Wiki Category: Events

Spring is in the air and the planting season is in full swing. It’s rough work tilling the ground and getting seeds established, but it is a breath of fresh air after a season trapped inside away from the bitter chill of winter. Soon the trade caravans also groan to life and the roads of Mardrun open up into thriving arteries of trade. As transit commences, word starts to spread throughout Mardrun for those looking for work; if you are looking for silver then look no further than Silvers Crossing.

The Town of Silvers Crossing in recent years has grown to be a major hub of trade within the lands of Newhope. Located on a major crossroads near Daven’s Hold to the west and Starkhaven to the north, a great deal of trade moves through the village. A few short years ago the village was not much more than a drop of ink on the map, but concerted efforts from entrepreneurs and local politicians have seen to it that this once small trading post has developed into a sizable regional powerhouse.

Spring brings opportunity and Silvers Crossing is no stranger to understanding that opportunities must be seized. The local magistrate has sent out an invitation to the people of Mardrun. There is work to be done in Silvers Crossing, and true to their namesake, there is always silver to be made from said work. Before long the settlement is filled with laborers and tradesmen looking to jumpstart the new working season. This increase in traffic brings merchants from the local areas out of the woodwork and attracts traveling merchant caravans. Beyond this, some come to the area as an excuse to get away from the doldrum of their daily lives; looking for a place to mingle with merchants and perhaps friends from across the continent. Regardless of the reason they are drawn there, the increase in foot traffic has caused the Town of Silvers Crossing to erupt into life.

UPDATE:

People flocked from far and wide in to Silvers Crossing and the day was filled with much merriment. It turned out that the promise of Spring was a fickle lie and the day was punctuated by periodic downpours of sleet, but even this unfortunate meteorological couldn’t dampen the festive air. People worked fields and passed drinks and there was even the coronation of a new noble; The Queen of the Hobos!

The day passed with peaceful festivity.

Following the destruction of the bizarre dual idols in Clan Shattered Spear territory in January of this year, the villagers were able to return to their homes. The small smattering of unsavory individuals in the area had been cleansed of their strange illness and sent along their way. Not long went by before a report came from the village. It seems there was still a degree of ambient corruption in the area, though its source was not immediately observable. Worse yet the villagers reported that they had seen small groups of Mordok stalking through the woods at night. Word was sent out to gather a team to return to the area and cleanse the land of its blight.

In the following weeks the reports from the village grew fewer and farther between, but those that did were increasingly disturbing. By the end there was a report from a traveling merchant who tried to journey to the village, but he was unable to get close. Before he was even in eyesight, his cart was pelted with arrows from the treeline. He ran back the direction he came and heard voices jeering and insulting him as he did. He couldn’t make out everything they said, but swears they told him, “Go back to your swamp!”

Clan Shattered Spear leadership has taken these strange stories seriously and has again requested the aid of Truthseekers from Clan Spiritclaw as well as any other people willing to help to suss out the matter at hand and cleanse the land once and for all.

UPDATE:

Many gathered under the request of Clan Shattered Spear and returned to the thought-to-be-cleansed village. It became quickly apparent that there were still pockets of ambient corruption dotting the landscape and crews quickly set to work to locate them all so that they may be properly cleansed. During these outings small bands of Mordok were seen stalking through the woods, but far more alarming was the sight of the people of the nearby village. They immediately seemed off in some way that would come into focus the more they were interacted with.

Before long, the villagers shouted curses and brandished weapons at the adventurers, telling them things like that they should go back to their swamp and that Shattered Spear would never stand down from a fight. It became evidently clear that something had warped the minds of these villagers and they now saw what should be their allies as Mordok invaders. Additionally these villagers seemed to show some degree of reverence for the Mordok in the area. They were heard calling them “Nature Spirits” and “Land Wights”. They gave them a great berth on the trails, but at one point were seen coming to their aid in the fight.

The rest of the day was plagued by the presence of these strange villagers. The Shattered Spear Hersir and the rest of the adventurers made attempts to peacefully speak with them, or to try to capture them alive, but in the end they were unable to do so. All of this being said the day was not lost. All of the ambient corruption was stamped out and in the final hours a scout was able to at the least confirm the presence of a large corruption idol in the center of the mysterious village.

