In Search of Orcish Aid

As Kilink journeyed through the grasslands in search of the orcs, they were surprised at the unusual size and variety of the plantlife. In the areas they had all traveled through and lived in farther north, the vegetation had consisted of grasses, brush, sedges, and trees, but all of smaller size. Here, there were few trees, but the grasses, brush and sedges often grew to tremendously large proportions. On top of their horses, there were still many times that Kilink was hard pressed to see over the top of the tall thick blades of grass.

The journey was relatively uneventful, and after 8 days of riding and searching, they found a camp that Thjodolf said might be who they were looking for. Thjodolf urged the group to be cautious in their approach of the camp, and initial scouting of the area revealed a camp of a little over 400, with mostly orcs but some human and several gnolls as well.

Is there anything else you want to know before approaching the camp? If not, the stage is yours.

The Evening's Ceremony

Kilink spent the day mingling with the humans and Loxos at the rendezvous. They were able to acquire horses for the members of the group that did not have them, and as promised, when the sun began to light up the western sky like a giant bonfire, the people cleared out the center of the camp, and started their own bonfire. Slowly, people gathered and began talking amongst themselves, eager to be a witness to this ceremony. Darvin, Talathel, and Nym all sat about 2 rows back from the front, in a gap between two groups of loxos. Beranhond had been asked to take a place of honor in the front row so he could step forward at the right time and play a small part of the ceremony to answer some of the questions he had asked. Conversation within the many groups stayed at a rather loud level, with individuals not keeping to their own group, and engaging others around them freely. There was a joyous, expectant mood in the air.

As the sun continued its descent, the yellow sky became a muted blue with an orange center and then a purple tinged navy with a small red orb. As the red began to fall beyond the horizon, a trumpet blared, announcing the ceremony's beginning. At this point, three loxos painted with purple and blue geometric symbols charged into the center of the gathering and stopped, landing with a thud in a circle centered around the fire. Beranhond saw one throw a handful of powder into the fire, and it flared up, blinding everyone as three humans raced in and joined them. When everyone's eyes had become readjusted, everyone saw the three humans as if they had just appeared there by magic. The trick was repeated for another group of Loxos, but this time it was a smoking, rumbling powder instead of a flash. Taking the sloppy theatrics as a sign of the way the rest of the ceremony was going to go, Beranhond groaned inwardly, suspecting that this ceremony was put on by a bunch of magicians rather than priests, who made a living off of this "show." No gods were involved in these petty magics, and as the evening went on, his suspicions were only confirmed more and more. 

Likewise, Nym noticed that there was nothing magical about the ceremony. The flames were simple tricks, and she could do more magical things when she was four years old than the priests were attempting to show this evening. Darvin was enjoying just being able to sit and watch without having to do anything for a change, and Talathel took a quick second to take a pull from his flask, which made the evening much more enjoyable.

The ceremony was rather quick, and the portion where Beranhond's and others' questions were answered seemed to all of Kilink very vague and superficial. Beranhond was told, "An unknown evil approaches! Beware, or it could spell your doom, and that of all your loved ones." To have the whole day's waiting come to such a hokey ceremony was very disappointing, but out of respect for these people's beliefs, Beranhond accepted the answer and sat down. The rest of the ceremony was uneventful, and ended with a burst of sparks in which all of the priests "disappeared" out of the center and "reappeared" scattered among the crowd as if they had been there the whole time. The gathering broke up slowly, and people began to head back to their beds and individual camps for the end of the evening. Beranhond joined the rest of the group as they headed out of the circle back to their tents.

To the Rendezvous!

The trip to the rendezvous is uneventful, except that Talathel decides it would be funny to tease Lailsan about going to see the elephant graveyard, and a young Loxo overhears and is very upset to be thought of as an elephant. Apparently it's a touchy subject.

When you arrive, you find a large camp, with a large central area that appears to be a gathering area. The central area is currently being used as a market of sorts, and it is filled with Loxos and a couple small booths of humans as well. You see horse traders and mages, and several odd merchants with wares that you don't recognize.

What would you like to do? Split up? If you come up with tasks for each person, I can give them some simple skill checks and we can keep on going, or if you'd like to roleplay through. I would lean toward simple skill checks, myself.