They continue heading towards the thousand voices woods.
Encounter a heard of Elk which Natalia hunts one of the
aging members down and the group resupply their food stocks.
Hour and half later the continue walking towards the woods and notice some Wyverns flying in the distance and are believed to be flying towards Pitax.
Otto casts invisibility sphere over the group to ensure that the Wyverns don’t spot them as they fly over head towards the south west.
As they continue west the group soon come across a narrow but fast flowing river bordered with vicious looking brambles was blocking their path, they spend some time walking up and down the banks in hopes of finding a location where they can cross.
Natalia eventually finds a place where they could risk crossing though it still required some to swim across.
Whilst Otto was stepping over the river he notices a small camp nestled within some of the brambles where a lone figure was attempting to hide but as she noticed that she had been spotted she began to wave at Otto. Natalia and Vaneer try to clear a path for the rest of the group as they make their way towards the small bramble camp.
The lone figure introduces herself as to the group as Ilora Nuski and that she was the defector that had contacted the group about leaving Pitax and joining Wyvernshore. They talk for a while and the try to understand the reasoning for her defection where they learn that Ilora hasn’t been happy for a while with the direction that Pitax had been heading in. She and her crew had worked to try and undermine King Irovetti's rule with some help from a friend of hers (A bard the PCs had met, known as Annamede). Looking to the future, Ilora is able to provide a map of King Irovetti's palace (ground floor only - she knows there is an undergroun portion but does not know any more than that) and can get in contact with her ally Annamede to sneak several small groups into Pitax, provided they have cover or a distraction, such as an army assaulting the city from the outside! Ilora reveals that the King can use spells to enhance his allies and likes to sing and enjoys gaurdy art - hence why religion has been on the decline in Pitax but sicophantic artists, theatres and troupes are on the increase in a city that he tightly controls. Any who oppose him or refuse his advances tend to disappear.
Ilora also informs them that Pitax is waiting for the forces
of Dragonmere to attack, as King Irovetti has developed a ‘Weapon of
Magical Mass Destruction’ (WMMD) which will deal a critical blow to the
attacking force. Ilora had delayed the initial creation of the WMMD by attacking supplies, which is why it wasn't deployed against Dragonmere during previous battles, but her team have now been wiped out and it should be nearing completion.
Upon learning of the weapon the group fall silent before asking for more details. Ilora was able to provide them with the location of where the weapon was, an old monastary north-east of where they currently stood and was able to detail some of the Pitax personnel working on it; Pitax's chief assassin and poisoner, their head alchemist, a Djinni who was providing Wishes to support the project and a powerful spellcaster she had never met before.
The group huddled together and discuss their options, thankful that they hadn’t yet mobilised Dragonmere’s forces - they agree that they need more information before committing to any attack.
Otto teleports the group and Ilora back to Wyvernshore where they set Ilora up with accommodation and ask her to give all the information she has on Pitax to the council.
They then walk north towards Olegs trading post to meet Alasen, the weretiger that tried to kill Otto.
After a couple of hours they can see Olegs in the distance as Vaneer notices some movement in the trees ahead of them. He quietly informs the rest of the group as they approach prepared for what may happen.
A figure soon drops from the trees and stands in front of them and pulls back their hood to reveal the weretiger they were seeking.
Lsdy Alesen makes the deal clear to the group, she will not divulge any information nor switch sides without a full pardon for attacking Dragonmere forces and a 'gift' worth the right amount.
Vaneer asks what King Irovetti was paying and she proudly said fifteen thousand.
Otto offers her thirty thousand instead and Vaneer quickly adds that the deal is fifteen now and fifteen after the defeat of Pitax to which she agrees as she spits in her hand and extends it to Otto whom reluctantly shakes in acceptance.
With the deal made she tells the group that although King Irovetti hates fey and will have nothing to do with Outsiders or Undead. But he has no qualms with making deals with the more monstrous beings of the land and as such has an Ogre Mage as his general, whilst an intelligent gargoyle and its friends patrol the skies above Pitax. The king wears heavy armor, uses a starmetal halberd and has procurred a number of magical items from his kingdom to bolster himself and is holed up in his palace with his bodyguard and general.
She also tells them that several groups of Wyverns patrol the kingdoms skies for King Irovetti in return for an all-you-can-eat offering of villagers of a small town within Pitax borders known appropriately as Littletown (this is a scandelous secret that very few know, but is a deal that King Irovetti's allies made so he could keep his hands clean of it).
When asked about the ‘WMMD’ she confirms that she has also heard the rumours and that it is based at the same location that they had been previously told but again she has never seen it so could not divulge any more information of use, other than confirming that the project had indeed been delayed by the actions taken by Ilora and her crew (hence why it had not been employed in the battles over the last few weeks).
The group then decide to head back towards Wyvernshore with
their new ‘temporary’ friend and prepare to attack the site of this so called weapon.
No comments:
Post a Comment