Session 40 – Sunderings and Joinings, Part 2

Written by KoshcheiBessmertnyi

General Summary

The Company arrives at the Brotherhood’s encampment at the farmstead where they have been staying. They are not greeted with open arms by Humbaba after he learns of Hursag’s fall, and Enkidu’s departure. Though he is somewhat mollified by the Owlbears’ ambassadors and offer of alliance, he still demands that the Company must now atone for its negligence by bringing him a foreign consort, preferably from among the colonists. Theobald and Glitterstem do manage to convince the Elder Brother to allow them to attend Hursag’s and Rahab’s sendoff and funeral games at the Brotherhood’s home fortress at Mount Hotenow. Enmul the shaman seems more understanding of Enkidu’s actions, saying that he has forseen that the half-orc’s path would diverge from the Brotherhood, but that he still has a role to play in the drama that has only begun to unfold.
Following the orcs, the company members climb Baghtru’s Staircase to the fortress, which is build out of the natural rock of Mount Hotenow – an active volcano. The Company remains here for nearly an Ennead as the funeral proceedings unfold. Miletus is placed in a medicine cave for convalescence – Humababa thinks he is of no use to party at present, and promises to release him after his companions have fulfilled their mission.
After the athletic contests and much drinking, the high point of the ceremony is the depositing of the bodies into the lava. Within the mountain, Glitterstem and Theobald sense the presence of a powerful but invisible being, perhaps a flame spirit of some sort. In response to Glitterstem’s questions, Enmul simply says that the orcs do not speak of it, but that it inhabits the fire, and is not Baghtru.
After the end of the festivities, Glitterstem and Theobald bid farewell to Miletus, and return with the orcs to the farmstead.

* * *

At a different burnt-out and abandoned farmhouse to the west of Claymore, a different party, consisting of Adrie Mercurybrook, a soldier and healer, Brandon Beiro, who calls himself a cleric, and Aster Tumbleknee, a halfling performer and sleeper agent of the White Hand, sit and discuss their plans. They have come from Saltmarsh – the northernmost of the colonies on the Sword Coast, where they arrived from the Old World some weeks (or months) ago. Whilst conducting an erstwhile companion called Lucius Devrai home to Waterdeep, they encountered Lucius’ master – Esteleth, professor of Enchantment at Naquilan University. Esteleth enlisted them to deliver some supplies – mostly alcohol and tobacco – to the Brotherhood of Baghtru, and to send him a report of the goings on in Claymore, which the orcs are besieging. After arriving in Claymore by boat, along with a large party of Harpers led by Predicant Lorenz, they were taken prisoner after they revealed that they were in Esteleth’s employ. The following day, they manage to break out of their cells, but amid a Harper takeover of Claymore. The Harpers release them, since they helped one of their number while on route to Claymore, but tell them they want them gone by the end of the day. After delivering a package to Lainel Coronnim, resident priestess of Corellon Larethian, they leave town by Furriers’ Gate, and retire to a farmhouse to discuss further plans. Should they continue their mission to the orcs, and seek Miletus, Adrie’s erstwhile comrade-in-arms in the Wars of the Great Discord back in Ulthos? Or return to the coast, perhaps continuing south to the elven colony of Avandra?
As they ponder their next step, they are set upon by a band of seven orcs. None of the companions speak orcish, but they treat the orcs to a bottle of rum, though the latter seem to be mainly interested in the newcomers’ weapons. Though they assert their strength, they do seem somewhat favorably disposed toward the two elves – Adrie and Brandon, and conduct the group to a different farmhouse, to meet with the leader of their Brotherhood.

