Chronicles of Ashkara

Rat reluctantly agrees to act as an emissary of sorts for the Great Maw, but decides to scout out the camp before making himself known to the men there.

He manages to sneak in pretty close, overhearing grumblings of a hard day's work cutting down trees, arguments over who was going to take the first watch that night and muttered concerns about 'if they come back again'.

Worried about being spotted if he tries to get any closer, Rat returns to the group and tells them what he saw and heard; four men in simple clothing, weary and afraid of something in the night.

After some discussion, Okay and Braak decide to offer these men Letters Patent, giving them permission to take wood from the land of their new lord, the Great Maw, Tyrant Bragor. In exchange for a sum of gold naturally.

With Rat taking the lead, the group cautiously approaches the logger’s camp. Rat slightly nervously calls for the loggers attention, announcing that he wishes to make introductions for the mighty Okay the Wise, representative of their new lord, The Great Tyrant, Bragor, The Great Maw and ruler of these lands.

On seeing the ogre and urrok, one of the men reaches for his sword, but the older and apparent leader of the loggers puts a hand on his arm, having him keep his sword sheathed, at least for now.

The older man introduces himself as Gregor, asking Rat what it is that the ogre and his lackeys want. Tension is high between the two groups and the other men are clearly angered by the presence of Okay and the others.

Braak steps forward and introduces Okay the Wise as being a representative of their new lord and master, cartographer and scribe to the ogre king.

Braak offers Gregor and the others Letters Patent from Bragor, giving the men permission to take wood from the forest – as it clearly belongs to their new overlord along with everything in what was this eastern province of Dyss – in exchange for a hefty sum of gold, along with his protection from any that would seek to do his loyal subjects harm. Sarcastically Gregor makes a comment about taking game from the land to feel the folks displaced by the ogres recent invasion, to which Okay the Wise happily offers them another Patent to hunt for food, much to the chagrin of the men.

Gregor shakes his head in resignation, considering the situation before him and his men, whom he introduces as Lonard, Jaken and Iwan. “You speak of protection, priest Braak, and of Bragor the munificent leader… Perhaps we can break bread and work out a mutually beneficial arrangement after all.”

The men stoke up their campfire and begin to prepare food for all, though they note that the game around here is scarce enough for them, never mind an ogre such as Okay. The ogre jokes that there will be enough for Hors-d'œuvre for him at least. (He wasn’t really joking though, being an ogre..)

While food is being prepared, Gregor tells the group that he and his men have been here, logging (yes, logging for the magnificent Bragor) for four days. The first night they spent here at Thistleward Woods, they awoke to find a dead rabbit in the middle of their camp. A little confused they carried on working, but the morning after that, despite setting one of the men on watch, another ‘gift’ was left in the middle of their camp – this time it was a small figure made of sticks, in the shape of a human – clearly some kind of warning… All of the men had grown up with tales of the kithari, wardens of the forest and wild places, said to be from the time before the Stormfather created Ashkara in the Great Cataclysm that gave birth to mankind… They are supposedly borne of trees, made flesh by their god Galefrond and fierce defenders of the forest. They hate those that would use fire or axes to take trees from their woods, but Gregor and his kin need lumber to rebuild the homes lost to Bragor’s forces when he invaded Dyss.

Over the next few nights, Gregor said they set watches, but each time, a new token was left for them by an unseen intruder, each time, a limb missing from the human shaped bundle. “So, if your Bragor is able to offer us protection against the kithari that haunt these woods, then we will take your Letters Patent and will give him lumber in exchange for his protection.”

With an agreement reached Okay writes the letters for Gregor, who grudgingly accepts, though as he says, he and his companions cannot read, so they hold them in little regard, more so the word of Bragor and his ability to keep them safe from the kithari and anyone else that would do them harm.

Okay plays his flute for a while as the others set about various tasks; Braak takes a well earned rest while Fetor and Rat create a makeshift alarm with some twine and fashion an alarm from dried twigs which they string up all around the outskirts of the camp, hopeful this will warn them of any intruders. Rat does his best to disguise the actions of Fetor, performing feats of juggling and tumbling as the dwarf works, much to the amusement of the others.

With their alarm set, Okay says he will take first watch of the night, while the others settle down for some much needed rest.

After a few hours of keeping watch by the campfire, Okay hears a noise just outside of the camp, in the direction of the nearby forest. Taking up a burning branch from the fire he cautiously goes to investigate, but on reaching the edge of the camp site, he sees only the wavering shadows caused by the flaming torch he carries.

On returning to the camp however, Okay sees a bundle of twigs on the ground by the fire, another limb missing from its form…

Waking the rest of the camp, the ogre shows them what he has seen, much to the dismay of the loggers… “But you promised us protection” says Gregor, to which Braak replies “Ah but, without our presence here, it could have been much worse.”

Fetor and Braak search around the camp, looking for tracks or a clue as to where the intruders entered the camp and found tracks of some sort to the south of their camp, though they looked like no footprints they had ever seen, more akin to the marks one would get from simply pressing a branch or tree stump into the ground.

As they pondered their next move, the group are disturbed by a voice in the darkness.

“You are not welcome here.. You will all leave, or you will all die.” Comes the hoarse whisper from outside of the warm, yellow glow of their torches.

To Be Continued…