Orhan 3 Day 13 TE 6054

We decide that the best way to get to Votania is to sail to Danarchis, and head down the long road through Santa Vallandra then take the river to Orian and try to hire a boat into the sea.

Orhan 3 Day 23 TE 6054

We arrive at Danarchis and head south.

Orhan 3 Day 35 TE 6054

The high holy day of Rianne. We are on the road to Santa Vallandra (nee Teterantor). Heraan decides it's time to spend a night in vigil near a local graveyard and look for undead. We uncover a couple of barrows. Oh dear, they're often haunted. We examine the barrows and decide, yup, they are probably the home of barrow wights.

It is a clear night and Orhan is full in the sky.

Oathar and Imre stand in the Circle of Protection against undead. The rest stand outside waiting for undead to show up. Eventually, the skeltons come for us. Alynna, Haeraan, and Kyrik ingage while Imre and Oathar keep score from within their protective circle.

Dealing quickly with the skeletons, the party proceeds to enter the barrow to deal with the wight. Imre Unearths the entrance. We enter and find a body on a stone throne with a pair of chests on either side. Haeraan begins to pour holy water on the body which causes the barrow wight to rise up. It opens with a fairly gross attack as all the weapons in the room come flying at us, but only Haeraan is hit. We engage and things seem to be going well, unwil suddenly the barrow wight says, "Noooo, I was promised dominion by the dark lords! I will not be put down." The barrow wight casts fear on us all, but we resist, being the stalwart dudes we are.

Luarto Shang is mentioned in the diary of the evil leader which we find in the chests. "Luarto Shang has ordered it!" Kyrik identifies this guy as the head of the order of the eye. Pages about the fall of the empire, etc. Kyrik remembers that Shang was pretty much the bad guy at the whole fall fo the empire thing. The diary indicates that this fool has been betrayed by Luarto Shang, but even though he is near death, he refuses to die.

In the other chest we find an unrusted dagger. It's a +15 dagger which returns to the thrower by flight. Also in there is a ring with an eye on it. It only glows for Haeraan. "Astrologers and Seers, advisors to the king." How odd. Well, we guess it's OK. Haeraan tries to meditate and then attunes the thing.

It a ring with a primary function of identifying members of the order. Also, it acts as a key to places of the order. Look, Haeraan seems to be a hereditary member of the order. The order of the Eye seems to be one fo the ones taht went bad. They probably set up the order of the hand (thieves) and got them disbanded.

Orhan 3 Day 55 TE 6054

We are within range of Santa Vallandra. We teleport to her grave and find the statue there. Haeraan and Oathar both can't explain why we have a teleport to this strange place to Alynna, so Imre takes care of explanations while we head into town.

Chet, Oathar's man, has a house all prepared with some servants and rooms are all ready for us. Tubs of hot water are provided, with lot's of amenities. Cheese, local beers, etc.

The refugee families seem to be thriving.

Talking it over that evening, Kyrik decides that Luarto Shang is probably Andoval who is probably Lorgalis. Wow, we're bummed.

Chet arranges a find dinner for us all. Chet explains that news from the south isn't good. Stroane is stabilized a bit, but it's still pretty bad and thrashing about. Sarnak is still Sarnak. Trade over the mountains has dried up. There aren't many travelers these days. It's still illegal to be an elf in Niev. Chet also mentions that there have been raids coming down the mountains to the east. They haven't reached Santa Vallandra yet, but int he foothills it's quite pesky with all the Lugraki around. "Lugraki?" says Alynna. Kyrik immediately gets that long suffering look.

Orhan 3 Day 56 TE 6054

The mayor stops by and pays his respects. We compliment the statue's tastefullness. The mayor is glad we're going to deal with the Lugraki. He's going to root for us. (We note that in town there are temples to Kuor, Iloura, and Phaon. Mostly Iloura.) Alynna and Kyrik want to end the small talk and move us along to deal with the Lugraki. The mayor asks us what we should do with the evil manor house. We decide not to set ourselves up as the lord of these people and have them convert it into a storehouse/fortress.

That afternoon we head towards the lugraki.

Orhan 3 Day 59 TE 6054

We head out to the foothills and investigate. Haeraan finds Lugraki tracks. We follow them. The lead to a small valley with hundreds of campfires twinkling in the night. Whoa! That's a huge Lugraki army. Oh dear.

We decide to find a Lugraki picket or something and grab a few for questioning. Hmm. They don't have pickets or anything. Damn lugraki.

Haeraan and Oathar take the stinky poo badge and blanche hammer for an emergency. Taking a page from D.s book, Oathar turns himself and Haeraan into Lugraki, and disgusises their clothes and they sneak down towards the camp. They get near two lugraki at the edge and leave them up to the ambush. A third lugraki happens to notice and wanders over. Haeraan cast voice of friendship.

Rejoining our group we find they have effectively slept and tied up the lugraki. We drag them off and interrogate them.

Razor rock tribe, earth demon tribe, hot lave tribe, all from under the mountains. (There is a hole in the mountains that lead to the realm of Merlog.)

They've been commanded to come out from beneath the mountains by the earth demon. The earth demons lieutenant, Ashkaaag, is leading them. He has terrible power and is red and flamey and claws and horns of blackness. There are merlogi in the army too, but Ashkaag says the lugraki may not kill the merliogi now. The three chieftains all bow to Ashkaag. He summons them and gives them orders. Ashkaag is attended by his own attendants. They are the demons of the night. But the height of lugraki and hairless with claws. They are dumb! Ashkaag has no priests or magicians, but he summons demons when he wishes them. They've been here for three days and move soon. They will feast on man flesh when they move.

We get a better description of Ashkaag. Pretty much he's a big claw flinging guy who can summon other demons.

Imre thinks it's a type six demon. Attendants are type ones. Sigh.He also says that Ashkaag has once summoned one of the dancers of Innus.

By the way, Ashkaag serves the earth demon, a giant being of rock and earth, his eyes glow with darkness and his skin ripples with stone. He can walk through rock. He wields a giant hammer. We decide to attack on the morrow.