Ice grips even the southern portions of Mardrun and the people find themselves spending more and more time in their homes waiting out what is often the coldest month of the year. There are few things that draw excitement in the month of February, but the one that does is always a grand event. Throughout the City-State lands and beyond people sit in eager anticipation of the announcement of what has colloquially become known as “The Annual Political Dinner”

Sure enough near the beginning of the month the word goes out that an upscale venue has been chosen in the heart of Newhope’s merchant district. Known as the Glinting Emerald, it’s a newer space for sure, but one that has already caught the eye of the citizenry of Newhope. With the announcement 

Before long the streets of Newhope are flooded with people. Though not everyone has a chance to attend the official gathering, many still find themselves traveling to the area to partake in the festivities that always find themselves materializing in the orbit of these grand gatherings. The recently quiet streets of the Merchant District are now a buzz of activity as people shout sales and specials into the streets from their storefronts. Bards and bands traverse the streets looking for gigs or even just a free corner to ply their trade. Many come with business proposals, hoping to get a chance to rub elbows with the wealthy or noble. Music and mirth fill the air as all prepare for the of the venue also comes a great open invitation to all of the peoples of Mardrun. The unanimous voice of the Council of Newhope rings out through their missive inviting representatives from the Ulven Clans to come and partake in the hospitality of Newhope and it’s people, no doubt in an interest to ease some of the recent tensions. The announcements all carry with them the feeling the recent dark moments within the City-State have been addressed, the future will be bright, and they want all to be able to share in this hopeful outlook for the future.Annual Political Dinner.

Update:

It was a lively time in the Glinting Emerald. People from all walks of life attended to mingle with new acquaintances and catch up with old friends and comrades. Though no persons of high station attended in person, representatives from a few of the major players around the continent made themselves present. 

At one point a meeting of Syndar people in attendance was called together to discuss the possibility of fracturing off and forming their own society or, at the very least, learn how they could come together to further their collective needs and desires. In the end it was clear that this talk would lead to a larger discussion and more meetings in the future, but attention was quickly drawn to the eagerly awaited announcement of the day.

One of the major draws to this dinner was the expectation that Clan Spiritclaw and Newhope would be making a joint proclamation regarding the recent research into Witch Magic and its effects on The Siphoning. By the end of the day they had finished comparing their notes and come forward with a final statement. Both parties agreed that Witch Magic does, in fact, lead to The Siphoning. It seems that every time a Witch casts a spell a portion of the mana is unwound and unable to return to the mana stream. Over time this piece-by-piece unwinding reduces the amount of mana in the stream. They also learned that Mordok Corruption Idols draw on ambient mana, but that they also have a unique ability to draw in this unwound mana and use it as a power source. The researchers believed that these idols may hold some secret that could help collect and maybe fix this unwound mana. The idea of trying to use these idols as opposed to destroy them on sight ruffled some feathers. The Order of Arnath also announced that they had some success in creating what they called a Cleansing Idol. People were excited to hear more about this new device moving forward.

The Researchers also brought along some fresh arcane research in the hopes that a collaborative effort could help solve some problems they’d been having. The researchers and some volunteers worked diligently at their task in the hopes of creating a new Divination Ritual that could pinpoint areas of corruption with extreme accuracy, no matter how small or weak. Unfortunately they were unable to finish this task. The researchers were invited back to The Ravens University to continue their research and hopefully use what they were able to learn so far to finish their task in the near future.

Things have been very quiet along The Shield of Mardrun for quite some time now. It seems the series of outposts have been largely accomplishing their task of keeping the Mordok threat from spilling into the inhabited southern lands. With the final raids of the year seemingly in the past, the whole continent began a slow ease into the cold of winter.

Unfortunately it seems that rest is not in the cards for Mardrun. A small band of Mordok following command of one of their mysterious blue-clad leaders was seen near the Clan Shattered Spear outpost on the Shield. They did not approach the outpost proper and instead moved further South. After their departure a scouting team was sent out to follow the Mordok until a Warpack could be mobilized. They found a strange, new type of idol near the closest settlement just past the defensive line of the Shield. Corrupting influence spread forth from the idol and seemed to sap the land itself of life in a way not seen since The Red Eyed Syndar raised corruption to swallow Onsallas Outpost near the home of Pack Longfang. As the corruption spread, some of the Ulven at the settlement began to fall ill and the leadership of the village ordered the townsfolk to evacuate.

Clan Shattered Spear has sent forth a request for aid in dealing with this strange and potent form of corrupting magic. Clan Spiritclaw has answered the call and has agreed to send a team of Truthseekers and Daughters of Gaia to the Shield to help understand and hopefully destroy this idol. They welcome any additional outside help that can be mustered, both in the realms of research as well as security. Spiritclaw leadership has also made it known that they’d been looking to undertake a few research experiments of their own and that this will grant them the perfect moment to bring these tasks into focus.

