Chapter 2: A Kidnapping, A Stranger and A Rescue

Frostfall 19, 1463:

After 3 days of weary travel the party stumbles across some hotsprings. Balthasar tests the water to confirm that they are safe then, with his blessing, the party de-robes and enjoys basking in the hot pools. The party enjoys a relaxing bathe and discovers that Xorin, who has always been sandy brown, turns completely white as he enters the pool as the dirt that he had been rubbing on his fur to hide his true colour is washed off. Before they have the ability to properly discuss this revelation the party is interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. A large Goliath with a scar on his right eye introduces himself as Thulgak Heartrenderer, he tells the party, in no uncertain terms that he has been hired by an unnamed party to force the party to return to where they came from. Given the partys clear disadvantage from being unarmed and unclothed Thulgak gave them the option to leave Frostholme or die. The party agreed to leave the continent but as a contingency Thulgak attempted to take Balthasar as a prisoner with the promise that they would release him after 5 days once they had confirmed that the rest of the party had left the region. The party was not willing to allow Balthasar get taken however and made some attempts at protests, but Thulgak quickly reminded them that he held all the advantage as he and his men were armed and armored yet The Other Guys were all undressed and weaponless. Re-iterating again that he would prefer to not spill blood if he doesn't need to Thulgak gives them a final warning, accept that he is going to take Balthasar and leave the continent and he will deliver Balthasar to Twin Peaks in 5 days time to catch a boat back to his lands, or resist and give up their lives here. Either way he gets paid. Balthasar proclaims that he will join Thulgak but not before giving a speech describing his partys amazing abilities and how easily they would crush these guys in a fight. Thulgak, frustrated with the constant insolence at this point, tells Balthasar to extend a hand out. This threat of violence causes Bratmael to leap forward, but before he can do anything silly and have the party killed Balthasar uses magic to knock him out before offering up his hand. Thulgak carved a symbol into the back of his hand in the shape of an X and told Balthasar that this was a warning, next time it will be much worse. And so Balthasar gave his gold to the party, clothed himself and followed Thulgak leaving the party behind. With Balthasar now taken captive the party discusses what their next move is. Brat wants to go after Thulgak and his crew but his friends quickly point out that they do not know where they've taken Balthasar. As they are discussing this a man wearing a fluffy white coat suddenly appeared. He introduces himself as Ivan and says that he has been tracking Thulgak for multiple days because him and his camp had stolen his families supplies which included some heirlooms that he is desperate to get back, he knows how to get to the camp and its basic design but hasn't found a way in on his own. He also tells the party that there is a small group of guards in a watch tower near by that they could interrogate for information on the camp. The party agrees to interrogate the guards and makes their way to the guard tower, there Bratmael comes up with an elaborate plan to sneak over to the ocean, swim around to the side of the tower and use a grappling hook to climb to the top. Ivan says its a great plan but he has a better one and says that he can just turn into a spider and climb the wall. The party agrees that Ivans plan is better and Ivan swiftly makes his way to the watch tower then turns into a spider and climbs the wall. Peering through the window Ivan counts 4 guards, no means of communication and a door that would be too hard to break down. He returns to the party and relays this information and they instead decide to attempt to draw the guards out of the tower. With everyone in position Harrow causes some mass confusion by spreading madness to one of the guards who promptly gets to his feet and starts attacking his friends. The guards realising they are being attacked from outside rush out the door and on to the bridge where they are greeted by a bonfire set by Ivan and the large hulking form of Xorin who quickly charges at them and kicks one off the bridge before getting in to a struggle with the second guard eventually resulting in him tackling that guard over the edge with both fighters falling in a blaze of glory on top of the first guard. Bratmael climbed to the top of the tower and ambushed the guards with his longbow. A guard named Harry, having finally subdued his friend Garry, ran through the fire set by Ivan and climbed the tower to confront Bratmael but as Harry got to the top of the tower Bratmael lept off the tower using his grappling hook rope to swing from the top of the tower down to the ground ramming into the guards that had just got back to their feet after being tossed off the bridge by Xorin. Harry jumped off the roof and back on to the bridge but Ivans fire had caused enough structural damage that he went straight through the wooden bridge and crashed to the ground belowl. With the guards weakened, Harrow and Xorin finished moved to finish them off, with swift fury Xorin put an end to 2 of their lives and Harrow brandished his scythe but couldn't quite bring himself to take a life. Sensing his hesitation Ivan walked up and slammed his dagger into the face of Harry, putting an end to the fight. The party negotiated with Garry and convinced him to surrender, in return for their promise to not harm his fellow tribesmen Garry provided information to the party to assist them with breaking in and getting their friend out as well as information on Thulgak, telling the party that Thulgak was a reasonable man who had made diplomatic negotiations with the Elders to gain immunity from repurcussions, in return for this Thulgaks clan would need to take any job presented to them from a person carrying a Elder Seal. Garry created a beautiful artistic rendition of a map of the camp and gave them details on where the guards are usually located. The party used this information to devise a plan: They would climb the eastern wall of the camp and knock the guard there unconscious then drag him back over the wall. Xorin, wearing the guards outfit would then move to the southern wall and trick the guards into coming out of the tower and respond to a flare that Bratmael would set off on the other side of the camp.After setting off the flare Brat would run to the other side and join Xorin. Ivan would then creat a dirt mound to get himself over the wall and get himself caught so that he could be taken to the prison section where he could meet Balthasar and break him out. Harrow would spend his time searching for Ivans heirlooms then join Xorin and Brat. They would then create a series of distractions to create a clear path for Ivan and Balthasar to escape in. Having gathered all the information they needed from Garry the party discussed what to do with him. Brat took him out to the field and untied him, then, when Garry attempted to grab at Brats weapon, killed him. With a plan created the party made their way to Thulgaks camp and spent the night sleeping on the hill and observing the camp.

