Taking Charge
SHAYLIN: We must travel more discreetly. We cannot allow ourselves to be ambushed… again. That gets old quick. Now, let’s move.
Shaylin turns to walk away.
QARZ: What are your suggestions for preventing another ambush? By supernatural hags and gnolls?
SHAYLIN: Move more slowly, for one.
ARAN: Hey Qarzdaq, what about checking the Ethereal Plane? The hags we ran into last time had that necklace…
QARZ: That’s a really good idea.
Qarzdaq blinks out of existence while the Greenguard watch with interest.
Qarzdaq enters the dull and noticeably colder environment of the Ethereal. He looks around his immediate vicinity seeing nothing at first. He then looks above the horizon towards the north and finds long arcs of red lightning making a persistent connection to the ground in the distance. One of the arcs is closer than the others, perhaps only a hundred miles. Though arcs splinter off and dissipate, the primary arc remains intact. The others are barely noticeably if it weren’t for their glow being the only color in this world.
It’s then that he notices a few things within a few hundred feet. Definitely creatures. Definitely not gnolls. Probably not hags.
He reappears in the Material Plane, mouth open.
QHOR: What did you see?
Qarzdaq relays what he just experienced.
QARZ: I say our best bet is to head towards the closest of the lightning bolts. To the northwest.
ARAN: No sign of Faryn?
QARZ: No. There may be ghosts though…
QHOR: I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.
SHAYLIN: Seems you’ve learned more than we’ve been able to. Perhaps you are still of some use.
QARZ: Well. I’m not sure how to take that, but we’re all in this together. Let’s find that lightning bolt. Every few hours, I can make sure we’re heading in the right direction.
SHAYLIN: Agreed.
ARAN: We should go towards the Purple Worm. Faryn may have just as easily gone there.
QARZ: This is true. And the Purple Worm poison will be very beneficial to our final goal.
SHAYLIN: Will this poison help you against the undead?
ARAN: It will help us with all the living creatures that act against us.
SHAYLIN: Fair enough. But we cannot do anything without the Root.
QARZ: This is true. To the lightning bolt then.
SHAYLIN: We will travel along the road and deviate when it makes sense to do so. I’d prefer not to trudge through this swamp.
Shaylin leads the group slowly forward along the main road. The other 2 Greenguard follow him, leading their horses to keep a low profile.
Aran, Rolan, and Qarzdaq have their Ioun Stones active. The Assembly mounts up.
Like Pulling Teeth
The sun sets. Darkness falls over them. Though the humans are getting weary, Shaylin and the Greenguard show no signs of stopping. With more than a half moon above, there is enough light to continue. That is, until Shaylin stops suddenly. The other Greenguard arm themselves immediately, looking around. Shaylin turns to the group.
SHAYLIN: Up there along the road… a few crocks… big ones… We’ll get the jump on them if we’re careful.
QHOR: What is a crock?
SHAYLIN: Big lizard with teeth.
QARZ: Like dragons.
Qhortho smiles broadly.
QHOR: I EXCEL AT KILLING THOSE!
In hushed reaction, Shaylin responds.
SHAYLIN: Quiet!
Rolan’s Tear and Qarzdaq’s Amulet light up their surroundings, the red and blue lights mixing chaotically against the pitch-black night of the swamp. Whether a result of the artifacts or just their generally heightened perceptibility, Qarzdaq and Rolan can now make out exactly where the crocks are even though they are still out of sight.
Before they approach, Rolan casts Darkvision on himself, Aran, and Qhortho. They sneak up towards the crocodiles, finally seeing 4 of them, each between 10 to 15 feet long.
Rolan launches a Volley of arrows, successfully striking two of them. They thrash around in total surprise, looking for their attackers.
Qarzdaq briefly considers casting a high-level Fireball, but a voice in his head says, “are you sure?” And he decides that, no, he’s not sure… He decides to go defensive, splitting himself into 4 mirror images.
Qhortho, still on his horse, stampedes towards the crocks. Knowing his horse won’t make it all the way, he jumps off and commands Lajak Chaf to fall back. He then rushes ankle-deep into the swamp and brings his blade down on the crock’s head. He hears it crack, but this only seems to anger the creature.
Aran, apprehensive to enter the swamp water with a bunch of crocks, rides along the road, dismounting a little earlier than Qhortho, preparing to retaliate if one of the creatures gets within range.
The Children of the Forest move in with only Zinsueli able to make an attack.
The crocks get their bearings and size up their prey.
With his next couple of arrows, Rolan kills one of them. Qarzdaq fires off several Scorching Rays, killing another.
One of the crocks bites Shaylin across his midsection, trapping him in its mouth. The crocodile drags Shaylin towards deeper water.
Another crock slams Qhortho with its tail, almost knocking him prone. Qhortho’s stoutness prevents him falling over, but the crocodile bites Qhortho on the leg and begins to pull him deeper into the swamp.
Qhortho goes into a rage and smashes the crock’s neck with his blade, piercing the skin deeply, though not enough to make the crock let up on its grip.