Ravina Spiritclaw seems to have taken a strong interest in the announcement from the late Celestial Arragones that the Ulven’ Witch Magic is the leading cause of The Siphoning that plagues the Syndar people and other magic users of the world. A second call has been placed inviting anyone who wishes to see this question answered once and for all to travel to The Shattered Spear Outpost and give what aid they can.

UPDATE:
With the sun high in the sky, a sizable group of researchers, warriors, and curious parties marched into Shattered Spear territory. Despite the cold, it wasn’t long until rituals headed by the Daughters of Gaia and several eager volunteers were well underway. Brave individuals moved forward to scout the land and locate the idol. However, it became swiftly apparent that the effort was not going to go over smoothly. A group of bandits, who were unaware of their sickened and maddened state, harassed various travelers and groups along the roads. The bandits haggled the lives and safe passage of captured travelers for silver and food, or sometimes demanded payment to simply leave the area temporarily. The bandits did not seem to be aware of the affliction that they carried, as any individual who got too close to these brigands began to suffer from a strange form of corruption that seared through the body and spread amongst the camp.  Now faced with a dilemma, the adventuring party set out to research the idol while keeping the bandit threat at a distance. Thanks to the efforts of several kind and …persuasive healers, the bandit forces slowly dwindled throughout the day, as they were one-by-one cleansed of their corruption. 

Despite research taking precedence and some difficulties on the road, it was not long before the idol was located, and a horrid visage met those who dared to investigate. The idol was not one, but two. The idols, constructed not far from each other, were tethered with stinking viscera and pure corruption magic. Impossible to destroy separately, the research team decided to complete their ritual for the idol’s potential relation to the siphoning, after which the aim would soon turn towards severing the connection between the idols to weaken them with the little remaining time available. The researchers hoped that this would ease the ever-growing damage on the surrounding land and allow their endeavors to destroy the remaining parts to become easier in the future.

With everyone eager to witness the severing of the idols, a crowd formed around the ritual that had begun as the sun was setting.  Once the Daughter of Gaia’s severing ritual was completed, feelings of accomplishment quickly fell to horror as realization struck. The Mordok had set a trap; the idols were triggered to build and release a massive burst of blighting corruption throughout the nearby land should the tether be snapped. With time as the enemy, everyone unable to provide assistance in destroying the idols was ordered to evacuate. A panicked effort to organize capable casters was thrown together as corruption began to grow thick in the air. With only a few moments left until eruption, the idols were destroyed simultaneously, and the remaining crowd broke out in joyous cries. Although the destruction of the idols was successful and a brief celebration was shared as the sun faded on the horizon, an undeniable feeling of unease remained heavily on everyone’s minds. The lead ritualists could only imagine the extent of the damage the disaster would have caused to the land of Clan Shattered Spear, or how many of them might have been killed outright or left grotesquely corrupted.

Some days later word of preliminary results regarding the siphoning divination rituals start to spill from Spiritclaw. It’s too early to have any real results yet, but it’s clear that they are hard at work. Some who are more connected learn that Spiritclaw has also sent copies of the raw data to Newhope’s Research Wing to process in their own manner. This seems to be in an attempt to make sure that no one can imply any biases in the results should both sides come to the same conclusions. Rumors spread that both sides intend to report their findings at the February Political dinner. People of the continent with a stake in the matter wait with bated breath.

All across Mardrun the harvest season limps to a frigid close. Snow blankets the continent and the winter store houses latch shut, holding within the hoard of a year’s hard work.

Unfortunately, it seems that these increasingly sleepy villages are drawing the attention of outsiders. Longships bearing no colors or heraldry have been seen sailing up and down the eastern seaboard, some have even come further inland along the more navigable riverways. Memories of the unprovoked raid on the Village of Brattsholt earlier in the year has people on edge and soon Clan Leadership of the eastern clans have called forth their war parties to patrol the coastal villages.

Most of the villages feel safe with these roving patrols, but some of the more distant villages are worried that they will become easy targets if the official warpacks aren’t able to adequately stretch themselves to cover their location. To this end some of the villages have set out calls for martial aid to outside entities. One village known as Darkport, a smaller village made of Colonists and Ulven in the northeast of Clan Nightriver, has joined this chorus of aid requests. The local leadership has promised warm fires and eternal gratitude to any who are willing to come to lend their support. They are hopeful that if there are raiders on the waves that the presence of a defensive force will cause them to think twice about attacking.

Soon a great deal of support pours into the village and before long the area is a bustle of activity. A Nightriver Hersir has been dispatched to the area and soon The Village of Darkport finds itself acting as a staging ground from which support can be quickly mustered to the even smaller surrounding villages. As the month wears on, the people remain hopeful that no raids will come, but as the bitter chill of winter continues to settle in more and more people begin to think that any raiders in the area will start to set their eyes on one final score before returning home to ride out the winter months.

