Koshun Pass - The Anvil

Party: Zantaroth / Vultha / Taurio / Sorval / Iskren

 Xivaskir 26

Our heroes make their way through the cavern, discovering a group of cultists disturbing some debris, before being ambushed by two demonic guard-apes. The cultists split and the party chase one of them straight into a group of Orog guardsmen. Defeating those, they discovered several rooms that made up the underground complex, with Zantaroth helming the infiltration, kicking open the door to an eagle or falcon related chapel, discovering a dark room where a mysterious being attacked the group (and was eventually dispatched) while giving chase to one of the Orogs that ran away and eventually clashing with a group of reanimated minotaur skeletons. 

Once the party caught up and all immediate threats were slain, they dove even deeper into the complex to discover the tiles that they had been traversing giving way to rough-hewn and natural curves and chasms. A group of goblins camping out point them in the direction of the Anvil, warning them a certain white-haired loon might be involved with it. Iskren makes a prayer to Sengir to ask for guidance. The party then sunders it and prepares to meet the bound entity it held... another Balor!

(Combat sessions are a lot of fun for recapping)

Ulgrotha: Strongrock and Beyond (at last)

 Party: Sorval / Zantaroth / Vultha / Iskren / Taurio

Xivaskir 25

Vultha heads to Ivar's Ballistics, attempting to find a ranged weapon that exceeds his own. Some bartering later, Vultha has emptied his pouch in exchange for a pretty looking metal crossbow, a super exclusive cleaning cloth and a pair of keychain whippersnappers (collectable numbered miniature crossbows that fire whips). 

After a quick and worrying detour to the multitalented goblin Giglund, big Z and Vultha head to Snarfblatt to procure a tattoo for Zantaroth. Sadly enough, Vultha spent all the funds the pair had available on ranged weapons and keychains. So they seek out the closest source of gold.... Iskren!

Taurio and Sorval head to the Irone Brotherhood's HQ where they meet Jaja, a man covered in dried blood and rusted armour. The pitch made by Sorval for recruitment goes something like "Return uncertain, leaders instable, foes unknown, death likely". Taurio offers board and gear to sweeten the deal, dropping the rates a moderate amount. The pair leaves a deposit with a reservation for two months. Sorval mentions whoever will pick up the mercenaries will have a Boros symbol.

Afterwards, Sorval seeks out Iskren and delivers a beautifully crafted gold-and-raven themed armour. Chuffed about it all, Iskren spreads the happy mood, spending a few moments on making compliments and even passing on a priceless gift from Vultha to Sorval. Zantaroth explains his need for the ink and dipping into the party fund, the group (minus Taurio) decides to fund it. Z, Taurio and Vultha head over to Snarfblatt again, where Zantaroth has a red field with a golden star with a black circle in the middle, from which an armoured angelic wing sprouts, on it and from the red field flow some branches over the jaws tattooed on his throat to face area. Depending on how the light catches the massive lizard, the tattoo glows blue.

Xivaskir 26

Finally moving past the administrative bits, the party breathes free mountain air beyond Strongrock. Taking a decently paced walk, the party eventually finds remains of the rumours Iskren had caught. Splitting off from the beaten track, they find a goblin who (Sorval and Vultha combine to deduce) stabbed himself after poisoning and eating his own innards. A little further off, they spy a clutch of winged lizards, whom they engage in combat. The fighting draws out a larger, more adult variant of winged being. Combined, the creatures cause some damage with their acid breath, but eventually fall to the combined might of the party. In the end, Sorval heroically slays the large beast with a single blow of his Frostbrand.

The group then rests and loots the corpses for meat, bones and coins before spotting a trapdoor which leads into a cave or cellar of sorts. 

Ulgrotha: Rocking around the Big Z Tree

Party: Iskren / Taurio /  Vultha / Sorval / Zantaroth

Xivaskir 23 - 25

From the Mountain Shade Temple, Vultha rejoins the group by finding Zantaroth at the Parlor of Pardons and then, they meet up with the others at the breakfast table of the Retreat. They discuss going through a ritual to help Zantaroth remove his curse.

