You are Carrion, sentenced to death on the same day you were brought into this world. You were born in the most hostile environment on Eberron. The danger you've faced your entire lives makes even the most inhospitable regions in the rest of the world seem cosy.
You've grown up in a region you know as Fah'lrrg, known to the rest of Khorvaire as the Demon Wastes. Those of you from the Razor Wind have travelled far, and seen miles of volcanic basalt, rust-coloured deserts, toxic swamps, and frozen tundra, and all of it suffused with fiends. Not just the more dramatic fiends that some would call demons, though you've certainly encountered plenty of those, but the Wastes are home to endless fiendish spirits, most of which lack a physical form.
Nothing is safe. The land is tainted, and these minor spirits manifest in countless ways to kill you. Swarms of hellwasps spring out of nowhere, there are plants that lure you in and then possess your body, and even spirits that dwell in what scarce water exists, animating it to tear you apart from the inside after you've had a drink.
The Wastes are evil in a way that would be totally unfathomable to people from anywhere else. But you've always been here, and you've never known anything else. The emissaries of the dark gods have granted you the terrible powers that have allowed you to survive, but life is still exceedingly difficult, and often short.
With the exception of one of you, none of you are able to read. Your only knowledge of your history is from living memory, things you've been told by others. Your tribes have been gathering under the banner of Valkhoth Peacekiller, chieftain of the Razor Wind. His ideas are novel to you, he argues that the tribes can be more powerful if they work together, if they combine their various strengths. He says that a combined force of Carrion Tribes could sweep over the Ghaash'kala, the terrifying monsters that keep you imprisoned in hell.
Most of your tribes are currently encamped in the northern wastes, several miles north of the Labyrinth and Jaasakah Dar. It's colder than you're used to, with storms blowing south from the Frostfell and stealing the heat from the air, but the ground is littered with volcanic vents that release heat and the ground is comfortably warm.
All of you are exceptional individuals, champions of your tribes that have been chosen by the blessed messengers of the gods.
Sometime after 17th Nymm, 999 YK
- Rotrak and Fulgrun are called into their mother, Kzild's, tent. They have received a summons from The Peacekiller, there's a job what needs doing. Of course, she's going to send her special boys! She tells them to look out for each other.
- Szfalka wakes up to find a snake in his tent. He knows what this means, his chieftain wants to see him. He goes quickly to meet with Sthusa, who tells him that some of the other tribes have been summoned for a task. She's sure that they'll receive it soon, so she may as well send someone in advance. Szfalka is to gather as much information as he can, and if he has an opportunity to hinder the others without being caught, he should do so. Szfalka accepts and gets going.
- Okor is outside when the summons arrives. Rurakar steps out of their tent and sees the messenger arrive. Karka Darkbane, in the form a raven, flies down and delivers the message, getting uncomfortably close to Okor as she does so. Rurakar instructs Okor to fetch Bagda, they're going on a trip. This is an opportunity to show the other tribes how much stronger the Tyrant's Horns are.
- Mirnac, in her bunk in Jaasakah Dar, is performing her nightly routine. She prays with a candle, and the candle whispers to her. She is to lead her next patrol into an ambush, and then be taken prisoner. She will be taken to the Razor Wind encampment, where she will have a task to complete. Once it is done, she is to escape and return to the Jaasakah, and tell them what she has seen.
- Xander meets with Valkhoth Peacekiller and Dragomir, who are discussing going into Khyber. Xander interrupts the conversation, and Valkhoth gives them a task.
- Druhk and Boltharr meet Xander outside the tent. Druhk is apparently to be sorted too.
- Some of the tribe fetch Mirnac. Xander looks at her weird shadow but doesn't say anything.
- The rest of the champions arrive at the camp, with Xander watching for them with his spyglass.
- Xander splits the champions into two groups. Mirnac, Okor, Rotrak, Szfalka in one. Bagda, Druhk, Fulgrun and Leska in the other. Xander then joins the first group.
- Before being split apart, Okor and Bagda give each other a friendly head crack.
- Fulgrun and Rotrak are being split. Fulgrun is more upset about this than Rotrak is.
- Mirnac twirls her hair and waits quietly.
- Okor goes up to his group, and drops his hammer next to Xander, who stares back defiantly. "I'm with you, am I?"
- "Yes, you are. Congratulations, you've succeeded on the first task."
