Session 11: The Hanurak Hotel

General Summary

We begin still in the throne room with Hanurak sitting on the throne following the defeat of Bavrak the Butcher while Valanthe is being released he orders the other prisoners to also be freed and taken back to the village. As the friends are trying to gather themselves 3 orcs enter the rooms and the biggest of the three challenges Hanurak who enrages him more by calling him stupid.
The Orc goes to attack and with quick thinking Andre hits him with a crossbow bolt which he shrugs off as he charges straight for Hanurak thrusting his sword into the half orc pushing him back into the throne.
Hanurak gaining strength from his orcish fury grabs Bavrak's sword and swings slashing the orc across his chest. One of the other minions attacks Astraea knocking her out and Valanthe quickly heals both Astraea and Hanurak while Faen exhausted from his last fight miscasts a chromatic orb and ends up knocking himself out. Hanurak seeing this rages and hits the head Orc again. Suddenly as Andre is about to attack again an authoritative voice which rings out.
"Urgoth cease your attack!" Everyone turns to the entry of the throne room and sees an older Orc with the symbol of Ma'lak emblazoned on his chest and Hanurak recognises him as one of the priests from the temple. He walks towards Hanurak and orders the other orcs to obey the ways of the tribe
"Bavrak was defeated by this Orc which makes him our leader, now Urgoth you know the rules he can be challenged during his coronation now leave us." The orcs leave and the priest introduces himself as Ishak. He tells them to be careful as some of the orcs don't see Hanurak as ruler yet and leads them back towards the chasm.

As they enter the chasm Andre notices a shimmering figure in the distance and the sounds of sweet music, drums and a flute, realising that he has been spotted the man drops his invisibility and the group are all faced with a human bard carrying a cornucopia of instruments looking rather sheepish. "Hi, I'm Rodney." Ishaak reveals that he is an escaped prisoner the tribe took for sport after he showed up at the gates looking for work and Hanurak orders him freed. Sensing his luck changing Rodney decides to stick with the group as they carry on with their tour of the fort.

Rodney before his performance of Ode to a Withered Tree.

They come to a library which Faen immediately looks pleased about and as he is looking around he comes across a figure huddled over numerous open books. He looks closer and notices that they are chained by the ankle and wearing a tattered red robe.
"Hello" says Faen and the figure stops and turns.
"Faen my dear Faen you finally got my messages thank the gods." Recognising the figure as his old mentor Faen turns white and tears fill his eyes as the figure falls into his arms weak from her ordeals. "Keyleth what... ? What are you doing here?"
Hanurak orders for her to be unchained and after Faen explains that this is the person who raised him after his village was destroyed Keyleth begins to tell him that the monastery was attacked and destroyed by Bavrak. That the orc was looking for information on Cuivie and the Orb of Galthak and Faen so they took her and brought her back to the fortress to question and decipher the texts in the library. She looks around at the others and her eyes stop on Astraea, suddenly she breaks down and with terror in her eyes points at the elf
"Her.. She is the one that comes and questions me, tortures me asking questions...always asking questions!" And she clings closer sobbing onto Faen who looks bewildered at Astraea.
The group move on through the fort with Faen comforting Keyleth, they head into the temple and Hanurak sees the gnome and human from earlier are still caged so he orders again their immediate release. Astraea asks where the other human is and Ishaak says that he was sacrificed to Ma'lak. Hanurak asks about Ma'lak because he isn't a god that orcs normally worship and Ishaak says that Bavrak told the tribe to worship him when he became chief and since then they have had nothing but good luck and won every battle. Andre who has been walking around the throne room notices a door leading off from the temple and is warned not to enter as there is a troll kept there.

Feeding time for the troll

They are then led to the living quarters where they settle down to rest for the night. Astraea uses her carved head to contact Halin who is in bed at the time and the lady he is with seems none too pleased at the interruption. Halin happy as ever to hear from Astraea says that he has looked at the dagger and to that she should shield it from the order by casing it in lead or casting a non detection spell on it as soon as possible. He goes on to say that the residents of Breah are coming down with a mysterious illness similar to what Hanurak experienced before the runes were seen. Astraea thanks him for his time and cuts the connection while Faen is talking to Keyleth and she tells him more of what happened in the attack.
"They must never know Cuivie is with you, you must keep him hidden." and in his mind Faen senses Cuivie nodding. Runes suddenly appear in the pages of the book which look like very old dwarvish, Andre reads them and he recognises them as something his brother Noah used to tell him about, something to do with secret rooms in the fortress.