=UPDATE=

The hope for a quiet month was quickly shattered as a scout poured into Darkport warning of raiders taking to land and heading to a small village closer to the coast. A party mustered itself and marched to the village, but unfortunately arrived to late. As they came into view of the village they saw the defenseless civilians fall under the forceful blows of ax and sword. Some warriors rushed into battle with the raiders while the rest worked to build a formation. In the end only a very small number of villagers were able to escape.

The ire of the raiders turned to the approaching warriors and soon a pitched battle broke out. Though the defenders fought valiantly, they found themselves pushed back and eventually fell into a retreat back toward Darkport. The rest of the day found a series of skirmishes between the defenders of Darkport and the raiders in their countryside. Villages were sacked,as were some farm lands. By the end of the day though some of the plundered goods were able to recovered. Eventually the defenders mustered a large force and brought a decisive battle to the raiders. Though it was not enough to decimate their numbers, it did prove enough of a show of force to cause the invaders to take what loot they had managed to plunder and defend and return to their ships.

One strange occurrence was the appearance of a pair of the strange Syndar from the Outlands to the far north. They seemed to be studying the town and it’s defenders though surprisingly no one paid them much mind. One did end up briefly joining in the defense of the town and before nightfall they were both gone.

In the end the countryside around Darkport was dealt a heavy blow, but the bravery of the defenders in the face of a brutal foe helped keep the raiders from establishing a strong enough foothold to deal incredibly significant damage and eventually forced them into a retreat from the lands.

The crisp air of Autumn settles over the continent of Mardrun and the collective peoples of the continent all seem to revel in the calmness of the harvest season. People work fields during the day and spend their evenings gossiping, laughing, and singing in their local alehouses and meaderies and in the lands of Clan Goldenfield, the village of Barleyrow taps the first keg of the season.

As has become their tradition, Barleyrow village, a well-oiled collective of colonists and Ulven alike, sends out wide reaching invitations to the people of Mardrun to come and gather in their village to drink their beer and share in their hearth and hospitality. In recent years Barleyrow has come to see itself as a shining beacon of what can be accomplished if people set aside their differences and lean on each other’s strengths and nothing is more emblematic of this camaraderie than their now famous Barleyrow Ale.

Soon people of all walks of life flock to the growing village, bringing with them trade and stories. Before long the roads are well worn leading into Barley Row village, but such is the nature of an attraction set far from any navigable waterways. As people travel into the area they are happy to see the roads well-guarded. It seems the head of the village is well aware of the recent raids that have peppered across the lands and has seen to it that no such interruptions will come for their prized gathering.

This season’s festivities in Barleyrow Village seem more than ready to live up to their newly minted village motto – Mirth, Hearth, and Ale

== Update ==

The day in Barleyrow Village started out rather sober with everyone gathering their merchandise and preparing it for a harvest festival and the tapping of the first keg of the season. After the keg was tapped, many began to loosen up and tell stories, buy supplies and merchandise, and have a jovial time. Songs began to fly from the tongues of bards, old traditions began to sneak their way into the festival, stories from Faedrun came from those who remembered them and wanted to share, and drink flowed almost freely among those in attendance for this harvest festival.

While there was much feasting, drinking and fun being had, that didn’t mean work wasn’t around for those who wished to assist the village or in using their craft to trap in the nearby woods. With the help of locals and visitors to the village, a decent portion of work that was outstanding was handled and allowed the festival to continue that much longer.

During the festivities an announcement about the scheduled execution of Celestial Arragones was delivered to those who were in attendance. The overall feeling of this choice was muttered in two camps, one thinking the punishment of execution fair and just, the other feeling it was far too much or far too little. However, the news did not sour or spoil the spirits of the festival. There were in fact many passing along a wreath and crown of leaves to designate them as the chosen of the festival. At the end of the Festival, the tradition ended with the wreath and crown being burned in the fire as a thank you to Gaia, the Great Wolf, and many other deities for the bountiful harvest.

= EVENT STORY =
As the excitement of last month’s market faire winds down, gossip continues about the City-State of Newhope’s proclamation. It seems that a major shift has taken place within the Council of Newhope, with Celestial Arragones being removed from her position. Skeptics have jumped at the chance to proclaim that this is a sign of greater instability within the City-State while others worry if influences, both inside and out, might try to take advantage of the situation against the City-State or the Council.

Eventually, news catches up on the next step of this unfolding drama; the City-State Council has made their intent known that there is a plan to detain Celestial Arragones and bring her in so that she may work through this situation in the City-State court system. This could become a large City-State effort and may end up requiring those that swear fealty to Newhope to be present or involved in some way.

