Ruins of Spakaya – The Dog Fort of the Riverdans

Spakaya – The Dog Fort of the Riverdans sits in a valley in the Hawktail Hills where the Riverdans of Tufflim and Pelmon meet.

GM Setup: Background/Current State

THIS IS ORIGINALLY PART OF THE ANCIENT BLOOD CAMPAIGN CYCLE OF ADVENTURES.

A Driving Mission: A attendant of a Black Herald of Everdark from the forces of the dark champion Histrak Frostmonger has been sent here to excavate for the remains of the evil standard of the dead darkling Split Eye (see History of the fort) if any can be found. The fallen dark-spawn was drowned in the final battle for Spakaya – The Dog Fort of the Riverdans. They are also to determine the viability of having rock worms tunnel to it and recreate the breech as an attack point. The latter is a cover for the former and most of the raiders have no clue (in case they are captured). Raiders were sent out to make sure the area was clear of scouts. And then they were able to capture the shepard’s family… and perform a human sacrifice for evil magics to find the standard. And now a hint of where the remaining piece of the standard may be found and so they have tunneled down the kitchen stairs into the armory and stores area to finally find it – under the guise of more sapping for metals.

Current State: It’s taken days, and little progress has been made on the sapping work. Really, the raiders do not have the tools for the job for re-connecting the breach tunnels, but they are doing their best. The Black Heralds attendant is leading a team of sappers and finally finds the broken standard piece right before the PCs arrive. It attacked and killed a goblin, and they had to burn its head. They have reburied it and are trying to figure out how to get back to the main force in Blue Willow Valley – the head snarls and wails and makes too much noise for an overland trip. Both the priest and the shaman know. They are running out of options and believe they will have to kill one of their number to summon the Black Herald of Everdark from their base to take it.

Daytime Lookouts

Ushtay, the attendant of the Black Herald of Everdark in service with Histrak Frostmonger, summoned a swarm of insects from the surrounding hills as a day watcher and functions as an alarm bell. They are in the tower, where the goblin carcass lies that was offered in sacrifice.

Lingering Visions of the Fall of the Fort

In addition to the normal horrific visions of __, there is a unique impression left behind from the perspective of the darkling champion that once commanded the war banner’s power.

Suddenly it’s as if you are seeing out of another’s eyes. Your breath is ragged, you feel like screaming as the faint glow of the sun coming over the horizon is revealed. All around you are torn bodies of the fort’s defenders, burst open like a volcano. All around too is the sludge remains of goblins and orks burned under the Sun Bane. A few Orrish have gathered and hunkered down in the shadows of the broken fort, and the terror is palpable. Another sunset and you are sure you can get out, the others’ deaths will cover for you. But then, about midday there is a low rumble and the cliff side above bursts open! A deluge of water, rocks and soil sweeps you away, grinding you in its path. Rocks are battering your skull and ribs as you tumble, you feel the hot blood filling your mouth and you cannot breathe as you are thrown about and ultimately buried alive. You clutch the broken piece of the standard with its strange head atop it. Your last sight as darkness claims you is the standard you grasp so tight twitches in your hands, and the head’s eyes open up to revel a soul so tortured and broken that you gasp and swallow earth and rocks and die horribly, in terror and alone.

PC Setup: A Call for Assistance

The newly christened “Hawktail Coalition” (CY 9169; Pelmon, Monaides, Glois, Tufflim, Bondeu) has set aside differences and finally been brought together by the incursions from the dark-spawn enemy. Pelmon and Glois are bearing the brunt of the raiders’ incursions, with the main advances from the Hawktail Hills out into the Blue willow Valley to the south and Scael’s Basin and the wheatlands’ of Glois. The containment attempts have resulted in great losses and spreading raids from the Orrish. The west foothills of the Hawktail Hills are the site of constant battles – a half dozen smaller breach tunnels with defensive fortifications at their entrance have taken a tenacious foothold.

The League of the White Lily in the Riverdan of Monaides has brought in professional mercenaries from the northern merchant cities and made a formal alliance with House Du’Orlok and the “Stone Horns Druidhold” of Pelmon Ridge to contain the dark-sapwn.

Outcomes & Rewards

Bounty on the Orrish

Dark-Spawn Loot/Goods: The selling of Orrish made goods/loot outside the Dark Lands has serious issues, and often the best value is 10% of normal.

But the druidic magic that once stood watch here is still there, albeit weak.
> Primordial Awareness will reveal this once the herald’s assistant has been defeated, it will trigger a vision if enacted.

A mountain goat shows up and stands there looking at you. It seems to be trying to get you to follow it. You climb the rugged cliff face up another 20m to where the stream is coming out of the ground. The goat paws at it. It headbuts it with its horns, like it is attacking it.

Any character drives a weapon into the spring source, it will bubble and froth with pink water. Drinking it restores 10 points of health and minor restoration + dispel exhaustion 1 and all infections. After each character has drank, there will be enough to fill a small drinking skin with a 10 point healing potion for each PC.