Faen's Spellbook

They all turn in for the night and Astraea upon awakening in the morning notices a tingling in the back of her mind as if a presence were watching. Even in her groggy state she immediately recognises a scrying spell. As she focuses her mind she gains a brief vision of an elderly figure hunched over a clear crystal ball, he notices her and as the spell fades she has one last glimpse of his face as it moves away from the orb... As the candle light flickers she picks up the brief sight of a grey beard and hair as the connection is severed. After telling the others of her vision she tries to contact Orryn and does manage to arrange a meeting in Eidover.
Hanurak goes to question Ishak more on the everyday running of the fort and to learn more of the orcs inhabiting it. Andre goes to explore filled with nostalgia and sadness at the memories of his brother. The orcs seem to honour his presence leaving him free to wander about unlike the elves who are disliked but tolerated at the moment. Faen asks Ishak about when the monastery was destroyed and hears it was about 3 weeks ago.
Meanwhile Andre continues his wandering as he passes by an old door he sees the ghostly spectre of an old Dwarven warlord beckoning him to follow. He enters a decaying corridor runes faded with time in the walls. Andre recognises the warlord as a dwarf Noah looked up to and spoke highly of Orilak. Especially of his defence of the Anvil during the War of Light in the Prickling Forest.

Orilak

He is lead by the spirit to a hidden door that he opens and enters a small room with a plinth at the far end. The spectre turns to Andre and asks "what is my name?"
"Orilak" Replies Andre.
"Whom do you fear?" Asks the spectre.
"Vordt of the Boreal Valley" replies Andre gripping his sword at the memory of his great battle. 

"What is a swordsman's greatest weapon?" The spectre rushes towards Andre hitting him with his warhammer instinctually Andre strikes back slicing through the phantom which does nothing but a moment later he feels slashes appear on his own body. He looks at the plinth and sees a ring sitting on it with the symbol of Noah's house a fortress with two crossed axes above.

Crest of the Mountain Forge Clan

Going to grab the ring Andre is knocked away by a force field. Remembering that General Orilak was famous during the Second War of Light for misdirection and causing his enemy to retreat without fighting he puts his sword away and the general smiles and bows before fading away. Andre picks up the ring and a vision appears in his mind of Noah shackled somewhere. Andre shouts to him and Noah looks up
"Andre is that you? I don't know where I am but it's dark and cold."
"Do you remember anything that can help me find you brother." Asks Andre desperately.
"I remember a long path, a village and a troll." Whispers Noah before hanging his head overcome with weariness. As suddenly as it appears the vision disappears and Andre goes running back to the others shouting about trolls. When they finally calm him down he explains his vision of Noah. Faen studies the ring and sees engravings on it almost matching those within his book. Andre heads into the chamber housing the troll but as it stirs Andre is persuaded by the others to wait and learn more first. He just manages to cross the threshold as the troll lunges towards him its path blocked by a warding spell cast on the door itself.
As the they all leave and return to the library Urgoth throws insults at Hanurak who walks past ignoring him but gets shoved by the bigger Orc. He chuckles slightly as he walks off and Hanurak glowers and walks on. Faen looks up anything he can find about the runes and learns there are secret passageways in the fort, while Astraea studies the maps and find one that seems to show some tunnels and rooms not on the others. When she goes to inspect these rooms she finds they are all sealed up or blocked off.
In the throne room she notices a door hidden in the back wall, seeing his opportunity to be useful Rodney lends Andre his cherished ring of X-ray vision gifted to him by a Countess, using his darkvision the dwarf looks behind the door seeing only the dark outline of a corridor of stone on the far side.

