Session 52

The Shroud prepare to fight the beast of legend, The Caothach Ool.

Wielding their powerful divination magic they had no difficulty finding the beasts hidden lair deep in the depths of the Caer Bryr.

What gave them pause was what they found out about the beasts legendary powers while researching in their library.  In melee combat this brute was fearsome indeed.  What the Shroud decided to do was pick an open spot to engage the beast & hope a well placed reverse gravity would neutralize the beast.  The problem was, in the heart of the massive forest a large enough open space to engage it would be hard to come by.

The death priestess did say that they could request a miracle from the god of death & purge a region of the forest of all living things.  Though the eagerness of Yvianne was appreciated, the cost of such a boon was too great, both in material cost & potential anger of the elves and humans native to the land.  What was found was a large lake right outside the beasts lair.  It would make quite a fountain, but should still work.

With the location of the trap settled, they set the bait.  The vampire priestess, equipped with a newly forged ring to protect her from the harmful effects of moving water on her undead frame, floated in the middle of the lake.  Then Mardus spring the trap with an earthquake over the waterfall entrance to the beasts lair flooding the entrance to the caverns with water.

As predicted the massive bandersnatch roared out of it's lair.  Spotting the death priestess it charged her leaping at her in the heart of the lake.  Hacking and slashing at her, it's attempts to grab the vampire foiled by her freedom of movement spell.  Still the damage was noticed.  Then the area was reverse gravity'ed.  The beast was unable to grab the flying Yvainne but it did manage to coil it's tail around a massive tree root under the lake.  The shroud cursed themselves for not checking.

A huge column of water rushed up around Yvainne and the flailing Bandersnatch shrouding them in mist obscuring the two.  Quickly the flying Yvainne came rushing out of the mists while the screeching beast could still be heard.

Using magics, they pull the water back to stop the mists and that's when Mardus gets a good look at the tree root.  For a moment he turns to the rest of the Shroud & telepathically asks if they think he could burn it.  Getting back a likely no, he grasps his adamantine blade & rushes down, braving the slashing claws of the beast & in one swift stroke hacking the massive root in two.

Beast & root go rocketing into the air.

Once there, suspended, oscillating in the air, the beast was helpless against the massive torrent of magic and arrow blasted at it.

After the beast was dead, it was simply a matter of Emmerick wearing the beasts pelt & walking into the druidic enclave and declaring the fate of the Iraens.  "Be the loyal subjects to Emmerick & full citizens of his Talengarde.

Before the King left his new subjects he was offered an interesting opportunity.  The previous Barcan line hunted unicorns with the Iraens.

The Shroud liked that idea & lingered and had a grand hunt to celebrate the joining of the Iraens into the Kingdom.  A half-dozen Unicorns were bagged in the outing as well.

The entourage finally uprooted from Farholde and it's surroundings to move on into the borderlands region.  There the King surveyed the devastation brought to the watchwall and the infiltration of the humanoids into the Kingdom.

The shroud was surprised at just how badly Fire-Axe had destroyed the defenses and how many humanoids still infested the borderlands.

They decided to rally an army made of mercenaries & recent militia recruits to purge the borderlands.

Emmerick's first campaign was a resounding success.  Though it took a couple months, his forces proved overwhelming for the small smattering of brutes terrorizing the region.

Then the Shroud saw an opportunity ripe for the picking.  The savage north lay bare, seemingly easy to seize and they sat on an army on it's border, fresh off a victory & positioned to strike.

The order was given.  The Crown of Talengarde would rule all the main island.  What ensued was a half-year long campaign lead by Emmerick and the Shroud themselves.  It managed to be even more glorious than the one in the borderlands.

The Savage North bowed before the King's army.  They slaughtered the savage humaniods and other ruffians.  And even the walled ice elven fortress capital was sacked by the King.

With the Bugbears and others put the the knife and spoils seized for the low treasury of the Crown, the King was faced with a choice.  Would he put the Ice Elves and their kin to the knife as well?  Or would he have them bend a knee to his banner?

His council was mixed.  The old nobility like Duke Barca urged slaughter & making it a colony.  The neighboring Frost Giant queen urged slaughter as well, but handing the lands over to the giants.  It was not fit for humans to live there & she could easily hold it.  In the name of the King of course.  His military advisors, such as General Barca urged mercy.  Let them bend a knee to the Crown.  They can maintain the lands themselves better than any humans & still be taxed by the crown.

In the end that was the idea the King liked the most.  The Ice Elves would be part of his Kingdom, as would their lands.

The Shroud stood in an interesting position.  The south was theirs, as was the Caer Bryr.  Now all the rest of the main island in the North was theirs.  All that remained was the reclusive human tribes of the Yukan.  Then the entire island chain would be under their rule.

When they went to treat with the Yukan they expected to find a reclusive chieftain ruling a reclusive people.  What they found was a people poised for change.  Their chieftain, a younger man, eager to embrace the ways of their southern neighbors.  When an eye on a title of a small barony along the watch wall.  A barony owned by a boy of but five years, with an advisor who was a Mitrian priest, likely still loyal to the absent Princess.

Emmerick, with but a flick of his pen appointed the chieftain the new guardian of the young boy holding the title & seizing the Priest as a traitor.

And with that the Shroud managed to do something during Emmerick's reign that Barcan and Darian alike failed at.  They united all the islands of Talengarde under one banner.

The banner of Hell.