Arkania: The Missing Piece

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

With no other leads to go on, Curian convinced the team to head back up to Hermit's lake to find his unicorn but all they find are an increasing number of orcs, goblins and ogres. I seriously question why orcs are considered a threat if it is so easy to defeat them. Anyway, after days of uneventful travel the team encounters a bard who sings a song about Hyggelik. He happens to be traveling with a merchant who is in possession of a map piece and is willing to sell it for a mere 60 ducats!

Not with your text box in the way, Curian.

Inspired by this turn of events the team revisits Jurge at Skjal, hoping that he would give the last piece over upon seeing the rest of the map. He doesn't. Zubon wishes Iron Dagger was around to break in and simply steal it from him but that's not an option. With winter setting in the mountain passes are also now impassable meaning they can't go after the -relatively- nearby Daspota treasure. Disheartened they decide to take a ship back to Thorwal to plan their next move.

Baby kraken?

However a random encounter shifts the course of their ship! The krakennewt almost takes Wolfy down with it into the sea but it is fought off but the vessel is forced to dock on the isle of Runinshaven for repairs.

Arkania: Mountain Ruins

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

It was on the path North of Rybon where Emmo led them. A chance encounter with a dying adventuress also gives them the location of the Daspota treasure, which happened to be a cave on the same road. The team opted to skip it though, as riches weren't what they needed right now. The added weight would have also made traversing the deadly pitfalls even harder.

Save vs Death or Save vs Illness. Easy choice.

Harpies also harass the adventurers as they continue higher up the mountains, and Shintar's initial worry that Emmo refused to wear plate armor (because elves are allergic to it I guess) was non founded. She made up for it with an exceptional dodge rate AND she too had combat magic! On top of her superior hunting skills this made her a very valuable ally. After many trials against nature, they finally found the ruins.

If only the text didn't cover the picture...

The inhabitants: mages and undead were ludicrously weak compared to what they had already been through just to get there. Even their leader, the thieving wizard only managed to knock Shintar out with some form of blob that sticks to one's face. Curian showed him the true meaning of magic and felled him with a single blast. Not only does this net them another map piece, but Paeroka also unlocks a chest with 500 ducats inside! Pleased at their efforts, they descended the cliffs on the other side and hit the nearest tavern to celebrate.

Arkania: Lonely Inn

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

With no boats heading Westward, the team is forced to go on foot to their next lead. Over the next few days it is clear Shintar is not so good as the replacement hunter while Zubon has an absolute distaste for picking flowers. Fortunately there are some lonely inns on the journey where they can rest up properly. After smashing an orc scouting team and sneaking through the pirate town of Daspota they find yet another isolated inn to crash for the night, only this one is abandoned... and for good reason.

During the evening they investigate strange noises coming from the basement and find a multitude of zombies, skeletons and mummies lurking in the cellars below. They also find prisoners who are slowly turning into the undead monsters thanks to the work of the resident alchemists hiding in the bottom most level. They were summoning something!

Rare to run into a Heptagram. Most bad guys can only go up to six!

It is a very difficult combat against the mage pair and their undead lackies. The Bookahs are knocked out from their vile magics but fortunately the mages burned through their spell power early, forcing them into less favorable hand to hand where they were easily defeated.

After looting a good deal of herbs and alchemical equipment the team cashed in big time at their next stop of Ottarje, not only gaining a significant boost to their wealth from selling loot but from acquiring another map piece from the elderly Hjore Ahrensson.