Sources close to the council have said that Celestial Arragones has removed herself from the city proper due to feeling like the Council was “looking for a scapegoat” and is now residing in one of her outer estates. She has taken her most loyal followers with her, and it becomes clear rather quickly that the magical libraries she tended to within the city have been almost completely emptied. She has long proclaimed that these libraries are personal property of hers and until now there has been little to no dispute of that. Word on the street is that various local mercenary groups are being contacted for a “security contract” which is speculated to be from the Celestial’s people.

As this unfolding situation seems to be quickly coming to a head, it is unknown at this time as to whether the City-State will be collaborative on moving forward or if the Celestial will be cooperative with these recent decisions.

Many hold their breath to see what will happen next as some sort of confrontation, one way or another, seems unavoidable.

= UPDATE =

After receiving a foreboding letter early in the day bearing the seal of Aylin’s Reach, it was learned by those assembled that the Aldorian garrison of troops at the Spire of the Archons was made aware that a mysterious benefactor had given aid to the Archons and their (in)famous Recall Point magical project was completed. The timing seemed incredibly convenient given the fact that the Celestial was well versed in the magical defenses and countermeasures available to the City-State. On a similar note, City-State forces reported a magical feeling wash over them, detonating protective auras and harming those that wore them. It seemed the Celestial’s forces had unique magical defenses of their own.

The anti-Arragones forces did some work ahead of time to undermine the efforts of hiring mercenary thugs in the area, the collective group was able to negotiate with and pay off the remaining mercs. While trying to oversell their skills and abilities, it was obvious this group was little more than a band of thugs and brigands. Still, they took a pretty substantial amount of money after some tense discussion and left the area without further issue.

The second line of defense was the Tartan Moors, a semi-professional mercenary unit. It seemed like there would be no real efforts to pay them off or even an attempt to, as the honor and reputation of the group was on the line. Without a substantial reason given to the mercenary unit to abandon their contract, both sides would agree that they would fight it out but would spare the wounded or those who would yield. After a drawn out fight with both groups feeling the attrition of the battle, the Tartan Moors were defeated and given quarter and first aid. This was also done in tandem with awaiting martial units of the City-State and several of their allies and vassals pressing in to begin a fight against the estate’s defenders on multiple fronts.

The final line of defense was the devote followers and personal retinue of Celestial Arragones. Access to the personal libraries of the Celestial seemed sought after by many, but the Celestial’s demands to appease her tarnished reputation and standing revealed her intentions to destroy it instead of handing it over or be taken for her were deemed too much. After brief negotiations seem to stagnate, it was clear that the group had come to an impasse; the Celestial would not back down on her demands and the City-State would not agree to them. Both sides prepared for violence.

Where the first group was paid off and violence avoided and the second group battled it out in honorable and respectful combat, the third group of defenders saw the full brutality of martial conflict. Martial units in other parts of the estate’s holding pressed in to fight various groups of the Celestial’s defenders. The City-State task force pushed in and soon a pell mell skirmish took place all over. Wounded City-State allies were dragged off to be tended to while the Celestial’s defenders were cut down and either bled to death or a few were saved by neutral parties that offered to lend aid. Even with some the City-State forces giving some quarter to their enemy, many were killed in the fighting.

At the start of the attack, the Celestial’s forces were given a signal; to burn her private research and materials and deny it from being taken from her. She, and her followers, were determined that if the City-State persisted, they would not be allowed to take these items. Numerous fires were fed immense amounts of documents, scrolls, invaluable research notes, and magical formulas and it choked the air around the estate. Some of these materials had no copies, were one of a kind, and survived the fall of Faedrun, but were burned to ash and lost forever. The entirety of magical research of the people of Mardrun has been dealt an incredible setback.

However, as these materials were cast into the fire, a traitor among the Celestial’s groups convinced a scholar to turn on her forces and steal away some research materials. Trapped away from City-State forces, these two were able to save some research materials from the fire composing of lustful letters and stories between scholars along with some important and even some rare research notes. Despite these few items being saved, the vast majority of the libraries were destroyed.

As soldiers marched into the inner sanctum of the estate, Celestial Arragones conducted a Recall ritual to attempt to escape. Due to the fact that the City-State forces voted to deploy a “Recall Trap” magical countermeasure and their choice to move it as close as possible to the estate, the Celestial found herself reappearing from the mana stream into the waiting arms of City-State soldiers and shackled instead of whisked away to safety.

By the end of the day, the Celestial was detained and her forces were utterly devastated. The ramp-up of intensity of the fighting left many dead or seriously wounded, and the billowing smoke of numerous fires carried away the ashes of the largest magical library on the entire continent, the condemning words of several wounded and dying Arragones supporters reminding everyone of the consequences of the day.

