Event:4713/04/24 Recovering Skybolt

Around noon, we leave Restov, buying ferry passage across the river and heading south. We run into a group of Nomen Centaurs at the burial mounds in C28 led by Nara Fleetwind. The party negotiates with them, and we begin a trek back to their leaders' camp after the centaurs finish their rites at the burial mounds. We camp overnight in C28.

Travel is slower than normal with the armored centaurs accompanying us. We continue to head south, and make camp in E28 on 4/25.

On 4/26, a short travel south to F27 finally brings us to the tribe's main camp. Their war priestess tells us that one of the centaur warriors wielding the legendary Skybolt was attacked by Spriggans. If we return Skybolt, they will help us. Spriggans are known to frequent Culcheck Cavern in F25. Roland asks about the legend of Vordakai, and we are immediately kicked out. It's clearly a touchy subject, and the Nomen Centaurs' relations with humanoids is strained at best.

With plenty of daylight left, We head to F25, crossing F26. We make camp in F25 that night near the cavern. We are attacked by Spriggans in the night! Among their remains, we find Skybolt, Varn's sword, and other assorted goodies.

The next morning, 4/27, we look for the Culcheck Caverns. Roland finds a hidden entrance and we head in. We spend some time exploring the complex, but find no one and nothing of value. We head back to Varnhold and arrive in the evening, greeted by the retainers. They have been efficiently cleaning up and securing the buildings in town, and haven't had any trouble with more monsters moving in.

The following morning, 4/28, We head back to the Nomen Centaur Camp. We make it to the edge of F27 and camp for the night.

As we cross into F27 on the morning of 4/29, we are greeted by a dispatch of Nomen Centaurs led by Nara Fleetwind, the Centaur that met us first at the burial mounds in C28. After seeing the bow, they take us to see the war priestess again. Nara tells us the war priestess's name is Aecora Silverfire. They're super happy to get Skybolt back and treat us well. Nara takes us to stable our mounts, and then we meet with Aecora. She explains the plight of the Nomen Centaurs. They feel they have been pushed to the brink of their ability to survive, and need to fight for lands to roam. She thought that the Culcheck Cavern Spriggans had been responsible for Varnhold vanishing, but since we've recovered Skybolt from them without finding any of Varnhold's citizens, she feels now that they are unlikely the responsible party.

We discuss terms of peace between the Nomen Centaurs and Men: The Nomen Centaurs want 4 hexes turned back over to them (C27, E27, G27, and H27) and agreement that humans will not encroach upon them again. We promise to get Maegar Varn to turn the hexes over, or, if we aren't able to recover him and his people, we will do it. The Nomen Centaur promise to not interfere with trade on the Shrike River (they weren't doing this anyway, but they promise they won't start) and that they will stay within their lands. They don't agree to act as a buffer zone right now. We agree that on the nights of the waxing moon we can exchange messages on the border of F26 and F27.

Feeling a bit bad about how she treated us before, Aecora offers more information on Vordakai. She says Vordakai was a slumbering warlord in the time of the mother tribes. There's a place we could go to learn more, Olah-Kakanket (Valley of the Dead), to the south, but it could be our doom. A centaur sighted a lumbering beast and think it may be related to the vanishing. Vordakai can be found by following a trail out of Olah-Kakanket. Aecora believes Olah-Kakanket is a graveyard and the trail leads to Vordakai's tomb. Xamanthe Silverfire is Aecora's daughter. It was Xamanthe that saw the lumbering thing. Disagreement with Aecora drove Xamanthe to leave and enter Olah-Kakanket herself. Aecora would be grateful for news of her daughter. She also mentions that the Nomen Centaur tribe used to have an agreement with a silver dragon that helped patrol the area, but it hasn't been seen for 10 years. They had previously seen it every 5-7 years, so they are at least 3 years past when they expected another encounter with the dragon. She speculates that it may have been the first victim of the vanishing.

We spend the remainder of the day partying with the Nomen Centaur tribe and decide to head to Olah-Kakanket next.