Read all the Kith’takharos Campaign session recaps here.
The new group of characters has entered Tarass Shar Orn, the place where the previous group died. That group had the following members: Mala, Sasha, Luc, Whiskin, and Fiona.
The group begins exploring the complex. By now they have gotten past the novelty of a dry underground facility in a swamp. They immediately encounter an undead Swamp Man that speaks with the voice of the elf girl.
The girl admits that she is a Veilwalker and now wears the body that formerly belonged to Mala. She can still hear Mala’s screams in a distant corner of her mind. The Veilwalker believes that the group can probably destroy it, and it wants to make a deal: freedom in exchange for information. The Veilwalker claims that it knows the location of Jory’s missing sister and the identity of Huygens Tierney.
The group meets the elf girl face-to-face on the second level of Tarass Shar Orn, near the cylinder that descends 100 feet to the third level. The Veilwalker threatens to kill all the remaining Harlass Orn if the group bargains in bad faith. Negotiations don’t get far before Gabrielle decides that talk is cheap and conjures a fire elemental and two ogres. Injured, the Veilwalker retreats down the shaft, using teleportation to gain distance.
Just as the group presses the attack, Swamp Man zombies engage them from behind, delaying pursuit of the Veilwalker. By the time the the zombies are dispatched, the elf girl is out of sight.
The group follows the ramp to the third level and searches for the Veilwalker. They find Fiona’s head detached from her body. Most of the living Harlass Orn have been slain by zombies and are just more corpses occupying the hibernation couches. The group destroys the zombies and manage to save about 100 sleeping Harlass Orn. The bodies of Whiskin and Sasha are in one of the chambers.
Somehow the elf girl must have gotten behind the group, as an exhaustive search of the third level does not find her. They rush back up to the second level and find Luc’s body. Soon they must admit that the Veilwalker escaped and revealed none of its secrets. There is not much more they can do besides return to Kith’takharos and inform the Jade Leaf about the Harlass Orn.
Over the next two weeks, the Harlass Orn awaken. A handful end up with each Swamp Man tribe as living Forebears. Some remain in Kith’takharos, including the scholar Zzhastor Brune, who designed the refuge of Tarass Shar Orn. The Harlass Orn reduce Swamp Men inter-tribal violence and reign in the excesses of some scheming shaman, such as Eshosh of the Blood Scar tribe. This gives the Harlass Orn purpose, and prevents at least some of them from succumbing to despair over the utter destruction of their civilization.
In addition, less militant Swamp Men allow Kith’takharos to divert more forces to stopping poachers.
With the rescue of the Harlass Orn, the swamp has changed forever.
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