= EVENT STORY =
As the hustle and bustle of the last several month’s activities continue to circulate around the continent, focus begins to shift toward the upcoming annual market faire gathering. After Chief Merchants and various administrators have met and discussed options, the decision on where to host it is finally made public and announced to all.

Bladehome, the settlement of the newly expanded Statehood territory of the Broken Blade Company, has put in some behind-the-scenes work to be chosen to host the market faire. Naysayers, used to having a shorter trip to attend the market faire, have already started to be vocal about security concerns over the well-known issue of banditry and lawlessness in this area. However, martial units bearing the Broken Blade Company heraldry have already been seen on patrol and work is in full swing on rebuilding bridges in the territory, so some of these concerns seem to have already been addressed.

As has been the norm at previous political dinners and market faires, there is news of an impending proclamation expected to be made by the City-State of Newhope. Whether it be speculation about the Outlands and the strange Syndar visitors last month, an address to concerns over the previous expeditions and research done into such things, or an official response to the declaration made be the collective Ulven Clans months ago about exerting more supervision and control on colonist activities, the rumor mill is in full swing about it. The exact focus of this official message to the masses is still unknown.

Regardless of big politics, many people are excited to come and peddle their wares or spend their coin at the market faire. Trade routes are already being redirected and travelers prepared to make the journey into former Riverhead territory and Bladehome is expecting a considerable influx of coin and travelers.

= UPDATE = 

The day went largely as Market Faires do. People from all walks spilled into the new home of the Broken Blade Company and were met with indisputably excellent hospitality. Merchants peddled wares and leaders of various groups and factions met to talk shop. Grand feats of strength, cunning, and iron-stomachs ranging from Archery and Melee Tournaments, to messy pie-eating contests dazzled and entertained the crowd. There was even the Unofficial Official return of the Official Unofficial Chairs Street Rules Championships where a new contender appeared from nowhere to take away the prized Golden Stool.

Though there was a great amount of joy and revelry in the air there was also business. A representative from Newhope read out a proclamation written by Grand Duke Richards that stripped Celestial Arragones from her seat on the Newhope Council and removed her as the head of research for the colonies. In her place The Ravens University of Keys Crossing was promoted to stand as the managerial head of all City-State research projects moving forward.

This piece of business could not depress the mood long, however. Before you knew it people were back to their festivities, the fate of Arragones seeming to have no dampening effect on their moods. The day rounded to a close with a hearty drinking song sang together by all in attendence.

= EVENT STORY =
After an incredibly eventful expedition into the Outlands there is a consistent buzz throughout the continent of Mardrun. People of all walks of life want to hear the stories of previously unknown beasts and strange Syndar to the north. The expeditionary forces reveal that they had spoken with the strange Syndar before leaving the Outlands and she agreed that she would travel south of the Swamp after returning to her people with the fruits of her hunt. She did, however, make it clear that she would go no further south than an outpost on The Shield of Mardrun until she had more time to vet and understand the strange southerners.

Hersir Sigurmond Shattered Spear heard the news and reached out to the people of Newhope to volunteer his outpost as a meeting place, but did make it clear that it was still an operating military outpost and while people were welcomed to visit and they should feel safe within his walls, there is still a threat from the Swamp. On the other hand, outposts along the Shield always offer excellent opportunities for people of all walks of life looking to make some coin and the thought of a stranger from a previously unknown culture has excited the minds of many a merchant looking to establish new routes or trade in unique goods from The Outlands.

Soon mercenaries, supply merchants, and caravans alike began to take Sigurmond up on his offer and before long the usually quiet outpost has become a flurry of life and activity. Whether they are there simply to find work or to speak with the stranger from the north, all sorts of people find themselves within the walls of The Shattered Spear Outpost or sprawling outside nearby in makeshift camps.

Unfortunately, it seems that things are not destined to remain quiet. News from scouts starts to spill into the outpost that a Mordok has been seen creating corruption idols in the edges of the swamp near the outpost. While these idols have yet to wreak havoc upon the garrisoned warriors, their effects have already begun to be felt. A familiar choking of the mana in the area has started to affect the ability of the mages and clerics within the outpost to regain their mana through meditation. At the time this is little more than an annoyance, but if left unchecked then the issue could prove to hinder the responsiveness of the outpost to a future Mordok assault.

Luckily, researchers have recently developed a standardized ritual to deactivate or destroy corruption idols and anyone with the means to gather this information should be able to procure the needed instructions to aid the outpost. Sigurmond has placed the outpost Quartermaster in charge of gathering volunteer forces to travel beyond the outpost to seek out and destroy these idols before they have a chance to become more than a simple thorn in the side.

