Earthdawn Campaign: Diplomacy

After some debate over the relative merits of benefiting from the nearby dragon's insights into the surroundings, or doing the legwork themselves, the five adepts resolved to make the most recent sign of intelligent activity their first target.They picked their way through the scattered trees of the Kaer surrounds for a day, before making their way up a hill to overlook the sight of the possible encampment. They found it empty but with clear signs of many, many, cavalry.


Their Scout Adept Kassafeh made a thorough reconnaissance but failed to notice two short Ork sentries in the surrounding shrub-land. So that night, those sentries took it upon themselves to 'claim coup' and go it alone to investigate the adepts, as they slept. However, they were spotted and what unfolded next is best understood as a particularly messy and error filled 'meeting engagement' as more and more out of the five adepts, and a patrol of five Ork Scorchers, became entangled.

Impetuous Gurag went it alone first, then the leader of the Ork Scorchers, thinking the two youngest runts had just gotten themselves into some stupid trouble, joined in without even bothering to don his armour or get his good axe. As more of the Adepts from Kaer Jerall joined in, that Ork mistook Gurag for a runaway from the Scorcher Cavalry and started barking orders at him. Gurag stood his ground, and a shouting match ensued. The Illusionist Grima, subtle and cautious as ever, quietly entwined the leading Orks' legs with a magical rope trick. Then all piled in and the Adepts of Jerall emerged victorious.

But now what to do? The main body of the Scorchers number at least in the hundreds so they took the surviving runt - Ogely - as a prisoner, left a surviving Scorcher tied up, took two of their fierce riding Dyres and fled into the jungle to the south.The five (plus Ogely and the Dyres) opted to circle south toward some ruins - which they found to be unnaturally quiet- so quiet that their minds filled the gap with a constant low hum - and quite deserted. There was one interesting but half over-grown bronze domed pyramid in the middle though. So they investigated. At the top were metal doors, trapped to stick to the hands of those who tried them, then cook them. Of course, the party tried more than one door this way until the Human Warrior Zelos had had enough of this foolishness and pushed the pivot door open with his spear, rolled his eyes and beckoned them onward...