Frostfall 20, 1463:

At duskfall they made their way into the camp and began implementing their plan. Everything was going well until Ivan reached the prison cages to find that Balthasar wasn't there, the cages around him were empty but he could hear voices inside the main tent. Thinking on his feet, Ivan lit the tent on fire to cause a distraction then ran to the front and attempted to get Balthasars attention using animated dirt but Balthasar, who was in deep conversation with Thulgak, mistook the situation and told Thulgak that someone was here for him. Ivan panicked and ran off. Bratmael stealthed through the camp successfully until he rounded a corner and ran into a guard, he attempted to trip the guard but as he was doing that a spear went flying through the guards head. Following the spears trajectory Bratmael saw Xorin in the tower looking a bit shocked at what he did. Brat then ran to the 2nd tower and used a rope to stop the door from being openable from the inside.Ivan then met up with Brat and explained what happened with Balthasar and together they returned to the main tent. Xorin attempted to distract the 2nd guard tower from seeing Brat and Ivan by tying a rope to an arrow and shooting it at the 2nd tower creating a zipline of sorts. The guards in that tower saw the arrow and rope stretching between the towers, decided it wasn't normal behaviour and so, set off a flare. Harrow having secured Ivans heirlooms then threw them, along with his robes, over the wall and made his way into the supply zone where a guard was patrolling. He then moved back out of that area and ran into Garth, a guard who he had narrowly dodged earlier by hiding in the snow. Thinking quickly on his feet Harrow declared that he was Death Incarnate come to seek revenge on Thulgaks clan for killing him when he was younger. Garth freaked out and ran for his life, Harrow then attempted to stalk his next target by climbing the wall and attemptoing to jump from wall to wall but missed his step and fell to the ground. Thankfully, the Guard was busy responding to a flare that had been let off to the west after Xorin attempted to distract the guards in a neighboring tower by shooting an arrow with a rope attached to it into their tower wall. Ivan and Brat attempted to rescue Balthasar again but Balthasar insisted that Brat come inside so Ivan, finally deciding that he had done his fair share of the work, turned into a spider and left, checking the church before finding his heirlooms on the exterior of the camp. Xorin and Harrow met up and scaled the tower to see that a line of guards had formed up and were searching the area after the flare had gone off and realising that their attempt hadn't worked out as planned the two set the tower alight hoping it could cause a distraction for the others to escape and fled off into The Wilderness. Brat entered the tent and found that Balthasar had been in deep discussion with Thulgak who had set up a Zone of Truth to ensure both parties were honest with each other. Thulgak explained his clans origins - they were an ancient Goliath clan dating back to the start of history and had been one of the signers of the Unity Accords, and as such, currently held The Orbs of Unity in his possession. His full name was Thulgak Humbledspirit (HeartRenderer being a nickname/title)- and that they were a mercenary clan who, under Thulgaks leadership, had brokered an agreement with the Elders: In return for diplomatic immunity and the ability to fulfill any contracts they desired, the elders would be given the ability to create Elder Seals which they could dispense at their discretion. These Elder Seals would all look the same so that the Elder that presented it could remain anonymous if they so desired and could be presented to Thulgak and the contract offered could not be denied by Thulgak, or questioned if the presenter desired. An individual named The Shadow Broker presented one of these to Thulgak a few weeks earlier and told him that a group of foreigners would be arriving in Twin Peaks shortly. The Shadow Broker wanted Thulgak to prevent these people from reaching their destination but wasn't sure where that would be just yet. He later returned with information and clarified his request: The party was to travel to Glacial Falls and would be planning to leave Twin Peaks soon. Thulgaks job was to prevent them from reaching Glacial Falls. As death wasn't explicitly requested in the order Thulgak