21. Deadly Traps and Interpersonal Drama

18th Dravago, 999 YK

They wait for the rock monster to leave
Daerlynn asks them what happened, and identifies the monster as a Narstone Golem. This triggers Valaari's memory, and they know all about them. They explain what it was.
Perhaps they were just unlucky and happened to be there when it animated.
The Kastar confirm that the golem will rampage until it runs out of things to attack, or something destroys it.
Bhaltair asks what it would take to destroy it, and the Kastar state it is basically impervious to physical attack. It would actually be easier to wait for a Goristro to take it out, because they can more easily deal with a Goristro.
Valaari states they have news that needs to be delivered, and they need to deliver it to the kizshmit. The Kastar agree, and give the group strict instructions for travel. Step where we step, stop if we say stop. The tunnels are trapped to high khyber.
The Kastar patrol introduce themselves. Daerlynn Dunhak Soldorak, Sahde Torwen, Hunter Jadduh, Nez Ban, Ibihd Vozil.
Valaari wonders about the masks, but remembers the information. They dress identically as a means to disorient their targets, combined with ambushes and hit and run tactics.
Warren freezes when Hunter introduces himself. He doesn't say anything, but he's very clearly bothered about something. He's unusually quiet, which the others pick up on.
Bhaltair attempts to comfort him, telling him that the golem is gone. It's fine, they can't hear the screaming anymore.
Warren is confused, the golem was screaming? That's upsetting.
Bhaltair thought that was why Warren was upset.
Warren states that it's the shifter guy. Bhaltair is confused, is he shifty?
He has the same name as Warren's brother. This is the first Bhaltair has heard of Warren's brother.
Warren's brother died on his first patrol.
Bhaltair suggests that Warren should maybe speak to this shifter, maybe he can get some closure or peace.
Warren wants to wait until they get to Kastar Dar.
In a moment of distraction due to the conversation, Hunter stops the group to deal with a trap.
The Kastar lead the group to Kastar Dar, where Daerlynn and Hunter remove their masks.
Warren is taken aback by the Argent Lanterns.
Warren is totally disrupted by Hunter, who is the spitting image of Warren's dead brother. He stares in disbelief, and comments "Hunter? but you're dead"
He is very much not dead.
Naze goes to examine Warren's head for injuries, but Warren shoo's him away.
Valaari also remembers Hunter, and this Hunter does look like that Hunter.
Hunter died 20 years ago, and they burned his body. That's really weird, because Daerlynn found Hunter wandering the Labyrinth, covered in burns, 20 years ago.
What a coincidence!
Daerlynn wants them all to report to the Infirmary before they speak to Maalo, and takes them away, leaving Hunter behind.
There is a physician treating someone, but the physician is really weird. They seem concerned about how the group will react to them, so don't turn around immediately.
When they do, Valaari, Naze and Bhaltair all recognise that the physician is a Dolgaunt, a creation of Dyrrn, the Corruptor. They introduce themselves as Sinnoch, and they are the head physician of the Kastar Ghaash'kala.
The group is uncomfortable. Nobody has good experiences with dolgaunts.
Daerlynn asks what Sinnoch can tell them about this group, and Sinnoch lists every injury and invenomation/disease they have been exposed to in the past few months. They also state that Valaari tastes weird. They also offer to fix Valaari's damaged leg, and if they consent, further explore their strange taste. They can also fix Warren's teeth.
Valaari has never been this uncomfortable before.
Warren consents to being treated, and Sinnoch puts his old teeth back in. They also repair the old teeth, strengthening and whitening them.
Warren feels great! He recommends that Valaari should consider having Sinnoch look into their leg.
Bhaltair is happy that they seem to be healthy, but Sinnoch states they are not an expert on plant biology.
Runmae also mentioned wanting some changes to their appearance.
Valaari says they're here for a reason, they can come back later if they want to!
Daerlynn takes them to a meeting room, and then gets them some water (and a bread roll for Warren, as Sinnoch said he was malnourished)
She then leaves them alone to wait for Maalo Sahai.
Valaari asks Warren how the new teeth feel. Warren says they feel great, and they didn't feel anything during the procedure!
Sinnoch was way less invasive than Sora Jabra.
Valaari also mentions that if Warren wants to go speak to Hunter, he can. Warren deflects, and gets called out on it.
Valaari tasks Bhaltair with making sure Warren speaks to Hunter when they're done here.
Valaari says it's rare they get good news. Bhaltair comments that Warren doesn't seem happy that Hunter is alive.
Runmae comments that maybe he feels bad for leaving his brother for dead.
This breaks the dam, and Warren lets it all out. He's spent 20 years missing his brother, blaming himself for his death, and he was alive the whole time!?
Bhaltair slaps Runmae.
Runmae apologises and says that family is important, if Warren has an opportunity to try and repair this, he should take it.
Valaari adds that the Labyrinth is not forgiving, this is a rare gift.
Maalo just appears in the room, startling them all when she speaks. Nobody saw her enter the room, and there was only one entrance!
They brief Maalo on the threat, and she asks a bunch of questions about this chieftain and which tribes they have on side. Maalo thinks they need more information, so pledges to send scouts to find the Razor Wind and gather intelligence. She also pledges to share this information with the other clans, and support them how she can. The Kastar aren't threatened by this, as they're hidden, so they can dedicate more resources to supporting the others.
With that, Maalo tells them to rest up and resupply, if they need gear they should visit the workshop.
With that done, Maalo sends them off.
Warren and Bhaltair go to find Hunter.
Valaari wants to go speak to Sinnoch.
Runmae is going to go to the forge.
Naze is going to go find a snake (as he now has a familiar and needs to justify why)