= UPDATE = 

The Stranger from the North arrived at the Shattered Spear Outpost, but she did not arrive alone. Alongside her was an additional Syndar dressed in the same manner. The two took turns through the day meeting with the various people of the camp and sharing little information about themselves or where they had come from. Throughout the day some people here and there were able to ingratiate themselves to the newcomers to enough of a degree that they were able to glean some information from them, but as far as public knowledge goes we were unfortunately left with more questions than answers.

As for the corruption idols in the area – The volunteer forces of the Shattered Spear Outposts were successful in their attempts to thwart these idols. One in the area seemed to act just as expected, but the other showed significantly more resilience, though luckily it was able to be contained and damaged enough that by the time the local Daughter of Gaia returned with aid, it was easily able to be dispatched.

= EVENT STORY =

All across the continent, people talk about the various things going on. From the intense raid on Nightriver territories, and Branthur’s response condemning the actions of these “honorless brigands”, to the rumors and drama revolving around Council Member Celestial Arragonnes of the City-State of Newhope. Word has it that the Council will be making a public statement soon and  Prince Aylin of Aylin’s Reach has gone on record yet again saying that he condemns the actions of the Celestial. It seems like the recent declaration from most of the combined Ulven Clan leadership has many worried about what the future holds; will more Ulven become aggressive or apprehensive toward colonists? Will the Ulven directly interfere and control some of the projects and efforts of colonist groups? Only time will tell.

Despite all of this going on, Duchess Madeline D’Argent of the City-State of Newhope has allocated resources to put together a smaller voyage north to the Outlands. A call has gone out for volunteers to come and assist with checking in on the small outpost that was built in the beach-landing area and if possible to expand on its construction. Two ships are being packed with cargo, construction materials, and volunteers to head back north. It has been a year since the outpost has been staffed, so its status is unknown at this time. A small sign-on bonus is being paid to all who volunteer, with opportunities for those with unique and specialized skills and materials to contribute to the overall goals.

With the efforts of the previous large-scale expedition, the coastline was mapped fairly well and the routes through and around the dangerous reef are noted, meaning that getting to the beach by the outpost should be relatively easy. However, the lands further inland from that landing were not mapped very well and not much is known about the area. Sailors whisper about the fate of the volunteers found to be killed on the first expedition and wonder if such a voyage is safe so far away from the defenses of friendly territory and the outposts on the Shield. Volunteers have begun to sign up, excited to either return to the Outlands or see it for the first time, and help expand on the known territory and perhaps map out additional locations unknown to anyone else.

The two ships that set sail for this voyage were laden down with supplies, building materials, and crammed with volunteers and crew, it was obvious that this would be a cramped voyage. Personal space is non-existent on either ship, leading to more than a few miffed helpers and grumbles.

The voyage the prior year allowed the accurate mapping of the coastline along with the dangerous reef that leads into the only suitable beach to anchor near and send supplies to shore.

However, things never go according to plan. A sizable storm swelled up very quickly, taking even seasoned sailors by surprise. With expert skill the crew of both ships were able to navigate the storm and move along the coastline. However, as the boats were trying to navigate the reef, the crew last control of one of the ships and it slammed into the reef and then steering clear before they got stuck.

Taking on water, the Captain of the ship made a choice; beach the ship before it fills with water and sinks. Landing hard on the sands, the ship was saved from going under but the wooden beams of the ship were damaged considerably by the reef. Water-logged and toss about, half of the volunteers and crew were able to leave the ship and move the supplies to the outpost

The voyage to the Outlands has taken a considerable turn early on. Without a second ship, there is no way to get everyone safely back to known territory; only half of the people here will be able to fit on the single boat.

This leaves everyone with a challenge; focus on maintaining and expanding the outpost, use supplies to fix the ship, or attempt to do both?

= UPDATE =

The reality of the situation settled over the members of the expedition. The concept of having to travel out into the uncharted and potentially Mordok-filled woods to gather lumber for the outpost was already a difficult pill to swallow, but now that same lumber became the sole ticket to an easy return home. If the ship wasn’t fixed then half the people in the expedition would have to find a different route home.

Work crews assembled quickly under the direction of one of the ships’ Captains and with the expertise of the engineering officers they set out to locate and harvest the necessary lumber. Their first trip confirmed the fears that spread through the camp in whispers: there were in fact Mordok in these woods. The Mordok pushed the crews back to the outpost and several followed shortly after. The Mordok seemed to indicate that the expedition should leave the area, but when they did not receive the response they wanted they attacked. Though wounds were taken, the Mordok eventually broke against the defending line.