Going back to the spot where Vultha communed with Autumn Willow in the Mountain Shade Temple, Iskren casts a spell to remove the curse, which leads to the party defeating a grey monster inside of (what they surmise is) Zantaroth's Dreamscape.

Afterwards, they communicate with Sengir and learn of the proximity of another Black Anvil, which they can use to gain access to another potential Balor ally and destabilize Leshrac. 

With their spat behind them and a feeling of more mutual respect, Iskren and Sorval head to the smithy, followed by Zantaroth, and work progresses on the gear Sorval was making. Vultha and Taurio wind up at the Anaba Lodge, where they inquire after tattoos (being informed of two potential masters of the craft: Snarfblatt - the minotaur tattooist - and Giglund - a goblin mystic).

And thus, we head into downtime. 

Iskren spent some time and effort on getting to know the location of the Black Anvil, first through spellcraft (which fails, due to protective measures taken against the powers of Sengir and detection in general) and then through social interaction and mild application of pressure (which succeeds and points to a path in Koshun Pass, diverging from the main road to the Barony, where several hunters have either gone missing or half-eaten corpses were found). Having obtained this, and in return for applying some of the mild pressure aforementioned, Iskren turns their attention to teaching Zantaroth a bit of their restraint and techniques for focusing the mind. 

Taurio and Sorval spend some time together at the Anaba Lodge, where being seen with Taurio makes sure Sorval is treated with some deference and respect, and is allowed to see the Runesmith at work. Watching the aged minotaur craft intricate symbols of power helps Sorval a little along his path as a crafter, while Taurio gets to perfect a specific refined Kefir - Kumis.

Vultha spends a lot of time at the Mountain Shade Temple, putting a lot of effort into crafting two beautiful statues, one of Autumn Willow and one of Arcades Sabboth, during these moments, Vultha spends a lot of time lost in thoughts and in tune with nature, just becoming one with the landscape at times. Without noticing it, he changes the land around him and by the time he finishes his work, small outlines of a feminine form grace the insides of the tree where he was working. 

Zantaroth, checking in on his friend with a bit of unusually obtained meat, notices the presence of Autumn Willow in the hollowed tree and the two discover the place to have become consecrated to Autumn Willow. Taken aback a little but both feeling very satisfied, they spend some time together munching on the meat and reflecting on nature, leaving them both restored in body and mind after the arduous month they lived through.

Ulgrotha: Something punny with rock

 Party: Vultha / Sorval / Iskren / Taurio / Zantaroth

Xivaskir 22

After the pitfight, the party noticed Zantaroth running out, so they follow him out. 

Iskren and Sorval decide to leave the talking to Taurio and Vultha. Those two trail Z to the outside of town, all the while trying to get an explanation for his behavior. Zantaroth explains he was overcome with hunger, but no sure reason for the aggression leaps to the fore of his mind.

The three meet Tevesh Szat in the forest who offers a deal to Zantaroth, trading a 'control pendant' for a future favour. Zantaroth pretends to attune to the pendant. Afterwards, Tevesh disappears into a shimmering portal, where floating isles topped with white castles make up most of the vision. The three return to the town.

Iskren retires to their room after encountering a follower of Sengir who gives him some coin, as does Sorval, who spends the evening studying his Frostbrand.

 Zantaroth eventually finds his way to Iskren, disturbed by the item he had received and seeking some aid in shielding his mind. Iskren talks with Zantaroth about events that transpired. From the pendant, a certain aura of cold malice emanates, menancing. Also, a deep voice echoes within Zantaroth's mind, urging him to violence and almost driving him to distraction. Iskren takes the item and puts it to the side, the voice shifting into a more subtle whisper that seeks to convince Iskren to grasp more power. The cleric steels themselves, shoves the item under their pillow and talks to Zantaroth about it influencing the mind and friendship. They also suggest to cure Big Z with all powers at his disposal. 

"Your problems are our problems [...] Everything that is yours, is mine." - Iskren

After Zantaroth leaves, Iskren and Taurio talk about investments such as booze, 'not getting stabbed'-clothes, the metaphysical nature of the soul and legal possession of such things. Taurio siddles out of the room a little richer and still the owner of his spiritual elements.

