As they approached the area where they suspected the Elk Temple was hidden, Angelique grew distant and morose. She said she could feel they were getting close to the temple, as the wind spirits were in pain from the foul corruption it was emanating.
Drawing closer they were attacked by wolf spirits – primal echoes of the long past enslaved by – or drawn to – the corruption of the temple.
The temple itself had clearly been dedicated to Erastial – the forest father. It was no wonder Jhod had received visions about it. But something had deeply corrupted it. Its once pristine pools were emitting noxious fumes. This was clearly the source of the fog enshrouding the region and concealing the Stag King’s lair. But how to cleanse it? Angelique was certain there would be a singular focus – a spirit, object, or being in which the corruption was manifest. At first they thought it might be the pool itself, but then they heard a roar and a cry further in the temple.
Racing inside, they found a lone robed man confronting a huge bear-like “thing”. As much plant as animal. It would seem they had found their focus.
Maha – ever the hunter – attempted to disable the beast quickly. Unfortunately it turned out to be near invulnerable to conventional assault, and she quickly found herself overwhelmed.
Kwan was not about to let that get in his way, however. The thing may have been immune to slashing and bashing, but it was *not* immune to arcane lightning unleashed from within its own body cavities.
And when the thing lay disintegrated in a heap, the fog began clearing away, the pools turned clear, and the sunlight shone down. It would take some time before the effects dissipated everywhere. But the source had been broken.
The robed man introduced himself as Tristian – a priest of Sarenrae (the Healing Flame, goddess of Sun and Redemption). He had found himself drawn to the Stolen Lands sensing curses and corruption, and had found his way to the temple seeking its source. He had found himself overwhelmed by the Bear-Thing, and was quite thankful for their rescue. But he said the corruption of the temple was not the only supernatural affliction in these lands. He wished to continue his investigations. He agreed to return with them to Oleg’s Trading Post, to confer with Johd and determine next steps.
When they returned to Oleg’s they took some time to get to know some of their new aquaintances. Kwan and Regongar got along famously. They had a similar fondness for bad puns, a similar fighting style, and a similar maturity level….
Angelique and Octavia proved to have a shared love of cooking. Angelique prepared one of her favorite home dishes as Octavia – not having had a decent meal in months – hovered ecstatically.
Amiri and Maha, however, got along like oil and water. Maha’s “the best fight is the one you win by not having it” philosophy and Amiri’s boasting and dreams of glorious battle could not be more opposite. Amiri’s bluster and attempts to impress her fell completely flat. And intimidation? Amiri uses it to make fights easier. Maha uses it to help avoid needing to hurt people. Darius could see this was a pairing best avoided in team-building…
They also received a visit from Kesten Garess – the guard captain they had met at Lady Jamandi’s estate. He told them that investigation had proved that Tartuccio was, indeed, a Pitaxian spy. He had let the assassins inside the compound, and had apparently planned to turn the Stolen Lands over to King Irovetti of Pitax after “winning” them. This had been his way of eliminating the competition. Lady Jamandi had now placed a bounty on Tartuccio’s head, and would very much appreciate if they were to collect upon it. In the meantime, Kesten and his men would assist in securing Oleg’s – which was quickly becoming a primary base of operations.
After resting up and re-supplying, they headed out to the famous Great Sycamore Tree – last reported destination for Tartuccio. It was a huge, ancient tree which could be seen for miles. And its huge root system was laced with innumerable warrens and tunnels. They had no idea what Tartuccio might be seeking there.
When they arrived, they found an unexpected and unwelcome spectacle – the entire area appeared to be ground zero for a war between tribes of kobolds and mites!
Chief Sootscale of the Kobolds and Queen Bdah of the Mites were accusing each other of being traitors who had stolen “the relic”. Darius attempted to make some sense of the situation. It appeared that at one time each tribe had owned half of a “sacred relic” of some sort. Together the two halves acted as a “key” which allowed access to the “sacred hall”.
The Mites claimed the Kobolds had stolen their half. The Kobolds, meanwhile, believed the Mites had stolen *their* half. And a new shaman named “Tartuk” had been advising the Kobolds and told them of the Mite’s treachery…. Darius was pretty sure what had actually happened, but the Kobolds refused to believe that “Tartuk” was anything but what he claimed to be. The two sides refused to even agree to a ceasefire while Darius investigated. And they insisted he either choose a side or be at war with them both. Given the options, and given “Tartuk” was directing the kobolds, Darius reluctantly chose to support the Mites. And the battle was on.
The Mites allowed them to enter their side the warrens beneath the Great Sycamore.
Inside they found the mites had carved out their own community – using giant centipedes as guard animals. The kobolds had their own section as well, but had allied with giant spiders instead. The two areas had once been connected, but since the conflict they had collapsed the bridges and tunnels connecting them. The only way through at present was to descend into the deeper tunnels, cross over, and re-ascend. And mites and kobolds alike avoided the “deeps” due to what else lurked down there. Undead, lost catacombs…. and other things.
They found huge, slithering tracks and the discarded husks of various humanoids – which led them to a vicious giant centipede queen and her brood.
Under the kobold warrens, they met the spider queen, – with a similarly foul disposition.
Eventually they found their way back up to the kobold warrens, and fought an extended battle with kobold amushers until they fought their way to and defeated the Kobold Chief.
He begged for mercy, and Darius allowed the remains of the tribe to leave peacefully if they relinquished their claim to the area. The chief also told them that Tartuk had left to “make sure the Mites hadn’t claimed the sacred hall”.
Exploring the kobold warrens further, they discovered the dwarf priest Harrim and the undead elf Jaethal locked up in a kobold cage. Apparently Tartuccio/Tartuk had given them to the kobolds when he no longer needed them – and both were injured and angry. They both wished to change allegiance now that Tartuccio had betrayed them, and promised their full support once they had recovered. They left to recuperate at Oleg’s.
Upon making their way to the sacred hall they found the door already opened, and “Tartuk” tossing *something* into a magic portal. As it closed he mocked them for their lateness – and for not understanding his true mission.
And then he let loose with a fireball and ordered “his” kobolds to attack!
Angelique did her best to intercept his fireball and douse it.
Darius countered Tartuccio’s influence over the Kobolds with his own – leaving them disoriented and ineffectual.
Maha and Kwan then dealt with the devious gnome/kobold.
After his death Darius returned the “sacred key” to the Mite Queen, and they returned to Oleg’s Trading Post. They needed to report Tartuccio’s activities and death, and prepare for the assault upon the Stag Lord once the fog had lifted.
Back at Oleg’s Darius was once again visited by a vision of the Guardian. She thanked him for clearing the fog, and said she could now show him where to find the Stag Lord. She would not participate in the assault, but she would be sure to “reward him properly” after he succeeded in eliminating his foe. Once again her phrasing and demeanor left Darius… uneasy. Like there was much she was leaving unsaid. But for the time being her desired still matched up with his chosen mission.
Author’s Notes:
Kingmaker makes use of alignment, faction reputation, prior actions, etc in determining what courses of dialog are even available to you – separately from persuasion checks and the like to determine if they succeed. There is a path where you can stay neutral in the Kobold/Mite war, but it requires a Neutral alignment – and so was unavailable to Darius. This is not the only place in the campaign that such things hold true, but it is the one I find the least… satisfying. I prefer the approach better where actions determine alignment rather than alignment restricting actions. And Kingmaker does do a lot more of the latter than the former. Your character sheet even includes a 2D “alignment plot” showing where you currently rate – so you can see if you are moving on the Law/Chaos or Good/Evil axes long before you actually cross a boundary and change.
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