Warren and Hunter

Bhaltair asks Warren what they should do when they find Hunter. Should they play some music? Sit down and have a meal? What does Warren want/need.
Warren says they've never done this before. He doesn't know what to do.
Bhaltair says just to reconnect, ask questions, catch up. He's your brother, after all!
Warren is so sad, it's so strange.
Bhaltair asks, flute or drums?
Warren says to just go with the flow.
Bhaltair confirms they will be loosey goosey.
They find Hunter with the rest of his patrol in the mess hall. Warren is anxious, and he's not good at hiding it. He tries to back out, and Bhaltair reassures him. He can do this!
They speak to Hunter, and ask if they can talk. Hunter gets up and they find a quiet table.
Hunter tells them to get food, he heard Warren is malnourished.
Bhaltair goes to get some food.
Warren and Hunter chat for a bit, this is very strange for both of them.
Bhaltair uses magic to put the food in front of Warren without interrupting, and then starts playing their Mandolin. This gets everybody's attention, as the Kastar are very quiet.
Hunter asks why Bhaltair is doing that. Warren says they like to play music, it's their thing. Hunter is confused. Warren says they've seen Bhaltair do magic like this, and Hunter asks if they're doing magic now?
Warren says no, but Hunter asks how he can tell?
Hunter notices the food in front of Warren and points it out. Magic!
Hunter asks what happens now. Maybe Warren gets some closure from this? That he's alive. Warren isn't sure, what kind of relationship can they have? They're in different clans and will rarely see each other. They haven't in twenty years!
Hunter will make an effort to attend the yearly gatherings at Maruk Dar, which he hasn't before, so that he and Warren can have some more contact in future.
Warren goes off on a tangent talking about the map he's been making, and about Gong, who Warren apparently thinks about quite a lot.
Warren explains what vibing is.
They just continue having small talk for a while.
Bhaltair gets out the full drum kit and starts really going for it, getting real lost in the sauce.
Warren stops them and tells them to keep it down, they don't really do music here!
Bhaltair is confused, everyone does music!
He asks around, and they say it's not bad but it is loud.
Bhaltair gets the mandolin back out and plays quieter.

Naze and Zekko

Naze spots movement among the wheat, and goes to invesitgate. Zaphkiel backs him up.
Naze sees a little grass snake! Just snakin'!
Naze says hi to the snake.
Naze has a flashback to Warren telling him that small animals are just free, you can just take them! Torgaan doesn't want him to know this.
He tries to befriend the snake and girlbosses too close to the sun.
Naze's weird summoner magic makes the snake his familiar.
he names the snake Zekko.
He hides Zekko in his robe, because he thinks Valaari will take them away from him.

