Drûr 7-11, 652 DR: The group again travels south from Eldarkar into the Morén Burdrul. Shambling shapes emerge from the forest. A Ðaranð Spring shaman stone and passage through the farmlands of Urthari Gnot. A caravan-masters warnings go unheeded and the company encounters a patrol of the Order of Deephold. Rest on the shores of Nulàrya Lun.

Continued from The Restless Army.

Irídor, 7 Drûr 652

Mishara stirred first in the sleeping house. Seeing no one else afoot, the Anàhlāen walked north from Eldarkar, scouting through the old autumn forest. His brief excursion across the woody hillsides led him to an old mine and long abandoned Yrūni roads. Returning to Tarawyn’s empty home he found Jak sitting on the porch sharpening his spear. His Yrūn friend looked much older than he did only day ago. In all his time with the Yrūn, it had never struck him just how fleeting life could be among the Mortal races. Dammon awakened from a terrible and strange dream that left his clothes soaked from sweat, and to him, the faint smell of brine. Tarawyn returned from town with some eggs for a quick breakfast. After a small talk of travel intentions, Tarawyn left on his own.

The group ventured south passed Kry Moradem, along the road they’d now traveled many times. By evening they found their previous campsite and Jak was able to retrieve their cached belongings, hidden following their fight with the Heedar.

Roydor, 8 Drûr 652

By morning the group was working their way across the broken terrain of the Morén Burdrul. They watched carefully, for the denizens of the region were notorious for ambushes and deadly traps. At midday the group stopped at an old roadside campsite and Tressta made a fire to take the edge off the autumn cold. While eating their travel rations, Alcèrra noticed movement in the surrounding trees. Grabbing her trident she cast a blessing before the others noticed the source of her alarm. From the trees stepped large conical anthropoids, every inch of them a compost of orange and yellow leaves. Jak grabbed his spear and charged the nearest monster cutting into the leafy giant with Punishment, his spear. The thing neither howled or recoiled. Instead two large arms separated from its leafy shape which it used to pound the spear-man. To the horror of all that watched, Jak was pounded to the ground and enveloped by the leafy monster. Dammon wove a spell of Lāllan’s Lightning and sent them burning into the creature. To their dismay, the strike appeared to make the monster grow larger. Tressta grabbed a burning branch from the fire and tossed it at the far creature, but the branch bounced off it and did not catch. She then grabbed a stone from the fire-ring and threw it at the nearest monster, keeping her distance as the thing advanced. Alcèrra summoned a ghostly hand which she sent toward the creature, channeling her deathly powers through the spectral hand. Dammon, backing away from the monsters set up vortices of powerful winds, churning-up clouds of dirt and leaves from the forest floor. The Shambler’s leafy form was ruffled by the wind, but it did not move until a second wind was crossed with the first, pushing the monster against a tree where it struggled to free itself. Mishara peppered the monster with his gnawed arrows, but no one could tell if they wounded the monster, for each arrow was disappeared into the vegetable mass. Soon, Yrūn hands emerged from the side of the pinned monster and the ooze-covered gasping shape of Jak climbed free of the thing. Once the fatigued Jak had completely extricated himself from the thing, he was caught in magic winds and slammed into a nearby tree trunk. Pulling himself from the ground, Jak managed to escape the wind, and he and the group escaped into the woods. Once they put a fair distance between them, Mishara commenced loosing arrows at the Shamblers from a distance. Eventually Mishara and later Jak were able to reduce the advancing monsters into puddles of leaves and black-green ooze. Skeletal remains were found in their shapeless bodies, along with leather items, some cloth, a bone tube, and a pouch of glass vials.

Reaching a creek, a couple watches were taken to rest, clean Jak, clean Mishara’s arrows, and heal. Dammon took the opportunity to examine the bone tube that had been found and discovered a scroll inside. He also determined that the two vials were potions with properties of both Halra and Or Dnùrū, though he could not discern their purpose. Following this, the group continued along the course set by Iahn’s instructions, leaving the road to cross south over a rocky hill. Crossing the hill was slow as there was no trail to follow. That evening Mishara spotted a rocky outcropping where a gush of water poured from the rock face. The rock’s face was covered with mystical Urdar writings as seen weeks before at the shaman rock in the Nar Drùden. Deciding this was not a proper place to spend the night, the group traveled south for another watch before setting-up camp. During Jak’s watch, the campsite was visited by a small band of Urdar which asked simple questions and built a camp and small fire-pit nearby. Both Jak and Mishara spoke with the Urdar travelers during the night. Learning the group’s intended direction, the Urdar agreed to escort the group along a southerly road through Urthari Gnot, an Urdàri kingdom.

