NPCs with the Group: Denisaris “Dennis” High Elf Gillia, Human from Dree Golsteer, Nard. Wants to find refugees. Reeta, from Shrave. Nuggle. Is cool with finding goblins or other refugees. After receiving some daggers from the armor and getting the ship’s mast fixed, your group sets sail from Mudberry. Alerie and Quarlton, seem both reluctant and excited to leave at the same time. Quarlton is quite proud of his new bow, and as the group sails anything that gets within firing range of it is shot down. Reeta and Gillia seem happy to set for Shrave. Ryvwan promises Mudberry’s folk to return to the town after dropping everyone off to help rebuild. He seems happy to do so. Perhaps as happy as he gets which seems still cold and emotionless. From the straight south is a wind that doesn’t seem so fierce. That wind makes the first day’s travel southwest a little rough, but once you hit the straight by Talo’s Defeat and head northwest the wind works in your favor. Ughragog calls it, the “calming wind” that comes in this part of the realms in early spring. It brings warming winds to the mountains and is part of the seasonal cycle. While it doesn’t feel warm to any of you, especially Helios, it seems much warmer than the winds you felt during winter in the cold, bitter tower. You travel close to Shevorth, you can see Talos’ defeat. It is a decent sized town, possibly a city. While the docks and walls just beyond are visible, much of it is cloaked in tall, towering pines. It seems as the whole country of Shevorth might be. Beyond it you can see some farmlands going up the hillside to some giant mountains beyond. You aren’t sure how long it would take to reach the mountains from Talos’ Defeat, but they are huge. Beyond the city, off the coasts in several directions you can see fire smoke from the woods and see moving figures. This is a land in sudden change and movement from the onset of spring. Nearer to Talos, things seem more ordered and calm, but the further away from it things seem both more distant but also chaotic. Seagulls come and go, and as they do you see Ugh, more than once, lean over to the side of the boat and say some words and the birds flock to him. He seems to speak with them fluently, and they have conversations throughout the voyage. Using a spyglass to look at the lands as you pass Talos, Ughragog points out “There on the horizon, new smoke, now more. Those are camp fires, or perhaps burning buildings. Ughragog sees much chaos in these lands. Lesser by the city. There are those out there killing and hurting, Ugh would not so much mind if we went out there and put some of those invaders out of the misery of others. We all suffer enough without having to suffer it at the hands of invaders.” As you sail to the northwest, through the channel, you can see to the northeast the towering cliffs and mountains of Corrive, contrasted by the pines of Shevorth. You leave site of land for a while, but can see the vague silhouettes of the corrive mountains of miles to the northeast through all of the second day. On the third day, in the late afternoon you approach the mouth of the river Kousna. The east and the west banks of the river are not sand and beaches, but cliffs with raging waters coming from between them. Using a spyglass from a distance, you could even see some docks up river, but they are obviously not accessible right now. If not approaching from the river directly, the cliffs, maybe only 30-40 feet high, slope down to the sea. It looks like, over time, winter runoff has bore through the stone to create a deep trench for the river. On either side of the bank, you can see tree stumps and trunks, charred, on either side go far up river. Off in the distance, probably half a day’s hike (at minimum) is a stone bridge that looks like it is mostly standing. There is a place to row to shore on both sides. Yoli has decided to go with Alerie and Quarlton, who wish to row to shore on the east side. Alerie and Quarlton want to break for home, meanwhile Yoli wants to land on the Corrive side and see if she can spot any patrols, preferably those rounding up escaped slaves, and do as much damage as possible. Alerie and Quarlton speak of a refugee and pirate’s haven in some islands off the coast of the “Islands of Reverie” in the sea. They say, they’ll send word next season (in a year), to those villages if any of you wish to pursue your captors. They show each of you their signatures, including Rivwan, Yolandi, Reeta, Gillia, Ugh, and the rest. They ask how to contact each of you… should they want to do so. Alerie and Quarlton both shake hands with Helios, setting their hands ablaze and speaking in infernal as they do so to “Burn thy enemies asunder, or freeze trying.” Quarlton apologizes to Bardman and Nikon for turning against them and says, “The next time we meet, I will kill your enemies upon my bow or die trying. Unless of course they pay me more money. Then… well, I mean what am I supposed to do? I guess I’ll give you a chance to outbid them first, of course. But then all bets are off.” Quarlton approaches Nikon on the side, “Hey man. I enjoyed the drinks and laughs. You ain’t bad for a silverfish. That’s what we call your kind in my parts. We go hunting for your kind on a regular basis. Good luck sorcerer.” Right around then you feel this feeling wash across all of you. By instinct Quarlton springs to the ready and