Aran strikes the enemy closest to him twice. With it still alive, he goes all out with the butt of his guandao.
ARAN: Lights out motherfucker.
The crock slumps into the marshy mud.
Rolan lines up to strike the one dragging Shaylin to a watery grave. His foot slips in the mud just as he looses the arrow, striking Balishna in the back. Balishna shoots a look back to Rolan silently, not wanting to yell out and draw attention from any distant enemies. Rolan winces in empathy and grits his teeth.
Still in the grips of a crocodile’s jaws, Shaylin strikes it repeatedly as Qarzdaq tries to levitate it. The creature proves to be too strong and begins to pull Shaylin under the surface.
Qhortho bashes the one holding him with the hilt of his blade, killing it. He then pulls himself out of its mouth and scans the area, looking for the crock holding Shaylin. He spots it and realizes this is the last one alive. Qhortho drops his great sword in the marsh and readies his Weirwood short bow. With deserved reservation he looses an arrow. It sails directly into the crocodile’s eye.
Its jaws loosen and Shaylin jumps free and out of the water, blade in hand, wounded but ready to continue the battle.
Qhortho looks at his bow with equal parts respect and surprise.
QHOR: WHA???
QARZ: Nice shot!
QHOR: …
They skin the crocks and pull some of their teeth.
ARAN: I could use a short rest.
QARZ: I could use a long one.
SHAYLIN: I think we all could. But I must insist that we do not light a fire.
It’s at this point that the Assembly realize this is one of the cooler nights they’ve experienced outside of the mountains. They pile the dead crocks in a circle to help protect them from being seen. Before they rest using a typical round-robin lookout schedule, Shaylin comments that the Assembly performed well in battle.
SHAYLIN: I… We saw what you were able to do when Faryn was taken, and you didn’t disappoint this time either. Any coldness you felt from me or any of us after Faryn was taken… well… let me just assure you that we’re all on the same side here.
QARZ: Thanks Shaylin. We are on the same team.
SHAYLIN: We are.
The night passes without incident.
The Unlikely Annointed
At first light, the Greenguard meditate, Rolan and Qarzdaq perform their morning rituals, Qhortho does not detect any gold dragons, and Aran attunes with his Book of Trees.
They continue to travel north along the road. Balishna is becoming noticeably more fidgety as the day goes on. After a few hours, Shaylin suddenly stops again. This time he arms himself quickly. The other two Greenguard arm themselves. The Assembly all arm themselves, looking for the threat.
ZINSUELI: Yeah, I hear them.
BALISHNA: Same.
ZINSUELI: Shaylin, what should we do? Sounds like a lot of them.
SHAYLIN: My gut says these are not their finest.
Shaylin watches Balishna as he moves laterally, taking cover behind one of the many nearby trees.
Straining to hear what the Greenguard are so readily able to perceive, they all just hear the faint sound of water against tree trunks. Qarzdaq picks up something else.
QARZ: I hear it too. What is that?
SHAYLIN: Sounds like someone drumming up morale for low-level followers. Still, be ready for anything. Zinsueli, you go with the ranger and sorcerer. One of the fighters should come with us. You go around that way, we’ll go this way.
ARAN: I’ll go with you. Qhortho, you go with the others.
SHAYLIN: Very good.
QHOR: Someone better tell me what’s going on or I’m just going to run in there and kick some ass right now.
SHAYLIN: There’s a group of creatures ahead. Most likely more gnolls. They seem to be about 250 feet ahead, off the left side of the road about 100 feet. We won’t rush in until you begin the attack. Move slowly. By the time you get up there, we should be in position.
Everyone agrees with Shaylin’s plan.
SHAYLIN: Remember. Move slowly. Be quiet.
QHOR: Yes. Quiet!
Qhortho leads his group up the road slowly, great sword at the ready. After a hundred feet or so, they can make out a mass of enemies on an area of land in the swamp. There is one leader speaking to the group in some unknown language. Although there are still too many obstacles in the way to determine how many he is speaking to, they can make out 2 of the more feral creatures flanking him on either side.
With eyes on the enemy, they continue forward until they find a decent enough clearing from which they can let loose their attacks. It is now that they can see at least 35 gnolls. There are a few stronger ones but the remainder are your standard run-of-the-mill pansy gnolls. About half have bows while the rest have swords and shields.
They develop a strategy of killing as many of the followers as possible, allowing for the melee fighters to come in and kill the leadership.
ZINSUELI: And where would you have me strike?
QARZ: Take out any of the stragglers as you see fit after Rolan and I make the initial attacks.
Zinsueli nods and pulls a few arrows from his quiver.
QHOR: And I’ll run in to stop them from coming this way.
ROLAN: But you have that amazing short bow now.
QHOR: Ehhh… I don’t want to push my luck with the bows.
QARZ: The least you could do is shoot one. I mean, what if you run in there and they rush in this direction. We’d be much better off if you stood your ground with us.
