Where did all those Orcs go?

Once the adventurers had seen to the preservation of their new allies, their attention returned to the column of corrupted orcs that had overran them on the plans four days previously. The column was clearly headed south, and the town of Kelish, in its already weakened state would certainly not last under any sort of attack. Thus, the party travelled south through the forest, hoping to gain time on their enemies and reach the town first. However, the party underestimated the stamina of the corrupted orcs, and as they left the forest and neared the town, they say columns of smoke on the horizon.

The party approached the town slowly, and were stopped by a well-camoflaged Keith, who was concealed in the tall grasses. He berated the group for their lack of caution, as there were patrols about. Keith had been formulating a plan of attack, and made room for the party in it. Based on his observations, the orcs had stationed siginficant guard posts at each of the three roadways into town, and that the surviving townspeople had been corralled into one of the wharf warehouses in the southeast corner. The party was to approach from the north as he and Ted made a distraction at the western end of town. The party agreed, and moved again towards the town.

As they neared the town, a pair of axe-wielding corrupted orc berserkers approached from their flank. As they prepared to do battle, a pair of panicy peasants sprang from their hiding places before the orcs stepped to close for their liking. The peasants ran as fast as they could towards the adventurers, and were fortunately able to get to them before the orcs could run them down. The orcs were killed before they could inflict any serious harm, and the peasants were instructed on how to reach the relative safety of Keith's cabin.

Finally reaching town, once they heard Ted's roaring, the adventures first attacked the guards at the north entrance, and were able to eliminate them before they could raise an alarm. They moved onto the eastern guard post, and had a tougher time with the guards there as they used the cover of a nearby building to shield themselves from Syllinea's arrows. The adventurers were still successful, and notced that a large winged monstrosity occupied the centre square of town, directing his minions against the large dire bear that had appeared in their midst. The party snuck through town to the warehouse, quietly dispatched the two guards, and saw that a large group of townspeople huddled inside. The party then made for the centre of town to assist Keith and Ted, but noticed that the noise of fighting and roaring had subsided. Suddenly, from atop a roof, the winged figure appeared, and threw unholy evil at the party, taunting them all the while. It appeared as though it may have been human at once time, but like the corrupted orcs his features had been twisted and changed to resemble those of a fiend. The adventures were already wounded from their previous skirmishes, and were clearly outmatched by their evil opponent. Luckily, Keith appeared from the west. Bloodied, he managed to help the adventurers bring down the fiend, with Oskar laying the final blow.

Kelish had been laid waste, and the handful of remaining townsfolk had no desire to remain and wait for the next attack. They travelled with the adventurers towards Kell, the next nearest village, and hoped to find refuge there. For their part, the party felt that they were undergeared for taking on the source of the evil, and thus opted to return to Welca in hopes of exchanging the unholy weapons that they had recovered for more useful fare.

Unlikely Allies

After learning that the Hammer Cleave clan orcs was under siege from the evil influence in the region, the adventurers traveled towards their location that was marked on their map. They traveled once again at the edge of the forest in an attempt to avoid detection, but it quickly became apparent that their enemies had caught onto their plan. A pair of armoured orcs appeared from the trees, and these had the same corrupted forms as the swarm that had overrun the party two days before. These two however, wielded longswords wreathed in a black, evil energy that scorched the souls of those cut by them. Fortunately, Oskar was unaffected by the orcs' unholy weapons and spells, and the group was able to cut them down.

After a few more days travel, the group approached the mountain home of the Hammer Cleave clan. From behind the crest of a hill, the adventurers took stock of the situation. The Hammer Cleave base had a single, small cave mouth, and any decorations and heraldry declaring their presence had been desecrated by the attackers. There were several of the corrupted standing guard near the entrance, along with a huge red coloured saurian beast. The beast had an enormous mouth, and plating on its back that formed an armoured shield, presumably for a rider. It stayed completely motionless, however, all the while the party watched. Periodically, corrupted orcs pushing barrows full of dug out rock would appear from the cave, indicating that they were digging out their prey within.

The adventurers decided to try and lure some of their enemies to them into an ambush. Mira conjured an auditory illusion, and a group of the corrupted orcs came to investigate. One, however, climbed upon the large beast, and as he took position inside the armored frill, the beast came alive, and also began to move towards the adventurer's position.

Unfortunately, glinting off of Aurora's armour revealed the adventurers presence, and the battle was quickly joined. Their foes were more of the armoured sword-wielding corrupted from earier, who were joined by lighter armoured raging orcs with unholy greataxes. The great red beast turned out to be a significant threat, as it exhaled large gouts of flame from its cavernous maw. When it was finally joined in melee, it swallowed Aurora with one great bite! The adventurers had wisely discerned that the orc atop it was controlling it directly, and Sylinnea directed her arrows at him. Once the rider was killed, the beast was once again motionless, and was easily cut down. Aurora was quickly cut from its crop before she suffocated.