- Rotrak giggles. Okor's tail whips out and smacks Rotrak in the face.
- Xander uses his Aura Sight to read Okor, discovering that Okor is indifferent/irritable towards him. Xander also observes that Okor is in peak physical condition for his species, but there's something off about him. Something Cursed.
- Xander tilts his head and goes "huh", triggering Okor to react with hostility. "What!?"
- Xander just explains that Okor is interesting. Anyway.
- "Anyone need to take a piss, have a snack?"
- Okor just pisses where he stands, offending Xander. "Do you just shit in the camp?"
- "I don't live here"
- Rotrak asks how close Okor's anatomy is to a horse. Xander questions whether Rotrak has ever even seen a "normal horse".
- Xander turns his attention to Mirnac, who seems to be somewhere else in her head. She's smiling absentmindedly.
- Rotrak asks Mirnac what her story is. "Got bored of the Ghaash, did you?"
- Mirnac says it's complicated. The important part is that she's here and ready to work.
- Rotrak then turns to Szfalka and asks his story. Xander says "yeah I'm interested too, since you weren't invited."
- "Oh no I was definitely invited"
- Rotrak says he was surprised to see the Dusk Viper, the snakes aren't really trustworthy.
- "Woah, what you got against snakes?"
- Okor interrupts the conversation and says he's itching to fight, he's been told there was a fight and they're talking.
- The other group have finished introducing themselves, trial by combat.
- Both Okor and Szfalka release a battle cry as combat begins, intimidating Bagda and Leska.
- Xander opens combat by summoning a pernicious poltergeist to spook the enemy, which spooks Fulgrun badly but not the others.
- Okor charges and then goes to attack with his hammer, but it's a feint to cover him shooting lightning out of the third eye (that was not there before) on his forehead. Bagda explains "what the fuck, Okor!?" and he responds "What!? We're fighting ain't we?"
- Mirnac calmly strides forward, humming a haunting song that damages both Okor (lmao friendly fire) and Fulgrun. "What vile magics they turn against me, brother!"
- Druhk attempts to break Okor's legs, but Okor deftly avoids the maul. Druhk then violently shoves Okor baack, slamming into his shield.
- Rotrak makes me cough at the start of his turn. Then he casts "Call the Blood", which would cause streams of blood to emerge from all of Bagda's orifices and into Rotrak's mouth, but Bagda is hard as fuck and it does nothing.
- Bagda yells to Okor. "Okor! What's he doing to me!? I don't like your weird little man!"
- Rotrak then runs, and takes cover behind Szfalka.
- Bagda yells at her team, making them less frightened and also quicker.
- Leska moves up to a tent and shoots lightning from her spear at Okor, who blocks it with his shield (and screams)
- Szfalka slithers around the tent and attacks Leska with both of his daggers, causing her to bleed and also be envenomed.
- Xander causes Bagda to begin laughing uncontrollably.
- Okor then proceeds to bludgeon Druhk within an inch of his life.
- Mirnac tries to grab Fulgrun's arm but he doesn't let her. She then Suggests he go protect his brother, but that fails too.
- Druhk swings his maul at Okor's legs and brings him to the ground, and then yells at him, intimidating him.
- Rotrak gets a scrungly looking wand out and repositions, before hitting Leska with Scrounger's Glee.
- Leska briefly transforms into a lightning bolt to reposition, shocking Mirnac, and then resummons her kinetic gate.
- She then bleeds.
- Szfalka slithers up to make Bagda bleed, but she blocks both of his knives with her meat hook.
- Xander sustains the laughing fit on Bagda and then moves up and punches Leska in the crotch with his little gnome fists of fury. This is very effective.
- He then follows up with his dagger, making Leska's bleeding even worse. (Also the fist does persistant void damage, apparently. Gnomes.)
- Okor, impressed by the gnome, gets back to his feet and activates a magic item, his Ash Gown. He bursts into flames and dashes through the enemy, before striking Druhk and almost killing him.
- Mirnac heals herself, and then bonks Leska, almost taking her out.
- There is a real risk that Leska bleeds to death once the combat is over.
- Druhk surrenders, he knows when he's had enough.
- Rotrak points his wand at Bagda and casts Enfeeble. She yells at Okor again. "Okor! What's he doing to me!?"
- The spell works on Bagda, but the AoE doesn't work on Fulgrun or Okor (who is also in the area)
- Bagda tries to trip Szfalka with her hook but he slithers out of it, so she just smacks him with it.