QHOR: Fine. If it helps the party, I’ll shoot some arrows before I run in and kick some ass.
Qarzdaq puts everything he’s got into an unrelenting Fireball, placed superbly in the middle of the gnoll group. The ball of fire explodes, easily killing 15, their bodies sent flying. Some are still intact, some are only limbs; some strike dry land or trees, some sail into the water, sizzling as they sink beneath the unsettled water. Once the Fireball dissipates, a huge bout of steam bellows and dissipates into the air. Well, it looks like steam anyway. In actuality, it is the Air essence pouring out of so many Air followers at once.
ROLAN: The crocks should have a good time with that.
Qarzdaq smirks, extremely satisfied with the result.
Qhortho is half jealous, half admiring… and half worried about this bow being able to do anything at all.
Rolan sends a Volley of arrows to a patch of 5 still unharmed gnolls. He manages to strike them all, taking them within an inch of their lives.
Zinsueli attacks the leader. His first arrow destroys the pack leader’s head. His next attacks are on the feral gnolls by his side. They each let out visceral cries, both severely injured.
Qhortho second-guesses his decision as he shoots an arrow at one of the feral gnolls. The arrow sinks into its flesh, killing the gnoll without a sound. Equally silent is the white wisp of Air that escapes its corpse.
Qhortho’s eyes widen as he looks at his bow in awe. He looks around to see who else noticed the most powerful bow of all time wielded by no other than Ser Qhortho himself.
Qarzdaq shoots him a quick nod of acknowledgement. Qhortho looses a second arrow a little too haphazardly with excitement, and the arrow narrowly misses the other feral gnoll.
Seeing the commotion, the melee group progresses forward, setting up for the most perfect flanking maneuver. They can’t quite get in range right away, so Shaylin yells out.
SHAYLIN: Go for the crowd first! Leave the Fangs for us!
Having this level of tactical leadership on the field imbues every one of his allies with an Advantage in combat.
Qarzdaq is almost giddy as he casts a Fireball in the middle of the crowd, destroying all except 2 of the Fangs, which to this point have not been hurt. Another bout of Air essence is visible for a moment.
Rolan aims to change that. With 2 strikes, he lays the hurt down on one of the creatures. Surprisingly, its vitality remains strong.
With the crowd gone, Zinsueli hesitates on his action. Should he wait for Shaylin’s group to make their attack on the Fangs, or should he take the shot? He decides that taking the shot is better than not doing anything. He lands a powerful strike from his bow, his arrow removing the creature’s arm as it sails through. The creatures falls with a thud as its arm splashes into the swamp water, and the arrow strikes a tree 20 feet behind.
Rolan looks rather impressed.
Qhortho nocks another arrow. It strikes true, but barely scratches the surface. He grimaces and is immediately willing to disregard everything about his “incredible” bow.
Shaylin rushes up to the Fang.
SHAYLIN: This is the last one. Focus everything you have on him!
Shaylin lands 3 hits on the vile creature. Balishna and Aran follow behind Shaylin, ready to strike. Balishna slides in the muddy soil, almost landing on his blade. He jumps back up, but he’s just out of range. Aran gets between the creature and Balishna, ready to keep the creature occupied. He lands 2 hard hits, badly slicing the creature’s thick hide.
Just as he is ready to strike again, he is caught off-guard by a deep green glow that suddenly appears behind the Fang. That glow is unmistakable. It is the Root of Knowledge.
Faryn looks at Aran and raises a finger to her lips. Holding her longsword out to the side, she grabs an object from her waist and tosses it to land next to the gnoll. It rolls a couple of feet before coming to a stop. The Fang looks at the object. It’s one of the hag’s heads.
As the gnoll looks at the head, Faryn slowly draws back her blade. The creature spins on its heel just as Faryn swipes her blade up through the creature’s disfigured body. The creature cries out in anguish. The sword stops abruptly most of the way through its midsection. She pulls at the sword, but realizing it is stuck, she swiftly kicks the top half of the creature, breaking it in two and releasing a white wisp of Air essence. She pulls her sword abruptly to the side, slinging off some of the blood.
She examines the remaining blood on her blade. She slides a finger along the blade, wiping some of the blood then feels it between her fingertips.
She looks directly at Aran.
FARYN: You think I’d let a few hags get the better of me?
She smiles and approaches Aran then wipes a streak of blood under each of his eyes. Faryn motions the others to come over, repeating the process for each of the humans.
FARYN: Newsom fralow.
Qarzdaq understands this as “We are one.”
FARYN: We are brothers and sisters now.
She stows her blade. Now that they can see her more clearly, it’s clear that her bark-like skin is badly burned and shriveled.
FARYN: I was taken to another plane. One of gray and cold. I had never been to such a place. It seems that Air has made it considerably farther south than I expected. There are a lot more than just those hags I had to deal with. But I don’t think all of these creatures have the ability to transition between their plane and ours. I saw a number of beams of red lightning from the sky reaching to the ground in far off areas. But they weren’t flashes; they were consistent crimson arcs into the sky.