The group then moved towards the Hammer Cleave's tunnels. The trek down was very long, and the tunnel was straight and narrow, save for defensive bulges. The party also found evidence of deadfalls that had been dug through by the corrupted, and occasionally ran into and killed a corrupted orc that had been taking rubble out from the tunnel. Eventually, they came upon sounds of mining, and saw a band of corrupted orcs digging at a wall of rubble. They were lead by a large creature that may have been an orc once, and except for his bat-like wings, he was much like the corrupted orcs the party had been facing previously. The party attacked, and overcame their enemies.

Once the battle subsided, a pounding was detected coming through the rubble - and a large, well scarred orc came through, wielding a great warhammer. Suspicious at first, he showed gratitude to the party for saving his clan from death (or worse) at the hands of their enemies. Further, given the Hammer Cleave and the party's common interests in driving these corrupted orcs and their masters from the land, a deal was struck for the party to meet with the Hammer Cleave chieftain and his champion in three months time - and together they would attack the source of the problem.

Portents of the Future

As the adventurers were recovering from the basilisk attack, Sylinnea's sharp eyes picked out a lone figure cresting the rise several hundred yards to the northeast. As the figure drew nearer to the smoke column from the bonfire, the group moved off, unsure if another trap was headed their way, as the way the figure was moving indicated that it was in some discomfort.

Eventually, the good natured in the group prevailed, and the adventurers approached the figure to give what aid they could. They were startled to discover that it was an elderly orc, and startled still to discover that it was one of Gruumsh's shamen. According to Sylinnea, his vestments revealed him to be part of the Blade Death clan, which was based several miles to the northeast.

The Shaman hailed the adventurers, who moved to within parlay distance. The shaman told them of terrible things - humans moving into their territory, strengthening the orcs with new weapons, but ultimately turning them from Gruumsh and corrupting them. However, the Shaman also spoke of two clans that resisted the outsider's influence, to their detriment. The Sun Fire clan had a tradition of loyalty to Gruumsh, and was destroyed by the outsiders when they refused to deal with them. The Hammer Cleave clan also turned the outsiders away, and were besieged in their vast caverns in the mountains to the east. The shaman soon died, as it was discovered that his flesh was cursed, and rotted away as he spoke!

Almost as if on cue, a rumbling was heard from the northeast, and soon a multitude of armored figures poured over the rise. These appeared as humanoid, but their legs were like those of a goat, ending in hooves, and their hands were disproportionately large, ending in wicked claws. Their eyes glowed a terrible red beneath their visors, and they bore down on the party with an aweful fury, charging yet in perfect formation. The groups clashed, and while the creatures took losses, it was as if many more jumped forth to take the place of the fallen. The adventurers were overwhelmed, and trampled into the earth... save for one.

Mira had saved a scroll with the Invisibility spell on it, and vanished as the fighting turned against the adventurers. Unseen, she helplessly watched as her companions were clawed and torn asunder. Aurora was the first to fall, overwhelmed by the claws of the creatures. Oskar was surrounded, and while his armor turned aside the most of the creatures claws, he too was eventually overwhelmed. Sylinnea was the last to fall, being unsuccessful in trying to evade her foes as she searched for useful shots. Once no enemies were present, the creatures returned to their formation, and continued on the way they were headed - southwest, and towards the human settlements.

Fortunately, although weakly, life still pulsed through the veins of all the adventurers, and Mira was able to stave off their bleeding and move them off to safety. The creatures that the party was able to kill were inspected - they were clearly orcs at one point, but as the Shamen had said, they had been corrupted buy some unknown evil. The unknown location in the northeast mountains was still the most likely source, so the adventurers pressed on, though this time there was talk that they may not be properly equipped to deal with the problem - and that allies may be found in the Hammer Cleave clan, if they could be reached in time.

The Trap

The adventurers traveled along the tree-line, headed east towards the mountains, as they had decided that the source of the trouble would be found at a site marked "Oblivion" on their strange map. One afternoon, the Sylinnea spotted a column of smoke rising up from the prairie to the north. It was too stable to be a brushfire, and too large for a normal campfire, so the group decided to investigate.

As they crested the rise, they discovered a large bonfire, and a box-type cart, similar in construction to the one that had disgorged the "demon bug" at the Anhkeg ravine. The party approached cautiously, as whoever had been tending to the fire was nowhere to be seen. Mira's sharp eyes picked out two ropes that were tied to the cart on its bottom, but she lost them in the tall grasses. Suddenly, as the group drew near the cart, the ropes were pulled taut by orcs that had burst forth from blinds in the grass. The cart fell apart as supports were pulled free, and a swarm of enormous angry snakes assailed the party! At the same time, Sylinnea noticed that other blinds were revealing their occupants as well - more orcish warriors with a pair of basilisks in the vanguard were rapidly advancing on the party.