flames come up from his hands and they turn into bubbles, which then freeze, and fall to the floor breaking where they are. He gets a little flustered looking at Nikon. “Um, did you do that? What was that?” And walks off. Alerie goes up to Bardman singing a small tune under her breath. She looks at him eye to eye and then kicks him in the shin. “That’s for not protecting me in that bitch’s room.” She then hugs him, while setting a strand of his hair on fire and walks off cackling. Yoli grabs each one by one in an uncomfortably waist-high hug (probably just thighs for Ugh), and says a gnomish blessing for them. None of you know what is says, but there is a tone in her voice that strikes something in Bardman. It’s as though this tone, this emotion in her voice, is one he’s never been able to hear before. As though it is one in his music he’s never been able to play. Some crewmen row them out to the shore and return, and they set off. The crewmen return and it is time for Nikon, Helios, Bardman, Reeta, Gillia, Nuggle, Dennis, and Golsteer to leave. Rivwan walks up, ever so serious. “I didn’t trust that lot. Not for a minute, not more than I trust the lot of you. However, there is courage and strength in this group. And where there is courage and strength there is hope. For some of you there is hope for vengeance, for others it is hope for atonement or survival, but for all of us there must be hope. For this crew it will be the hope that they will no longer be slaves aboard this ship but masters of the sea. My hope is that I will not let them down. My hope is that they will come to command those who wish to command them.” Being rowed to shore takes an hour. The springs waters flooding from the river make getting to shore and anchoring a difficult task. As you do, Ughragog proceeds to speak. “Ughragog knows of these lands to the north, and what Ugh has been able to find out from the crew during our voyage. This is the confluence of Shevorth, Corrive, Girkchar, and the city of Morschwindgach. Morschwindgach is the city of ice giants, and one of the birthing places of my people, according to our stories. Not officially recognized by dragon-ruled governments because the giants and dragons are ancient enemies, they still survive in the lands to the north. Ughragog thinks the charred trees on each side is probably from red dragons of Girkchar, or siege warfare from any of the four armies. Ice giants not as big as frost giants, more like little cousins, but still fierce and often ruled by a frost giant ancient. Should we meet one, you let Ugh do talking. He let them know how burny-man can destroy them well and silverdragon-man cast good spells but is really squishy. Ugh also let them know Bardman is like Ugh and can heal.” He laughs. “Nah, Ughragog not let them know all that. Ugh just translate for you.” Reeta before leaving the ship, outfitted herself with some leather armor, and explorer’s pack, and plenty of rations. Gillia, has a pack with some scrolls and whatnot. They both have light crossbows. Dennis has a backpack with food, as does Golsteer. On the bank you can see a path going northwest, away from the river into the hills and away from the burnt trees. Reeta and Gillia seem a little bit lost for the first time. Alongside the banks of river on the east side, the party noticed it looked like instead of traveling north, Alerie and Quarlton were instead building a bonefire and sending up smoke signals, possibly to summon aid of red dragons and soldiers from Girkchar to the north. The party realized quickly they need to leave quickly. The party traveled north at an upward angled, traveling X miles of a X hour period. They encountered a large pack of hyenas with 2-3 dozen hyenas, 9-12 giant hyenas, and a dire hyena. The hyenas came for them and after tussling with them, Ugh began charming the hyenas including the leader/dire hyena. Afterwards they managed to revive Dennis who was felled, and went to the hyenas to ask questions. They learned there was a group of goblins with some larger humanoids to the northwest, and a group of humanoid with just a few goblins to the north. They decided to stay and camp near the hyenas that night, instead of traveling at night. Knowledge of Toussa for Bardman A lowlands for Shevorth, it might be the lowest elevation part of the entire realm. They thaw out earlier than everywhere else, but are also the least defend by sea. Shevorth has no navy to speak of, and their lands are under assault by the ocean in the lands of Toussa. If they go west, they’ll be heading away from the front lines but still into dangerous territory. If they head straight for the city, they’ll still have some issues, plus less places to hide. Knowledge of Shevorth for Bardman A land covered in tall pines, and some hills with rolling grasslands. Mines are common, and the entire realm, except for Toussa, is high up into the mountains. The people of Shevorth, especially the Shuror, are exceedingly rich. Gold is worth much in the realm than other countries. As a result, most goods, food, crafts, and services cost 4x as much as in other realms. However, metals, arms and armor are normal price. Prices are normal in Toussa. The pay for acting as a hireling or merchant are also multiplied by 4 (including performance rolls for musicians/bards). The shuror have outlawed servitude, they believe in egalitarian work structures.