We continue traveling west toward our mission that the druids sent us on. After a time we are attacked by three “howlers” — unnatural demon creatures. We fend them off but several of us are scared stiff by their cry. It’s determined that they are from another plane.

In the distance we hear the clash of swords. We go to investigate and see a group of elves fighting some orks in a skirmish. This is familiar territory for Hadrian and Dardenne, being warriors, and they both rush in to help the elves fight.

 

However, the others notice something and call for the combat to stop. With a spell, Mord creates a thick foliage for one hundred feet to stop people from being able to move. Filarion causes a huge stinking cloud to form as well.

The elves continue attacking and seem to be teleporting around. Mord tells Hadrian and Dardenne that the orks are dressed in finery and not acting like regular orks. Dardenne looks and finally sees it. He casts magic missiles on one of the elves and they start to move away.

Mord casts a spell on Hadrian that allows him to move through the foliage without being slowed down. Mord, Filarion and Hadrian help to heal the orks and they are very thankful.

The orks are appreciative and ask us to come back to their town with them, which is nearby. They speak common well. They explain that their town was founded by a bard that helped them understand civility and how to create a community, and these elves stole their founder’s magical lute.

They bring us into the town which is quite large and bustling. Their founder was named Aalavor Valren, who was a bard and a half-elf. They show us the statue in the center of town and it is a spitting image of Filarion. He is surprised and others start to notice. He is getting attention from a lot of the people in the town.

 

We meet the town leader named Silverleaf, and he orders that we should have hot food and clean linens to sleep on. They tell us the song and story of their founder and how he was captured by orks about 200 years ago and convinced them not to eat him.

They explain that they’ve had their troubles but have gotten along with elves. This attack was unexpected. The elves are also worshipers of Alona so it is very strange. They were here for 2 days and attacked a bunch of people and tried to take Silverleaf’s wife. Then they took the lute and fled.

We speak to his wife some more and she says that several guards died trying to help. The lute was being kept by the statue.

We offer to help track these elves down starting in the morning. Dardenne and Filarion feel personally responsible being elf-kin. They will be organizing a party and they have some trackers.

Hadrian goes to the inns that the elves went to, and doesn’t find out much. They stayed one night and paid, then left.

Mord speaks to one of the local druids and is also an ork. They enlist an owl to help them scout.

Filarion goes to the bard school and sees what he can find out there and Dardenne checks at the taverns, but they haven’t come up with anything yet.