Session 29 – Peace Demands the Most Heroic Labor and the Most Difficult Sacrifice

Written by KoshcheiBessmertnyi

General Summary

At the top of the hill overlooking the battle, Agni suddenly gets up and tells his mother and Miletus that Enkidu is in trouble. He then hurriedly heads in the direction of the battle. The other two follow him, and begin to call out Enkidu’s name when they approach the woods on the edge of the battlefield.
Sometime earlier, Enkidu sits up after having been nearly run through by Bester’s lance. His coughing has attracted the latter’s attention, he looks up from his current engagement with another orc, sees Glitterstem kneeling over Enkidu, curses, and orders his adjutant to finish the two off once he’s free of his own assailant, adding that he should have killed the two of them when he found out they had abused his son. Suddenly, a loud whisper, apparently Bester’s own, resonates on the scene. It says that the half-orc, and the whole orc army, is under compulsion to attack, and that they’re really just someone else’s puppets. Bester is somewhat taken aback, though he continues with his current activity undeterred. Meanwhile, Enkidu has disappeared under the eaves. Glitterstem and Goltur have followed him into a thicket, and the boar stands at the ready to meet any attack. However, a horn sounds, and a loud voice informs Bester that the horsemen are badly pressed, and will make a strategic retreat to aid the infantry on the battlefield. With this, Bester and the adjutant depart the woods.
Out on the field, the infantry has dealt with the rust monsters, and the line holds the charging orc horde. But the crossbowmen wasted their bolts on the huge insectoids, and the orcs have charged into the thick of battle relatively unmolested. There are fewer of them, but the elite Brotherhood fighters have joined the fray, and they fight with abandon and an utter disregard for personal safety. The arrival of what’s left of the cavalry is too late to change the outcome. The Brotherhood has broken through, and the clans stationed in the woods fire on the retreating infantry with impunity. As the infantry breaks, Theobald gets an arcane shot off on the howling female orc that’s sweeping soldiers before him, and then takes the opportunity to become invisible. Unfortunately, he is trapped between the charging orcs, and the infantry making their last stand, and nearly gets trampled to death. He is finally able to get up after the humans take to their heels, and the orc elite pursues them to clean up the vanquished. Badly bruised and bleeding, Theobald makes for the woods.
In the thicket, Enkidu can hear nothing but the sounds of the whooping orcs, mopping up the humans, and already beginning to celebrate their victory. But the keen-eared Glitterstem hears the sounds of Miletus and the family calling Enkidu’s name. He had meant to send the half-orc, whose arm is broken, back to the hilltop, but now it seems help has come to him. Goltur is sent forth to find them, though the boar seems distracted and directionless. So Glitterstem follows the sounds, and soon runs into the trio. As they begin to plan their next move, Theobald, still invisible, comes upon them, and relates his experience in the battle. It is ultimately decided that Glitterstem, Miletus and the family will stay with Enkidu and aid his effort to find a place with the Brotherhood, even as his friends work on convincing the orcs that the dark elves represent the real danger and the true enemy. Theobald, meanwhile, will head back to Claymore to meet with Bester, or any surviving leadership, to explain Enkidu’s actions, and to warn them as well. A plan is made to meet outside the Furriers’ Gate in Claymore in 20 days’ time.
Collecting Goltur, the main part of the party returns to Enkidu. Glitterstem tries to use magic to mend his friend’s arm, but to no avail. The group is discovered by orcs collecting trophies and finishing off survivors in the woods, and they quickly take the party to the Doom Drummers’ chieftain. After Enkidu claims to have participated in the battle (this is confirmed by some orc witnesses), and a desire to join the Brotherhood, the chieftain orders his people to take him and his friends to Humbaba.
Out on the battlefield, the orcs are in full celebration mode. From snippets of conversation, Enkidu is able to conclude that the humans have lost nearly 300 people, while the orcs lost less than 50. However, most or all of the commanders the orcs attempted to capture have fallen, and there are apparently no high-value prisoners. The fort is mostly ruined, but a few structures still stand. Eventually, Humbaba and his most important lieutenants are found in the midst of celebration. He is an enormous orc, with practically no neck, wielding a spiked club, and he is joined by Hursag, an attractive-looking female with predatory eyes, and Hanish – a battle-scarred veteran with huge tusks (though part of the right tusk is missing). The Doom Drummers who have brought the party reveal who Enkidu is, and what he wants. Humbaba looks the group over, and appears unimpressed, especially by those that neither look, nor are dressed like, orcs. Enkidu introduces himself and his family as relatives of Tigal, and recommends Miletus as a skilled warrior and Glitterstem as a being who speaks with an orc’s tongue (the gnome tries out some of his bad orcish, speaking of dark elves and politics). As son of the former Elder Brother, Enkidu has heard of the Brothers’ prowess, and wants to join up. Humbaba demands to know why he betrayed the Brothers and slew its members to help goblins, but the ranger replies that he betrayed no one, and slew and butchered the orcs only after being attacked, as any orc would have done. He adds that he heard the Brotherhood is a group that accepts all who recognize Baghtru. Humbaba then says that the test of Enkidu’s loyalty will be to see to what degree