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Dunmari Frontier - Session 5

Decisions in Karawa: in which the party attends a pivotal council

Featuring: Kenzo, Wellby, Delwath, Seeker
In Taelgar: Mar 30, 1748 DR to Apr 04, 1748 DR
On Earth: Friday Jul 24, 2020
Karawa

TheDunmar Fellowship contemplates mystical visions and participates in a festival before influencing a council’s decision to evacuate Karawa as gnoll attacks loom.

Session Info

Character advancement: the party reaches level 3 as they reflect on their newfound status as saviors of Karawa

Summary

Timeline

Letters

Narrative

The session begins with everybody but Kenzo meeting for breakfast at Ikram’s caravanserai. Wellby shares a message and letter from Candrosa, informing the party that scouts are investigating rumors of attacks to the south and east, and that a council in a few days time will meet to decide what to do. The presence of the Heroes of Karawa is requested at this council. After being informed that Kenzo is meditating at the summit of the Red Mesa on the southern border of town, the party heads up to meet him; on the way Seeker is reminded of the geological oddity that the Temple of Shakun, carved into the cliff wall of the mesa, seems to be older than the mesa itself. 

Here, some discussion ensues of various pre-dawn encounters. Kenzo tells the party about Candrosa’s staff, which sent him to a starry void filled with flickering lights of all colors and shapes (reminding Seeker of his coming of age vision), and then to the Dreamworld, a mirror realm that is like and very unlike Taelgar. Here, he saw a robed man with a staff, who told him to seek the Order of the Awakened Soul. While no one in the party knows much about this order, there are legends of mystics that roam the desert and go by this name. After some discussion of magic, planes, and the gods, Wellby begins to tell his story.

During the night, he learned more about Ander, the sick halfling who the party met the day before, from his sister Callie. The halfling caravan came south from Sembara through the mountains, passing an abandoned old Dunmari fortress and stronghold known as Raven’s Hold. Ander went exploring, finding a way past the walls. Beyond the wall he was exploring when he heard a chanting in a strange language, and a thorny vine reached out to grab him. He was able to break free, but the vine grabbed him and bloodied his leg. Within a few days, he was starting to change, he was either consumed by ravenous hunger for raw flesh or raving about the coming master who would consume the world. 

That afternoon, the party goes back to Jasu’s workshop to see the silver spearpoints he described the day before. These are clearly magical, and decorated with designs that suggest some power against undead. Jasu also says that Arcus was expected back several weeks ago, and he was surprised and annoyed he did not return. Seeker shows Jasu his design for a lightweight chain throwing net. Even though Jasu was left unpaid by Arcus, he agrees to cash on delivery for this new commission.

Over the next few days, a few things happen. The gifts from the grateful town accumulate for the party, including a book dropped off by an anonymous donor for Seeker entitled “The Runes of Creation.” Delwath spends some time listening for rumors, Seeker studies his new book, Kenzo competes in the staff dancing competition, and Kenzo and Wellby both compete in the axebeak riding competition. 

Before the competitions begin, Delwath hears a number of rumors. Right now the town seems mostly happy, the dire news of attacks to the south having not yet reached the ears of anyone but Candrosa and the village elders. A joyful mood at the festival and being saved from the rampaging beasts permeates Delwath’s conversations, although with an undercurrent of sadness for the lives lost. Delwath learns that Arcus was only in town for a few days and didn’t leave much of an impression, but he was not the first traveler from foreign parts to pass through town in the past few months. Most of the rumors involve ruins and artifacts: the name Raven’s Hold is mentioned, as is the claim that the Temple of Shakun has a number of ancient artifacts, and the angry fear that Chardon is trying to steal Dunmar’s heritage. Some people are also concerned though: the rumors of a storm that won’t end to the north arises again, and some people feel that the gods must have abandoned Karawa for these events to be happening. 

The staff dancing competition involves a bout with a quarterstaff on a balance beam: the first contestant to fall off loses. As rumors of Kenzo’s prowess have spread, he competes in the master’s division. Kenzo puts on an incredible performance, drawing a large crowd and defeating his quarterfinal and semifinal matches with ease. For the finals, he faces off against Jayden, a blindingly fast woman who makes up for her lack of expertise with the quarterstaff with raw speed and balance. In a masterful display of skill and raw agility, Kenzo ducks, dodges, and knocks her off the balance beam. Seeker is inspired to create a series of drawings depicting individual moments in the action. He combines these drawings into a sequence, entitling it “The Legendary Staff of Kenzo.” He names this new art form the “graphic novel.” 

The axebeak riding competition draws some of the biggest crowds of the festival. The race works by just marking how far down the course each person gets before falling off. Wellby attempts to feed his beast, but the creature takes a giant bite out of his hand and goes charging down the course. Despite bleeding from his hand, Wellby manages to keep control over his beast for a long way, ending up nearly the furthest down the track, and eventually finishes third. Kenzo however does not do so well, falling well short of the lead.

The morning of April 4th, Alesh and Havdar are back from scouting and the council begins. In addition to the party, the council includes Alesh, Havdar, Suma (priestess of Jeevali), Candrosa, and Elder Kisa (unofficial mayor/leader of the town). After much discussion and news, Havdar proposes an immediate counter-offensive to defeat the bands of hyena-like humanoids attacking to the south; Alesh proposes sending a messenger to Samraat Nayan Karnas, the current king of Dunmar; Candrosa and Kisa believe the town must be fortified for defense; and Suma proposing fleeing west to Tokra, to a more defensible position that is less isolated and alone. With no consensus, the council turns to the party for input. Seeker annotates a large paper map of the area, and conjures glowing illusory figures moving around above it, representing the various options for movement of troops and townspeople. After much debate, it is decided that the vast majority of the Dunmari (and festival visitors) will flee west, with Havdar and his troops (plus whomever he can recruit among the festival population of the town) providing a rear-guard defense for this retreat. Candrosa and a few other acolytes of Shakun, who will not abandon their temple, will fortify themselves inside the temple and hope to hide from any attack. Alesh and a few companions will scout again to the south, trying to learn more about the threat there. An emissary will be found to ride to the king with all speed, and argue for a muster and a defense of the border. And the party will head north, to Raven’s Hold, to seek what information may lie there.