Runmae and the Forge

Runmae heads to the forges.
She meets both Taazran Sharket and Tezkori Raas, the demiplane leatherworker and armourer, respectively. They're like butch craftcore lesbians. Runmae is flustered.
I get accused of pandering to my audience, which is true.
Runmae asks about the monster parts, and Taazran explains that they can be used to refine and imbue equipment, but they'll need more parts than this. She mentions that she needs some errands running, so if Runmae can get her group to go on a supply run, she'll show Runmae how to use the materials they get.
Taazran gushes about monster part crafting, which is clearly a hyperfixation of hers. She also puts her foot in it by mentioning dwarf leather, which upsets Runmae. Oops.
Runmae asks about Tezkori, who is working with adamantine. Apparently that's normal here!
Taazran tells Runmae to get the others and come back.
As Runmae leaves, she hears Taazran asking Tezkori if she fucked that up, because she feels like she fucked that up.

Valaari and Sinnoch

Valaari goes to speak to Sinnoch, who is reading a medical textbook. They mention that the book is misinformed.
They wonder how Sinnoch can read with no eyes?
Valaari says they have some questions.
They mention they know of dolgaunts, how and why is Sinnoch here?
Sinnoch explains that they are the child of Dyrrn, the Corruptor, and they left after Dyrrn's imprisonment. They joined the Kastar many years ago.
Valaari asks what Sinnoch tasted. Sinnoch explains that they have a similar taste to Dyrrn, indicating Valaari was exposed to something from Xoriat.
Valaari mentions that they did encounter something when they were younger, which left them changed. Their skin is pale and clammy, they don't look like other orcs, but they don't remember much of what happened. They say that for most of their life, they've felt like they were being watched or followed by something they couldn't see. They can't remember, but something attacked them, something with necromantic power and almost killed them. They should've died, but they didn't, they even threw themselves off a cliff to escape. Something stopped her from dying, but she doesn't know what. They had to amputate their leg.
Sinnoch examines them, and asks if they've had any strange dreams. Valaari says who doesn't?
Sinnoch asks them to talk about it, if they remember. What have they dreamed about?
Valaari explains as best as they can, and Sinnoch says they think they've seen the place they dreamed about. They ask if they can see through Valaari's eyes, and experience this dream for themselves?
Valaari consents, and Sinnoch places a tentacle pad on their head and sees the dream. They are certain they have seen this place, it's a Khyber demiplane.
Sinnoch asks again if Valaari wants their leg repaired, but Valaari refuses. It's a reminder.
Valaari thanks Sinnoch, and acknowledges that they are a powerful advantage for the Kastar.
Valaari then goes to stare at a wall to process. Warren also stares at a wall to process.