Qarzdaq nods.
FARYN: I am convinced that I got free because of my attunement with the Root. Although I was being held in stasis, the Root was active and it happened to pierce the field they held me by. It broke apart in a burst of light. Once it was broken, the hags were stunned. I took advantage of the situation, alleviating their shoulders of the heavy weight from their grotesque heads. After killing the third, I was quickly deposited back here, with the last hag’s head still in my hand. Though we must continue generally north, the closest of the red arcs is not far from here to the northeast.
QHOR: We saw a purple worm in that direction. Its venom will aid us in our mission.
FARYN: I see. If we encounter it while remaining on track, I see no reason why we could not.
The Greenguard are slightly uncomfortable with this but do not speak against it.
QARZ: Hell yeah.
FARYN: Let us slay a purple worm.
QARZ: We are one.
FARYN: We are one.
QARZ: That worm is none.
She smirks and looks away.
The Good Stuff
Suddenly, a troll appears from the trees and tackles Balishna into the shallow water. It claws at him twice before 3 more trolls appear. The first attacks Rolan with its claws and teeth. The second attacks Qarzdaq, biting his arm hard before tearing his flesh with a claw attack. The third jumps on Zinsueli and attacks him with a flurry of claw strikes.
Qhortho goes into a rage upon seeing his allies attacked by these giant troll creatures. He jumps towards the one that is attacking Qarzdaq, Slicing off one of its arms and a leg. The two limbs writhe with life as if they have minds of their own.
Aran strikes the one on Balishna with several very powerful strikes, lacerating its back, fileting off some of its succulent pestilent meat and chopping a leg clean off with his final strike.
One of the trolls runs up to Aran, swiping with his claws repeatedly. Aran dodges them swiftly enough. The troll leaps at him, biting down on his arm hard.
The bodyless arm tries to grab at Qhortho. Qhortho jumps back slightly.
QHOR: Ah.
It scrambles a little closer.
QHOR: Ah! What the fuck is this shit?
It gets a little closer.
QHOR: Ah! Go away!
Qhortho kicks it hard, sending it flying into one of the nearby tree trunks. It lands with a thud, then seems to shake itself off, ready for another attempt. He sees one of the trolls about to attack him and he swings his blade around, quickly decapitating it. The head rolls on the ground and continues to snap at the air. The body’s arms flail around trying to find a target.
Qarzdaq shoots Scorching Rays at the two disembodied legs. Both of them fall over, leaving the thick green skin bubbling and sizzling on a mound of dirt.
Rolan chooses his next target carefully and dispatches one of the trolls with a single arrow. He looks for the next best target and looses a second arrow, leaving it badly injured.
Zinsueli runs up to the head lying on the ground and stomps it, splattering troll brains in the vicinity. His facial expression depicts a rarely-seen satisfied disgust.
The arm crawls towards Aran, grabbing at his ankle. Not seeing this as a threat, Aran focuses on the fully-formed troll nearby, slashing him multiple times until its death.
Balishna jumps to his feet, finally able to defend himself. He attacks the closest troll, which to this point is unscathed. He lands a few strong attacks, but the creature still lives.
Faryn rushes up to the troll Balishna is contending with, leaving it with an extremely deep gash across its chest. Immediately the gash begins to weave together.
It retaliates, but instead of reacting and attempting to evade each bow, she stands steadfast, taking each of its claw strikes in stride with barely a wince as she sizes up her enemy. As the troll attempts to bite her, she sidesteps elegantly, leaving Qarzdaq line of sight.
Seeing how badly the troll is injured does not inspire Qarzdaq’s empathy or pity. He goes all out with one of his latest magical acquisitions and a moment later, the troll Disintegrates into a fine dust. A breeze kicks up, taking the ashy remains across the swamp.
Qhortho sees a troll arm still moving around. He walks up to it with determination and brings his blade down on the arm, severing it in half and destroying it once and for all.
He spins around to face the entire group.
QHOR: Qhortho saves the day again!
QARZ: Riiiight… think we can get one of these troll livers like I did back in Dorne?
ROLAN: I was thinking of the same thing. Wait. You saw some of these down in Dorne?
QARZ: Yeah, it was back when Qhortho and I were traveling with some other people. Qhortho, you remember Burton and Shadowsilver?
QHOR: Yes. I liked the little one. I did not care for the woman.
Rolan harvests a liver from one of the trolls, holding it in a piece of burlap.
ROLAN: So, who’s the first one to eat a piece of this nice fresh troll liver?
QHOR: I’m not eating that shit.
ARAN: Fuck it, I’ll do it.
Aran takes a bite and feels a speedy rejuvenation.
Now that Faryn is back, they decide it’s time to take a long rest and recover before venturing further into the swamp.
ARAN: There’s no way I’m sleeping tonight guys, that troll liver is crazy good. I can stay on watch all night, but it’s probably a good idea to have company in shifts. Who knows what else this might do to me. Be sure to keep some of that stuff on hand, but if you take some, pace yourself.