he accepts his own leadership. He will enslave his family, sending Dafna (who is too old) to wash crocks, and taking Agni for himself. Miletus will be given to his men, to do with as they please, while Glitterstem – a small creature he does not recognize, will become his fool. As he speaks, the gnome takes out his pipe and lights it. Humbaba yells that he will show the proper deference to the words of the Elder Brother. When the gnome ignores him, Humbaba takes a whack at him with his cudgel. Though surrounded by orcs, the party springs into action. Glitterstem attempts to hold Humbaba in place, but to no avail. Miletus discharges some magical energy into the Elder Brother, to little effect. As his lieutenants are ready to pound the prisoners into dust, Humbaba orders them to halt. He laughs, and says that perhaps this motley band has some orcish spirit after all. Enkidu asks whether Humbaba intends to occupy Claymore, and offers to take him to the secret tunnel leading into town.
As they walk, the group is joined by Enmul, the Brotherhood’s old shaman, and a well-dressed human, who, it turns out, is Elias Amando himself. After remarking that the party has finally come around, he asks how his old store is doing, and jokes about finally being free from the Bank’s oppressive debt. He asks about the fourth companion, Theobald, and is not surprised that he has returned to town, to join his own kind. He reveals to Miletus that he never went to Shining – it was all misdirection. In response to Glitterstem’s questions about his involvement with the elvish schemes and his knowledge about the Ingoeth, he simply states that he was ordered to do what he has done by his Order, which has been aware of the party members since before the attempted delivery of the nails. He knows of the dark elves, but perhaps not intimately familiar with them, or with their role in the scheme to push the humans out from the New World. He also says that the orcs, despite their great victory, are not ready to seize Claymore or Neverwinter for lack of sufficient forces. The plan for the moment is to send emissaries to other natives and to recruit them as allies, given Humbaba’s great victory – the first since the colonists’ arrival. Other than that, the Brotherhood plans to harass farmers, and terrorize them into departing. The tunnel offers Humbaba only a chance to glimpse the town, but after the party arrives at the entrance, they find that it has been filled with sand and gravel.
The group, along with Amando, settles down to smoke and watch Claymore from a hill above the town. Its defenses appear intact. No orcish force is descending up it from the west, though a few vessels are seen leaving to the east, toward Neverwinter. Glitterstem sends a rodent to his cousin Kasmyr, with a message to seek out Theobald in town. As it draws toward morning, Enkidu suddenly takes out a short sword, and slices off his testes. Amando leaps up in shock, and as the blood spurts all around, the half-orc is jolted by unimaginably searing pain from the inside his head. He falls down, senseless, and Glitterstem, hearing the shouts, rushes over to his friend’s side, stabilizing him, and saving him from death, for the second time today. Amando is incredulous, and want to know why Enkidu did this. Glitterstem explains that it is to rid him of the dark elves’ evil influence, but he merely shakes his head. The orcs who have arrived in response to the shouting are also confused as to what has just happened. They take Enkidu to one of the occupied farm houses, and leave his family and his companions to tend to him. When conscious, Enkidu inspects his body for signs of the web tattoo. Initially, it seems to be gone, but as he continues to watch, vines (or webs) reform on his abdomen, and slither upward, settling on his chest. Later, Humbaba stops by, and merely says that Enkidu should not have done what he did. The shaman Enmul, however, nods approvingly (or perhaps, mysteriously).
Theobald, meanwhile, has reached Claymore. He became visible soon after leaving the scene of the battle, and joined up with some wounded stragglers, making their way back to town. The town watch is still manning the gates. The population is mobilized and ready for defense, although a lot of people seem to be leaving for Neverwinter. Some of the watchmen recognize Theobald, and are surprised to see him return, though the fact that the stragglers saw him participating in the battle puts them somewhat at ease. Bester, they say, has returned, and is busily planning for a siege back at the arsenal. Theobald is escorted to meet with him.
Bester, still partially dressed in blood-spattered armor, is not happy to see Theobald, though he does not order him attacked. When Theobald states that he wishes to confer with him privately, he first questions eye-witnesses regarding Theobald’s presence at the battle, and then demands to know why the group left town despite his express orders not to. Then, he agrees, if Theobald leaves all his gear, and then ascends to one of the cells in the tower. Before he goes in, he instructs his soldiers to go in immediately and kill Theobald if they hear any altercation. Inside, Theobald reveals the party’s reason for leaving town, tells of their discovery of the Dark Elves, their plan to push back the colonists, and explains why Enkidu attacked the Director at the battle. He asks to convey this information to whoever needs to know it, and to help plan the defense of the town. Bester, though he does not reject Theobald’s story out of hand, says that he is very tired, and caught up with the demands of the moment (including Vess’ flight, apparently with all of the Bank’s funds). He doesn’t have time to investigate or deal with Theobald’s revelations, and asks the sorcerer to remain in the cell until such a time that he does. For the time being, Theobald resigns himself to his fate.

Report Date

06 May 2016