Since basilisks were famous for their ability to turn creatures to stone with a glance, the adventurers opted for a cautious strategy, hiding their eyes behind shields and such as they fought. This made fighting harder, but the orcs and snakes were at the same disadvantage - in fact, one of the snakes caught the gaze of a basilisk and was instantly petrified. The battle was very tense, but the basilisks were put down before one of the party could be turned to stone, and the orcs were quickly killed afterwards - save one, who was knocked unconscious.

Sylinnea was startled at the obvious proof that the orc clans were working together - as these warriors were clearly from the Serpent Strike and Stone Gaze clans. Historically the orc clans warred more amongst themselves than any outside people, and thus were rarely a threat to the kingdom. When the prisoner awoke, questions were asked about why the clans were allied together, and the vague response was that the "masters" taught them to be strong. Further pushes for information on the identities of these "masters" were unsuccessful, as it became apparent that the prisoner feared for something more important than his life, should he talk. Through auditory illusions, Mira was made disembodied noises in an attempt to coerce the orc to speak, but the conflict and pressure snapped its mind, and it ran off, gibbering.

Into Hostile Territory

The group resolved to travel north, and bring the battle to the orcs on their own turf. The small patch of map that was found in the manticore's lair was translated, and the sites marked on it referenced various clans of orcs, six in all. The southernmost site was marked "Clan Lightning Thrust", and the party set out through the Orc Forest to take the most direct route there.

The party encountered a pack of Owlbears in the forest, and while Aurora was severely mauled by one of the hungry beasts, the battle carried little other consequence. Sylinnea noticed during the forest trek that a black bear had begun to follow the party, remaining at a safe distance. The two would grow to know one another as companions, as time went on.

When the party emerged from the forest on the north side, that they encountered a frightening sight. A pair of enormous humanoids - hill giants - were throwing massive boulders at one another. The adventurers were not noticed, and paused to formulate a plan of attack. As they watched however, the further giant missed his catch, and took the hurled boulder in the face. He fell to the ground in a sitting position, and the adventurers were much surprised at the tears and wailing that issued from his injured form! The other giant quickly joined in the crying, and it became clear that while these giants were massive, they were clearly juvenile.

Aurora's sense of pity overcame her sense of caution, and she emerged from the woods, followed by Mira and Oscar. Sylinnea remained in the trees in case the parlay failed. The giants were caught totally off guard by the adventurer's approach, and were visibly frightened. Aurora managed to calm them down, and eventually the group learned that the giants father was captured by the nearby orcs while he slept, and that the "boys" had been on their own for three days. The father's name was Thrag, and the adventurers hoped that he could help against the orcs if he could be freed.

The adventurers pressed on towards the Lightning Thrust base - and found a massive rocky mound rising out of the plain. There were also newly constructed wooded walls and towers guarding one side, and the group surmised that there was a cave entrance on that side. The group used several distracting tactics such as sniping and setting the wooden walls aflame, but eventually the orcs would no longer come out, so the group settled for a frontal charge. The interior of the fortress featured several small buildings, but the main structure was an enormous wooden and metal cage-dome, with Thrag the hill giant chained within. Naturally, the orcs responded to the incursion, defending using the horde tactics that Sylinnea predicted. However, like the orcs that attacked Kelish, these were much better armed and armoured than they were traditionally thought to be. Finally, the chieftain of the clan emerged, his trident crackling with the power of thunder. After a fierce battle, the chieftain was slain, and his warriors scattered.

The hill giant was freed, and tension was abated when Mira informed him that his children were hiding in the forests to the south. He bounded off, surly yet grateful.

And yet, after the adventurers recovered, it became clear that victory does not hold easy choices either. The female and juveniles of the Lightning Thrust clan were still holed up in their caves, and the party discussed what should be done with them. Mercifully, the party decided to give them their freedom as well, and the eldest female orc was able to give a spotty account of "cowled men" visiting their settlement before the changes to their clan took place. Little else was available, for it became apparent very quickly that it was the males and chiefs that were in control here. The caves also contained another enigma - the traditional orc altars to their god Gruumsh One-Eye, were torn down. Puzzled still, the adventurers once again made for the forests, and continued on their way to the northeast.

Kelish Attacked!

The adventurers awoke the next morning to sounds of trouble. A swift check out the window revealed that an army of well-armed and armoured orcs had begun to swarm the town, and were chasing several villiagers down the street! The townspeople were not caught completely unawares, as the mayor and several guards had formed a defensive line in the street. The adventurers quickly prepared for battle, and joined the guards in the defense of the town. While Sylinnea remained in the upper floor of the in with her bow, the others moved down to the street to join guards.

