Session 59 - Sand Witch Bound

The Orc on the Road

Traveling south past sunset on the 6th of Undilar, the party spotted an old orc trudging in the opposite direction under the weight of many bags.
Korin spoke with him and learned his name was Lory.
Lory had fled Dumglod, which he described as ruined and picked apart by pillagers.
He refused to join the party, despite their offer, and kept heading the wrong way down the road.
Korin gave him 10 gold and told him to go to Jurin and tell the innkeeper that Korin had sent him.
Dristuul also urged him to try the fish jerky once it became available there.
Lory tried to repay the kindness with two Greater Potions of Healing, but the party refused the potions and accepted food instead.
Before parting, he warned them that Dumglod had been completely ravaged.

The party rotated between driving and sleeping through the night to reach their destination faster, with Kailas taking the first turn.
By morning they were only a few hours from Nanaze, and the landscape began to shift as dunes appeared in the distance.
Once a lively travel hub, Nanaze now felt strained and swollen with refugees.
Camps crowded the outer districts, strange smells hung in the air, and both inside and outside the city the streets were packed with displaced people.
Most shops in the outer district were shuttered out of fear of looting.
The wealthier quarter had more guards and felt safer, but the whole city still carried visible tension.
The party pushed on and crossed the border into the desert beyond.

A strange vehicle burst out of the dunes at speed and raced toward them.
Its driver was Jacko, who recognized the party and welcomed them.
Jacko explained that border formalities mattered less out here than money did.
He also said that after the destruction of Dumglod, trade now ran directly between Nanaze and Drar.
The party rented a pink desert vehicle called the Sand Witch for 20 gold.
Jacko warned them to head straight for Drar and only stop near rocky formations, or a sandworm might find them.

The party assigned roles aboard the Sand Witch:
- Kailas as driver
- Korin as navigator
- Jaruul as mechanic
- Nyxara as shooter
- Dristuul as support
The engine roared to life with deafening noise, and the party raised a toast to an uneventful trip.
Dristuul helped Korin navigate, even turning the map around for him so he could read it properly.
At one point, the navigator became distracted and the driver clipped a rock, jolting everyone hard.
Later, when Korin spotted a river and asked for the vehicle to slow down, Kailas slammed the brakes too hard.
Jaruul avoided disaster by using Misty Step, while Nyxara was thrown from her seat.
Dristuul grabbed Nyxara mid-flight, slowing her enough that she slammed into the sand in front of the vehicle instead of being killed outright.
Dristuul then threw himself into the river to freshen up, but the ground soon began to shake and the party quickly fled the area.

As the day came to an end, the party searched for a safe rocky formation where they could camp.
Korin spotted one option, but Nyxara found a better sheltered outcropping and the party made camp there.
Jaruul performed maintenance on the Sand Witch while Dristuul hovered nearby and was eventually asked to touch the engine.
Dristuul also asked Korin to tell the story of Lisan al Gaib.
The group divided up some of the belongings Theros had left behind.
Nyxara set up Leomund’s Tiny Hut for the night, and the party rested there.

On the morning of the 7th of Undilar, as the hut faded, Jaruul, Korin, and Nyxara noticed footprints outside.
Before they could fully react, Korin suddenly felt cold.
Sylva Goldenroar struck from hiding and stabbed him.
The fiendish ruler of Dumglod cursed Korin, ending the session on a brutal surprise attack.