The night passes with errant sloshing sounds in the distance, presumably from more crocks, but nothing came of it, so who could say. Something did get a little too close to camp, but apparently was spooked by the party’s presence and splashed back into the swamp.
As day breaks, Aran remains on watch, his eyes a little sore with a general redness of the thin skin around the sockets.
QARZ: Damn Aran, you really been up this whole time?
ARAN: Yeah. Good stuff, that troll liver. Definitely keep some of that on hand.
ROLAN: Yeah, you said that.
They complete their morning rituals and continue to the northwest, now off the trail. The woods are patchy, with the largest areas in the shallowest water. Naturally, this is what guides them. It may provide cover for their enemies, but it also shelters them and provides calm to the treefolk.
Getting to Know Qarzdaq
FARYN: So, Qarzdaq. Please. Tell me more about this Lord of Light.
QARZ: The Lord of Light and warmth and fire and heat in the world. As opposed to the Other who brings cold from the north.
FARYN: I counter you on one point. It is not Life he brings.
QARZ: No? What is it?
FARYN: Nature brings Life. The Root brings Life.
QARZ: Is warmth not Life? Is Light not Life? Is Life not Life? Does Light not bring Life to the plants of the earth?
FARYN: These are fair points. I would say they are intertwined.
QARZ: Hmm. Yes. I agree. Especially from what I’ve seen recently. And even from what you’ve said about the Wall and how all 4 sources were used. Isn’t the Cold most opposed to the other 3?
FARYN: You know, that is a fair point as well, but I would also counter that Death is a part of Life. The loss of Air, the loss of Life, when not corrupted, is actually a part of it all.
QARZ: It is true. On Death, R’hllor reclaims his Fire in the grand cycle as the ashes feed the plants through the ground and Light brings them back to Life.
FARYN: Again, fair points. Thank you.
Getting to Know Qhortho
FARYN: And you, Qhortho. What is it that you believe in?
QHOR: Ah. The Great Stallion. He shall mount the earth and unite the tribes of the Grass Sea. To rule over the land.
FARYN: You mean to take away agency from those who live?
QHOR: Agency belongs to those who take it.
FARYN: I see. So it is of destruction and… taking…
QHOR: No, no, no… It is Strength and Honor.
FARYN: I see. So do you find honor in the raping and pillaging of townsfolk and commoners?
QHOR: I do not.
FARYN: What of the destruction of forests?
QHOR: No.
FARYN: So what do you see as honor?
Qhortho thinks hard on his next response. He feels as if his entire being and ancestry is being challenged, but it is hard to defend against such claims. He does not feel the need to rape and pillage. But is it not his birthright? Is it not the Dothraki way? Is he not Dothraki?
He shakes his head. Of course he is Dothraki.
His head is filled with glimpses of his family, what was taken from him, his endless encounters with slavery. Honor and Strength. Honor is his guidepost. Strength is what allows him to keep the path. The defense of the defenseless in most recent times brings him Honor. Being part of this group brings him Honor. His Strength allows their survival. To continue quenching his thirst for Honor. He feels the need to smash something.
Qhortho instinctively glances around quickly. Where’s a kobold when you need one?
FARYN: Qhortho?
QHOR: Yes. Yes.
FARYN: Is dishonor easier to define for you?
QHOR: Hmmm… Yes.
FARYN: What would you say that means to you?
QHOR: I do not understand.
FARYN: What would be the line of dishonor that you would not cross? What is a step too far?
QHOR: What the Westerosi would consider a fair fight. Fair game is only those who would draw arms against you.
FARYN: I’ve heard stories of the Dothraki taking entire villages from commoners. Is this dishonorable?
This conversation is as hard as abandoning men on the battlefield. He does not want to submit to these questions, but alas…
QHOR: That… is the way of many Dothraki. Yes. But I do not believe that is the right way. One should not prey on the weak. I have seen much since crossing the Poison Sea. One should not take advantage of those who would not draw arms against you.
FARYN: I see. So it seems you have found your own balance in your time.
QHOR: I have seen many things. The things I have seen have changed the way I see things.
FARYN: I understand. I think I understand.
Getting to Know Aran
FARYN: And you, swordsman. Aran.
Aran pops his head around after staring way too long towards the horizon.
ARAN: Yeah?
FARYN: What is it that you believe?
ARAN: Oh I just like to fight.
FARYN: That’s it?
ARAN: I believe in the Seven. Well… I’m supposed to believe in the Seven if we’re being honest here.
FARYN: So, let’s put the gods aside then. It is my understanding that the Seven is more of a human construct anyway that pulls pieces from the true gods to have a platform that could be appealing to as many people as possible.
ARAN: I feel like what I have to offer is my fighting ability, so I try to apply that as a general force for good in the world, but within reason.
FARYN: If you were to choose a path most deserving of your focus, would you say it is Fire as your friend Qarzdaq? Towards earth and the force of Life as I do? Or towards Water as your other friend here?
