this lyrical jingle grew with every word, but upon its conclusion, no one clapped. No one even batted an eye. With a wave of her slender fingers, she compelled an applause from a nearby guard. Meanwhile, Roknar was summoned to the Dining Hall. Kragar Bonebreaker, bald and notably lacking in scars, introduced himself. He explained the current festivities were in honour of his upcoming quest to defeat the Red Dragon. During their conversation, Roknar thought he saw an Orc with glowing golden eyes, but a double take dispelled his concern. Turning to enquire about the massacre of Ages Terra, Kragar explained that his forces sought to cleanse the town of those affiliated with the Sons of Avlar, to which Roknar retorted, “that’s great, we love an ethnic cleansing”. Roknar warned General Faux of the hag sisters, and finally turned to scan the dining hall once more. He yearned longingly around the room for any sign of his familial hold. To no avail, he sighed: “Awesome sauce. Let’s get to the egg and bacon of it all”. The Trials
The next morning the BBC were marched into a dark sandy pit at the base of an arena. The grandstands were lined with bellowing orcs. The BBC were instructed to pass the three tests to prove their trustworthiness. Roknar explained the punishment was death, but “if you succeed, you can hang with us as equals… until you're basically kicked out”. The first trial: reciting Orc history. Lucian stammered, his words falling flat on the ears of a crowd that already perceived him to be a privileged causation orc-hater. Case stood boldly in front of the crowd, admitting she knew nothing but appealing to their shared atheism. The crowd grudgingly accepted her answer. Buffman tried his hand next, “You value strength and self-righteousness” still bitter about the slaughter of his people, “but if we have a common enemy, I will stand with you”. The orcs, unimpressed, muttered among themselves. But it was Tuzi’s impassioned speech about free will and shared CCP values that caught their attention. The crowd fell silent, followed by a slow clap which escalated into an eruption of cheers and applause. Orvasa spoke eloquently in Orcish, making a key distinction between the Forsaken and the orcs. The crowd responded with further enthusiasm. Pointing at himself, Kent enquired “Do I have to have a go?” Reluctantly pulled into the spotlight, Kent responded in defiance against the violence of orc culture. His response was met with cold silence. When the axe came down, Kent’s life ended in a single, brutal stroke. His ghost lingered near Buffman’s shoulder, a final whisper, “I had nothing to live for, bro.” With Kent’s death came a new trial. The group were made to consume Canterbrew, a rare herb used to supress arcane powers and counteract against religious magic. The group were stripped to their underwear and left to face the next trial with nothing but their natural fists. Two massive bears charged into the arena and the BBC fought for their lives, each member finding their own way to contribute. Buffman projectile launched Tuzi, who clawed at the eyes of one bear as Case punches the other bear with great success. Orvasa slid between the legs of the bear and yelled “there’s a weird tat down here” before grabbing its dick and twisting it, first clockwise then counter clockwise. As the bear shrieked in horror, Kragar stepped forward and declared “The Trial is over”, turning to Orvasa “your ingenuity knows no bounds”. Mostly successful in the Trials, BBC were led to join the orc festivities. Over dinner, General Faux confessed that the orcs visited Ages Terra looking for the Sons of Avlar, who were rumoured to be hiding among the villagers. However, when the Orcs demanded that the village turn over the Sons, the townspeople struck first. “We certainly didn’t burn down the village or slay all the inhabitants”. On with the Quest
The BBC promptly returned to the Stormcloak Manor. Roknar immediately confronted a maid named Ivory, grabbing her by the shoulders and demanding she reveal her true nature after insisting her eyes were glowing. Lucian intervened, but Orvasa quickly calmed the situation, reassuring everyone that the maid’s golden eyes were not related to hags or occult forces. Then running into Cassian, he revealed the Lightning Bluffs had been attacked by the Federation and their mother, Isabella, had left to help response to the matter. Consequently, Lucian and Tuzi decided to snoop around Isabella's room. They failed to pick the lock, and as Orvasa sensed a magical alarm being triggered, Tuzi projected Lucian's soul to gain insight. Lucian found a letter indicating a high-stakes meeting with the noble houses of Trinity, with implications for the upcoming election. The second letter mentioned preparations for an expedition to Avalon, scheduled to depart in a few days. In a scramble, Tuzi dived under a cabinet as Lucian tried to act casual, claiming to the alarmed guards that he was merely trying to access his own room. A guard, however, insisted the room was his mother’s. After managing to avoid suspicion, Lucian requested drinks for everyone and shared their findings with the group. The BBC then travelled to Trinity to check on Isabella, but the maids at the Trinity manor claimed they hadn’t seen her in weeks. With no answers, the group decided to rest the night at the Lightstone Inn and make a series of trades and/or purchases.
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