I stealthed back to the Loamite Doma. The Doma felt my presence and began talking. This Loamite is a Shaman Doma of Clan Martok. "I fear things are not as they seem." the Doma said in a soft but raspy voice. The Doma continued how the Loamites will work with their new Gulgrethor Allies to prepare for The Great Invasion. The Shaman in him senses something else odd and foul at work here. He had sought out spirits for help, but they only told him to find a goblin named Loremaster Parn and ask him about Clan Martok and The Great Invasion. He was told, by these spirits, he was communing with powerful spirit's in the Great Hall. He had tried to find Parn, but failed. He requested that I find Parn and return to him with answers.
Now I am wondering to my self how could this be. I just had tasks from the Gulgrethor to thin the Loamite numbers. How are the Gulgrethor their allies? Something is definitely strange going on here, but then again a lot of things I have done for the Orcs in Kojan have been strange up and to this point. This is getting complex, even for me, I thought. I left the dock to head for the Great Hall.
I climbed the stairs and walked in to large area full of tables, food and drink. Most of the patrons were off-duty workers or soldiers. Among them I found Loremaster Parn. I greeted him an explained why I had come to him. He started with a small grin that I wanted to know about Clan Martok and The Great Invasion. He replied that he did know the tale and quite the tale it is. But a story like that requires a strong drink before it can be told properly and drinking ale always helps him remember. He requested I fill his mug full with frothy ale and he didn't care how I did it. Only then would he tell me the tale of Clan Martok and The Great Invasion. So I
went to a Tavern Wench and asked to purchase some ale. But I heard those four words. Those four words that would send Yebral into a Beserker Rage! "We're out of Ale.", she responded. So I was unable to purchase the ale and now had to resort to another plan. A plan I would had hoped I didn't need to come in to play. I would have to steal ale from the mugs of the other patrons. So how handy would my rogue skills be here. I reached for an ale and had come face to face with an angry off-
duty soldier. There was no talk, the fight ensued with all watching. I defended myself and in the end, I killed him. All the patrons just shook it off and went back to their business as nothing had ever happened. Some of that ale spilled during the melee so I had to acquire more ale to fill Parn's mug. I grabbed a few more mugs and some I got away with and others I had to fight for. So if no one else cared why would I? I was killing Gulgrethor Soldiers in a Gulgrethor City and no one lifted a finger to help. Seems to be getting easier every step of the way. Once the mug was full I pressed Parn to tell me of Martok's Past. Between enormous gulps, Parn commented about the nice full mug of ale. He began that years ago, the Gulgrethor Clan left their homeland to the east and began a campaign against Thestra to crush the empires there to expand their power. But that was not before (hiccup) Karujin deceived the Martok elders and slaughtered them in cold blood here; in this very city. The Martok Clan was crippled without there leadership and seemingly helpless to resist the iron will of (hiccup)Karujin Gulgrethor which laid waste to the Martok Clan across the island. Those left in Martok (hiccup) well, they herded them onto the dock and pushed them into the dark waters. This was before the hero, Grakkor, of course. Parn staggered a bit, gave a wink and laughed. He commented on the Martok bodies were pushed into the waters of Khenvor and that the bones ended up in the mud below are the proof he spoke of. He told me to head to the first big ship and that there in the deep water I would find Oysters that feed on these bones as they floated by. He stated it would be very hard to breath at the bottom and that I should speak with Cook Voldrem about his crab chowder.
I walked up to the cook and he started talking right away about how he don't have the meat for his so called magical crab chowder. He said he dabbled in creating magical soups and his most demanded is the crab chowder. Further more he said it's tasty and allows you to breath like a fish. Don't know if I can really believe that, but there is a lot of strange magic in Telon. So he politely asked me to fetch him some savory crab meat from the crabs down by the beach south of the docks. I agreed to help him if it helps me get information as to what is really going on around here in the city of Khenvor. So I leave and go to the end of the docks. I start walking along the pilings thinking what am I doing. Have I been reduced to fetching food for a cook. I began think this was one big mind play and that doing all these
things I'll end up like the lackeys outside chopping wood forever. I saw the beach was not far and out from behind a piling jumped a Dock Stalker spider. Again, no information that these creatures are around here. Ask me to do something, give me the information I need to succeed please. Now the Goblins are forgetting too. This place may be the death of me. After slaying the spider I noticed he had captured a poor soul and had him in a cocoon, fixed to a piling. That could have been me. I
proceeded more cautiously to the beach from here on out. Trying to remain focused on my task and rid other thoughts from my head. When I arrived at the beach there was a plethora of crabs about. I made sure to make quick work of each of them. I got into some intense battles with a few, but by the time I put them down there wasn't much meat left to savor. The
pinchers didn't seem that tough, but the brutes were much larger and stronger. I did the best that I could to save as much meat as possible. Once I got enough I headed back up to the dock and into the Great Hall once more. The cook was beside himself, he couldn't even wait for me to get up to him. He came rushing at meat saying that that crab meat was lovely and beautiful while saliva dripped from his very lips. He stated that I had done well and gave me a bowl of crab chowder for my effort.
I left before I was tasked with something else again. I head for the
first ship, ate the crab chowder and dove into the deep water. Sorry I didn't wait the 30 minutes or an hour before I dove in. I never cramped up though. I found the oysters on the sea floor. I opened them up only to be ambushed as they turned into large awful looking things. Their tentacles stung like a lash of a whip and I made sure I was a good distance from there gnarling teeth. When I dove in I did noticed a huge looking crab on scouring the sea floor. It was a Greatfather crab. It could have been a hundred years old for all I knew. But I thought of the cook and how maybe he would love to have the crab meat from this creature. I moved in under stealth and attacked it immediately. It was a long fight. Though very, very strong, it was slow and a bit clumsy. I came close to being severed in half a few times but managed in a nick of time to get out of the way.
The sun was setting on Khenvor again. What a beautiful sight indeed but such a city doesn't belong in the hands of the Gulgrethor.
I returned to the Loamite Doma with the bones as proof. The Doma had become overcome with a flood of emotion, at last understanding the truth. All the Loamites are spirits of the dead - betrayed and butchered long ago, and now somehow trapped in a state of living death. The Doma's face got angry and exclaimed that this must stop and they be allowed to rest. Shaking the bones in his hands and stating he will seek directions from the bones. He threw the bones onto the dock, and there was a long silence as he broods over the positioning of the bones and what they reveal. He looked up and said that the signs are clear.
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