Vultha, arriving at the Mountain Shade Temple outskirts, meets Loosha (a minotaur mercenary who accompanied the group from the bridge to Strongrock) and has a bit of a chat with her about Taurio before she leaves disappointed with a lack of information. Vultha then meditates near the statue of Autumn Willow he had crafted. In his meditative dreams, Vultha realises the plans Szat shows him in his dreams, they are not what he seeks for the Shademurk or nature at all.

Zantaroth sleeps an uneasy dream, with Szat standing near him and telling him he ought to have kept what he was given, before a mucky red ground sucks Zantaroth into an unnatural darkness. Waking up, there are clawmarks around the bedding.

Iskren communes with Baron Sengir, learning the magics of Szat are not specifically unending or all-mighty. The Baron suggests enforcing gratitude in those aided in order to gain leverage with Autumn Willow. He also thinks it would be fun to give Zantaroth wings.

Xivaskir 23

Sorval takes an early bath, the party meets at breakfast. They plot to check out the Anaba Lodge, the Irone Brotherhood and discover Vultha not being around. Going to 'the graveyard', Sorval talks to Big Z and has a bit of a discussion about power with Iskren. The chat goes a bit sour, but they agree to discuss it later on.

At the Mountain Shade Temple, Vultha notices the grass around the statue he had carved having become more healthy, fresher somehow. He takes the statue and goes looking for the party. 

Ulgrotha - School of Strongrock

Players: Iskren / Taurio / Vultha / Zantaroth / Sorval

 Xivaskir 22

We rejoin Sorval in the smithy, where Gunther takes in the newcomer properly, looking him up and down, realising Sorval still is wearing his Boros gear and decides to make life easier. To let Sorval unwind a bit. So he takes him to the nearby general store (Leopold's General Goods) and procures some coal-heated wine for the warrior and lets him drink it before returning to the work ahead.

And work they do, forging the beginnings of some heavy plate for Sorval, getting quite a bit of it done throughout the day. Getting the Boros logo, a Serran emblem and a signet of the Shadow Mage integrated, he gets things done to a good standard.

Taurio, meanwhile, looks at some of the activities going on, paying close attention to a rune-carving shaman before being distracted by a bull minotaur who calls out to the "Ravnican scum". Facing off heroically against the dual-wielding foe, Taurio manages to spots the specter of Leshrac looming over the aggressor's shoulder. An exciting duel that is bound to be remembered by the onlookers ends with Taurio disemboweling his foe. Picking up the strange sword and warhammer the beast was wielding, Taurio sees strange runes on the spikey bits. Bringing these items back to the runecarver shaman, Taurio trades them for a 'longaxe'. 

Iskren and Zantaroth revel in the fact they saved lives today. By not killing people. Out of annoyance. They decide to seperate after telling each other they are friends. Zantaroth finds Vultha and has a few words about colour and personalizations of nature. Lucidly. Iskren heads off to works on some jewels, eventually crafting a sparkling wedding ring, a beautiful thing which Iskren passes on to Sorval. 

The party eventually meets up again, with people exchanging pleasantries and Taurio explaining trading off priceless artifacts and Zantaroth mentioning a lingering urge to get inked.

Tarboo explains the rules (no poisoning drinks, no fireballs, no face eating, no restoring those who are down, no coup de grace) and sends the group down. They spot a bookie, Nilf, so Iskren convinces the bookie that the party would take on two enemy groups at the same time and convinces the crowd the party doesn't come battle-tested, allowing for a little betting advantage. A little bickering goes on about the group's name, eventually settling on the RavniCans / RavWhoCans.

Two groups face off against the party, who utterly slaughter the officer from earlier in the day that picked a fight with the lizards. And his friends. And the other group. It is a massacre. The only flaw in the entire scheme is Zantaroth going berserk on the party, his newly grown hair puffing out, crocodilian jaw retracting to resemble a dog's muzzle and attacking with wanton abandon both the enemy and Taurio, before coming to his senses. The townspeople take note of the prowess displayed. The bookie loses a lot of money. The party is happy... until they look around after receiving their rewards and finding Zantaroth has run off to the outside.

Ulgrotha: Strongrock! At last!