The group agree to investigate the passageway leaving Hanurak to discuss his coronation with Ishak. After around 10 minutes of walking the group finds their path blocked by the remnants of a stone door, vines and the branches of tree growing all over it. After a few minutes of hacking with fire and sword the group find they are back in the village of Asbrook.

There is hustle and bustle as people hurriedly try to rebuild their houses and stores. Faen heads back to tell Hanurak where the corridor leads and to send the villagers down. The others approach the mayor to see how the village is holding up, she tells them that the village is sadly used to the raids and knows a trick or two about rebuilding. Remembering the Andre's vision the group ask if she or the other villagers have seen a dwarf pass through. She says that she doesn't remember ever seeing dwarf come by to the fortress before Andre of course.
In the distance a band of orcs approach with the freed prisoners Astraea takes the mayor to them who distraught upon hearing that the priests had sacrificed the male human, she leads the gnome and the female human away, while Astraea tells the orcs to leave. They refuse saying that they don't have orders from the boss to head back. Using some quick thinking and his silver tongue Rodney persuades them to head back to the fortress saying that they don't need to be here, the orcs agree and head back up the main path to the fortress.
The rest of the group say their farewells to Gilsi the mayor of Asbrook and follow the path back to the throne room through the tunnel and a couple of days pass with little fuss. Hanurak prepares for his coronation while the others search for anything to help find Noah.
The day of the coronation arrives and orcs line either side the throne room with Ishak begins the ceremony, while Hanurak walks towards him Rodney plays a piece he composed for the occasion. Standing before Hanurak, Ishaak offers the knife and a bowl of red ochre, taking the knife to his hand Hanurak slices along his palm allowing droplets of blood to fall into the bowl, as they do the paste within begins to glow and spin slightly. Ishak takes the blade also slicing into his palm, as the blood flows he starts chanting in a bastard mixture of Draconic, Celestial and Orc invoking the blessings of the three (Gruumsh, Ilneval and Shargaas) on the tribe and the watchful gaze of Ma'lak.
Taking the paste he begins dying Hanurak's tusks and states that if anyone wishes to challenge him now is the time. As expected Urgoth appears and throws down his challenge to the new chief, Ishaak with a resigned look takes them to the battle ring just outside the throne room. He gives them both a potion which levels the playing field for them and while the orcs huddle around pushing and shoving to get the best view for the upcoming fight

by ekalime

The fighting ring

As Ishak slams his staff into the ground to signal the beginning of the fight. Hanurak takes the initiative lunging at Urgoth with his sword hitting him hard. Recovering his guard he then feels the rage build within him but notices as an afterthought that it isn't as potent as he's used to. Urgoth smiles at Hanurak before casting darkness on his own great axe. He swallows both in an impenetrable darkness before moving quickly to attack lashing out with his axe at the barbarian whose reflexes prove too swift with Urgoth only managing to land a glancing blow on the half orc. Feeling his moment to attack Hanurak uses his gauntlets to enlarge himself and strikes blindly with his sword into the darkness.

Feeling the tide turn against him Urgoth casts a curse of mutual suffering and slices Hanurak twice with his scimitar while he is swinging wildly with his sword, Rodney quickly sings a healing spell to Hanurak and Faen manages to poison Urgoth who opening the range launches a series of darts, in his enlarged state Hanurak manages to hit Urgoth with the tip of his blade feeling with satisfaction the wound open on the Orc he also feels the necrotic energy slice through him. Both orcs are looking badly wounded and Urgoth a smirk on his face swings with his axe hitting Hanurak who drops to one knee but feeling a surge of energy from his ancestors and his own savage fury swell within him manages to get back up with Valanthe and Rodney again healing him with a building rage Hanurak brings his sword up and then down cleaving Urgoth from clavicle to navel. With his final words Urgoth whispers to Hanurak, "Ma'lak chose well, tell Uggra I'm sorry".
Seeing the Orc take its final breath Ishaak slams his staff down proclaiming Hanurak "your new chief!" And the orcs begin chanting "Hanurak". They raise him up on their shoulders and carry him to the throne room where he takes his rightful place on the throne. Astraea looks back just in time to see Andre heading for the exit

Report Date

20 Sep 2018