decided to avoid bloodshed and instead threaten the party first. Balthasar then revealed to Thulgak the parties mission in Frostholme, they were here to attempt to bring peace to the region by travelling to the various major cities and attempting to convince the Elders to vote for peace in the next council meeting. At the mention of ending the war Thulgak appeared to speak more freely. He did not like The Shadow Broker as the individual had a bad reputation and was known to be terrorising nearby villages, however, as The Shadow Broker had come with an Elder Seal in hand he could not refuse the contract. The Shadow Broker had worn a black masked outfit similar to those of The Stranger so Thulgak had no idea who his true identity was. He then explained that his deal with the elders stipulated that as long as both Thulgak and the presenter of the seal were alive the contract is valid. Balthasar attempted to check if Thulgak was telling him that The Other Guys should kill The Shadow Broker so that Thulgak would be free from his contract but Thulgak quickly pointed out that he wouldn't suggest that, he was merely letting them know that if he had a contract with a person named Karl for example, and Karl wanted him to kill Greg but Karl died before Thulgak killed Greg then Thulgak would no longer be bound to killing Greg, Elder Seal or not. Balthasar understood what he was saying but before he could ask anymore questions Brat had interrupted them. The 2 of them discussed the location of nearby villages that could potentially hold clues to finding The Shadow Broker if someone was interested in finding him they could start there, he marked all 3 on a map. He then told the 2 that he could not be seen to be working with them as that would have bad repercussion for his clan and so suggested that they fight so that he could get some injuries that may explain how The Other Guys were able to rescue Balthasar and that though he was saddened by the loss of life, the fact that the party had killed a member of his guard on their way in to the camp would help sell the idea that they escaped of their own accord. He asked if Brat was religious but Brat told him he was not and so Thulgak turned to Balthasar and told him that in the old tongue, the goliaths called Frostholme Bogodarenye which translated to The Birthplace of Gods and that though Balthasar came from Arak, the continent built by Ellion herself, Frostholme was where Ellion was first granted her power and so he would show Balthasar a side to Ellions power he had never seen. He handed the 2 of them an orange flare and a purple flare and instructed them how to use the flares to clear themselves a pathway out of camp and began praying in front of a statue of Ellion, placing his axe on the ground he turned to them and launched into a battle. Wielding no weapons and glowing with the bright light of Ellion Thulgak moved in a way he had never seen before, his movements and fists seemed to be powered by Ellion in a way that did not use magic. Brat slashed into Thulgaks chest and back multiple times but the light of Ellion would repair the cuts as fast as they were being made. Balthasar fired off a guiding bolt which briefly staggered Thulgak before he clapped his hands together and unleashed a thunderclap of light that hit with a force Balthasar had never felt before. Brat took this opportunity to trip Thulgak to the ground but he quickly got back to his feet before kicking Brat to the other side of the room. Channelling Ellion to heal both their wounds, Balthasar ran to Brats side and the 2 attempted to work together to bring Thulgak down but he quickly dispatched of them with some devastating blows from his fists. Thulgak, satisfied with the number of cuts on his body now, told the barely standing Balthasar that while he is in Frostholme he should take some time to learn more about his god before giving the 2 a healing potion each for their wounds then telling them to go. Using their flares to create a distraction the 2 fled the camp before eventually finding Harrow and Xorin and fleeing across the river where they camp for the night, everyone eating from their supplies as Brat had failed to catch any fish for the party, except Harrow who had run out of supplies and instead stared hungrily at his companions food. His pride would not let him ask and his hunger went unnoticed by the party.

Parent Plot

The World As We Know It...The Journey So Far

Related Characters