Rolan peeks backwards for a moment before refocusing on the trek ahead. Trying his best not to get dragged into this conversation.
ARAN: I never really thought about it, but I never had a strong pull towards Fire or Water. I guess I’d have to say earth and Life.
FARYN: … or is it Air?
ARAN: I don’t think so.
FARYN: And given your strong alignment to fighting for good as you say, as I posed to Qhortho, what would you consider to be honorable? Or is it easier to define dishonor as it is for Qhortho?
ARAN: Well, I grew up in a structured military life. Honor is important to me. Following a good leader when one exists and being a good leader when one does not. There’s always good and bad in every crowd, but I’ve always found it easy to spot. It makes it easier to determine who is worth following.
FARYN: And would you say Life is generally worth protecting? Or is it based on actions?
ARAN: I’m not sure I understand the stark difference between those choices. Life is certainly worth protecting, but it is also based on actions. Choices are rarely black and white.
FARYN: So let me raise a hypothetical situation for you so that I may better understand. Let’s say there were a cultist. A living cultist, not undead. And this cultist had consciously decided to follow an evil preacher of some sort. Would you say the cultist’s life is worth saving or should they be extinguished for their bad deeds.
ARAN: Save them if you can, kill them if you can’t. That’s probably the best way I can put it. It’s a judgment call that doesn’t easily lend itself to a hypothetical situation because there are so many other pieces of information and interactions that exist. Life is complicated. Life is messy. You have to exist in the mess to make the call. That’s just the way it is.
FARYN: Hmmm… Yes… Such is Life. Very good points.
Getting to Know Rolan
FARYN: And you, Rolan. Ironborn.
ROLAN: Ugggh… Yeah, ok.
FARYN: What would you say drives your day-to-day?
ROLAN: Generally… I’d say the power and life of the ocean.
FARYN: What about it? Why do you say that?
ROLAN: There’s nothing specific about it. It’s general pull at my core.
FARYN: Perhaps I should rephrase. What have you experienced that convinces you that is your path or the right course for you?
ROLAN: The Kraken.
FARYN: Would you say the Kraken is a being of good or evil? Does that factor into your decision at all?
ROLAN: I’m not sure I’d exactly call it a decision. This isn’t a choice; I was born this way. But to answer your other question, I think the Kraken can be a force for good or evil.
FARYN: Are you a being for good?
ROLAN: I can be.
FARYN: So there is a balance there.
ROLAN: There’s always a balance.
FARYN: Would you say your personal balance favors Life or Death?
ROLAN: Life, generally.
FARYN: I’ll pose to you the same question I posed to Aran: would you say a misguided cultist is worth saving or would you say that evil deeds, such as killing villagers and destroying forests, deserve death or other punishment?
ROLAN: If he is worth saving, he must survive the punishment.
FARYN: I see. And how might you deal justice in such a case, knowing that this is purely hypothetical?
ROLAN: The crimes you detailed are great and more than justifiable for ending that person’s terror over trying to reason through it.
FARYN: So it is not worth reasoning in that case?
ROLAN: No. Without justice, you end up with pure chaos.
FARYN: I see.
Getting to Know The Assembly
Faryn has learned a lot about her comrades during these conversations, perhaps as much as they’d learned about each other. As they continue in the direction of the lightning (and the purple worm), she quietly mulls over what she heard:
- Qarzdaq believes the gods are interdependent on one another to bring about the cycle of Life and Death.
- Qhortho is more easily defined by steering away from Dishonor than steering towards Honor. That is not to say that he does not seek Honor; he does. It’s just harder for him to define all the ways Honor can exist. He seems to have distanced himself from Dothraki culture, but almost doesn’t seem to want to admit that.
- Aran is not exactly a follower of any god, but he’s seen too much to doubt their existence. He sees Life as worth saving if possible, but it depends on how far that Life has strayed from Good.
- Rolan follows the Kraken and sees Life as worth saving if they are able to survive the punishment they deserve for their actions. If someone was a party to some action, whether completely willingly or not, they deserve to have an equal action against them to even the score, so to speak.
The Gnolls Did Nothing Wrong?
Aran asks to see the map for the region they are going towards.
ARAN: Looks like we’re headed towards your neck of the woods. Cape Kraken.
ROLAN: Used to be.
FARYN: Used to be?
ROLAN: I’ve been away from the area for quite some time.
FARYN: I see. So just in body, not in spirit.
ROLAN: Yeah.
They continue for another 10 days before they notice some creatures up ahead. It’s early afternoon, and the small pack of gnolls look to be scrounging for food. Faryn whispers to the group.
FARYN: Should we go around or through?
QARZ: I think we should avoid contact if possible. If they are just looking for food, what’s the point? Well… they are gnolls… just because they are scrounging doesn’t mean they aren’t fighting for Air.
FARYN: True. Perhaps we try speaking with them. Rolan, how about you and I approach. It would be good for us to approach quietly and to deal appropriate justice, but only if necessary.