- Leska surrenders, heals herself, and then runs for Boltharr to ensure she doesn't succumb to the bleeding, poison, and void persistent damage she's suffering.
- Szfalka attacks Bagda but it's not as effective as he hoped. She is bleeding though.
- Xander scooches between Fulgrun's legs to flank him and then punches him in the knee with his necrotic gnome fist, and then stabs him in the thigh. Ow.
- Then Xander summons a mirror image of himself, all distorted.
- "Gods, you are a fierce one."
- Okor and Bagda clash, battle of the titans. Okor hits Bagda twice, solidly, his his hammer and then hides behind his shield.
- Mirnac embeds her axe into Fulgrun's back, and then point blank Divine Lances him. It looks like silver fire, but darker at the edges. Tickles the soul a bit to look at it.
- Rotrak, having identified that Bagda is not very agile, targets that weakness by summoning cacti at her feet.
- He then sends Pestilence over to Bagda to make her sick, but she has that ogre-ish constitution and is fine.
- Fulgrun stabs both Xander and Mirnac, but neither succumb to the Atrophic Plague.
- Bagda trips Okor and then goes ham on his shield, but doesn't cause any damage to him.
- Szfalka attacks with his daggers and misses Bagda, despite her attention being on Okor. Xander yells "this is why you weren't invited!"
- Xander sustains his spells and then punches and stabs Fulgrun in the leg. Void and Bleed, a nightmare.
- Okor continues to beat up Bagda, and she asks when she's supposed to surrender?
- "Now! Surrender now, Bagda!"
- Mirnac chops Fulgrun again, deepening his wounds.
- Rotrak seems conflicted. Bagda is about to surrender and Fulgrun is all that's left. Xander yells at him to step up to the challenge!
- Rotrak walks over and tells Fulgrun it's time to go home, then he casts Goblin Pox on him.
- Fulgrun surrenders, as does Bagda.
- Boltharr rushes to tend to the losers wounds, to ensure nobody dies. He gives each of them a little motivational soundbite.
- "Knowledge flows from open wounds"
- "And blood" adds Xander
- Valkhoth congratulates the victors, and them instructs them to follow into his tent.
- They follow, and see a large map of the Demon Wastes and The Labyrinth, on actual paper! There is also an attractive, horned and winged elf draped over a chaise longue. The chieftain does not acknowledge her presence.
- Valkhoth explains the mission he has for them, showing them things on the map that only Xander can read.
- Xander states that if they step out of line, Okor can smack them. Okor punches Rotrak in the face, and he hits the ground like a sack of bricks, coughing and sputtering.
- Xander asks what kind of weapon they're looking for. Valkhoth doesn't know, the Shadowsword didn't say. Apparently "they would know it when they see it"
- Xander takes a look at Thelestes, the Velvet Blade. He knows her name and has seen her before, but doesn't know why she's here.
- Valkhoth asks if any of them have been to Festering Holt before. None of them have.
- He explains that it's a village, and neutral ground by decree of the gods. No tribe has attacked it and they aren't going to be the first.
- They should be wary though, the settlement has a habit of turning people against each other.
- They start preparing rations, and Rotrak mentions that he doesn't need to eat. Disease sustains him. He also mentions that he hasn't had a shit in 5 years.
- This makes Thelestes giggle, which is a sound that Rotrak would sell his unborn children to hear again.
- Their questions answered, they go to leave, but Thelestes stops them. "Perhaps one of these morsels would like to entertain me before their big trip?"
- Szfalka is too caught up in his own vanity, but the others (except Xander, who is not targeted) fail their saves against her charm. They would do anything she asked of them.
- Valkhoth stops her, "I cannot afford the cost of your affections". The group ready themselves to assassinate the chieftain of the Razor Wind, just waiting for her to say the word. The time between his words and her response leaves them twitchy and excited, but then the charm drops.
- Thelestes agrees, winks at him, and then leaves.
- Valkhoth mutters under his breath that he really dislikes that woman. Xander asks who she is working for and why she is here?
- Valkhoth explains that she is an emissary of Eldrantulku, the Oathbreaker, she offers her services as an assassin. She came and offered to "deal with" Auric, to tie up the loose end. Valkhoth refuses, and now she's been hanging around the camp and being a nuisance, killing their people.