* * *

At the farmhouse, Humbaba, the Elder Brother, is presiding, surrounded by his attendants. The newcomers offer the orcs the trade goods they have brought, as well as their rations, and the meeting turns into a banquet. Humbaba demands, and receives, Adrie’s iron scimitar and Brandon’s dagger, and is happy with his acquisitions. He then summons Theobald and Elias Amando, who can translate for the newcomers. Through them, the new arrivals relate that they have been sent to deliver gifts from Esteleth, though Humbaba wonders why they have not brought more weapons. Adrie also explains that she is looking for her comrade Miletus. The Claymore authorities averred that he betrayed the town and joined the orcs, while Lainel sent him a message saying that she feared the worst for the town now that it was in Harper hands. Theobald and the orcs explain that Miletus is indisposed, and at the Brotherhood’s main camp, recovering. Theobald further relates, quietly, in Mercoine, that Miletus did not betray the town, but rather has worked with the rest of his companions to try to somehow achieve peace between the human colonists and the natives. He does reveal that he, Theobald, was the one who destroyed the town gate.
As the banquet gets going, Glitterstem the Gnome arrives from a long evening walk, and is introduced to the newcomers. He is disturbed at the news from Claymore, though he is surprised to learn that his cousin Kasmyr’s daughter, Nysa, has just arrived in Claymore, along with a large group of Harpers. The newcomers agree to join the Company on their mission to find Humbaba a consort, though secretly, they want to accompany them on a diplomatic mission into Dire Wolf territory in Neverwinter Woods, and then to meet up with Miletus. They then retire with the Company, and with Amando, to a separate house, where they have been staying.
Here, Brandon explains that he is searching for the killers of his family, while Adrie says that she is here to find the origin of a mysterious organ-destroying disease, which she believes comes from somewhere beyond the Pale. She demonstrates it by using a mysterious ability to wilt a flower. Theobald relates his group’s journeys beyond the Pale, to the Underdark, and to the drow elf city of Xibalba. Adrie is at first dismissive, stating that the drow are an offensive legend, but Glitterstem and Theobald assert that they have seen them, and that the maladies of this land seem to stem from them, and a war that was fought here long ago between their ancestors and those of the light elves, who then fled to Ulthos. They explain that a drow mage called Lhingril compelled their recently departed companion – the half-orc Enkidu – to join the Brotherhood, and help it to push the colonists to the sea. Enkidu has now gone off into the wilds, but his companions still seek ways to end the conflict, and keep elves on both sides of the ocean from manipulating the colonists and the natives into war. The newcomers acknowledge the elves’ manipulative nature. At this, Amando says that the colonists, as represented by the Harpers now in control of Claymore, are clearly unprepared for the secret knowledge contained in Gethen, and that the White Hand has it right in trying to prevent them from gaining it. Glitterstem partly agrees with this, at which Amando makes a proposal. Rather than attend to Humbaba’s immediate demand, he wants the group to feint an attack on Claymore, to distract attention away from the town of Triboar, which the main orcish force means to attack, loot to capture armaments, and then burn to the ground. While the group discusses his proposal, Aster enters into an intense conversation with a fellow member of the White Hand, and the two of them retire to a separate house. Adrie, Brandon, Theobald, and Glitterstem turn in after a long day.

* * *

Meanwhile, another traveler arrives at the encampment from the west. He is Balam, a tabaxi merchant and scout from the land of Mictlan, far to the southwest. His pochteca has heard news of new arrivals from beyond the sea, and sent Balam to investigate. He has been traveling for months, much of the time underground. Recently, he came to the underground city of Xibalba, ruled by the ingoeth, who confirmed the rumors of the new arrivals, and said that the land they have taken is located nearby, on the surface. On the outskirts of the city, Balam met some small reptiloids calling themselves the Sons of Alurax, who showed him the way to the surface, located at the bottom of some craggy foothills. From there, Balam proceeded east, and soon found the lights of some impossibly primitive wooden buildings.
The buildings were guarded by huruacan – creatures with whom Balam was familiar and able to converse. He offered the visibly drunken guards a trade for goods and information, and they ended up leading the strange traveler to the farmhouse-cum-banquet hall, where the night’s festivities were winding down. After Humbaba, the leader of these uruacan, demanded a present in recognition of his greatness, Balam offers him his macahuitl. At this, Humbaba becomes accommodating, and shows off his other recent acquisition – an iron scimitar, which he claims to have received on the same day – surely a sign of his greatness. He says that received the weapon from ingoeth who had come from across the sea. Balam inquires after them, and Humbaba tells him that they are staying here, at his encampment. If Balam is willing to enter his service, seek out a consort for him, and keep an eye on the strangers, he will allow him to speak to them.

* * *

As morning approaches, Balam runs into two ingoeth - Adrie and Brandon in the farmyard. They are looking for Aster, who seems to have gone off with Elias Amando, and never returned. The tabaxi introduces himself as a traveler from the far south. They converse, as they tell him about their lands, and after their companions awaken, they go to meet with them.
Following further introductions, the group discusses what action to undertake, now that they have all entered Humbaba’s service. Adrie objects to in any way participating in an attack on Triboar, a town she has visited, and proposes that the group instead try to kill Humbaba, but Theobald objects, saying that he is too tough, and has too many followers. Glitterstem is opposed to any action against the Brotherhood, with which he considers himself allied. To avoid running afoul of the orcs or killing humans, it is ultimately decided that the joint party should pretend to head toward Claymore, or perhaps toward the coast, but instead double-back, and walk toward Neverwinter Wood, in order to pay a visit to the Dire Wolf goblins. These are people with whom they have dealt before, and they are delivering some items belonging to their former shaman, whom they have, unfortunately, recently killed. This mission will keep them from exacerbating the war, and out of Humbaba’s way for the time being.
The rest agree to this plan, and decide to set out later that day, having been reoriented to the orcs’ nocturnal schedule. Prior to departure, Balam reports to Humbaba that he overheard the strangers plotting against him. The Elder Brother just laughs, tells him to keep up the good work, and gifts him an iron dagger. As he prepares to leave, Glitterstem discovers a pentagonal growth of fungi in the room where they have been staying.

Report Date

03 Mar 2018