ROLAN: Alright.
They approach as quietly as possible, going entirely unnoticed. Of the 5 gnolls, 2 are armed with bows, 3 with swords and shields. They look to be using the same armaments as all of their previous encounters. They stop not far from them, whispering so low that they can barely hear each other just inches apart.
FARYN: What shall we do? Your call.
Rolan thinks hard as he watches the gnolls taking bits of meat from bones. They appear to be sharing the meat as best they can, though there is not much to go around. Ultimately, he decides they are not worthy of death or restraint. They sneak back to the group.
ARAN: What’s going on up there?
Rolan describes the situation and his decision.
QARZ: So no indication of Air magic?
ROLAN: Not that I could tell.
FARYN: Nor I, but it’s probably safe to say they are followers. I mean they are in the swamp with these others and equally geared.
ARAN: I agree. I think we kill all but 1.
QARZ: I agree with Aran. Kill all but 1. Every gnoll I’ve ever seen has been a vile stain on the earth.
ARAN: Right, then we can interrogate the last one. These things are unlikely to be reasoned with.
ROLAN: I just don’t see how these 5 gnolls are relevant to anything that we are doing.
QARZ: Their lives are not especially sacred. If we kill them and they are not with Air, we’ve still removed another pest form the earth.
QHOR: If they do not raise arms against us why should we against them?
ARAN: Ok fine. Let’s vote. I say we can ride past them, but be ready to kill all but 1. I’m not saying we ride around and spend an extra day. I say we ride right past them and see what they do. My bet is they attack.
ROLAN: Of course they will attack. We look threatening. I say we go around.
QARZ: I’m ok with Aran’s plan.
FARYN: I think we circle around them and restrain them.
QHOR: I am in agreement with Aran and Qarzdaq. We should go about our business directly towards that purple worm. We should not incite them to violence, but we will respond if they raise their blades.
ARAN: Everyone is getting all high and mighty all of a sudden. Let’s just move out.
FARYN: If we restrain them, we can determine their motives, then decide our next move.
QHOR: How about I just walk up to them and ask their motives. Then we will know.
ARAN: Yes. Let’s do exactly that.
QARZ: I still have some truth serum.
ARAN: Me too.
QARZ: R’hllor has ways to make people talk anyway.
They slosh loudly as they ride through the water and slow down as Qhortho continues forward to interact.
QHOR: Hi travelers. I’m so hungry. I haven’t seen a deer for weeks. I’m just trying to find some venison. Have any luck hunting out here?
They spin around, arming themselves. They start barking at each other with tinny grumbles. One of them responds in very broken version of the common tongue.
GNOLL: He… He trick us!
Having never been accused of that before, Qhortho stammers. Aran laughs. The gnolls look for the source of laughter and jump backwards to protect themselves.
Qhortho dismounts and gently persists.
QHOR: Uh, well, no. Not at all. Seriously, I’m hungry. I’ve seen nothing but frogs and, and, and worms out here. There’s not a lot to eat. You have anything you’d be willing to share?
They bark at each other and those armed with swords poke them at the air.
QHOR: Hey hey hey!
One of the bow wielders shoots an arrow at Qhortho. It sinks into his arm causing serious discomfort.
QHOR: Damnit…
He removes the arrow and breaks it with one hand. He points at the quickdraw gnoll and motions him to come over. The gnoll shakes its head very quickly. They are clearly scared of this situation.
Aran gallops up beside Qhortho and dismounts. Qhortho is still focused on the bowman.
QHOR: GET OVER HERE!
2 of the swordsmen run up to Qhortho and swing. Neither of them are able to penetrate his armor. Qhortho exhales loudly as he goes into a rage. He grabs the hilt of the great sword on his back and rushes toward the one that shot him with an arrow. Qhortho unclasps the sword with a twist as he closes on the creature, quickly slashing it from right to left then back to the right, shredding the creature to death. He turns to the others and glares at them with his black stallion eyes.
Rolan fires at the other ranged gnoll and kills it with one strike. His next arrow plunges into the back of a gnoll with a shield, killing it as well.
Aran moves towards one of the last 2 gnolls remaining, placing the edge of his guandao on its neck. He motions for it to drop its weapon. It immediately drops his sword and puts its hands up.
Balishna runs up slashes the other one still wielding a sword. Vines come out of the swamp and restrain the creature in place. The gnoll starts pulling away, trying to get free, panicking more and more within a window of mere seconds. The nervous screams are met by Balishna’s spreading grin. Balishna slashes him again with his glaive, slashing through some of the vines, but mostly into its flesh.
The gnoll rips free of the vines and runs away as quickly as he can. Balishna barely misses the creature as it leaves his range. Qhortho just watches as the creature passes him, making it clear that he finds these creatures to be no threat.
Faryn disappears and reappears near the creature, tackling it into the swamp water. It gasps for air as it struggles to get free. She pulls him up out of the water, but the creature is struggling hard and is clearly still a threat. Rolan plants an arrow directly into its chest, killing it.
