The End of the Exploration
The party explored the hills to the south for two days without incident.
On the morning of the third day, the feykin and the dog were ahead of the party when The party heard a cry for help. Then the dog was attacked and bitten by a Leucrotta.
The ranger hit the evil beast hard. The dog snapped back. Hemlock moved up. Cerulean spat a line of acid at the beast. The feykin absorbed some of the dog’s damage. He also determined that the Leucrotta had feigned the cry for help. He cast Detect Magic but did not detect anything. The Leucrotta attacked the ranger but missed. K’rek challenged the beast and the charged it. He skewered the Leucrotta with his lance.
The party sought out the Leucrotta’s lair. The ranger found it. There they found some coins, an ivory comb, some armor and a shield, and a feather token.
The remainder of the exploration passed uneventfully. Having completed exploring the Stolen Lands, the realm of the initial charter, the party returned to Stormhaven.
Help Arrives
The city was in disarray and most of the population had fled back to Brevoy. The trolls had destroyed the farms as well as the brewery. The former officials returned to their homes. The city walls were intact, but most of the structures were in disrepair.
After a few days of organizing the remaining people and initiating repairs, an entourage from Brevoy arrived in response to the message Hemlock had sent stating that the kingdom was failing.
Alexai Naumov, the leader of the group, accompanied by his mage wife, Valentina, a squad of soldiers, and a collection of tradespeople were tasked by the King of Brevoy to reestablish the kingdom and keep it intact.
Cerulean assumed leadership and accepted the Brevoyan assistance. The wagons were unloaded the wagons and shelter established for the new arrivals in the surviving buildings.
Retreiving the Supplies from the Dwarven Fort
Leaving Naumov’s soldiers to protect the city, The party along with Naumov, Valentina, and some laborers left with some wagons and handlers to collect the supplies left at the dwarven fort.
They planned an indirect route to avoid crossing two rivers. Instead, they traveled to the ford where the settlement had been established. They spent the night there.
The next day, the dragons were flying ahead when the feykin spotted a hydra approaching the wagon train. He flew back and alerted the others. Naumov charged up to attack the creature. The hydra crashed through the trees.
K’rek challenged the creature and closed to attack. He hit well. Hemlock cast Mage Armor. Cerulean hit with a line of fire. The ranger and her dog flanked the beast. Hydra heads bit them both. The ranger sliced with the Feybane sword. Valentina moved up and cast Frost Fall on the rear of the Hydra. The beast was impaled and collapsed dead.
Continuing for a few more days, they arrived at the dwarven fort. The ranger scouted ahead and determined that nothing had taken up residence there. They spent the rest of the day loading the wagons.
The return trip was uneventful and they returned to Stormhaven one week later. The weather had been getting progressively colder, but they managed to return before the snows.
The New Kingdom
On the next full moon, Orkathel, the dragon home, was rededicated.
- Cerulean declared himself King.
- The Priest of Erastil was reestablished as High Priest of the kingdom.
- Alexai was appointed General.
- Valentina was named Magister.
- Tiatha, the ranger, was named Warden.
- Hemlock accepted the post of Grand Diplomat.
- Opalescent Flittermouse, the fairy dragon, was appointed Spymaster.
- K’rek was named Marshall.
- Vlad, Alexei’s medic, was named Counselor.
- A temporary appointment was made for the Treasurer pending recruitment of the Old Beldane,
The Spymaster established himself as headmaster of the orphanage, where he initiated training the orphans as spies.
The Founding Day was established as a holiday. Cerulean decreed that the new realm should be promoted to a small degree. No initial taxes were established. Work was started on restoring the inn, the stables, two houses, and establishing a farm. News of the reestablishment of Orkathel inspired economic growth.
Spending the Winter in Town
In the following month, conditions were tense as the weather grew more inclement. The area near the old sawmill was annexed by the kingdom. More horses, the orphanage and the jail were restored. The improvements made were attracting more growth.
The party, with the exception of the ranger, took up lodgings within the walls. The ranger built a nice house in the forest.
The Blade in the Dark
One night, Valentina awakened when a blade sank into her chest. Alexei slept through her scream.
The assassin stabbed again. Alexei awakened with a start. Valentina cast Snowball in the assassin’s face.
The assassin stabbed again, but missed. Alexei attempted to Daze the attacker, but failed. Valentina cast Snowball, but also missed.
The assassin missed. Alexei attempted to Daze the attacker again, unsuccessfully. He attempted to rise and was hit by the assassin. Valentina hit again with Snowball, and the assassin jumped out the window.
Alexei summoned his military medic, who healed Valentina. The feykin heard the commotion and investigated. He followed the trail up to and over the wall. He informed the ranger, and they pursued the tracks in the newly fallen small.
The feykin awakened Cerulean and then K’rek and Hemlock. Cerulean immediately took flight and joined the ranger. She located the assassin. Cerulean breathed fire on him and killed him.
The dragon brought the body back to Stormhaven to have the High Priest cast Speak with Dead on him. But the spell failed to reanimate it. The spymaster circulated a drawing of the assassin, but no one admitted seeing the assassin before.
One week later, the spell was cast again, but the corpse did not answer the questions in a useful manner. Further inquiries failed to uncover any clues about the attacker. Examining the unrestored buildings, the ranger found indications of someone having stayed in one of the unoccupied houses.
Hemlock sent a message back to Brevoy informing them of the attack and suspicions of the lands to the west. The response was that a rival chartered group, Pytax, had established a kingdom to the west of Orkathel.
Restoration of the Capitol and Surviving the Winter
Despite the attack, the kingdom appeared to be thriving. The region around the Old Beldame’s home was annexed by the kingdom and the farm there was rebuilt. In the city, the shrine and remaining homes were restored, completing the recovery of the Stormhaven. With the recovery of the city, promotion of Stormhaven and Orkathel was increased. However, the economy was suffering, probably due to the middle of winter.
When a gang of bandits started raiding outlying farms, the Marshall swiftly captured them. They were former residents of the kingdom who abandoned it when things went bad. They were sentenced to hard labor for six months.
As the winter waned, Orkathel remained stable. The shrine produced some minor magic. To conserve resources, no additional land was annexed. As the city was already restored, no additional improvements were made. The economy continued to grow.
With the coming of spring, the kingdom was still peaceful. The region around the ford to the northeast was annexed and the farm there restored. A smithy was established in Stormhaven, and was very productive. The economy was picking up.
As the weather improved, conditions remained positive. The land to the northwest of Stormhaven was annexed and farm was established. With the feelings of goodwill, a dance hall and another house were built. The economy was starting to stabilize. When a plague erupted in the kingdom, the clerics were deployed and the epidemic was contained before it became significant.
As the flowers bloomed and the temperatures grew hotter, stability in the kingdom remained constant. Expansion was postponed in favor of economic growth. A library was built.
With the coming of summer came unrest. Expansion was further delayed. A mine was built in the Northern Hills, and more homes were built in Stormhaven. However, some of the counselors started a feud. It was resolved before it became a problem.