Reunited

Runmae finds Bhaltair still playing in mess hall, even though most of the people have now left.
Runmae mentions she's found someone who can work with the minotaur bits, come on.
They run into Naze, and his robe wiggles. "Hey guys"
"What ya got there?"
"Nothing"
"Why you being sus?"
Runmae says he's clearly hiding something!
Bhaltair asks Zaphkiel what's going on, and Zaphkiel immediately grasses on him and mentions the snake.
Zekko pops their head out to say hi.
Runmae asks Naze why he has a snake. Naze says "it was just free"
"SO YOU PICKED IT UP!?"
yeah
now it's a familiar!
Bhaltair is concerned that Naze may have erased its free will?
Naze assures them it's fine, it's a friend.
Naze thinks its safer with him than here!
"See, this is why I didn't wanna tell you about the snake"
Guess he has a snake now
Isn't it gonna poop in his robe?
They come across Valaari and Warren staring at walls. Bhaltair is like "I didn't even see you leave! I was alone in the mess hall!"
"Yeah I'm a rogue"
"And you're a rapscallion, too"
They ask Warren how it went. He says Hunter is very different from his memories. He's basically a different person.
He seemed okay about it, but they don't really know what it means now. To be brothers. How that looks from now on.
Warren doesn't know how to feel about it, he trails off mid sentence and stares at the wall again.
Valaari says that all of the Ghaash'kala are like a family, blood relation isn't as important. They all have to rely on each other. So maybe Hunter just doesn't know what to do with this information yet, the Ghaash'kala don't put a lot of importance on family.
and unlike Warren, Hunter hasn't been living with guilt for 20 years.
Warren mentions that apparently he swears a lot. Valaari is like "oh you didn't know?"
Valaari asks Runmae if there was anything interesting at the forge, and Runmae gets flustered and goes "yep. Oh you mean work stuff"
Warren catches this and asks for more
Runmae says she's not telling Warren what "strums her bow".
Runmae summarises her conversation with the "two nice ladies in the forge"
Valaari suggests they go speak to them now.
Runmae also grumbles about how "everyone and their mother seems to be able to work Adamantine except for her"
Valaari notices that Naze has a snake?
yeah he stole it
"yeah I wanted to be friends and now we're telepathically connected"
"Wait what the fuck you didn't mention that before!?"
Valaari thinks he's made a familiar. Bhaltair says this process is certainly familiar to them.
Warren is like "at least you got a free snake out of this!"
Valaari says it's his own responsibility, if something happens they're not going back for a snake.
Good luck, Zekko
They'll go speak to Taazran and Tezkori again next session.

Description of Kastar Dar

After what seems like hours, though surely isn't actually that long, the tunnels make way to larger caverns that almost resemble streets, with rooms carved into the walls, and then into an enormous central cavern.

Buildings are carved into the walls and floor of the cavern, and there are terraces of crops that surround the causeways. Your eyes are drawn to the thing that presumably makes this possible, a light source much like the Inner Sun, which hangs at the top of the chamber and casts it all in sunlight.

Sinnoch's Introduction

The infirmary cavern is large, though when compared to the enormous central cavern of Kastar Dar, it doesn't seem so big. The walls and floor have been worked smooth, making them easier to clean, and the whole cavern seems to be spotless. It has its own Argent Lantern, though a smaller one, which provides ample light.

Beds are set up along the walls, with dividers between them to give the patients some degree of privacy. Many of the beds aren't occupied though, it seems that Kastar Dar is having less issues with injuries and sickness than the Maruk are.

Daerlynn gives you a moment to take this in, and then walks further in, expecting you to follow. She leads you all to one of the beds, where a robed figure is currently treating someone.

The physician is the most heavily bundled up person you've seen in the Demon Wastes, wearing loose robes and a heavy cloak, and for some reason their hood is up. They are barefoot though, and you can see from here that their legs are thin and gaunt, and their skin has a sickly grey pallor to it.

Their cloak moves strangely, as if something is wriggling underneath it. The patient is an orc that seems to have a broken arm, the bone is sticking out and it's at an angle that it shouldn't be. The strange physician gently grabs hold of both sides of the break, and then speaks in a quiet tone.

"How does that feel, Drot?"

"Can't feel anything, doc"

The physician nods, and then wrenches the break back into place. You expect the orc to scream, but they don't, the only indication they're in any pain is a sharp intake of breath.

"Fusing the bone back together now, and then I'll restore your pain receptors" says the physician.

The orcs nods, and the physician gently massages the break with their fingers, before tapping the orc on the elbow.

"Move your fingers for me, how do they feel?"

The orc clenches and unclenches their hand, and nods. "Seems to be working"

The physician nods again. "Very good, you may leave. Be careful with the arm for a couple of days to make sure it's fully set."

The orcs thanks the physician and then leaves, giving Daerlynn a nod as they go past.

Without turning to you, the physician speaks.

"Daerlynn, you've brought me strangers, new tastes. How are they going to react?"

Daerlynn seems to think about it for a second. "The dwarf might be a problem."

The physician sighs, and then turns to face you all, revealing a pallid grey face with goblinoid features and empty eye sockets. Their cloak writhes again, as if snakes or worms are moving beneath the cloth.

"Hello. I am Sinnoch, and I am the head physician of the Kastar Ghaash'kala."