FARYN: Good thing you have some good aim!
ROLAN: The best.
ZINSUELI: Pfft.
Qarzdaq casts Hold Monster on the on at Aran’s blade, the last of the gnolls.
QARZ: Ok, let’s figure out what we’re doing with this guy.
Faryn walks up to the frozen gnoll, puts her hand on its face, and closes her eyes. Her mouth moves as if she is speaking softy, but no sound is heard. The gnoll’s eyes widen as if hearing something it can understand. She pushes his head away and takes a step back.
FARYN: Release him but be ready to end this creature’s life.
Aran and Balishna raise their weapons. Qarzdaq drops his concentration.
The gnoll slumps its shoulders, clearly beaten. Its mouth begins to move in a manner that does not fit the sounds coming from its mouth. Now fully able to speak the common tongue, he pleads his case.
GNOLL: We were just out here scouting. We meant you no harm. We were not looking for a fight. I can’t believe you killed all my friends.
QARZ: Your friend shot my friend with an arrow.
GNOLL: But I did no such thing.
QARZ: And you’re not dead.
GNOLL: …
Aran lowers his weapon and gets up in its face. Qhortho stands to his side, arms folded with a scowl.
ARAN: What were you doing here?!
He takes in the stench of an unclean swamp creature that has never known about oral hygiene.
The gnoll is clearly frightened by this display.
GNOLL: We have to head north to… to… to… be with the others!
QHOR: Where??
GNOLL: To the castle!
ARAN: How many others??
GNOLL: Lots!
QARZ: Where is the castle??
GNOLL: North… I… I… I… I don’t exactly know! It’s through the swamp! We’re trying to find it! Or, we were…
ARAN: Have you seen the castle before? What does it look like?
GNOLL: Lots of vines. It looks like it is about to crumble.
QARZ: The vines hang from it?
GNOLL: The vines are all over it. On top, the sides, below…
QHOR: Below?
GNOLL: Yeah, it floats and the vines grow all over it. That’s why we don’t know where it is.
Aran consults his book of trees. It tells him that vines are a native species to the area and tend to grow and climb on structures.
GNOLL: We were sent to look farther into the kingdoms of man.
QARZ: Who sent you?
GNOLL: The rest of our kind.
ARAN: How many of you are there?
GNOLL: Many more than there are of you.
QARZ: Do you worship the air? Is that who sent you?
GNOLL: I’ve never been to the far north. There are these things that… I don’t know how to explain it… they released these things into our world and there’s no real choice but to go with it. They show us kindness in some way. More than anyone else anyway… The only thing I’ve overheard that seemed strange was about joining knowledge with breath. I don’t know what that means, but it always stuck in my mind.
QARZ: What would you do if we let you go?
GNOLL: I don’t know. I guess just live out my days in the swamp here…
QHOR: We let you go, you go south! You understand?
GNOLL: I can go south…
QHOR: Leave your weapons here.
GNOLL: That’s a death sentence! There are unspeakable horrors in these swamps!
QARZ: There are weapons around. You won’t take these.
QHOR: Follow our tracks back. You’ll find a lot of weapons from all the others we’ve killed.
QARZ: Off with you!
The creature nods and seems to thank them, but his voice goes back to the feral-style growls that hold no meaning for the humans and Children. The gnoll runs through the swamp, following their trail.
They discuss how that might be a mistake, but in the end, it was the right call.
Aran asks Faryn about the “breath” and the floating castle.
Faryn talks about a “castle” that exists in the Neck.
FARYN: Men built these things called cranogs… structures that are like floating islands throughout the Neck. There is a castle known as Greywater Watch that was built on one of these cranogs. It does not stay in the same place, making it impossible for ravens or enemies to find. It’s not exactly a castle to the likes of Highgarden; it’s more of an overglorified keep. It has a few spires, but they’re only a few stories tall. I’d bet that’s the so-called castle we’re looking for.
Qarzdaq Blinks into the Ethereal Plane to check their course, and they continue to the northwest towards the red lightning. While on the other plane, he notices a lot of other creatures: wraiths, ghosts, banshees, and various other ghastly beings. That might have be alright, but as he stood there for just a few seconds, group after group of these incorporeal beings looked up at him and stared. He Blinks back into the Material Plane.
QARZ: Uh guys? There are a lot of wraiths and banshees and shit like that… And they all noticed me just now…
ROLAN: Ok then…
QARZ: Faryn, can you check this out and see what you think?
FARYN: I have no way of seeing. The only reason I was there at all was because of those hags.
QARZ: We have to be real careful. I don’t think they can see us here, but I’ll have to be careful when I Blink. The fact they even saw me is terrifying.
They continue on as quietly as they can and, eventually, they find some higher ground and make camp. On the third day of travel, they hear some commotion about 200 feet off to the right side.
We end this session early on Day 600, with each member of the party 3k XP richer (98k XP each), bringing them within 2k XP of their new abilities.