Party: Iskren / Vultha / Sorval / Zantaroth / Taurio

Xivaskir 22

At long last, our heroes get to enjoy a night's rest in a town. Iskren, smartly, left their undead friends outside of town, so as not to trouble the locals. Sadly enough, a bit of a nightmare unfolds for them. A serpentine voice teases Iskren with intimate knowledge of the party and a certain bit of Iskren's power is drawn from them, leaving them lessened, somehow.

As luck would have it, the rest of the party also had troubled dreams. Some involving the destruction of Shademurk, some just feeling the alien presence of ... something. All of the party... except Taurio, who dreamt about a meadow where he was lectured by an older white bull.   

Vultha wakes up at the Parlor and checks out the local scene a little, ordering breakfast from Tarboo (the owner) and inquiring for the rules of the fighting pit. He is eventually joined by Zantaroth in a small pig-related food situation. 

Sorval wakes early, prays to Serra and seeks the guidance of Jared to shed the nightmares, while Iskren checks their body for possible damages, noting a red mark on their shoulder. Taking their coin, the power of Sengir comforts and a soft whisper assures Iskren of allies being on the way.

Taurio, on the other hand, wakes up abruptly. He heads for breakfast and meets his friends, chatting with Sorval about the town security before the conversation turns to the nightmares the group has been having. Sorval mentions his connection to Serra as a sort of shield against the draconic being, while Taurio says he has been sitting near a large minotaur (obviously Sandruu) who kept the bad things away. Considering the time proper for it, Iskren takes out his keystone and summons the Orzhovian thrull. This, in turn, draws a lot of attention from the other clientele, which Iskren turns into an audience whose knowledge and coin they peruse. While this is going on, Taurio notices a familiar sight and walks to speak to Sandruu, who is enjoying a book.

The winged Thrull finds Zantaroth and Vultha across the street and asks the pair to join Iskren's group after paying the Greying Bull his due and up front for dinner. Big Z and Vultha both had been infected with vision-dreams as well, about a large serpent laying into Shademurk, causing untold destruction. While eating and walking, they do notice the town guard being worried about large lizards eating meat off the bone, but after being accosted, they explain the meat to be pig and manage to not fight, eventually arriving as the two bulls meet up.

From Sandruu Taurio learns that the draconic being in his dream is 'The Doom of Fools", Tsevesh Szat, a planeswalker who has recently taken interest in the group that is causing trouble for Leshrac. There's also a bit about the immortality of the Goblin King being linked to the Wizarding School. News from Ravnica follows, with Jared having mentioned to Sandruu that several seals have been broken there and the mayor is dead, the Boros do try to keep order, but they're having a hard time. Sandruu explains he sees the future of Ravnica as bleak, but thinks getting to the Baron or Serra as soon as possible is a good plan. 

Iskren and Sorval chat about their dreams, with the lizardkin joining in. The line between the naturally inclined Gruul and the civilisation-inclined clerics is drawn as a point of conversation. They put together their collective knowledge after bantering for a bit, remembering the guilds were working as one in order to seal the Nephilim. Considering this, they suspect that they need to gain more power in order to fight off this being. They also put their priorities straight, going over what they hope to gain from their Patrons and adventures. A bit of a face-off also happens with Big Z getting up in the grill of the clerics, defending the Gruul pride with aggressive language in order to make clear that he will not tolerate being controlled. The clerics do explain they are not blindly obedient to their patrons and will judge for themselves what they see as right or wrong.

Taurio returns to the group and briefs them on his findings. Iskren takes in the information and attempts a divination ritual for discovering what to do next. The divinity that answers them is Serra. She explains that allowing time for the breaking of the seals would empower various individuals. She also mentions that the cost for that might be Ravnica. Returning with this information, Iskren relates it to the party as well. 

The party then splits up, with Zantaroth and Iskren going to deal with the paperwork (so the party can pass through the Koshun Pass). Sorval and Taurio head off to find a smithy and the Anaba Lodge respectively. Vultha seeks out the Mountain Shade Temple to pray and find guidance.

