Defeating the Dor'Shak

Yesterday finally the big battle had come. The Elders spy had done well and found out well before the Dor'Shak wanted to go to his laboratory and warned us. While we were gathering in town, Hanashi, the storyteller came to Arilon. She had quite some news for us. For one, she confirmed that another, evil Arindal exists, one that revives all the creatures hostile to us in the world. This other Arindal has also a group of people watching over it, like the Elders are mentally linked to ours. The downside to this link is, that if one of the Elders disciples like Lider is badly hurt it will take quite some time for the disciple as well as the Elder to recover. Dor'Shak on the other hand is a disciple of a watcher of the other Arindal. So while we can´t really kill him, defeating him with the Es'zpada would at least weaken him for a considerable amount of time. We also learned that Hanashi herself helps one of "our" disciples and that it is still unknown if Merown is one of the evil disciples.
After some good wishes we then made for Ceolsige again, the pirate town in Yarimada. Things went quite smooth until there, but then some people didn´t watch their step and stumbled down a ladder into the storeroom that i had wanted to avoid. It was narrow and two bombers made a quick end to any rescue. It was only until some of the more dangerous pirates wanted to get out and the remaining part of the group clearing the ranged attackers from the outside that we got out again.
The deepest floor of the ship proved dangerous as well. Several pirate priests had formed a circle around the ladder and together with some bombers made for a warm welcome. As people started fighting at the ladder all the ranged attacks were directed there and no one could move away to avoid it. Luckily with some chaining we could regroup upstairs again and when we just rushed through and got into the pirates backs they were quickly finished with.
From here on i had to steel myself and keep in mind that killing the Dor'Shak was very important, otherwise i might have turned in the prospect of the diving passages to come. The way into the mirrorroom that we got to last time went well again, except for some bombs greeting the first ones to enter a room here or there. And indeed, the Dor'Shak was waiting in this room! Next to him stood an impressive yellow Orga with a red sash. After some confusion we managed to start killing first the lesser minions and then go after the Orga. First he threatened us, then all he could do was yelling for his master before he took his last breath.
The Dor'Shak wasn´t so easy prey. He pulled his way out of traps, received healing energy that may have come from fallens from our group and merrily teleported himself through the room and ran in the mirrors. At first he laughed at us daring to attack him, but fear crept into his voice when i drew the Es'zpada. When i managed to hit him the red lightening ran all over his black robe and suddenly he seemed vulnerable to normal blades too, so maybe the sabre had been needed to finish some magic shield of his. We kept trying to trap him whereever he appeared and constantly stabbing into the robe, hoping to hit something vital. Suddenly blood was soaking his robe and we redoubled our efforts. The Es'zpada had not yet recharged its magic energy but it was as sharp as ever and then, all of a sudden, the Dor'Shak collapsed in a pile and disappeared afterwards. Unsure, we looked at each other: had this been his end? Somehow we all seemed to have expected some magic spectacle at his death, but the sabre that had been reforged by Durin seems to have only been the key to his shield and after this, he was (nearly) as vulnerable as anyone else. After all these months of Orga and pirate invasions, camps in the jungle, search for rare items in dangerous areas we now can hope to sleep peacefully again until the next foe foolishly steps up and tries to make our lifes miserable or put an end to them.

Silencing dogs

Yesterday we were sitting in town and discussed once more a hunting destination. In the end we settled for Ardvell, but hoping for some reinforcements we delayed the start a bit. To kill the time (and some Orga) a small group decided to make its way to Orga Camp and pay a visit to the Orga Chieftain in the caves below Camp 2. The cave was heavily guarded, making fighting a challenge, but the situation was always under control.
As we killed our way further into the cave, Gravier and me already discussed who would get a chainride home, because he would be unhealable, because we had only 2 healers with us and the Chieftain is famous for his solid blows. But as Jazz pointed out, he is also very slow, so that in the end we managed to overwhelm him. Trapping and hacking until the situation gets critical, then luring and repeating proved a successful strategy. We were rewarded by discovering a nice, full chest the Orga was carrying around and quickly devided the coins.
No more people had shown up and so we made our way to Ardvell. My schooled eyes quickly found a way through the dense forest in the first snell, so we could avoid the run through the mazelike way leading deeper into the woods. First we turned south as i estimated the thieves village to lie just behind some trees and i wanted to examine the place for a way to slip through. I had just found a promising spot, when we were ambushed by a pack of barking watchdogs. First my heart beat much faster, then my hate for them took over and with cold determination we lured one after the other to the north and killed them. As much as i despise them, their furs are indeed very soft, leading to high prices.
After we got reinforced by another healer we ventured further into the forest, where Dresko demonstrated her impressive skill in guessing the creatures movements and so hitting with nearly every strike. When we encountered Ashursos we thought our hunt to be over, but we at least wanted to try to bring one of them down. We lured him away and much to our surprise didn´t have too many difficulties. I was able to evade nearly all his angry blows, while Dresko wounded him from the side, until we all tried to get a hit and in the end vanquished him. All in all it was a very nice hunt, especially the fights with the Ursos, of which we encountered a whole lot on our way back, were challenging and insturctive.

Durin returns

Yesterday started with a nice little hunt to the hidden valley. After stripping the fur off some Caverncercops, we ventured south, fighting Tok'Han and rattlesnakes. The former leave deep wounds if you don´t manage to evade quickly enough, the latter pump their poison in your blood if they manage to bite you, so it was really nasty. In the end we arrived at the 4th circle testhouses, where Tarra, Jazzmertize and Frenzymac each tried to pass but sadly all failed.
Afterwards we went north to challenge some more cercops and hoping to find some dragons too. We did and even found an emerald. While hitting the beasts proved not so great a problem, i was rather disappointed to be hit by nearly everything living in this valley, i really have to train harder.

Later that day several people were relaxing in town when Durin Stonemaster appeared. He was so satisfied with the result of his forging that he asked to be called Durin Weaponmaster from now on. Indeed, the Es'zpada he had reforged is balanced very well and is very sharp. When you grip it, you feel like controlling a small thunderstorm, sure to plant fear in the heart of every enemy you strike at. As no one else dared to speak up, i took the weapon in my keep for now. Durins mood became even better when he got some Urdarbeer and when we promised to make a quick end to the Dor'Shak and his Orga minions, as he seemed to have been attacked by Orga in the jungle recently and had dropped his beer in shock.