"Then you share my fears, friend." Roccar pokes at the fire, answering Karst. "Would that I could run them all through. I do not trust Dark Arrows to bring them in line, nor do I expect it to ever happen. Many of the Dark Arrows orcs grow restless under the truce. It wouldn't surprise me if the behavior of the Longhunts wasn't spawned by their frustration. But as much as my gut tells me we are merely strengthening the enemy, it would at least mean we would not be fighting a war on two fronts...and better that civilians peace from the southern clans while Luruar bolsters our forces."

Glendale answers in stoic fashion, as usual. "Trelanna is one of the most powerful mages in Silverymoon. She holds influence over much of the politics in the city, and it is because of her and her alone that we are able to do this. The other leaders of the city would war with Sundabar over this - with Trelanna assisting, they will see reason. As for Azetbu, from all we know it is fortunate that it is he we will be dealing with. Of all the Dark Arrows orcs, he is second in reason to the Orc King alone. He is smart enough to see through baseless flattery, but it said he cannot resist a good drink. I brought one of my best wines as a gift."

Sal chuckles at this, but frowns when she realizes Glendale is not joking. "An orc that drinks a fine wine doesn't seem like much of an orc at all, is all," the Shieldsar says. 

Morning brings another curious event. Shortly after breaking camp, Roccar signals a halt. An Owlbear track intersects the trail, leading East. However, each print contains two extra toes.

Meepo shares his reasoning to Roccar and the rest of his companions on why the owlbear had the bizarre footprint.

"This means one thing, we're getting closer to that funky mist enveloping the Nether Mountains.

We knew its effects were temporary as we saw other beasts fled from the mist's thicker parts and returned to normal eventually. Unfortunately, plants can't move so they would be the most affected by the mist.

Meepo suggest let's not risk going through it. Who knows if those bizarre effects are still temporary."

"All these creatures mutating, whether or not they return to their original form, who knows what dangers they could present whilst in an altered state.  They could develop better senses, sharper, longer claws, extra arms, anything really - we must be on our guard".  The paladin look sat the tracks "What is over to the west, any settlements?  We have no idea how fast and how far the mists can move, is there anything nearby that is under threat?"

Murmen is very confused by what's happening, and mostly just stays quiet.

"Let's not forget how challenging it was to find our way clear of the mist."

"When we last encountered these mists, it seems to have weird effect on everything it touches. It changed the metal on my crowbar green. It was almost like it was alive. An entire town seemed to have gone missing."

"Coupled with the appearance of the floating citadel, they are strange and concerning"

Aradurk seems somewhat disquieted. 

Bartram Shadecrest
Lvl 3 | Human | Rogue/Inquisitive 

Thinking to himself for a moment something comes to Bartram's mind. "The last time we saw the mist the floating citadel was there as well. Could they possibly be connected in some way, possibly someone or something in the citadel causing the mist? It maybe something to look into later."

The concern of the magical mist weighs heavy over the group as evening falls and you set up camp once again.

"We should discuss some of the terms we will be negotiating," Glendale says while everybody gathers around the fire. "The orcs will want Luruar to fund the relocation, but we will ask for a 50/50 split of the costs."

Fumbles speaks up, "If I may suggest, a good compromise could be that Luruar pays for the relocation, but the orcs pay the fee that Luruar owes to the Zhentarim for their assistance, hmm?"

Meepo interjects at Fumbles McNilrog's idea.

"Meepo doesn't know much about the orc tribes of the Nether Mountains but from Meepo's experience, his nomadic tribe wasn't wealthy.

We mostly live on the go, looking for food, pasture for our livestock, and shelter from the elements.

It would take time before they could pay off their debt but Meepo's guess it would be a better alternative than war breaking out."

"If Dark Arrows will not match us coin for coin when we are bolstering the ranks of their armies and adding to their power they are fools, or worse, they have no interest in any deal and are merely looking for a way to allow it to fail without being the instigators." Karst interjects as he runs a cloth over his longsword, cleaning and polishing it.

Murmen finally speaks up.

"Before we reach tha' meeting, we should discuss what gear we'll have with us.  I ken put a blessin' on one person's armor, but only one."

"Glendale said we should go unarmed, but she didn't say unarmored. That's a good idea Murmen, you should talk more often and share your great ideas.

Meepo also has one. If they are hesitant on what to do, we could challenge them to a ba-"

Meepo glances at Bartram and immediately stops. He then remembers his strong statement regarding the result of their encounter with the skeleton orcs.

"ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-battle. Yes, a battle. A friendly skirmish. Who wins makes the demands and the loser has to accept their terms regarding the payment.

We pick someone on their side while they pick one of ours. That seems fair enough. None of those pansy battle dancing, right Bartram? Who even does that king of thing? Pfft."

Bartram Shadecrest
Lvl 3 | Human | Rogue/Inquisitive 

"No, a battle dance wouldn't be my first choice. Who would be the judge for such a contest anyway? I don't think either one of us could trust anyone on both sides to judge fairly. Since we can't have weapons, how about we make it a one vs. one fist fight. First man down is the loser."

"It's smart to prepare for several contingencies based on their response but at a glance, they seem invested in this process. I think it is smart to proceed down the path of peace but as my friend suggests, don't put your sword in the dirt just yet. Out of curiosity, where is the place you will resettle them?"

Roccar laughs along heartily at the suggestions, but Glendale seems more worried. "A show of force would be effective with orcs, but let us attempt reason first and foremost before resorting to power. Many Arrows will jump at the opportunity to say we did not respect them politically," she says. "Where they will be resettled will largely be up to the Dark Arrows Empire. All we really care about is that they are brought in line with the truce for the sake of peace. Another difficult sticking point will be their consulate. The orcs desire a consulate in Sundabar, and they will try to add that in to this deal. For obvious reasons, we must try not to allow it. The alliance is sensitive enough as it is, putting their emissaries in the middle of a dwarven city may tip the balance."

The conversation continues into the next day until you find a set of goblin tracks. They lead a short distance off the trail, to a rock scratched with a crude pictograph of a tower and an arrow pointing northwest.

"I am a stranger in these lands, do we know what tower they might refer to?"  The paladin looks around at the others wondering if they have any answers.

Meepo turns his head left and right.

"I'm clueless as you are Karst but these goblin tracks are interesting. Didn't the supplier of magical items to the orc tribes is a goblin?

Maybe both the person we're looking for and the tower we saw few days ago are connected. What Meepo means is a floating tower can't be anything except magical, right?" 

The brown kobold looks at the tracks on the ground to what general direction it might lead.

"Well, there are a lot of goblins in the world but you could be right."

Karst also examines the tracks looking for any additional information about their age and the number of creatures passing through.

Survival 20

The goblin tracks double back away from the rock. The trail is well-traveled, and it is hard to determine how many there were, but it could have been as much as an entire clan.

"We must be on our way," Rowan suggests. "Though I suppose this does lend credence to your floating tower. We should keep an eye to the skies moving forward."

More terms of the deal are discussed throughout the rest of the day. There will be discussion about provisions, the black market weapons, and whether goblins, giants, and trolls will be accompanying the orcs into the Dark Arrows Empire. 

As the sun begins to set that day, you pass by a large group of veteran warriors who are in a hurry on the trail, in the opposite direction. They slow only long enough to explain that they are hunting for a minotaur that has escaped from the Underdark.

Meepo turns to the group of veteran soldiers as he tilts his hed to the side and asks.

"Why are you in a hurry to find this minotaur? Is it something valuable?"

"I'm sure it's valuable in the right hands," their leader answers, "We've been tracking a band of slavers and we think they may have had their hand in it. Be on the lookout and keep your guards up at night." They don't stick around, rushing off to find their quarry.

Many days of travel northwest finally bring you to the edge of Many Arrows territory.

"It's time," Glendale says, reaching into her pack. She pulls out a bag of holding and places it on the ground. She nods to her Shieldsar, and Sal reaches into it, pulling out a shovel. As Sal begins digging a hole in the ground, Glendale walks around, handing each person an insignia. "Affix these to your person and place your weapons - all of them - into the bag. Do not remove these badges while we are on orc land. We will bury the bag of holding here, and once escorted back after the pact has been completed, we will retrieve them."

Roccar scoffs, but after watching the others depart with their weaponry, he begrudgingly adds his magnificent greataxe to the bag.

"Should we leave Sal behind to watch the weapons? There's no sense in risking her life just so you can have someone to pour your wine," Rowan remarks.

He is met with a hard glare from Glendale. "My protégé believes that death in battle is a holy ending. She is as prepared as danger as any of us," she says.

Fumbles walks to each of you with the bag of holding. "There's nothing to worry about; I promise to sing at each of your funerals," he quips.

OOC: Please include a Wisdom (Perception) check with your next post.