Zantaroth speaks with Iskren as they go, explaining his reason for going with Vultha and his goals beyond that (links to Eyjafjallajökull and the leadership grooming Z has undergone). As they arrive at the logistics building, they are greeted by bureaucracy in the form of a dour dwarven lady.

Taurio, at the Lodge, takes in the large wooden building. There's a large gathering of minotaurs around, approximately thirty are congregating here. He spots Obono and chats a bit with him before being shown around the place. A large ruddy minotaur with two claymores strapped to his back, Gnulliver, meets Taurio and speaks about the traditional lifestyle the herd is keeping in the Lodge. Metalurgy, brewing, woodcraft and cooking - the herd being intent on keeping their independence from a lord who seems unstable.

At the Mountain Shade Temple, Vultha notices minotaur guards, totems, graveyard sites... a lot of natural burial spots. A lot of coins are scattered amongst the tomestones and totems. A couple of caretakers walk around. A single stone structure, shaped bovinely, stands near the middle of the graveyard. As he enters the grounds, he spots the massive remains of a tree, which provides a location for him to sit down. Once seated, he reaches out to the primal forces of nature. Approaching him is the specter of a woman, made up of contradictions. Young, yet old and timeless. She speaks with Vultha about nature, about balance, about those that disrupt the balance, about heroes. She reassures him that things are changing due to his activity. A small change comes over him and more and more colour seems to seep into the previously ashen Vultha, bringing him more midnight blues and mossy greens where once but grey was. The lady then vanishes, leaving a single Edelweiss where she was standing. After she departs in this manner, Vultha builds a small bone shrine to her near the flower, with a single statuette that hums in the breeze.

After a long and silent walk, lost in complex thoughts, Sorval winds up at the general store, where the town smithy is located. He walks into the smithy and looks at a green-skinned male who is crafting a thing on an anvil. Sorval attempts to introduce himself, but the smith has none of it, asking him to prove his mettle by making a gauntlet. Sorval does so, routinely. Gunther, the smith, gives it a glance, sees it is decent quality and allows Sorval the use of his forge for the price of ten gold. He estimates the time for crafting as two days per full plate with Gunther's assistance. Sorval suspects he'll have to convince the party to stay another day, for he wants to make a pair of plate armours...

Ulgrotha: The Walk

Party: Iskren / Sorval / Taurio / Viken / Zantaroth / Vultha

A slow session, but hey~

The party travels from the Toll-bridge to Strongrock, their company (Peter, Loosha and Obono) try to keep an eye out for the party, while Obono makes conversation. Loosha spends a lot of time looking into Viken and seems curious about Taurio, to some extend. Taurio verbally waterfalls all over Loosha, explaining his history, eventually turning the conversation to discover the allegiance of the minotaurs to Eron the Restless is somewhat shaky. 

Other events involve Iskren learning how much the minotaurs earn and a flight of angels fighting against an army of demons. Seeing this go down, Sorval wants to go and aid an angel that falls in the flight's retreat, but the party manages to convince him not to do so. The escorts are worried about angels fighting against demons in the lands of Lord Eron, implying an attack from Aysen. 

The group then moves on, getting rather close to the outer walls of Strongrock, before coming across a river fork near which a treasure chest stands. Vultha opens it, triggering the appearance of a bound angel and a moss troll skeleton. The fight is pitifully short as the party wipes the floor with their foes. 

Arriving at Strongrock, with the escort going to Dwezil's and leaving them behind, the party quickly splits in two groups, with one group (Iskren, Sorval, Taurio and Viken) going to a respectable inn known as 'The Traveler's Sole Retreat' and the other (Zantaroth and Vultha) going to 'Lord Eron's Parlor of Pardons' to check out the village. The Parlor serves Slivoo, a plum concoction, which the party enjoys. Those who went to the Parlor also discovers a brawling pit, which peaks their interests.

The streets are patrolled by 'the Shadeguard', a defensive force. Goblins, dwarves, humans and minotaurs seem to live together here.

Viken, as the party draws more attention from the locals than him, sees his chance to sneak out, noticing a lot of minotaurs in hostile lands taking note of him, with the party safe and sound, he finds a way out and disappears into the night, plotting to overthrow the goblin king still.

And thus ends the session, with a town to be explored in the next~