The expedition soon learned that there was more than Mordok in the woods. An unknown Syndar was found camping out in the woods. No one knew her origin and she was not trusting of the expeditionary forces, at least not enough to share much information. All she would reveal was that she was there on a hunt and that the expedition was not ready for the things that lurked in the woods and that the Mordok should be the least of their worries. She did seem to have some sort of an uneasy truce with the Mordok, some type of a mutual respect to stay out of each other’s way.

Throughout the rest of the day work crews were consistently harangued by the presence of Mordok in the area, but through it all they were able to gather enough lumber to repair the boats. Only one thing stood in their way: how were they to treat the lumber to keep the ship watertight for the return voyage? Luckily a member of the expedition recalled a traditional alchemical reagent used to seal ships: the oil of a moonflower. The only hangup is that moonflowers only condense their oils in the dark of night.

An expedition was put together to go and scout the locations of the moonflowers. A small copse of flowers was found in the dimming twilight and it appeared at first glance as if they had already condensed their oils. Even with the pressure from local Mordok, four flowers were harvested. But then a soul-piercing scream echoed through the forest. The expeditionary forces looked down the nearby trail as a strange pale figure limped toward them with a twitchy, jerky gait. The nearby Mordok screamed, dropped their weapons, and fled into the dense trees. Taking their cue from the Mordok, the expedition too ran through the woods to try to escape, but were cut off by three more of the strange beasts. The strange Syndar emerged from the woods to challenge the beasts to fight and as the party formed a line, a fight broke out with the strange Syndar fighting on the side of the expeditionary forces. No matter what was thrown at them, the beasts seemed almost impervious to any form of attack. They would be battered and fall back, only to return to fight in moments. At one point one of the four beasts let loose an ear shattering scream and in unison all of the beasts produced bolts of pure black energy. Two of the beasts stepped forward to deliver these death bolts, but were intercepted by the strange Syndar. Many bore witness as the crackling, frantic energy of the bolts washed off her skin like water off a duck’s back leaving her entirely intact.

The party retreated and made it back to camp. Unfortunately they found that the flowers had been harvested too early and they had not fully condensed their oils. The remaining two flowers in the woods would have to be harvested in the dead of night should the forces hope to repair the ship. An additional volunteer force was mustered, now with the knowledge of the beasts in the woods, and sent out to collect the flowers. An attempt was made at stealth, but the beasts seemed well enough equipped to handle the dark of the night and soon an all-out battle again commenced in the woods. Unfortunately this time not everyone was able to make it back to the outpost alive, but the deaths in the woods were not in vain as the flowers were able to be harvested. The expeditionary forces holled up in the outpost for the rest of the night, convinced that their lantern light kept the beasts at bay. In the relative quiet and calm of the outpost several patients who’d tangled with the bizarre creatures presented themselves to healers with uniquely destructive jagged lacerations or strange magical ailments. All were able to be treated, but the new wounds and illnesses gave reason for alarm.

The next day came and all rejoiced for having survived the night. The strange Syndar returned to the outpost with a bag in hand. She showed a few people and revealed it to be the head of one of the beasts in the woods and explained that it was those that she was there to hunt. She made it known that they are called yolqui (yoll-kooee), but many in the outpost began calling them Salt-Men and Salt-Beasts due to the overwhelming scent of saltwater on their hides.

It looked as though they were nearly all set to sail, but a few more trees were needed the next day before the tide came in. The volunteers set out to retrieve the trees, confident that they could handle the Mordok in the woods. Unfortunately it seemed their theory that the strange new beasts feared the light was unfounded. A small group of the beasts still roamed the woods in the light of day and were seen tearing open and eating the entrails of an unlucky Mordok. Luckily the party was able to sneak through the woods and gather the necessary lumber. 

In a final show of force or desperate hunger, the yolqui attacked the outpost. Again they produced incredible magical force from their bodies and felled multiple defenders with death magic, but in an unforeseen turn of events, a pair of Mordok appeared and also began to attack the brutal creatures. In the end the Mordok fell and one of the yolqui was seen standing over its body and making strange gestures before vanishing with it into the mana stream with a loud scream. Immediately the other yolqui in the area stopped their assault and tore off into the woods. Moments later the sounds of the Mordok being brutally torn apart echoed through the trees.

At this point the ship was repaired, and not a moment too soon. Though the outpost was largely ignored, the party survived their bizarre and alarming expedition to the Outlands. Though they did not complete what they had set out to do, all who survived will return to Newhope with stories of experiences that will be hard to explain.

Click here for photos of the event!