Sūdìdor, 9 Drûr 652

In the morning, the group had to wait for the Urdar leader and another to return from a short venture north.

The group and Urdar found the road shortly, and turned west into large meadowland within the forest. The fields were divided into simple farmlands with narrow dirt trails, round stone houses, and rickety wooden fences outlining harvested fields and pig sties. As they walked and rode along the wider main road, Urdàri families emerged from their homes, shielding their eyes to watch the group pass through. The road eventually wound through an area of larger, more densely packed houses where hundreds of Urdar watched the party pass. Jak waved to the inhabitants but only received recognition from the youngest of the onlookers. Within another half-watch the road turned south and re-entered the dense forest, leaving the Urdàri settlements behind. Before leaving the group, the Urdar reminded Jak to tell his people not to attack the Urdar people again.

On the wooded road south of Urthari Gnot, the group met an Yrūn caravan moving north along the road. Jak spoke with the nervous caravan swordsmen for a few minutes. He learned that the group was heading for the Town of Avahrlyn with winter foodstuffs, and that their sole guard was very relieved to learn that they weren’t brigands. They exchanged information about the road in both directions, at which time the swordsmen told Jak not to turn right at the T-intersection to the south, for that was a area was forbidden to all travelers in the Nar Drūden. The two groups parted company and the journey continued.

A couple watches to the South, they reached the foretold intersection and following the instructions laid out by Iahn turned West despite the merchants’ warnings. The trunks along the roadside were carved with strange markings and draped with strings of Yrūn, Urdar, and other skulls. Not a half-watch down the road, journey down the western road, the roots and grasses rose from the group tangling their feet and the horses’ legs. Those able to move out of the area found archers standing stepping from the trees around them. Ordered to drop their weapons, the group reluctantly did so. As the weapons fell to the ground, the grasses and vines seized at that and held them tight against the earth. The archers closed slowly demanding answers from the trespassers. It was explained that Iahn Argentale had told them to journey this way. None knew the name. Dammon listed other areas on his list of directions which intrigued their captors. A scout was sent to verify the name Iahn. In the watches that followed the spell was withdrawn under the condition that Mishara lay on his stomach, as the Eylfāe forbidden above all others. As the Anàhlāen settled to the ground, two archers stepped forward to guard him. Dammon took the opportunity to ask the ranger leader, none of which offered their names, about the Lair of Katulth. The leader looked skeptical, and looked from the Eylfāe and back to Dammon with some concern. Eventually, he admitted knowing of the name, but warned the magician of throwing it about so cavalierly. The leader would not admit to knowing of the lair, or where it might be. Others in the group looked lost by the conversation. In spite of himself, the ranger added “It is better to let somethings sleep.” Eventually, the scout returned with word that Iahn Argentale’s name was old, but legitimate. The rangers relaxed their positions and allowed the group to leave, warning them not to return this way. Mishara took his time dusting himself off as he stood. Looking about, he noticed what might have been Eylfāe tracks leading down the road toward the Valley of Bones and wondered of their fate. The Urdar had mentioned that a group of six Eylfāe had recently come this way.

Turning away the group traveled for a couple watches and then camped.

Talídor, 10 Drûr 652

The group continued East and had no troubles traveling the next day.

Padídor, 11 Drûr 652

The following morning they continued south down the traders’ road and by late afternoon could see the large lake Nulàrya Lun through a break in the trees to the south. The woodland town of Loston lay on its eastern shore.

Continued in The Urdar Queen.

Characters

• Alcèrra Nàdrelan
• Dammon Shroudson
• Jak of Cænden
• Mishara Mythdaras
• Tressta Drynsval
• Pr. Bairnon
• Familiar
• Pr. Elene
• Pr. Feldar
• Pr. Gagron
• Iahn Argentale
• Pr. Iddowen
• Pr. Murin
• Pr. Pillegon
• Pr. Tadara
• Tarawyn Mistvale
• Ulbrum
• Ulzur

Played: 05 Dec 1998