Some of the fleeing townsfolk were saved, but most were trampled and killed in the orcs' charge. The archers let fly their arrows, and the raging orcs faltered, but they were too many, and soon they were on the guards at the line, and a vicious melee erupted. The adventurers held fast, however, but were hard pressed by some of the orc's elite soldiers. Thankfully, Keith appeared in a window across from Sylinnea, arrows blazing, and eventually the orcs were killed to the last.

Just as the shouts of victory and sighs of relief went up, one of the buildings at the far end of the street collapsed as a massive boulder smashed into it - the orcs had brought up massive catapults. Despite being exhausted from the orcs' initial assault, the adventurers sallied forth the town, and attacked the orcs' siege engines. A number of orcs met the adventurers in battle, but they were of no moment, as the adventurers slew them quickly and took pause to wonder about the identity of the dark robed figure standing at the catapults. However the battle was soon joined by the terrible war leader, clad in full metal and wielding a massive battle hammer. The heroes were hard pressed. Oskar's armour could only hold up so long, and the magics of Mira and Aurora were spent. One by one the adventurers fell to his vicious attacks, until finally the war leader was brought down by one of Sylinnea's arrows. The robed figure had slipped away during the fighting, and thus Sylinnea was able to gather help for her comrades - who were all badly injured, but alive nonetheless. Supplies were found in the orcs' camp, including an ancient suit of dwarven armour that Oskar claimed - and a group of prisoners the orcs had claimed from the surrounding farms.

This attack left the group with many unanswered questions. Who was organizing the orcs? What was the connection with the "demon bug"? And most importantly... what could be done about it?

The Village of Kelish

Kelish is the most western extension of the Tellanian kingdom, and is unfortunately ignored as a result. The townsfolk subsist on fishing and farming, and are barely able to produce more than they need. They suffer on occasion from raids from the savage orc tribes to the north, and therefore welcome any help that comes their way.

When the adventurers arrived, they caught wind of rumors that one of the local farmers had not arrived to deliver his grain at his appointed time, and a fear that something unfortunate had happened was spreading around town. The group resolved to travel to the farmstead in question and investigate - and indeed they found that the farm had been attacked. Valuables were missing, and orc tracks were everywhere. However no corpses were discovered, so hope grew that the farmer and his family were captured and not killed. Sylinnea tracked the orc raiders to the north.

After a minor skirmish with what turned out to be an unrelated orc patrol, the party discovered a small hillock that the orcs were camping under. The adventurers were seen as they approached, and the orcs on the top of the hill shouted for reinforcements. Many orc warriors boiled out of the cave, but the stalwart adventurers met their charge head on, and slew them. They ventured inside a small cave they had discovered, and battled with the orc group's warboss, slaying him and his bodyguards. However, the orcs had inflicted greivous wounds on the party, and with their magics exhausted they chose to camp on the top of the hillock and venture back into the orcs' cave the next morning. Night passed without incident.

The party ventured back into the cave to ensure that no enemies remained. There living orcs present, and at a small shrine they found the bodies of the farmer and his family. Aurora was not completely certain, but based on her knowledge of healing she discovered that the captives had finally succumbed to their wounds sometime in the previous night. Naturally, she was quite upset at this discovery, having wasted the one chance they had to save the captives.

The adventurers travelled back to Kelish, and gave report of their discovery. Their next plan was to track the wagon that had deposited the "demon bug" at Grainger's Ravine, but on their way to leaving town were confronted by a well-to-do individual riding hard with two horses. He identified himself as a member of the army, and relayed his story that the royal tax collector had been carried off to the northeast by a great winged creature not more than two miles away. The party exchanged small murmurs of muted contentment at this news, until the soldier demanded that something be done. He declared that he was in no condition to fight, and charged the party with the task of rescuing the tax collector (or at least returning with his collections).

The group travelled east on the road until sign of the disturbance was discovered. They obviously had no way of tracking a creature through the air, but after a short jaunt to the northeast a rocky crag was spotted, and named as the only thing in the area worth investigating.

The adventurers clambered up the rocks, some having an easier time than others. Mira heard a growling noise, and alerted the others to the vicious manticore that had appeared above them!The fight became a shooting match between Sylinnea's arrows and the beast's terrible tail-spikes. After giving and receiving awful wounds, the beast flew off, and the party managed to climb higher on the crag, discovering a hollow where the manticore made it's lair. Therein were the half-eaten remains of the tax collector, his money, and several orc skeletons. A crude map of the area with an unknown language was discovered on one of the skeletons. The elves sharp ears revealed perked up at hearing approaching wingbeats - the beast was on its way back. Sylinnea took one final shot, and caught the beast in the forehead, dropping it out of the sky. The party travelled back to Kelish, victorious.